“My developer said that Google doesn’t pay any attention to keywords anymore- and that is right; it doesn’t.”

When I read that, I stopped myself in disbelief and had to read it several times to see if I had made an error.

After checking a dozen times, the statement was still written the way I originally read it. It caused me to have many thoughts of disbelief.

Some of my concerns were, “If Google is not indexing keywords, than what are they looking for?  Why do at least 90% of internet marketing teachers and service providers preach extensive and thorough keyword research? What’s all the buzz about targeting long-tailed keywords in today’s market?”

These questions (and many more) sparked serious thought about Jon Smith’s claim.  Then, coincidentally, a group discussion post on LinkedIn caught my attention.

The post was titled “Meta Keywords – Yes or No?” and it had about 100 comments. Most of the comments from the discussion post concluded that meta keywords were not completely necessary, since Google’s search ranking results are not influenced by them, but it never hurt a website to have them.

The purpose of this article is to persuade you to create them anyway!

Keywords are the way to assess any competition on the Internet.  The extensive keyword research you do can give you an accurate assessment of your business’s potential to succeed or fail online. If you did the keyword research and noticed that for a phrase “manifest joy” would bring your website two visits a day (even ranked #1 in Google’s organic search results), you would tell yourself it wasn’t worth it to optimize your site for that term. (There are keyword research software programs that help you assess how many visits a #1 ranked site in Google’s search results will get- for about any key phrase!)

Keywords are also your “tags” in social media sites.

If you were on a mission to be the world’s most trusted source for the topic of “enchanted love.” you would be searching that exact term all over the Internet. You could create social networking profiles with that tag in your bio and search it to connect with others who are communicating that content.

I hope the point that keywords and keyword research are still as important as ever has convinced you to continue to use them, regardless of Google not paying any attention to them.

There are many more reasons to do good, thorough keyword research. When you’re online, phrase matches are your ticket to business success. Dedicate the time to do your keyword research and when you write your business’s information, don’t just keep those keywords in mind, write them into your content with clarity of intent (to dominate search results for those terms!)

Here’s ten useful ways to use linkedIn.

LinkedIn Tip #1: Have a Plan
Decide what you want to accomplish before you start.  LinkedIn, like other business oriented social networking sites, offer a number of ways to generate the results you are after.  Want to present your company?  Looking for a job?  Network with like-minded professionals?  Need an answer?  Want to establish yourself as a thought leader in your space?  Each of these approaches present excellent opportunities to leverage professional online networks but make sure your plan is solid before you start.

LinkedIn Tip#2:  Make Your Profile Easy to Digest

Tell your story but keep it brief.  Short, pithy, sentences are more likely to be read than lengthy paragraphs.  It’s like an elevator pitch (explained in less than 1 minute).  Use bullet points.  Readers often scan content and bullets help to highlight your successes.  Provide details of your work history and make sure to highlight your special skills.  Above all, make sure to check for proper grammar.   Make sure to use important keywords when describing your professional experiences as these can help others find you more easily.  And before you post your profile, read it aloud to yourself to hear how it sounds or better yet, ask a colleague to read it and tell you what they think.

LinkedIn Tip #3: Your Profile Photo

You must have a picture!   But make sure it’s a good one and shows you in a professional light.  This is not the time to be too cutesy.  Don’t upload the picture you took at your last toga party.  For women, this is not the time to strike that sexy pose.  Choose a professional and friendly picture that demonstrates your real personality yet shows you are here for business.

LinkedIn Tip #4: Give (and ask for) Recommendations

If you want recommendations on your profile, be prepared to ask for them.  Look at those you are connected to and offer recommendations to those who deserve them.  Make them short and to the point and be sure to include specific accomplishments – don’t be too general.  The more genuine the recommendation you give, the more likely it is to be returned.   Rule of thumb: if someone gives you a recommendation, thank them first then return the favor!

LinkedIn Tip #5: Join Groups

Be a contributor.  Generate posts and respond to discussions.  Group interactions provide you and your company great exposure.  Check out other member profiles and follow their discussions.  This is a great way to identify valuable contacts and network in meaningful ways.

