1. New Post has been published on Free Affiliate Program | Free Affiliate Marketing

    juhui1:

    New Post has been published on http://freeaffiliatepro.com/hard-time-getting-results-with-your-affiliate-promotion-venture-try-these-ideas.html

    Hard Time Getting Results With Your Affiliate Promotion Venture? Try These Ideas

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    What great timing! This article will help answer any questions you may have about how to get started. Read on to learn more about online marketing and how it can benefit your business.

    This is a process that is vulnerable to abuse, which you and the affiliates your work with must avoid. This can irritate potential customers. However, the worst case scenario is that vital affiliate customer strings are broken, and nasty viruses are spread.

    Always disclose when you are using affiliate marketing and see how it affects your readers and visitors in a positive manner. Honesty is always the best policy if you are using affiliate marketing. Being open about why you are participating in an affiliate program will make people more likely to follow your links.

    Try asking for a raise if you are generating a good amount of leads. As you’re generating a large amount of revenue for the company you’ve affiliated with, they’ll be more than willing to work with you to keep you selling their goods!

    To make your internet marketing programs pay off, you should maintain only the most profitable affiliates. Check thoroughly on the performance of all of your affiliates on a regular basis. Taking out the least effective affiliate partners makes room for better ones.

    There are many affiliate marketers around that push themselves too hard to try to become a “super” affiliate. They put their energy in too many places, they choose too many products, and they have too many promotions going at once to stay effectively competitive at any one thing. Maximum results do not exist. It’s just a matter of finding the techniques that give you results.

    A lot of affiliates will get tasks in their email and then check them. Saving important assignments to Notepad or Word documents will save time and make your effort more productive. By using the document as your reference, you can work more quickly and efficiently.

    A bad habit of many affiliate marketers is they try to be super heroic at their job. Ambitious affiliates take on too much work load, push too many widgets and just overextend themselves to the point of breaking. Do not have the mindset that you need to maximize everything. Just work slowly and carefully and identify the best fit for you.

    If you want to get paid quickly, you should select an affiliate company that offers you different payment options. Some companies will pay through PayPal and AlertPay, while others mail checks.

    Try out secret link systems. You can place your affiliate links in your website in a subtle and inoffensive way. Use these thechniques as best you can, but avoid trying to deceive any of your readers. Be sure that potential customers do not feel duped by content that is irrelevant.

    You will lose many of your initial customers, and you will need to get more people on board. In order to attract the attention of potential new customers from the very first moment they hear from you, you’ll need to have your best-performing emails on file.

    You can use affiliate marketing programs to develop a very effective online marketing scheme for your business. In most cases, you’ll get a bigger traffic boost from an affiliate program than you will from banner ads or contextual networks. When you are ready to pick your affiliate program, look at the payment that you will get for giving a referral, how popular the directory is, and how easy it is to navigate.

    Choose the affiliates that are most likely to put you in front of your target audience. In addition to increasing your traffic, this will also communicate to the audience that you understand their needs and have a clear feeling for who they are and what they want.

    You should consider paying a little bit for advertising, it could work for you. They supply keyword friendly ads to increase sales on your site. It is a targeted approach for online publishers, with revenues generated by showing relevant ads that are more likely to attract buyers.

    It’s imperative to have access to real time statistics. Tracking systems know how many people came and what they did when they go there.

    Gaining your reader’s trust is important in becoming credible. Your readers will search for and click referral links if they like your content well enough to make a purchase.

    For maximum results in your affiliate marketing venture, select an affiliate program through a business with a healthy sales conversion ratio. Earning 1% is a good ratio to achieve.

    Know who your audience is and what their interests are if you hope to be a successful affiliate marketer. You need to work to meet the needs of your readers. Determine what it is about your site that is making them return. What pages are they spending time reading?

    Disclose your affiliations to your readers. They will think you are a better company and feel better about your affiliates.

    Knowing and reaching your target audience is extremely important to increasing your profit. It is easy to make low-cost products sell in high volumes through low-click approaches. The pricier products especially require this thoughtful approach appealing to a clear, specific need. This will help turn visitors into customers for these high-priced products.

    In some cases, a vendor will attempt to scam you via a tracking system of their own design. Just use something that has a good reputation.

