Introduction. This is Internet marketing exposed.

Introduction

I’ll just come right out and say it—successful Internet marketers have a presence in multiple online avenues making them accessible to many markets. Most marketers keep this strategy to themselves because it gives them an advantage over other businesses on the web.

I don’t just have a website, I don’t just have a blog, and I don’t just have a Twitter account. I have these three things (and many others), and I use them in a way that garners the best possible results for my business. The key word here is results. Not every business wants the same thing out of online marketing, and I get that. The results you are looking for could be any or all of, but not limited to the following things:

3Brand building

3Getting the word out about your business and expanding your customer base

3Providing information to your existing customer base nurturing your relationship with them

3Positioning yourself as an expert, as the go-to person in your industry

3Increased sales

3Professional networking

In the pages that follow I discuss how small- and medium-sized business reach success by incorporating search engine optimization (SEO), social media, and blogging into their marketing efforts. Since I’m exposing the secret so many Internet marketers keep to themselves, I don’t expect you to know how to do everything I describe intuitively. To help you along, I’ve included specific tips that will enable you to take your online marketing to the next level. And of course, if you have any questions, you should not hesitate to contact me, Mirna Bard.

Section 1: Understanding Today’s Marketing

You know that print media is dying or at least shrinking. You also know that

print advertising, direct mail, radio and TV advertising spots are increasingly expensive and less effective. Since you already know these things, I’m not going to talk about them.

What I am going to talk about is how online marketing compares to what I call “traditional” marketing methods we have used in years past. For example, online marketing ensures you are present at the moment your customer is looking for you instead of the old way where you went looking for

customers whether they needed you or not.

Additionally, traditional marketing provides a one-sided conversation, whereas online marketing focuses on a two-way or multiple-way conversation. Change your way of thinking and learn to speak with your audience instead of talking at them.

Before I get too far, I do want to make a disclaimer. Traditional marketing does have its place in your marketing scheme. But the truth is that online marketing is a new kind of marketing that you and your business need to succeed in. Traditional marketing should be an extra and online marketing should be your focus. Here are the facts:

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Online marketing is measurable. Google Analytics and other measuring tools will tell you who visits, who buys, what prompted them to buy, and helps you determine your return on investment (ROI).

CONSIDER THIS!

Your content and your listeners/customers will do your marketing for you—word of mouth marketing has and always will be your most valued form of marketing. Essentially, social media is word of mouth marketing on performance enhancers. Consumers, whether on behalf of a company or for themselves, research online by entering keywords into a search engine—it’s that simple. After doing a quick search thousands of sites will turn up in the search including dozens of blogs and review sites where he or she can read about impressions and the pros and cons of each particular item or service. Sure a consumer may go to the company website to read about the product, but that’s clearly biased information. The savvy online shopper is more interested in what their peers are saying. For this reason alone, social media sites and blogs have skyrocketed in popularity.

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Our youth have not known a world without computers. This segment of the consumer population DOES and WILL demand online information and reject traditional marketing more and more.

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JupiterResearch, an Internet research business, predicts that by 82% of small businesses will have a web presence by 2011. Will you be left out or leading the pack?

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JupiterResearch also estimates that 78 percent, or almost 20 million small businesses, currently use the Internet on a regular basis. "Small businesses spent over $43 billion in 2005 in business purchases online," said Sonal Gandhi, a JupiterResearch analyst. "Their online influenced off-line spending is likely to be considerably higher." This is proof that a magazine advertisement or a catalog won’t give you a competitive advantage.

Online marketing sounds great, right? Well, here’s the problem.

Companies spend thousands and thousands of dollars on a website expecting customers to just show up. Yes, your website is a 24-hour a day sales force, but if no one finds your site, then it can’t do its job.

The reality is you can’t follow one online marketing strategy. In order for people to find your website you need to implement SEO, blogging, and social media participation. Successful online marketers are doing this; they just aren’t talking about it.