LinkedIn Tip #6: Be the first to comment

Clearly, it’s important to engage and interact with your audience. This helps to establish you as a valued contributor and can lead to more meaningful connections.  But what most people do is look for posts that already have lots of comments and, only then, do they add theirs to the mix.  The common thought, naturally being, posting where there are lots of people = lots more visibility.

Don’t get me wrong – that’s cool. But the important thing here is to support the post originator and there’s nothing cooler than to give that first (note: quality) acknowledgement. People post on social sites in order to get feedback and hate it when a post goes virtually unnoticed. The first one to post is a welcome sight (Ahhh.. someone noticed!) and helps to foster a new relationship with the person who started the discussion in the first place! This is the true meaning of social networking – one on one. But, by building relationships intelligently, one on ones ultimately lead to one on many.
Don’t be afraid to be the first to post a comment. A good post originator will thank you, appreciate you and most of all notice you. It’s done this way in real world social settings so why not acknowledge its effectiveness in the virtual world as well.

LinkedIn Tip #7: Connect with Thought

Leaders Find those considered leaders in your industry.  Search by company to find the people who are true influencers and follow what they are doing.  Research who your industry leaders are through existing trade publications and find them on LinkedIn.  If they are and we share a contact I know well, reach out through the contact for an introduction.
LinkedIn Tip #8: Selecting Groups

Search groups using industry keywords and related topics. Look at the groups of industry leaders, subject matter experts and top executives. Look at groups your connections are members of.  Use pertinent Q&A category and ask what groups people belong to pose the question in your current groups: “What other groups do you find useful?”

LinkedIn Tip #9 – Use the Search Feature
Using the “Search function on your LinkedIn home page (upper right), you can “search” on People, Jobs, Companies, Answers, Inbox and Groups.

If you move to the right of the search box and click on “Advanced,” you can search on keywords, name, company (current and past), geographic location, industry, job title (current and past), school, groups, by language, by the interest of those being searched, when they joined LinkedIn, those in or out of your network, and by relevance – and any combination of the above.

Find the companies you want to do business with and the people you need to meet at those companies.  With over 50,000,000 business professionals registered, your search results can pay big dividends

LinkedIn Tip #10: Use Applications
LinkedIn has teamed up with some of the Internet’s premier companies to offer registered users access to new applications that enable you to collaborate on projects, get key insights, and present your work to your audience in interactive ways.  Have a Power Point presentation you want to share?  Install the free SlideShare app and instantly share your presentation to a wider audience.  Need to brainstorm with your team on a new idea?  Load Huddle Workspaces on your profile and instantly collaborate with your colleagues.  There are many apps to choose from and several are showcased at: http://learn.linkedin.com/apps/.

It raises the question, do the numbers really matter? Most people tend to think so. And one could argue that they think that way because the experts are telling them to.

But this technology is about networking and “connecting” with your friends/followers. Connecting is the key word. Are you really connecting with thousands of followers and friends?

In addition to the “gurus” telling you to get thousands of followers and friends, ironically, they’re strongly advocating for you to be transparent. Transparency is not letting people know what you had for lunch.

Social networking is successful when you focus on quality. Quality trumps quantity in 3 ways:

1) Time. For social networking, you want to respond to comments of others and show interest in their posts. Obviously, this technique is less appealing to what everyone is writing. Focus on quality relationships and you’ll find yourself with more time to utilize social networking.

2) Fostering relationships. This builds off of point #1. In the offline world, networking works when you take time to meet with people and learn more about them. Why would it be any different online?

3) Trust. Despite the communication happening online, we’re still humans. Nothing will happen in your e- relationship unless you have some form of trust.

There’s a fine line between trust and authority in the online world. Many internet marketers preach the importance of authority, which means to be the trusted expert or resource in your topic.

It makes sense and is important but social networking works differently. Similar to a word of mouth referral in the offline world, you need the earned trust of your followers or friends online. When you have earned trust, you’ll see better results with your recommendations and links you refer people to.

Before taking the quantity approach in social networking, ask yourself how you’ll connect with others. Stay focused on connecting and developing trust with your followers/friends and you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the results and opportunities they create.

Low and behold the synchronicity of the thought with finding this blog post by Bill Enross. He did an excellent job of detailing why it will benefit you and me to update our websites. (It convinced me to make my efforts, hope it does for you too.)

