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Getting Your Own Website Domain & Keeping Up With Business Trends

by Website Marketing

If you have a business idea, you simply must market it on the internet. That means getting your own website domain in order to reach your potential customers online. The world wide web will get your products and/or services more exposure than any advertising media around in 2019.

Having an online store is the answer to your account management and advertising needs. But, having an online shop requires the creation of your own website. You must have a domain name, also known as your URL address (or www address).

Getting Your Own Website Domain Name

Domain serves as your unique website name and address online. It is the recognizable group of words that can be equated to your PC’s IP address. It is your ID online, where clients can recognize and reach you. It is your ticket in venturing into online business. Getting a domain name allows you to start creating your online shop.

Remember, you have to register your online business name first, when getting your own website domain name. This is much like applying for a business permit, but in here, you apply from accredited domain name registrars. Look for one that can give you reliable web hosting support, database recovery, sub domains, SQL databases, and free email accounts.

Having Your Own Name 

Why do you need to be getting your own website domain name? Simply because this is the initial step in having your own name online. You may register through any registrar and pay the minimal fee yearly.

Once done, you may start creating your page by adding content and images. You may want to seek professional help to do the administration for you, if you are not yet knowledgeable and skilled in using apps like HTML, CSS, Java, and more.

Once you are done getting your own website domain name and hosting service, you will be asked by the registrar to pay fees annually. It begins at a minimal fee and it goes up as you ask for higher bandwidth or added features. When everything is set, you are now ready to launch your business site.

Displaying Your Products and/or Services

By having a business site, you can display your products and services to reach millions of viewers or clients. It is accessible 24/7. This gives you a great advantage in capturing as much people as you can every second of the day. That is an instant profit, especially if your items caters to the needs and wants of young people like technology, games, sports, fashion, and more.

Target Your Audience

Getting your own website domain name to have your own site means you can literally lure your target audience to buy in just a few seconds or clicks. That is instant commerce… hassle free!

Above all these tips, do remember when getting your own website domain, make your domain name simple, yet catchy. It is your brand now and you will carry that name for your business so think twice before selecting a domain name and consider all the factors first. Think of it as part of your marketing strategy. I hope this article helps you.

Author Bio: Dorothy Matthews is one of the people behind Big Drop, a responsive web design company agency that will meet your expectations and suit your originality.

Market Segmentation: An Effective Way to Redefine Your Target Audience?

The Art of Choosing the Right Social Media Marketing Channels for Your Business

A Guide To Using Social Media For Business

by Social Media Marketing Tips

Using social media for business is the new shiny thing in the world of marketing. And, there’s no shortage of social media marketing experts ready to tell you how it will transform your business. The only thing is, very few businesses are using social networking effectively. Therefore, few are getting any kind of return for the money they spend on marketing in social media.

One thing is for sure, the opportunity to grow your business using social media is immense. It can amplify your marketing message. And, the fact that social networks hold so much information about you means that you can reach potential customers with ease. If you know how to use it effectively!

Choosing Networks When Using Social Media for Business

The Art of Choosing the Right Social Media Marketing Channels for Your Business
Image Credit: socialh.com

It can be very confusing deciding which social media channel or channels you should use. There always seems to be a new one popping up every now and then. This adds to the list of social media sites to choose from for marketing your business brand, products and services.

You have the usual suspects like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Google Plus. There are also the likes of Pintrest and Instagram, both famous as visual social media sites. Social network experts advise the following for deciding which networks to use when using social media for business:

  • Use one or two social media sites that you can manage effectively.
  • Choose social networks where your potential customers are already hanging out.

