Archive for December, 2009

7 Social Media Listening Tools that Will Help Refine Your Online Web Marketing Campaign

Monday, December 28th, 2009

3818265053_0ece9c1a57_mIf you’re running an online Web marketing campaign that makes regular use social media services like Facebook and Twitter, then you already have a leg up on your competition. But how are your listening skills? In 2010, the most successful online Web marketing experts won’t just be tweeting, but they’ll also be listening to their targeted audience. Listening to your audience is a crucial way to become more engaged with your audience. Here are 7 listening tools that can help you refine your social media message.

1. Hootsuite: URL shortening is going to remain an essential online Web marketing tool in 2010. And while there are a range of choices out there, Hootsuite is one of the best, since it can give you some useful stats related to who is clicking on your links.

2. Collective Intellect: As a newer, paid Web service, Collective Intellect is a little different. The ci/listen application is an advanced system that provides intricate real time listening and tracking services. Things like automatic categorization and filtering technology make Collective Intellect one of the most intriguing paid listening apps we’ve seen in a while.

3. Google Alerts: If you’re not ready for the host of services that Collective Intellect offers, then Google Alerts can be the powerful online Web marketing tool for you. You can quickly and easily set up keywords and get nearly instant alerts.

4. Technorati: Google blog search is a great tool for quickly finding the latest online trends. But for specific, tailored search it still can’t beat Technorati, the most powerful tool for finding useful information in the blogosphere.

5. Monitter: When you visit Twitter, you can see the ten most popular keywords of the moment. But if you’re like most online Web marketing specialists, that’s not enough. Monitter offers real-time updates on a range of keywords and popular topics.

6. Twendz: Another useful Twitter monitor, Twendz uses Twitter Search and can provide more tailored real-time updates. You’ll be able to monitor up to 70 tweets at a time.

7. Lexicon: Just as Monitter and Twnedz track the latest tweets, Lexicon is an online Web marketing tool that tracks the latest trends on Facebook. You can get instant updates and you can measure the volume of chatter for a range of specific keywords.

Can a Hosting Company Affect Search Engine Optimization for Websites?

Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009

searchengineoptimizationwebsitesOf all the things that you think could affect search engine optimization for Websites, we’re guessing that the Web hosting company you’ve chosen is pretty low on your list. But according to this Search Engine Optimization Journal blog post, it’s not something that should be completely ignored. And it’s not a case of choosing Network Solutions or Go Daddy for great search engine optimization for Websites, the real difference is in your choice of server configuration.

Hosting your Website on a server that also hosts spam sites is not good. Sharing a host that’s known for hosting spam sites will go a long way into convincing search engines that your site is spammy as well. That could put some serious drag on efforts for search engine optimization for Websites

So what’s the best solution? A dedicated server, where you won’t have to share server space with anyone, is the best option for secure and effective search engine optimization for Websites. But that can be a rather pricey affair.

So if you don’t want to shell out for a dedicated server, what’s the next best option? If you don’t want to risk getting grouped onto a server that also contains spam and other malicious sites, then choose a hosting company that still offers a dedicated server option. Even if you don’t choose a dedicated server, you’ll at least know that you’re partnering with a company that cares about its server service. That should help secure great search engine optimization for Websites.

2010 Social Media Marketing For Business Trends

Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009
Start planning your 2010 social media for business marketing strategy.

Start planning your 2010 social media for business marketing strategy.

2009 was a stellar year for social media marketing for business, but what will 2010 hold and demand for all types of businesses?

David Armano, from the Harvard Business blog, sites the following trends for social media in 2010.

1. Email will slowly disintegrate
iPhone applications are becoming more and more mainstream including Facebook and Twitter apps; more people will utilize  mobile apps to share information instead of email.

2. Companies will have a social media policy and will seek to enforce it while on company time
Already small businesses are writing social media policies for its employees, and starting to enforce it. If your company doesn’t already have one, it will likely implement one in 2010. Since social media for business is becoming more mobile, companies are not able to monitor how much time employees waste on updating their Facebook or Twitter on the clock, so it’s likely they will see specific policies on what is acceptable.

3. Social media marketing for business becomes serious
Companies will likely realize the value of “playing” with social media and will encourage trusted employees and execs to participate more to help establish and maintain brand identity, and outdo its competitors. Niche social networks will increase and encourage local and mobile activity.

4. Social media begins to be less social and more about value
With more niche networks becoming popular, networks could begin to feel more “exclusive,” according to Armano. “Perhaps it’s not actually less social, but it might seem that way as we all come to terms with getting value out of our networks — while filtering out the clutter.”