Web maintenance isn’t something a lot of online entrepreneurs think about. In fact it can be quite a mundane task for most. However, it is important to keep your website ticking over smoothly.

Here are a few reasons why maintaining your website is important:

# Attracting the search engines – Search engines are important to the livelihood of your online business, but they don’t like “dead” websites. Websites which have been left static without updates or fresh content are a no-no in the online world. Another thing search engines don’t like is broken links.

As you build your web pages it’s easy to miss broken links. A good strategy is to double check every link you add to your website. Inevitably you may miss some or some may become broken with time (as web addresses change and so on). Regular maintenance and “check-ups” for your website will help you spot these broken links and keep your customers and search engines happy in the process.

# Updating information may increase your sales – Regularly looking over your website will also help you make changes and adjustments as necessary. For example, you may have started promoting what was a great product two years ago but now that product may be outdated and not so great anymore. By updating your website you may find products and promotions which are a better match for your visitors. This means more money in your pocket and more satisfied visitors.

Look through your old web pages to see if there are any promotions which can be updated or given a little extra “oomph.” Times change and on the internet time moves at a faster speed – keeping up with the times is important and you can do this by simply looking over your pages and tweaking as you go along.

# Keeping track of your stats is important – Another part of your basic web maintenance is keeping on top of all your visitor statistics. It makes sense to regularly go through your website and check how many visitors you have on a monthly basis, where they’re coming from, how they’re finding you, what pages they’re accessing and so on.

A running log of these statistics will help you quickly identify any potential problems such as loss of traffic or reduced income from sources such as Google AdSense and so on.

Regular web maintenance for your website is important. It can help you keep up with changing times, help to attract more visitors and ultimately make you more sales. If you find this task difficult to squeeze in, try scheduling it in for a set time each month or every few weeks. It shouldn’t take long and the time investment may make all the difference to your business. And finally, if you don’t have time to do the web maintenance yourself you can always think about hiring an assistant to help you with this task.

Good stuff, isn’t it? It’s simple, but very effective. Be sure to put your efforts in…

Every business that has a website has the desire to increase the amount of visits the site gets. Business owners generally hold the mentality that “The more visits my site gets, the more sales I will make.”

In the world of statistics and analytics, this belief may hold some truth. It’s more likely to increase sales when there are more potential customers. However, when it comes to Internet Marketing, your chances of success are better if you take the focus from how many people are viewing your site to where they actually “go” on the site to learn more.

Popular opinion suggests that a website should have at least 10 pages to rank well in search engines. These days, many sites are well over 10 pages, they’re closer to 100.

Regardless of how many pages your site has, you have to think about where you direct people to view your pages from the links you post.

Masters of Internet Marketing (MIMs) are so good at directing searchers to pages that are directly targeted to their wants. How do they do this? They do very extensive keyword research.

MIMs can sometimes take up to two weeks in the trenches of doing extensive-deep keyword research. They study what potential customers are searching for, what words they’re using for their searches, and where they are ending up based on their searches. MIMs then build landing pages that are written with the exact target keywords in mind. This provides an excellent “match” for the searcher and the site they end up on. How about we run through an example:

We’ll work with Boulder and Yoga (this is where I live and what I like to do- as do many other people here.)

Okay, so if your site is boulderyoga.com and people in Boulder are searching for a yoga studio in the area, you would think that your site is an ideal match. However, a competitor could have a landing page (one page on their site directly targeted to people searching “Yoga in Boulder”) and have some excellent content with a compelling offer that the search engines rank exceptionally well. This landing page may be the thing that sets their business far apart from yours.

At this point, I hope you’re thinking about your website and if it has landing pages directly targeted to specific searches people are doing. If not, you’d better be asking yourself if your homepage is better known as “the welcome wagon.”

When you’re using the Internet to generate links and refer people to your site, are you directing them to your homepage? In some cases this is really good. After all, you don’t want to be too pushy and direct someone to a page that they’re not ready for.

But this is what sets MIMs apart from the beginners. They know what their audience wants, and then they create pages that give them ideally matched offers. Rarely do MIMs communicate a specific message and then send you to their homepage.