11 Tips for Marketing Your Social Media Network Channels

Here are 11 social media marketing tips to help you get the most out of the social channels you choose:

  1. Tell customers which channels you use and why to follow you. For example, tell your email subscribers you have a new Facebook page where you will be posting exclusive offers and content there. You basically, have to give them a reason why they should like or follow you.
  2. Advertise the channels wherever you can. Make sure there is a trail back to your favorite channels on all marketing materials, email signatures, website or anywhere else you market your business. This is very important when using social media for business marketing purposes.
  3. Brand the channels. Make sure the channels are branded consistently with colors schemes and logos so your company is instantly recognizable to your customers irrespective of the channel they are on.
    Using Social Media for Business to Build Your Brand Online
    Image Source: business2community.com
  4. Showcase your skills. On your profile imagery make sure you show off what you can do. Before and after pictures work really well as they place and emotional aspect on the services you offer.
  5. Post Frequently. This is necessary to get engagement and to build your audience. Posting throughout the day is a good strategy. Planning out your posts in advance makes it easier to post quality, relevant content when using social media for business.
  6. Be interesting. You could also be funny or just provide useful information to your target audience. Just make sure that your content marketing strategy involves publishing content that piques the interests of your target audience, also known as your potential customers.
  7. Asking questions builds engagement. Posting statements loses the motivation to interact with the post. Asking questions of your followers will encourage engagement. So you might say, “This is today’s free diet tip.” But, you could get better engagement by posting ,”This is today’s free diet tip. What is your favorite diet meal?”
  8. Answer people’s comments. This builds up the sense that the page is being managed and builds a rapport with your followers. You also don’t want to give your audience the impression that you don’t care about their needs.
  9. Always post with pictures. Posts with images get far more interest and engagement than those without any type of visuals. Videos, memes and infographics also work well when using social media for business.
    Using social media for business to get more exposure, more leads and more revenue.
    Image Credit: inblurbs.com
  10. Set up your social media marketing channels to get leads. This is the most important part of all your efforts. Transforming a fan into and lead and then a customer requires you to get their contact details at some point. You can do this by offering some premium content in exchange for their email address or phone number. It could be a free ebook, video series, white paper or anything you feel your followers would like. Once you figure out how to send people to a page where they can sign up for something, you have the recipe for success.
  11. Advertise on Social Media. Here it is! Harnessing the demographic data social media advertising can reach can be the difference between a good business and a great business. For example, if you are a wedding bridal gown shop, you can advertise to any woman who is engaged within 10 miles of your shop. Now, how powerful is that?

Learn How to Use Social Networks to Market Your Business Online

Using these steps, you have a better chance of effective social media marketing making a difference for your business success. Using social media for business is not just the next buzz word or a big black whole for your time.

The best thing you can do is to take a course on the social media network channel you need to work with for online marketing. You can now take an online course at home, or take a social media marketing workshop near you. Either way, it will be a great investment if you plan on using social media for business.

Author Bio: Tim Tavender is a blogger and writer who has written for many magazines and newspapers. For more information related to this guide, you can visit Tim’s site where you’ll find details of courses you can take to further your knowledge of using social media for business.

Comment Below Image by reubenrd.com
Comment Below Image by reubenrd.com
Every Company Needs YouTube for Business Marketing Online

Why Every Company Needs YouTube for Business Marketing

by Social Media Marketing Tips

YouTube for Business Marketing is one of the best examples of the many tools online that can help to promote a company.  When it is utilized properly, there are many benefits to a business such as an increase in sales and generating a larger customer or client base.  So if you’ve been asking yourself why you need YouTube for Business Marketing, if the previous were not enough, consider that the majority of your competition is already using the site to promote their brand and they are taking your customers. Every Company Needs YouTube for Business Marketing Online

Using YouTube for Business Marketing

Do I have your attention now?  That’s right, more and more businesses are using this social media site to advertise, offer tips and tricks and generally taking advantage of the video platform to stay current.  If you are ready to take the leap, and you should be, the following can help you to make videos that outshine your competitors and can take your videos into 2014 in a much more positive way.

Creating Videos with Value

As stated, there are very few companies who are not using YouTube for Business Marketing to promote their videos.  One of the issues is that they are not using this tool properly.  They are not offering anything of value to their viewers and are not getting all of the important likes, views and subscribers to their channel that is needed for any type of success.

So, when you make your videos, don’t just advertise your products or create “commercials”.  Do something fun and think outside of the box to offer that value that your viewers will enjoy.

