Archive for the ‘Drive Traffic to Your Website’ Category

The Real Truth About Email Marketing Online

Monday, August 23rd, 2010
Find out the truth about email marketing before you begin building your online reputation.

Find out the truth about email marketing before you begin building your online reputation.

Many companies rely on email marketing to boost their online reputation, gain more customers and get news and information to current customers. Email marketing can be a wonderful tool when used with a correctly, however, there is a fine line between a welcomed email newsletter and spam. There are plenty of myths and truths drifting around in cyberspace about email marketing. Being able to distinguish myths from reality will help you go about using email marketing online to increase business, not hurt your reputation.

Here are 5 common email marketing myths that David Fowler recently discussed in his email deliver-ability webinar.

Myth #1: There’s a magic list of words that can’t be used in the content of the message. The truth is, there are certain words that may get the email flagged as spam. However, the online reputation of the company has more influence than the content. Avoid using phases and words like call now, don’t delete, get paid, get started now, get it now, join millions of Americans, no cost, no questions asked, etc.

Myth #2: A confirmed opt-in recipient won’t hit the spam button. In reality, even if someone opted-in for the email message, everyone hits the spam button once in a while, so don’t think you have a guaranteed recipient just because they’ve opted-in.

Myth #3: The definition of spam is abusive email. The real definition of spam is unwanted email. This means that even if you’re only sending out an email once a month, if you’re sending it to opt-out recipients who don’t want the email, you’re spamming.

Myth #4: “My sales will decrease if I use ‘confirmed opt-in.’” Your sales won’t decrease for using confirmed opt-in emailing. Actually you’re building consumer trust, which will earn you a more loyal customer-base.

Myth #5: Authentication will get you delivered to the inbox. The truth is, authenticating messages allows you to manage your sender reputation, and it’s only the first step to building your email marketing identity. Once you’ve made a good reputation, your message is more likely to be delivered to the inbox and read.

Keeping these 5 myths and truths in mind when building your marketing reputation online will help your company have more success in e-marketing which in turn will help you gain more loyal customers.

Increasing Website Traffic With Links

Saturday, April 17th, 2010

An article from Website Magazine called The Super-Awesome-Mega-Optimal Guide to Links for Traffic and Search Engine Exposure discussed how to use links to increase Website traffic. Author, Dante A. Monteverde said “the one true secret of link building is that the best link has yet to be discovered.” Here are some of the traffic sources he suggests you use that generate more links back to your Website and as a result generate more traffic.
  • Public Relations: Services such as PRWeb, BusinessWire, PR.com and PRNewswire are great ways to get noticed in the media and attract other website owners who are looking for information to feature on their site. In short, press releases will lead people to your site and inspire them to link to it. More links equals more traffic.
  • Classifieds: There’s many visitors that will come to your site just because of your classified advertising, whether it’s free or paid. Sites like Craigslist, Oodle, USFreeAds and Backpage as well as local newspapers are great places to get attention.
  • Video: Another way to gain exposure is through online video. According to Monteverde, “going viral can help get your website to a tipping point far faster than any other online channel.” If you submit videos to sites like YouTube, Blip.tv and MetaCafe, make sure to monitor what videos were popular and also watching the performances of others to see what’s getting attention.
Learn more about increasing Website traffic by reading the entire article in more detail; including three more traffic sources.

Should Apple Buy Yahoo and Drive Website Traffic?

Friday, March 19th, 2010

The hot topic on many Mac forums right now is the rumor that Apple is thinking of replacing Google as the go-to search engine on the iPhone to Yahoo or Bing. Many Mac users are raving that an Apple/Yahoo partnership would drive website traffic to Yahoo and breathe some fresh air into the struggling company.

One Mac forum user, DaveSW states, “Yahoo!’s got services and content that Apple can integrate with the iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch and Mac. Apple can use Yahoo! search, Webmail, Flickr, etc. instead of MS or Google.”

DaveSW isn’t alone. Bloggers and forum writers have spoken and many think the Apple/Yahoo union would be a good idea. Apple could breathe a new life into Yahoo and give it the platform to take over the mobile market, which could once again drive Web site traffic to Yahoo online.

But what about Google? Some blogs and forums have mentioned that even though Apple and Google have a close relationship now, Google CEO, Eric Schmidt, who sits on Apple’s board leaves meetings when the iPhone is mentioned due to the conflict of interest with Google Android, one of the iPhone’s competitors. This seems like it could be a ticking time bomb and leaves us uncertain of how long the Apple/Google relationship will last.

Although many online forum writers and bloggers have expressed their opinion in favor of the rumored Apple/Yahoo union, many are skeptical that Yahoo has anything to offer the search-titan Google.

Mac forum user, Maflynn wrote, “Why in the world should Apple buy Yahoo! when they’ve failed, their business model is broken and they have nothing to offer Apple?” This user is joined by many who think buying Yahoo! is a waste of time for Apple. Many think it would be more worthwhile for Microsoft to buy Yahoo!, but even that idea sparks a lot of heated debate.

It’s evident that the rumored Apple/Yahoo! union is a hot topic in the Mac forum world, however, it seems we will all just have to wait and see what happens. In the meantime, what do you guys think? Apple buying Yahoo!, genius idea or horrible train wreck of an idea?