What are your customers looking for in their searches? Once you know the answer to that question, build specific landing pages that give them what they want.

Forget about your homepage being the “welcome wagon.” Website visitors care little about friendliness. Rather, they are searching for what they want. Be sure to give it to them.

The opportunity is for their business to capitalize with Internet marketing.

Small businesses are looking at this more through the eyes of risk and fear than opportunity and investment. It’s unfortunate because as larger companies continue to pummel and self destruct, small businesses can take advantage of the timing and shift in marketing strategies to boost their businesses.

Having worked with small businesses for the several years, I have compiled the top three Internet Marketing Fears Revealed:

#3 -  Fear of the unknown. Most people don’t understand how the Internet works and they let that lack of knowledge be a factor in their decision making. The unknown prevents them from hiring an Internet Marketer.  If small business owners put more faith and trust into the work of Internet Marketing Specialists, they might see some lucrative results.

#2 – Fear of commitment. One of the reasons small business owners stay small is that they don’t commit to growing their business. They may develop a plan for growth, but they don’t do the things necessary to attain the growth. Small business owners lack the commitment of doing what it takes. In today’s age, Internet marketing is part of what it will take to grow.

#1 -  Fear of scandal. (This could also be called lack of trust.) Small business owners have heard the stories of Internet Marketers taking businesses “to the cleaners” by charging outrageous rates and providing little or no results to show for the expense.

It’s time for small business owners to make a mind shift and put these fears behind them. Rather than approaching Internet marketing with resistance, small business owners need to open their minds to the possibilities of growth. If small business owners understand that Internet marketing is an investment, they will benefit from more website traffic, more sales, and the growth of their business!

Our friends at Th!nk Creative puts it this way:

With over 80% of consumers visiting a website before they purchase, companies are finding ways to engage them more online. Add attractive content, create dialogues with blogs and feedback forums, do surveys and post results, find out what visitors want and give it to them, create personalized mini-sites targeting segmented groups.
What Th!nk Creative is referring to is “consumer engagement.” Companies have taken it to the next level by basically asking their customers what they should do next.  One example of this is the Newspaper Industry. They have lost so much money, it has helped them realize that their methods of communicating to their customers is out of date.

It’s time to ask yourself how much are you doing to engage your customers and clients. And shameless self promotion won’t cut it in today’s ways of marketing. You must know what your clients and customers are wanting.

Internet Marketing is today’s answers to figuring out and offering what your customers want. If you want a better website promotion plan on the Internet, we would like to talk to you about it. Click on the image below and contact us via our website.

But there’s one thing that they do to create an illusion… To lead you to believe that you’re better ranked than what you’re true ranking is.

Well, to be honest, the search engines don’t do this. We (humans) do it. Is it due to our egos? Probably.

But anyway, this is what happens. Follow my example…

My name is Reid Peterson. I run an Internet Marketing business for Health/Wellness experts. I could easily assume that I’m extra special because when you Google “Reid Peterson,” you will find my profile for a Metaphysics Ning group, my Twitter profile, a meditation business I run, a Powerful Intentions Ning profile, and of course- my Google profile (with a pretty picture too!)

Sounds great, doesn’t it? But there’s a problem… Very few people are Googling “Reid Peterson.” In fact, very few people have knowledge that Reid Peterson even exists.

That’s right- google searches have  more to do with the personal interests of the people doing the searches. So since I help people and businesses internet market, they might be googling “small business online marketing.” (Do you see how my mind could think people would google me? Especially since I do small business online marketing. Darn, that ego!)

Here’s a better example. Let’s say your a psychologist. Your business is registered as your name, Dr. Tweet Marketer. How many people are going to google your name just because they are interested in psychology? (The answer is ZERO!) They’re going to search something like “social anxiety doctors” or “help with social anxiety” long before they would search your name.

Learned your lesson? That’s right- you’ve got to be using the words that your clients are using… Even in internet terms!

Help me help you! Get your business “visible” with the help of my internet marketing services.

Namaste’
Reid

So…. I put it upon myself to offer the alternatives.