Be the “Face” of Your Brand

People want to know who you are, what your company stands for and what you offer.  You can be the face of your company if you only invest just a little of your own personality into the videos you produce.  Rather than having an anonymous voice, show your face, explain why you started your company, what makes you passionate about your products and why they should feel the same way and buy what you have to offer.

You know your company better than anyone so why not make yourself the star of the show when nobody will have the passion that you have.  You will have a hard enough time getting likes from generic videos, make the process easier by giving viewers something to like, namely you!

Larger Audience

Consider where your company is today.  Go on, think about it.  Do you have global coverage?  Are people across the world ordering your products?  No?  They will if you are using YouTube for Business Marketing to promote your company and brand.

Wouldn’t it be great to know that people from around the world will see your brand and immediately know what your company sells just like the big corporations?  This is possible if you are savvy about your efforts on the site.  As long as you put out great videos for them to watch, there is the possibility of bringing in customers from every corner of the world and from ever demographic.

So, now that I have your attention, can we agree that you most definitely need YouTube for Business Marketing?

Featured images:
  •  License: Creative Commons on Flickr
  • Over 1 billions users access YouTube videos every month.

 

 

License: Derek Willis on Amazon

 

Author Bio: Alan Hastings is a social media guru who understands the necessities of audience engagement on all social media sites.

Share your YouTube for Business Marketing links in the comments below.

Pinterest Strategy for Business - Pin Your Way to Valentine's Day

Pinterest Strategy For Business – Pin Your Way to Valentine’s Day

by Social Media Marketing Tips

Pinterest Strategy for Business - Pin Your Way to Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day 2014 is just 10 days away, and hopefully you’re prepared with your social media marketing strategy.

If your business represents a fashion, cosmetic or lifestyle brand, you must use Valentine’s Day fever as an opportunity to showcase and sell your products. Pinterest social media marketing is the best platform to display your awesome beautiful products.

Increase Conversion Rates with a Pinterest Strategy for Business

A Pinterest strategy for business provides you with a high conversion rate. That’s because Pinterst users can click your product image, and be redirected directly to the webpage on your site where the product can be purchased. This helps you capitalize on the impulse shopping tendency of social media users.

Here are five ways to help increase your brand’s conversion rates using a Pinterest strategy for business:

1. Valentine Pinboards:

The ideas below are just a few ideas for various types of business brands. Use these Pinterest strategy for business tips to help increase online sales during the Valentine’s Day 2014 holiday:

  • Restaurants – If your business is a restaurant, you can pin various ambiance and food images of your awesome romantic settings. Showcase how beautiful your venue is for a Valentine’s evening of love and romance.
  • Apparel & Accessories – Women love accessories, clothing, shoes and all other apparel. If your business brand or boutique caters to such products, then you simply must set up Valentine Pinboards. Your Pinboards can contain your collection of reds, whites and pinks. You can also target men as most of them wouldn’t know what to give their better half. And, voila, your Pinboard to the rescue! Don’t forget to use Promoted Pins for wider reach and higher lead conversions.
  • Valentine’s Day Flowers – Flowers are always in high demand for Valentine’s Day. Your Pinterest strategy for business should include a Pinboard that has various flower arrangements and some special Valentine’s Day gifts, such as stuffed animals, baskets, cards, candles, etc… Any products included in your list of Valentine specials should be included as well. Various floral and candle decor images to sell your home and lifestyle products do really well this Valentine’s Day season.
  • Weekend Getaways – Valentine’s Day 2014 falls on a Friday. So, why not encourage your Pinterest followers to take special tours or romantic weekend getaways? Pin images of your resorts or special holidays location with packages and entice your followers with them. Make sure you offer your followers special deals for signing up through your Pinterest Valentine’s Day Pinboard.

2. Run a Contest on Pinterest

Social media users tend to enjoy contests. Add a Collaborative Pinboard to your Pinterest strategy for business to entice your followers to take part in your Valentine contest. You can ask your Pinterest followers to pin pictures of the products they would want to gift to their Valentines, preferably from your brand. Offer coupons, discounts and free products or services to winners, chosen based on your Pinterest Collaborative Pinboard contest.

