Archive for August, 2010

“Back to School” Season is Here: Get in the School Spirit and Learn SEO Basics

Monday, August 30th, 2010

Fall is fast approaching and with the kids heading back to school this week can you think of a better time to work on your own education? Whether you’re a business owner or employee, it’s a great idea to learn SEO basics to boost your company’s Website traffic and increase sales. This fall there will be plenty of opportunities to learn about social media and how it can help your Website SEO. Take one of these classes to find out how you can connect directly with customers through social media and increase your profits.

Intro to Twitter – Are you on Twitter but unsure of where to start or what to do? This hands-on course focuses on finding other ways to write and post tweets. Twitter is a great way to see what people are saying about your company as well as announce company news, promotions and sales to your customers and potential customers. Take this class for $25 on September 14, 2010 from 6:30-8:30pm and jump start your social networking through Twitter.

Twitter for Business (Advanced) – How do you interact with clients or customers online? Want to learn how to connect with professionals in your industry? This course will focus on using Twitter tools and apps to advance your business and increase your profits. Class will be held on September 28, 2010 from 6:30-8:30pm for a $25 fee.

Intro to Facebook – If you’ve heard about Facebook but aren’t sure what it can do for you, take this special introduction class and learn the basics of this powerful social network and find out how you can start connecting with people all over the world. Class will be held on September 21, 2010 from 6:00-9:00pm for a $35 fee.

Facebook for Business (Advanced) – As a business owner or professional you know it’s all about connections and networking. Many of your competitors are using Facebook and if you’re not, taking this class will help you get started and begin connecting with customers and potential customers all over the world. Find out how Facebook can become a powerful marketing tool and even how to pitch using Facebook and social media to your employer. Class will be held on September 22, 2010 from 6:00-9:00pm for a $35 fee.

Intro to LinkedIn – Find out how to build your professional network online as well as help the people you trust in return. LinkedIn is an amazing networking tool. During class you’ll set up an account as well as learn how to begin connecting with people in your industry. Learn about LinkedIn groups, discussions and many other features and how you can use LinkedIn to grow your business. Class will be held on November 4 from 6:00-9:00pm for a $35 fee.

Learn SEO and social media basics by taking any or all of these inexpensive classes held at Polaris Career Center in Cleveland, Ohio and you’ll surpass your competition with online sales, jump start your online reputation and boost your sales.

A Look at Google’s Newest Addition: Google Voice

Friday, August 27th, 2010

Check out Googles newest addition, Google Voice.

Google’s latest creation, Google Voice, is a phone integration for Gmail Chat that is similar to Skype but works within your Web browser. You can also use Google Voice to make and receive calls from regular phone numbers. Best of all, calls are free in the U.S. and Canada. Google Voice allows users to choose between getting a Google number or using a non-Google phone number. Both of these options come with an impressive list of features.

With a Google Voice number you can:

- Use one number to manage all of your phones. Your Google number is tied to you, not a particular device or location.

- Save voicemail messages for as long as you want, star important voicemails and search through them.

- Have voicemails automatically transcribed to text and sent to your through email and/or SMS.

- Customize your caller’s experience, i.e. record custom voicemail greetings, decide which of your phones ring based on who is calling, send some callers straight to voicemail.

- Make low-priced international phone calls from your phone or the Web.

Without a Google Voice number you can:

- Save voicemail messages for as long as you want, star important voicemails and search through them.

- Have voicemails automatically transcribed to text and sent to your through email and/or SMS.

- Customize your voicemail greeting based on who is calling.
Make low-priced international phone calls from your phone or the Web.

The main appeal to Google Voice is that you can get all of your calls through a single number, whether the caller dialed your home phone, cell phone or work phone number. Just add the other numbers to Google Voice and then you’re able to make your own rules for how your phone rings. You can make calls from your phone and the Web, block annoying callers and record custom greetings for different callers or caller groups. You can also get all of your voicemails in one place and even listen in as someone is leaving a voicemail. Google Voice also allows users to record calls, put restricted hours on when your phone is able to ring and more.

All you need to sign up for Google Voice is a Gmail account. To sign up for Google Voice or find out more information about the new service visit the official Google Voice site.

SEO 101- 3 Tips for Marketing Your Business on Facebook

Friday, August 27th, 2010

More and more businesses are creating Facebook pages, but not all businesses actually know what to do with them. Simply having a page doesn’t mean you’ll get lots of new customers and visits to your official website. You need to know how to create and manage your page to get the most out of it.

Here are some excellent SEO 101 tips from Mashable

1. Update Your Page Regularly
A page with outdated or few discussions, posts, and comments gives the impression that your company is unprofessional, or doesn’t care to interact with their customers. These are obviously not impressions that you want to make. Update your page regularly with posts that contain relevant information, news stories, links to your blog posts, videos, etc.

2. Set a Goal
Decide what you want to achieve with your Facebook page. Do you want 10,000 “likes” by the end of the year? Do you want at least 5 comments on your page per week? Once you’ve set a goal, you have to decide what you need to do in order to achieve it. If you want more people to “like” your page, you may need to extend your network and promote your page. Post a link to your Facebook page on your website, blog, Twitter feed, and e-mails. If you want more people to comment on your page, post thought-provoking questions or post relevant interesting news stories that are bound to get people talking.

3. Post Photos and Video
People love pictures, and with the popularity of YouTube, they obviously love videos as well. This is especially helpful if you want to show off certain products or the results of your services (if you run a hair salon, for instance, post before and after pictures – with customers’ permission, of course!). You can post videos to your page that show tutorials on how to use your products, or a bio on the company.

There is a lot more to Facebook, but using these three tips will help set you on the right track. Contacting our local SEO firm can help you learn more about what you can do to build your Internet marketing strategy and get the most out of an effective social media marketing campaign.