Posts Tagged Internet Marketing

Linking for Search Engine Optimization

October 1, 2008 at 3:33 pm · Filed under Search Engine Optimization ·Tagged , , ,

Hi Everyone,

Sorry for the delay in posting. Got caught up on finishing my book(http://www.seousermanual.com).

Linking is one of the most important aspects of your SEO strategy. Hence, I am starting a new series on Linking. And this time, I’m making it available to the public.

It will cover the technical aspects as well as the functional aspects of linking. Eventually, we will cover all about links, how Search Engines see them, how to get them perform better , where to get links .etc .etc.

Head over here to read Part 1.

http://www.nobleriver.com/Articles/ArticleDisplay.aspx?Article=Understanding-linking-for-SEO.htm

Or you could go to http://www.nobleriver.com , click on “full list of articles” on the right navigation menu and then click on “Understanding linking … “.

As always, thank you for leaving your comments.

Dave J.
Happy linking.

P.S. Would you believe the irony, WordPress won’t let me link to the URL from this page :) .

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How to prevent your emails from being marked as junk !

August 20, 2008 at 11:16 am · Filed under Search Engine Optimization ·Tagged , , ,

Email marketing is a great way for us marketers to get our message across.

  • It helps us reach our customers in a cost-effective as well as timely manner.
  • It helps us target our customers more effectively.
  • It helps us customize our emails to different target demographic segments.
  • It helps us analyze the customer response by varying our offers.
  • It helps us test very effectively before we roll out an offline campaign.

But now, we have entered the age of Information Overload. Every marketer has to think twice before we exercise our email lists.

A new survey by emarketer daily puts the reason for junk or spam flagging of emails to be boredom.
This means your email makes them go ho-hum, you get marked as junk !

IF you’ve been writing emails without due care, not good news for you my friend! Once the junk percentage of your email goes above a certain value, your ISP will begin blocking your emails.

Please check with your ISP for this number!

So what can you do to make your emails less boring?

  1. Make sure your email is timely.
  2. Break it up into multiple paragraphs.
  3. Adopt a more casual conversation style.
  4. Use bullets and numberings.
  5. Use different font-styles or underlines etc.
  6. Use of a professional copywriter who is well versed in email copy if possible.
  7. Use a graphic artist to make your emails more pleasant and reader-friendly.
  8. Try varying the headlines to see which one gets read more.
  9. Reduce the frequency of emails you send out.
  10. Offer your customers a very prominent unsubscribe option.

But before you do all this,
MAKE SURE YOUR EMAIL IS RELEVANT TO THE CUSTOMER!

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Are videos really the next best thing?

July 16, 2008 at 11:16 am · Filed under Search Engine Optimization ·Tagged , ,

Video has become the latest craze out there on the Internet Marketing scene.
Everybody is rushing to put their educational material and ezines into videos and mp3s. Some of my favorite marketers have their material as videos.

There are a number of options available to create videos and publish them for public consumption. Sites like Youtube.com allow you to effortlessly make available your creation to your consuming public.

A lot of ezines have already jumped on the band-wagon. But is video the answer for all your ills?
If you have not already converted your ezine to video format; hold on. Pull back for a moment and think.

Yes, a video will make you appear more human.
Yes they will connect more with you when you are doing the talking and you appear playing with your kids in the midst of talking about the recession.
Yes, a video will prove that you are up-to-date with the latest technology.

But if you are providing some serious information, to business consumers, think again!

If your consumer is a busy professional, will he have the time to sit through your 30 minute video to see what you have to say?

Or would he rather pick up an e-book or e-report which he can glance through at will?
I would!

I’ve begun avoiding videos in favor of books because I have the ability to go back and forth in the text. At a glance I can see what chapters I must read and what I already know. I really don’t want to spend 30 minutes to learn that I already knew the subject matter.

Another issue is that of printability. Your ebook can be printed and stored for future reading. I can carry it with me on the subway to read on the way to work. Can’t do that with your video unless I am very technology savvy or put additional effort into it.

Find the number of customers who routinely print out your ebook to read later. You may just be amazed at the number. Some like to make notes along the margins. Some like the feeling of holding the book in their hands. Some like to read on the bed. All this becomes impossible if your material is in the form of a video.

Having said that, there are reasons your customers may prefer to use your mp3 or watch your video. Its up to you to determine if your customers actually use your video.

You may also provide a transcript along with your video. This will help those customers who want the information, but do not have the time to sit through a 40 minute video or listen to an mp3 recording.

But if your customers do not overwhelmingly prefer the video, the amount of effort expended to create a video may just not be worth it.

You’ve been warned !

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