3. Promoted Pinterest Pins

Make use of Promoted Pins to make your products, services, offers and specials more popular with online consumers. With promoted Pins, you can actually convert your followers into fans as they can be instantly redirected to the page where the products can be purchased. You can also allow followers to register for contests, promotions, and more. Your conversion rate increases using this Pinterest Strategy for Business because it capitalizes on the impulse shopping feature of consumers on social media.

4. Cakes and Cupcakes Pinboards

You can also create Pinterest strategy for business pinboards to be used for pinning and sharing Valentine’s Day baked goods with your followers. If your brand is a bakery business, nothing moves faster on internet for Valentine’s Day than a brilliantly cooked cake or other baked good. You may even want to include a review or simple recipe. Valentine’s Day is a time for cakes and cupcakes full of love. If you cater to that audience, make sure your images find their way on Pinterest!

Increase your online sales this Valentine's Day with Pinterest for Business

5. Integrate Your Pinterest Strategy for Business with Facebook

Don’t miss out on building wider audience online. Add Pinterest on Facebook and showcase all your beautiful Pins, promotions and contests on Facebook as well. This will help you gain a much wider audience, capture more leads, nurture your leads and eventually convert these leads into sales. What’s the simplest way to accomplish this? Try using Apps Mav.

What is Apps Mav?

Apps Mav is a simple, automated way to showcase your Pinboards and Pins on your Facebook Fan page. The Apps Mav Facebook application is both easy-to-use and self-manageable. Here are just some of the features of Apps Mav Pinterest App:

  • Integrate your Faceboook Fan Page and your Pinterest strategy for business on one platform.
  • Self-install the Pinterest App with just a few simple clicks. Self-manageable with no technical abilities required.
  • Automatically stream your Pinterest Pins on your brand’s Facebook Fan Page using integrated social features.
  • Cancel your service anytime. There are no contracts or lock-ins whatsoever.

Get the Apps Mav Pinterest App Today

Featured images:
  •  License: Image author owned
  •  License: Image author owned

Author Bio: Ritika Verma enjoys writing about social media strategies and is a complete digital marketing enthusiast. She is currently working with Apps Mav and you can follow them @appsmav.

Magnetic

Weapons Of Mass Destruction – 10 Email Marketing Templates That Dominate

by Email Marketing

Designing emails is a bit more different and technical than coding and designing a website. You have to go back to the old-school methods of hardcore coding and programming for that. Not to mention, it can be a really tedious task – especially if you are not absolutely sure about programming and web development. This is why using email marketing templates is a much better idea in most situations.

Moreover, mobile marketing is fast becoming the next big thing. In order to ensure maximum reach of your email marketing campaign, you have to optimize your emails for smartphones and mobile devices. It is estimated that approximately 50% users open and read emails on their cellphones and mobile devices (tablets). Therefore, if you do not optimize your email designs in accordance with that, you simply lose half of your potential prospects.

10 Email Marketing Templates That Truly Dominate

Following is a list of 10 really good email marketing templates that you can use for your e-newsletter campaigns. All of these templates are fully optimized for mobile devices and smartphones.

1) Magnetiq

View templates

Magnetiq is a set of 75 different email marketing templates. It is a multi-purpose set of email marketing templates that is fully optimized for smartphones and mobile devices. 11 unique layouts, multiple modern features, a very clean and professional look, a really flexible structure to designing emails and compatibility with many professional email services, e.g. MailChimp, CampaignMonitor, etc. make it an excellent package to buy.

Magnetic

2) Campaigner

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Campaigner is another fully responsive and multi-purpose email marketing template. It is also loaded with a lot of useful and interesting features, and most importantly, it is fully compatible with all the major email clients.

Furthermore, 2 different skins, 8 colors and 9 different layouts make hundreds of different variations that you can use for your marketing campaign.

Campaigner

3) Quinn

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If you want to fully showcase your products, Quinn can be a great option for your marketing campaign. It has 128 HTML files with 6 different color schemes. Moreover, the templates are fully compatible with MailChimp and CampaignMonitor.

Apart from that, they are fully optimized for mobile devices, too.