    Try using a handwritten ad on your website. Adding a unique element to your website could be an effective way to generate sales. A more personal online experience may convince potential customers to make purchases. Consider using a freelance writer to create your ad if deciphering your handwriting is difficult.

    The number of backlinks that come to your website will factor into the success of your online marketing only if the links take visitors to worthwhile and meaningful content, and prospective customers will find themselves on a page that was appropriately described. For example, a visitor would not be pleased if he or she clicked on a link that took him or her to a page selling Apple iPads when the link claimed to be about HP tablet PCs. Even if you’re some sort of marketing genius, there’s no way to smooth over the annoyance that will result from this shady strategy.

    If you want to make more money in affiliate marketing, use your newsletter to funnel subscribers to your mailing list. In the past, people wanted to receive emails. Nowadays, people are weary of the constant stream of spam, so you have to make sure that your newsletter is something they genuinely want to see.

    If you are an affiliate seller, try to present products with the same pride you have when you present your own. Each link should be subtly incorporated. When you use proper internet marketing methods, you will be viewed as more than just an affiliate, but a partner.

    Keep your website’s banners to a minimum to avoid clogging your site with them. This will give your site an unprofessional, over-eager feel to it that will probably have visitors in a hurry to leave. Ensure there is enough content in contrast to your banners on-site, while those that are placed are appropriately spaced apart.

    Honesty is essential when you are working with affiliate marketing. Building a solid base of loyal visitors is only possible if you are honest and display integrity. If you are not open and truthful with your audience, they will not click on your referral links to give you credit; they will probably just go to the seller directly.

    Consider joining a forum or community dedicated to affiliate marketers and learn new tips and tricks. These are online places that you can share ideas, code for programming, pictures, and also get advice for your web marketing endeavors.

    Always consider peripherals whenever you are creating affiliate links. Water bottles that come with a strap for easy carrying can be an accessory to a variety of article topics.

    Try to make sure that you are proud of the items you sell. Research products online to determine their usefulness and desirability. There will be forums you can participate in, giving first-hand experiences of how you have used the product, and how it has helped you. With every post you leave on the Internet, include your affiliate link to allow readers to follow your message to the point of sale.

    Front-end sales are not the only thing that is important to a successful online marketing campaign, back-end sales are as well. You have the right to a commission when a customer you referred returns to purchase the item again. You can maximize your return on investment by ensuring that your affiliate program pays you for both back-end and front-end sales.

    Now, you will be more prepared for affiliate promotion. You may have thought you knew a lot before, but now you can see all you were missing. Get started today with your internet marketing website, and use the tips and advice you received in this article.

    Make certain that you receive commissions on all the sales offered by a program before joining one. Find out if the system can track orders that do not come in online, like orders by fax, regular mail and telephone. This way you will be able to receive all the income that you generate for your affiliates.


    1 week ago  /  5 notes  /  Source: juhui1

  2. ilivnghelping:

Did you like coffee? They say is harmful Right ! Not these coffee that I want to Pre-stamped to you ORGANO GOLD Is healthy for you Call to this website:http://www.gabinos.organogold.com/ You can purchase or learn more about it You can also give me a call: (832)877-0958 My name is: Gabino S.

    ilivnghelping:

    Did you like coffee? They say is harmful Right ! Not these coffee that I want to Pre-stamped to you ORGANO GOLD Is healthy for you Call to this website:http://www.gabinos.organogold.com/ You can purchase or learn more about it You can also give me a call: (832)877-0958 My name is: Gabino S.

    1 week ago  /  3 notes  /  Source: ilivnghelping

  3. anthodges:

    What SEO Package Do I Need For My Business?

    SEO is an ever moving target, so choosing an SEO package for your business can prove difficult. Recent changes in the search engine’s measurement and ranking factors means that SEO packages offered by your supplier, need to evolve to offer the best service possible – and the best results. First and foremost, the package you need has to be tailor-fitted to your business in order to reap the benefits within your industry by gaining the necessary traffic and sales that is obviously desired.SEO package

    Make sure your SEO Package is unique and made to fit your business

    Not only should your SEO package be tailor-fitted, it should also have a content led focus, as this is where the future of SEO lies. The overall strategy should have a varied mix of techniques and methods that gives you that spread of activity online from social signals, link building, blog authority, and other content driven elements. The right package should encompass the right keywords that have been thoroughly researched with stats to prove there is an opportunity to gain success in the search engines. In addition, natural links with popularity and authority are vital for your online presence and goals of bringing in fresh new traffic to your website. Furthermore, tweaking your website should be inclusive of any package in terms of on page alterations including title tags and other such necessary changes.