Individually, SEO, social media, and blogs bring valuable content, inbound links (the most important to all three strategies), and visitor traffic, but by using all three together your efforts are synchronized and multiplied. What’s more, you are transparent online. By being in multiple places your customers will find you no matter where they choose to get their information online.

MARKETING TIP!

Don’t build a website unless you are willing to invest in new marketing strategies that allow your customers to find you online. Without both good design and Internet marketing, you

Section 2: From Nowhere to Everywhere

Online marketing evolves at a rapid rate. When committing to online marketing you have to be fluid by learning about new trends, testing different tactics, and paying close attention to your feedback. In this chapter we will talk about the crux of search engine optimization, social media, and blogging.

Search engine optimization (SEO)

SEO is the process of improving the volume and quality of visitors to a website from search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.) through “natural” or “organic” search results.See the diagram below for a snapshot of where natural results appear on a search engine results page.

Notice that on the right and up at the top in the blue box that each of the results are paid results, not organic. Paid placement or pay-per-click (PPC) works like this: you designate which keywords and keyword phrases you want to tap into. Then, based on how much you pay, your site will turn up when those search terms are entered into the engine. Again, the amount you pay will determine which one of the designated spots you appear in.

PPC can work great, but it can be expensive. It also does not make you an authority within your industry. However, natural results achieved through SEO will make you an authority.

The reason Google brings up these sites in the organic listing is because they have been optimized using relevant content for that particular keyword or phrase, and they have many sites linking back to them. Of course, there are other SEO techniques that are

implemented, but these are the two most important.

There is no magic solution to SEO. It takes real work, time, and patience. When you take on SEO you have to understand that it will be maintained for the lifetime of the site, because search engines are changing their algorithms and the way they rank websites all the time. Top this off with the fact that current competitors are also working on their sites and new competitors come online every day.

But despite the challenges, it is possible to have your website turn up on the first page of relevant search engine

MARKETING TIP!

Internet marketers use a number of tools to determine which keywords have a high search volume and little competition for a particular company or niche. Once those keywords are determined 25% of your SEO will take place on your site with meta keywords, description, and alt tags, while 75% of SEO occurs off your site page and on other sites with link building. Links are

“recommendations” or “votes” for your site from trusted websites including:

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Blogs/ forums/ wikis (magnet for links)

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International/ local directories

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Sites that are relevant or complement your site

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Social bookmarking

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Social media (press releases, articles, etc.)

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Creating a useful tool on web site that people will

naturally link to (linkbait)

You want the majority of your link building efforts to focus on receiving one-way links instead of reciprocal links. Search engines look at one-way links with more authority.

results (often called SERPs). And if you work really hard you might even rank in the top few organic placements, which is a HUGE boon for your website. In a recent study done by Enquiro, a company that tracks online user behavior, it was determined that the “Golden Triangle” or the area on the top left of search engine results get the most attention from computer users. This means that the organic results in the top three or four spots do the absolute best in terms of click-through.

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SEO pulls more traffic than PPC. 75% clicks come from high-ranking natural results.

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With PPC you run the risk of your competitors, spammers, and un-interested visitors clicking your ads running up your expenses.

Are you convinced that SEO is critical for your website’s success?

Social Media

Social media can be defined as the use of Internet technology to connect with people socially and generate publicity through online communities. Social media is similar to a business networking event or social cocktail party, but without constraints of space and time. It’s about building relationships and starting conversations that create a buzz. It’s about answering questions and helping others. It’s about giving, receiving, and trusting recommendations from others.

CONSIDER THIS!

One final note on SEO and a big WARNING for those new to online marketing. Of all the search engines, Google will bring the most traffic to your site.

Because it is such a powerhouse, it makes sense to focus your efforts here first. Yahoo and Bing (which now have merged their search) are the next two important search engines and combined with Google, they will feed the other smaller engines. If and when you are approached by search engine marketing company, tell them you do NOT need their services to submit your site to hundreds of search engines. This is a waste of your money.