Quinn

4) ZURB

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It is a set of different email marketing templates, each being fully responsive and optimized for mobile devices. The templates offer a lot of different layouts. So you can choose whichever layout works best for your email marketing campaign. The package is loaded with all the modern features and fully compatible with all the major email clients, ISPs and mobile applications.

5) Market

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Market offers you great flexibility, versatility and a ton of different options for your email marketing templates. It is packed with thousands of different variations that give your marketing campaign a whole unique outlook. In a nutshell, it has 8 different prebuild layouts, approximately 24 different color variations and 28 elements that make over 1 million variations for emails.

Market

6) Freshmail

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Unlike many other email marketing templates, Freshmail is a clean, minimalist, yet a very colorful email design that helps you focus on the right areas. More importantly, Freshmail is MailChimp and CampaignMonitor ready, with many flexible modules and layouts for customization.

Not to mention, it is 100% optimized for smartphones and tablets.

Freshmail

7) FancyMail

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FancyMail is a stunning email marketing template with rich-colors, an elegant design and a whole lot of various useful options. It has 7 different layouts with 8 color variations – which make customization super-easy and impressive. Most of all, it is built on all the modern principles and design-rules, which make it an excellent choice for most online businesses and email marketers.

Fancy

8) MetroMail

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MetroMail is basically designed on the concept of metro-tiles and boxes. Apart from its slightly unique design, it is a beautiful template with all the interesting and useful options that a professional email marketing template should have.

Other than its 8 different layouts and 8 color variations, it is a multi-purpose and fully-responsive email marketing template that works in most circumstances.

Metro

9) SquarePath

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Although SquarePath is a multi-purpose template, you should especially consider it if you are promoting a new product. Its design works specifically well with products’ promotion and marketing.

Unsurprisingly, it is a feature-rich, fully-compatible and mobile responsive email marketing template with a lot of useful options for customization and different variations.

SquarePath

10) Modern

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Modern, as its name suggests, is a truly next-generation and modern email marketing template. It is an excellent fully-responsive email marketing template that is feature-rich, color-packed and elegant at the same time. With 12 totally unique layout variations and 12 block models, you have a lot of options to customize the template and make it look exactly how you want. Furthermore, it is also fully compatible with all the major email clients and service-providers.

Modern

Final Words About These Email Marketing Templates

So these are the 10 email marketing templates. You can use any one of them, based on your specific requirements and needs. All of these email marketing templates are 100% responsive and optimized for mobile devices – and it is something that you must consider when purchasing an email marketing template.

Of course, in some cases you may still prefer a fully customized email marketing template, but creating an email marketing template from scratch is time consuming, so it’s always a question of balancing your time and expenses. Of course if you are an email marketer who doesn’t mind to do a little design in free time, creating something of your own is always a good thing. The Internet is full of tutorials and information that makes it possible to get the job done. You could start with something like basics of responsive email design and work your way deeper into the subject.

Last, but not the least, do not forget the specific requirements of your business. You must have a clear email marketing strategy first. Only then you would be able to select a template that will truly help you achieving that goal of yours.

Featured images:
  •  License: Creative Commons by ThemeForest
  •  License: Creative Commons by ThemeForest
  •  License: Creative Commons by ThemeForest
  •  License: Creative Commons by ThemeForest
  •  License: Creative Commons by ThemeForest
  •  License: Creative Commons by ThemeForest
  •  License: Creative Commons by ThemeForest
  •  License: Creative Commons by ThemeForest
  •  License: Creative Commons by ThemeForest

Author Bio: This content was written by Peete. He is an internet marketer who’s recently got himself into email marketing for a change.

Search Engine Optimization SEO

SEO Tips for Financial Companies

by SEO Tips & Tricks

The finance industry is one of the most competitive in the whole world, which is not a surprise considering the sums of money that people and companies within the industry can earn.  As a result, it is important that finance companies do all they can to get a fair competitive advantage over their rivals.Search Engine Optimization SEO

One of the key ways they can do this is by looking to maximise their SEO efforts. What should finance companies be doing to strengthen themselves in this area?