    Different strategies are needed for different businesses, and obviously the budget of your business will be crucial to what level of SEO you can incorporate into you long term plan. SEO is an ever changing, so the agency your package has been chosen from, needs to have the capability to evolve and grow with such changes. Most businesses will have forms on their website for businesses to fill in, in terms of what level of SEO they require and how much cost it will incur. The package that you must choose in this current online space, is that of a strategy that is inclusive of social profile building, content creation through articles and press releases, specified content marketing including Infographics and guest blog posting, and a steady stream of link building. These mentioned elements are key to a successful online marketing strategy, and will dramatically improve your SEO and keep you ahead of your competitor

    In conclusion, if your business needs SEO then why not have a look on the HodgesNet site at the SEO Packages and see how they shape up, and inevitably if they’re right for your business and fit within budgets etc… For more information, you can also call the team on 01793 608777 and a team member will be happy to talk the packages through with you and discuss how they can help you use the power of the internet for more profit!

    (via HodgesNet)

    1 week ago  /  5 notes  /  Source: anthodges

  4. Michelle Sadlier on the Role of Social Media in eCommerce

    tsreth:

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    With Michelle Sadlier, the Social Media Manager of Net-a-Porter.com

    Last term, LSE Careers welcomed Helena Gray and Michelle Sadlier from the luxury online shopping site, Net-a-Porter, to speak on the role of social media in eCommerce. 

    Net-a-Porter Group: The Company

    For those of you who have yet to discover the bliss (and convenience) of online shopping, the Net-a-Porter Group consists of three luxury clothing websites: Net-a-Porter (women’s luxury wear), The Outnet (luxury sales from last month’s stock/prints) and Mr.Porter (men’s luxury wear).  Helena Gray, who manages the in-house UK recruitment team, explained the structure and concept of Net-a-Porter.com. In brief, the website is based on the concept of an online fashion magazine from which readers can immediately make purchases. The company ships to 170 countries, provides customer care in 20 languages and is now opening a new distribution centre in Hong Kong to expand in the Asia Pacific market.

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    Welcome page of the original business concept, Net-a-Porter.com

    Social Media and Net-a-Porter.com

    Michelle Sadlier, who manages Net-a-Porter.com’s social media presence, describes it as “word of mouth on steriods” and emphasises that as smartphone use increases and social networking becomes more prominent, the role of social media in marketing will rapidly expand.  

    At the moment, Net-a-Porter is present on twelve social media platforms with a combined audience of 2.6 million people, or roughly the population of Botswana. Its key platforms include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pintrest, Youtube and Google+. However, the way in which the company interacts with audiences on each platform can be quite different. For example, content posted on Twitter is news-driven and has also become a mobile way for the company to provide customer care, while the company’s Facebook posts consist of inspiring, story-driven content such as fashion collages and style-related quotes. In this manner, different platforms cater to different customer needs. 

    Ms. Sadlier also highlights that it’s important for corporate content to be fluidly integrated with personal content that friends and family post, as opposed to appearing as a sales pitch. She compares the Facebook newsfeed to a dinner conversation, in which interesting, light-hearted banter is welcome but blatant product pushing would be jarring and alienate audiences. 

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    One of Net-A-Porter.com’s Facebook posts — allows story-driven and audience interaction, doesn’t read “sales pitch”.

    Social Media in the Fashion Industry

    The main social media success story in the fashion industry mentioned was Topshop’s The Future of the Fashion Show campaign during London Fashion Week 2013. The collaboration between Topshop and Google+ allowed fans to follow Topshop’s most famous models using Google+, interact with them via Google Hangouts and literally share the same visual perspective as models as they walk down the runway. 

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    Social Media in 2013 and Beyond  

    Net-a-Porter is currently experimenting with the use of two emerging platforms. Vine — a video version of Twitter — allows users to share loops of 6-second videos and has proved to be particularly popular in the fashion community. This NY Mag article details several ways this app was used during NY Fashion Week. Weibo, China’s version of Facebook, is already being used by several fashion brands including Diane von Furstenberg, as seen below. 