Social media provides something called social proof, which is at the heart of successful social media. I mentioned earlier that it is critical to be present online when your customers go to look for the product or service you are offering. If you already have valuable online content and are visible in several areas of the Internet, then you won’t look like the Internet equivalent of a door-to-door sales person. Instead, you look like a resource and a respectable provider of this oh-so-valuable product or service that he or she just happens to be looking for.

Consumers look for feedback from their peers. Consumers are looking for social proof that says a particular product or service is worth their time and their pennies. Think about Amazon’s review process, or Yelp and CitySearch’s review and ranking system, or the ability to join groups and become fans on Facebook. All of these examples point to social proof, because they provide an outlet for

individuals to share thoughts about whether or not a product or service is worth it. There are hundreds of social media sites. Some you may not have heard of such as Squidoo, StumbleUpon, and Rollyo. But two you most certainly have heard of include Facebook and Twitter, which have grown in huge popularity in the last year or two.

Facebook has reached over 250 million users, the majority of whom are adults. According to Nielsen, the number of U.S.-based Twitter users grew nearly 2,000% from July 2008 to July 2009. Twitter has a total of 21 million unique visitors each month. (Trust me, this is a lot!)

MARKETING TIP!

Social media is the most effective way to publish and promote content and build your network. Social media is not limited to Facebook and Twitter. Below is a list of only a few tactics and sites where you can

participate.

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News releases – PRWeb.com

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PowerPoint® presentations – Slideshare.net

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Viral videos – YouTube.com

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Blogging – Blogger.com, WordPress.com

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Social bookmarking – StumbleUpon.com

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Articles – eZineArticles.com

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RSS feeds – Feedburner.com, Atom.com

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Podcasts – Podcasts.com

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eBooks – Scribd.com

While social media participation can be time consuming, it is almost always free and the results can be mind blowing. I can speak from personal experience when I say I’ve found clients, business partners, and even friends through social media. Once you establish yourself and find your place online, your transparency lends itself to your business growth quickly.

Blogging

Anyone can read a blog or write blog posts for a blog, but to build a readership for a blog takes a lot of work and commitment that not everyone is willing to do. The good news is that with the help of SEO and social media the work is made much easier and the rewards much greater.

By definition, a blog is a web log, or a website that is frequently updated with articles called “posts.” Search engines look at blogs with great authority as do most consumers. With a blog you can frequently post relevant information about your business and spawn a relationship with your readers. Blogging is definitely a time commitment, but other than initial set up and your time, it doesn’t cost a thing. In fact, blogs can even be a money-making venture if done properly. Many successful online marketers earn their living with a blog by selling advertising space and promoting products through something called affiliate marketing. There’s no reason you can’t do the same.

Blogging fits hand in glove with SEO and social media. Here’s how:

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Search engines crawl your site/blog more often, since it is updated frequently

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With more blog posts you increase the number of pages on your site that can be indexed by search engines

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Reach millions of people globally who could potentially become customers

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Multiply incoming links to your site

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Make your site authoritative

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Excellent for reputation management

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Build recognizable identity or branding of your products or services

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Create “buzz” or online conversations about products or services

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Form relationships and speak directly, openly, and honestly with your customer

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Set yourself apart from competition

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Articulate your viewpoints, knowledge, and expertise pertaining to your industry

On the technical side of things, your web developer can set up a blog that lives under your existing domain. You can also choose to develop a blog on an existing site such as Blogger.com, but if you do this you need to understand that you won’t be driving traffic to your own domain. You’ll be driving traffic to the blogger.com domain. While it’s still a blog, which I recommend, it’s not the best option. Your own blog on your own site is the best option.

BLOGGING TIPS!

Once your blog is up and running, here are a few of the steps you’ll need to take to get it off the ground:

1. Complete thorough keyword research using a keyword tool. 2. Listen to what people are saying online about your company,

your industry as a whole, and your competitors. Craft blog posts in response to these conversations.