Consider Professional Help

The nature of the finance industry is such that those working within it are better when they focus on the job at hand. While finance companies will have marketing departments and various other areas of the business, something like SEO is probably better to outsource.

In order to get more from their SEO and so they can concentrate on their business, financial companies should simply look to hire an SEO company to take care of everything on their behalf. This means one strand of their marketing is taken care of and doesn’t need to ever be on the company agenda.

Think Target Audience

All financial businesses know who their target audience is, whether they are a wealth and asset manager or they work in the private equity industry. The trouble is that many financial websites are basically an identikit of each other, and all target the same keywords and have the same layout.

By thinking about how web design, keyword optimisation, and other technical factors are geared towards their target audience, financial companies would find their SEO works much better in their favour.

Blog Maintenance

Content is the big SEO driver at the moment, and maintaining a blog section is a huge quick win that many SEO companies could easily take advantage of. They wouldn’t necessarily need to put a great deal of effort into it, either, they could simply look to write news stories about the industry and use other sources for most of the content, but write it in their own words.

Financial companies could also be well served by using blogs on other platforms, such as Blogger and Live Journal, in order to boost their SEO performance.

Social Media

Maintaining a social media presence is crucial for all businesses, but for those in the finance industry it could prove a great way not only to boost their online visibility but also to make the industry more open and understandable to the wider public. It is also an idea for individuals who work within the finance industry to have accounts so they can push people to their company.

ACPI co-founder Brett Lankester is one example of a finance professional who does this, and many others could benefit on a personal level while also increasing exposure for their companies.

Even finance businesses that are currently doing well will be able to see added benefits when they take advantage of the opportunities that SEO can provide. If you’re involved with a finance company, start talking now about increasing your online presence.

Featured images:
  •  License: Creative Commons and Flickr

Stan Jackson is a financial analyst who is bemused at how little his company uses SEO as well as other digital marketing tools like social media to best effect. Stan lives in London with his wife and their three children.

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Image: divinesavings.com
Defining Your Brand

Defining Your Brand: The 1st Step of Any Online Marketing Strategy

by Building Your Brand

In developing your business, your most important first step is defining your business. You want to build an outstanding brand experience that will gain customer loyalty. This means having the same principle highlights of big brand marketing. Having this mindset will enable your small business to reproduce the same kind of success.

To begin, you need to define your brand in order to build your brand experience for your customers. There are some primary steps that need to be taken in order to define your brand awareness for your customers. These initial steps will help you successfully distinguish your brand.

Defining Your Brand for Your Marketing Plan

In order to map out your marketing plan, you need a well-developed brand statement that distinguishes the following:

  1. The type of business you are (industry/niche)
  2. The types of customers your small business serves (target market)
  3. How you serve your customers (uniqueness)

You have to define exactly what your small business stands for, specifically. You must also define the types of services and products that your audience can expect from you. These are called your solutions. Your potential customers have problems they’re seeking solutions for in order to solve those problems.

Content is Information used to attract customers to your site

5 Phases of Content Development

by Content Marketing Tips

The phases of content development are all important to your online marketing efforts. Great content creation can help you grab a firm position as a valuable leader in your industry. You market your products and services using valuable information to gain the trust and confidence of your audience. In order to capture valuable leads, your content must conform to the needs of your target market.

Content Development and the Buying Cycle

When using content to attract customers, the phases of content development help you lead your potential clients through the buying cycle by:

  • Building understanding of your company by generation of qualified leads
  • Demonstrating that you completely and clearly understand the needs of current and future clients
  • Helping your clients and future clients to evaluate your company and make a decision
  • Supporting the purchase choice and implementation by your current and future clients
  • Fostering client loyalty and driving repeat customers

Benefits of Outsourcing Content Marketing

by Content Marketing Tips

Outsourcing content marketing brings traffic to your site, increasing your sales, without you having to do the work. Take a look at how successful Zappos, Dell, Bob Evans, LEGO and other companies have become from the results of digital media. This has allowed them to change their marketing standards to include quality social media and content marketing.

The changes with Technology and Web 2.0 have changed the vision and behavior that consumers now have for online marketing. Consumers now spend less time viewing traditional campaigns focused on driving sales.