I’m not going to list twelve, but I am going to list just one- the most important one. Here’s CNN’s #2:

The Self-Promoter. OK, so we’ve probably all posted at least once about some achievement. And sure, maybe your friends really do want to read the fascinating article you wrote about beet farming. But when almost EVERY update is a link to your blog, your poetry reading, your 10k results or your art show, you sound like a bragger or a self-centered careerist.

And here’s the healthy alternative:

The Informer. If you ever promote something (whether yours or someone elses) in a Facebook status update, give your friends the best reason for why they should click the link, resvp for the event, forward something to their friends, become a fan, whatever. Each of us has a “What’s in it for me?” mindset and if you are promoting anything, you’d better let them know the benefits of it. Once you communicate the beneficial reasons why someone should do any clicking, reading, or other activity, your FB friends will actually start to condition themselves to believing that your updates are what they want to learn more about.

Simply inform your FB friends, and let them know why.

And if you use FB and are interested in more tips to help you win with it, become a Fan of our business and we’ll update you on more helpful, friendly, and results oriented tips.

see you soon,

I agree…                AND

I also want to help you understand what blogging actually is. I recently found this post, which give you a great understanding of blogging, its components, and specifically, how it’s a part of social media- the new marketing savior

Since When Are Blogs Not Social Media?

I’ve noticed a strange trend lately.

For some reason, people seem to be equating social media with social networking.

At the same time, they seem to be treating blogging as something other than social media.

I find this very strange indeed.

For example, here the author proclaims that he’s quitting social media and gives his reasons why. But he also states he’ll continue to blog, by god.

Then there’s this other post, which did a nice job of rounding up the discussion about the latest blogs are dead red herring. Problem is, the title Blogs vs Social Media seems to expressly state that the two are different and distinct things.

Did I not get the memo on this?

Blogs are Social (and Alternative) Media

First, let’s look at a definition. In the case of social media, I think even Wikipedia can be trusted:

At its most basic sense, social media is a shift in how people discover, read and share news, information and content. Technologies include: blogs, picture-sharing, vlogs, wall-postings, email, instant messaging, music-sharing, crowdsourcing, and voice over IP, to name a few.

In fact, it’s a fairly easy case that blogs were the first modern form of social media. I say “modern” because many would argue that social media started pre-web with Usenet, Internet Relay Chat, and BBS systems. Heck, the most popular part of lame ol’ America Online was the cyber-sex socializing in the chat rooms.

So in the “modern” social media sense, blogs came way before social networking exploded with MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter. Blogs pioneered social media well before Friendster came and went (remember Friendster?).

One thing you’ll notice in the definition above is the emphasis on content. Not just user-generated conversational content, but the production of content that is an alternative to traditional media AND that benefits from interlinked conversation and comments.

Maybe the fact that “old media” has co-opted those aspects of blogs is the reason that some people no longer see blogging as social media. I think that’s a bit silly.

Media Producer Versus Social Networker

Maybe I’ve got it wrong, but the fascinating part of social media to me is not just the social networking. It’s the fact that anyone willing to put in the work can become a media producer/personality without speaking a word to anyone in the existing media power centers of Los Angeles, New York, et al.

Blogs are simply the best way to publish new media content. And social media news and networking sites are the ways that content gets exposure. It’s not money and geography that determines if your content spreads… it just has to be deemed good enough to be shared by regular people.

If you want to become a music journalist, no one in LA or NYC can tell you no. If you want a shot at becoming an actress or celebrity without enduring casting couch sexual harassment, you can absolutely go for it and succeed.

From a more practical standpoint, using social media in terms of “media production” is what content marketing is all about. Producing content and having something related to sell is one way where free content pays for itself big time.

• It’s how producing your own video show about wine boosts the bottom line of your bricks-and-mortar wine store to the tune of millions, all while making you a celebrity along the way.
• It’s how you write a book and create buzz for it without waiting for Oprah to call.
• It’s how you create a lucrative business with high margins and hefty happiness.

When you think like a media producer in this brave new social media world, it’s your content that social networkers are sharing and promoting, and that translates into your cash. If you’re only social networking, you’re only someone’s user-generated content, and even your digital overlord struggles to make money.

What’s the Point?

Honestly, I’m not sure. I just see so much unnecessary confusion out there.