3. Visit other blogs. Introduce yourself and leave comments. 4. Promote your blog using SEO and social media tactics.

5. Write blog posts at least twice a week. Topics could include: a list of ideas, trends, links; answers to questions received; pose a question to readers; shared an experience; announce a piece of news or comment on someone else’s news.

Section 3: Moving Forward

Internet marketing is not rocket science. However, it is an extremely time consuming, wearisome, sometimes puzzling activity. It’s overwhelming and a commitment, but it can be done.

What you don’t have time to do on your own, there are many others out there who devote their careers to this specialty and would be happy to help. These people take the time read, research, and practice SEO, social media, and blogging to keep their skills sharp. Don’t hesitate to outsource to these experts so you can focus on your own core business.

The truth is that online marketing is rarely successfully accomplished on the shoulders of one single person. It takes a whole team of people to execute an online marketing strategy, including:

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Marketing strategist

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User experience specialist

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Search engine optimization specialist

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Paid search specialist

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Copywriter

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Web developer

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Web analytics manager

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Social media participant

To move forward you first need to assess your marketing goals, define your target market, and assess the online space for your industry. Once you are knowledgeable about what’s been done and what needs to be done, you can begin to implement your three-prong approach. You don’t need to do everything all at once, but you do need to roll out your plan over the course of three to four months followed by ongoing work and participation. With time, online marketing will become easier and your results will be evident.

Conclusion

The Internet is a wide open space. There is room for your business to grow online using the three online marketing methods I described above. I can’t repeat this enough: In order for SEO, social media, and blogging to work effectively for your business, you must incorporate all three into your online marketing plan together in a synchronized manner. To reiterate, ubiquity is everything.

On the following page you will find a worksheet titled “Online Marketing Campaign Planning,” which is designed to get you thinking about online marketing and how your business can implement a plan. It is my hope that with the worksheet along with this eBook, you will be ready to take the next important steps in marketing your business.

If after reviewing all of this information you are unsure if online marketing is right for your business or you don’t have the resources to get the job done in house, feel free to call me, Mirna Bard. I offer a complimentary strategy session for businesses of all sizes and would be delighted to discuss your online marketing plans in detail.

For more information, visit www.mirnabard.com or to connect find me @mirnabard (Twitter),

www.linkedin.com/in/mirnabard, www.facebook.com/mirnabard, or call 714-557-1775.

Mirna Bard is more than an Internet marketing expert. She is a consultant, a coach, an educator, an entrepreneur, a public speaker, and a tenacious learner.

She has assisted dozens of companies to create a viable online resource by increasing traffic and therefore sales. With every project, her goal is always the same: online transparency. As the principal for NuReach Global, she continues to learn about Internet marketing and evolve as a professional in an industry she loves.

Southern California is home to Mirna, and there is nothing she enjoys more than a long walk on the beach (emphasis on the word long). Most of her free time is spent reading books that cover topics like Internet marketing, business strategies, nutrition, and self-help. Mirna is also an avid traveler, which suits her well since her consulting and public speaking work requires her to spend time away from home.

Online Marketing Campaign Planning

1. Determine your online marketing goals.

Are you looking to acquire new customers?

Do you need another method for branding your business?

Do you want to establish yourself as an expert or as the industry standard?

Is it all three or something else? _________________________________________________________________________ 2. How much time can you devote to online marketing every day, every week, every month? _________________________________ 3. What is your budget for online marketing? : _______________________________________________________________________ 4. Where is your competitor online and what is their message? _________________________________________________________

Company web Site Blog Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Other

5. How can your business position itself better than your competitors? ____________________________________________________ 6. Where are your customers looking for their information? If you don’t know, conduct market research including online keyword research.

If you do know, are you in the places your customers are looking?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 7. What content do you have available to share with your audience?