What do you think?

• Is it because people with vested interests in confusion portray social media as something radically new when it’s mostly an evolution of the old?
• Should I simply quit worrying about it and stick with those of you who get it?
• What do you think about tofu? Tasty or nasty?

About the Author: Brian Clark is founder of Copyblogger and co-founder of DIY Themes, creator of the innovative Thesis Theme for WordPress. Get more from Brian on Twitter.

So if you need more information about blogging, specifically how to do it. Send me a message at reid@growthinharmony.com and I’ll help you out.

Gratefully,

Reid

Winery’s ‘dream job’ idea leaves an aftertaste

1. Can you show me examples of your previous work and share some success stories? (Many internet marketers will have testimonials, but ask for something more concrete. And if they got nothing, ask if you can talk to one of their clients.)
2. Do you follow the Google Webmaster Guidelines? (I once took an internet marketing workshop and the teacher said “See through the eyes of Google.”  There is a reason Google is the top internet site in the world.)
3. Do you offer any online marketing services or advice to complement your organic search business? (My company has a lot of fun with(our expertise) social media- be sure to ask about blog, video, and article marketing.)
4. What kind of results do you expect to see, and in what time frame? How do you measure your success? (Now trust your gut on this one.  As you know, many people who want your business will tell you what they think you want to hear. Scan them for their honesty.)
5. What’s your experience in my industry? (A lot of internet marketing has to do with Keywords and phrases. If they are not familiar with the “language” of your industry, they are not worth your time- and MONEY!)
6. What are your most important SEO techniques? (Make sure they explain their techniques in ways that you understand. Don’t fall for their charisma.)
7. How can I expect to communicate with you? Will you share with me all the changes you make to my site, and provide detailed information about your recommendations and the reasoning behind them? (I could go on my soapbox about this one, but I’ll spare you. Just make sure that your questions will be answered! And if they sidestep your questions [give you a political answer], sidestep their business!)

With better understanding and answers to these questions, you will feel more comfortable for any internet marketer you interview. Good Luck!

If you have any further questions about this Blog post, visit my site for possible solutions. If you cannot find what you are looking for, feel free to contact me from the email address listed on the website.

Reid

Growth In Harmony

Many of us have been asked to write an article at one time or another. Maybe it’s a contribution to the company newsletter. Or a promotional article to gain publicity for ourselves or our companies. Some of us write articles regularly for clients.

No matter why you’re writing an article, it’s your responsibility to make it be interesting – otherwise no one will read it. (Except you.)

So how can you make your article interesting and engage your reader? It’s all about the ANGLE. First pick your topic. For example, let’s say your topic is something boring … “car wax.” Now, here’s where many people start writing.

Stop! You need an angle! What aspect of car wax do you want to write about? Is there anything new or sexy in the world of car wax that people are interested in? Some ideas: how the new generation of car waxes helps protect your paint job for twice as long, OR, an overview of the best five brands of car wax on the market, OR what the best type of wax is for your particular car. Get it? These are all angles. (By the way, I’ve never even waxed my car, so please take these ideas with a grain of salt! ; ))

Ready to brainstorm your angles? Here are seven article “formulas” to get you started. Some elements of each may overlap with each other, but each formula is truly a distinct animal.

1. The How-To People love how-to articles! They lead the reader step-by-step through how to reach an objective. They also sometimes offer resources the reader can contact for more information.

What expertise do *you* have to share? Turn that subject into an interesting how-to for readers. Examples: “How to Make Your Employees Stick Around Forever,” “How to Find the Best Dress for Your Figure,” and “How to Promote Your Business for Free.”

2. The List This is one of the most basic formulas and the easiest to write. Give a short one or two paragraph intro, then launch right into your list. Keep each item to a few sentences max. People love numbers, so number your list and give your total number in the title! Examples: “31 Ways to Organize Your Office,” “15 Tips for Pain-Free Feet,” “Five Reasons Management Won’t Be the Same in 2001″

3. The “Straw Man” Here you set up a premise and knock it down, showing the benefits of your alternative view or approach. This is ideal to use when you’re discussing the drawbacks of a new practice or method that’s controversial right now. Here’s a great example we often see on the covers of health magazines: “Are High Protein Diets the Key to Fast Weight Loss?” You get all excited, thinking you’ve discovered an amazing dieting revelation. But the article reveals, point by point, that high protein diets are unsafe for the long term, and that of course the only reliable way to lose weight is through diet and exercise. Oh well! Back to the treadmill….

4. The Mini Case Study Raise a provocative question and then answer it with three or four real-life examples. Example: For an article titled, “Should You Quit Your Job and Go Freelance?” you could begin with a few stats on how today’s workforce is leaving the corporate world in search of solo bliss. Then you could feature a few real cases, each with different outcomes to show all sides of the issue.

5. The Interview Choose a credible expert to interview for your article. For example, if your topic is the latest trends in banking, you could interview a top banking industry analyst. Present it in either a traditional article format or do a Q&A format.

6. The Trend Trends aren’t just for fashion! Whenever a trend sweeps a certain profession, you’ll suddenly see dozens of articles covering the topic. From the latest hairstyle to the latest tax shelter, people want to know all about these trends – their origins, benefits, and drawbacks.

7. The Study Finding These articles report the results of a study or survey. If you do a bit of research, you can probably dig up a recent study on which you can base your article. Examples: “Blue Chip Companies Cutting Marketing Budgets Across the Board,” “Armadillos Now Deemed America’s Favorite Pet,” and “More 20 Somethings Finding Love Online.”

Hope these ideas got your juices flowing! Let us know if you need any help developing angles for *your* articles.

(c) 2000 Alexandria Brown. All rights reserved. Article reprint permission is granted provided the entire article – including resource information below – remains intact and unaltered. *******************************************

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alexandria Brown is president of AKB Marketing Communications. Her FREE monthly e-zine gives “how-to” tips on writing compelling copy for Web sites, brochures, and e-zines. Learn how to attract new clients and strengthen your customer relationships! Subscribe today at http://www.akbwriting.com or by e-mailing AKBMarCom-On@list s.webvalence. com

*Good luck with the article writing. If you need help with the copy or marketing the articles on the internet, contact me through the website: http://growthinharmony.com

Gratefully,

Reid Peterson

Yep, Google.

But how popular is your web site?

You don’t need to know that exact answer but you do need to know that the more popular your web site is, the more leads you will get, which means…?

Yep, more sales.

Now that that’s clear, the next step is to knowing how you’re going to get your site to be more popular.

The answer is Search Engine Optimization (SEO), but I’ll refrain from explaining what that is. What is more important is that social media networking and bookmarking increase SEO, and therefore, increase your website views.

Here’s what social media networking is:

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and MySpace, among the many more. These sites are not more popular than google, but they are close- really close! SO MANY people are using these sites. If you can connect with them, then you can generate leads to your website.

There are many ways to do this. What’s most important is that what you write about is compelling to anyone reading it.

Now, I just gave you an example when I meant to define it. Here’s what Social media networking is:

Social Media Networking is sharing your activities and/or interests online. (Tweets and FaceBook status updates are examples of this). It is the quickest way to communicate and share information.

Why does this matter to you? Let me restate: It’s the quickest way to communicate and share information! You can be educating your contacts, building lasting impressions about your products and services.

If you don’t get that as value to using these online tools, then please call me. I will detail it further. (you can get my phone number by visiting my website)

Social Bookmarking is a little different than networking. It is a way of collecting, organizing, storing, and managing bookmarks ( Think URL links/addresses) so that the information you share (articles, videos, etc) can be searched and found by the people who are looking for more information related to what your business offers.

Why is that important to you? Think for a moment. If you have a video that clearly articulates three AWESOME benefits to your product or service, the Bookmark will lead any person who is searching right to you. All you do is make it available for people to find. Which, will get your website more visitors.

So does that do it? Does it explain what social media networking and bookmarking are?

If you get it, then ask yourself what you’re doing to develop more web traffic. Does your answer include Social media networking and bookmarking?

If you don’t get it, it’s okay. Just know that you will gain more business with the help of someone that can do this for you.

And if you do want some help, regardless of if you get it or not, contact me because I am eager and available to help you out.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Reid

Growthinharmony.com