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    Fashion designer, Diane von Furstenberg (DVF), on Weibo

    1 week ago  /  5 notes  /  Source: tsreth

  5. almedincandic:

LinkedIn: Update Privacy Einstellungen + Sponsored Content

Das weltgrößte online Business-Netzwerk LinkedIn bringt Neuerungen: Verbesserte…

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    almedincandic:

    LinkedIn: Update Privacy Einstellungen + Sponsored Content

    Das weltgrößte online Business-Netzwerk LinkedIn bringt Neuerungen: Verbesserte…

    View Post

    1 week ago  /  2 notes  /  Source: almedincandic

  6. alltopmarketing:

How Online and Mobile Could Help Real Estate Agent To Get Qualified Leads

In 2012, Google and National Association of REALTOR (NAR) conducted survey individually, which…

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    alltopmarketing:

    How Online and Mobile Could Help Real Estate Agent To Get Qualified Leads

    In 2012, Google and National Association of REALTOR (NAR) conducted survey individually, which…

    View Post

    1 week ago  /  1 note  /  Source: alltopmarketing

  7. New Post has been published on Free Affiliate Program | Free Affiliate Marketing

    juhui1:

    New Post has been published on http://freeaffiliatepro.com/generate-competitive-affiliate-promotion-campaigns-with-these-suggestions.html

    Generate Competitive Affiliate Promotion Campaigns With These Suggestions

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    If you are a stranger to the universe that is affiliate promotion, a few pointers and helpful hints will prove immensely beneficial to your start. The following online marketing tips are designed to get you up to speed quickly and help get you off the ground and running.

    It’s a good idea to research how a business keeps track of orders not created through their web site when you’re looking through affiliate promotion programs. If you lead people to the company by mail or phone and your ID is not attached you will lose out on lots of commission.

    Do not ever get involved in this process and do not affiliate with people who are. The very best you can do with cookie stuffing is annoy your readers. At worst, it can break important affiliate customer tracking chains or even spread viruses.

    Many affiliate marketers cannot resist the temptation to push the process to the limits. By juggling too many products and specials, they may lose their marketing edge. It’s important to have a niche, and focus only on that niche in order to be successful at affiliate promotion. Take a reasoned, methodical approach that fits your personality.

    If quick and easy access to profits is high on your list of priorities, partner with an affiliate that offers a variety of different payment options. Pay attention to how the parent company distributes earnings. Some only issue paper checks while others use bank transfers and online sources such as PayPal. Also make sure you know how often the distribute earnings.

    Be upfront with your readers and tell them you use affiliate marketing. Their reaction will more likely be positive. Be up front and honest with your customers, as they will respect you more for it. If your readers see that you are marketing your products in good faith, they are far more likely to respond positively and buy your products.

    Most individuals will eventually unsubscribe in which you need to then look for new customers. By keeping track of which e-mails were most effective in the past, you will be ready to immediately start sending high quality e-mails to your new customers.

    Market your business online more effectively by using affiliate promotion programs. Generally, more traffic is generated by affiliate programs than many other advertising methods. Things to keep in mind when considering an affiliate program include how popular the directory is, how much you will be paid for referrals, and how easy the program is to navigate.

    Try advertising through many affiliate programs that will reach the same customer base. Going through many sites with similar affiliate programs gives visitors many links to select from.

    You need to understand online marketing before you can be successful with it. You want your site or site to rank as highly as possible in searches. Do this, and you will get more traffic, better affiliates, and higher profits.

    Good affiliates will have a higher conversion ratio than their competitors are the ones you should choose to work with. If your affiliate company can’t convert at least one percent of the prospects you send them, you may want to look elsewhere.

    There may be links that are hidden. There are plenty of ways to discreetly spread links throughout your content. Be transparent about your use of links and take advantage of their use. Make sure your readers understand the context of the text link so there are no surprises.

    It is key to see real time statistics. Because they allow you to see how many visitors have come through the site, and how many people have made purchases.

    One great way to generate more sales as an affiliate marketer is to offer affiliate products only for a limited amount of time. Customers may feel a sense of urgency in order to avoid missing out on an offer. It’s a good way to boost your revenue.

    Try to look for a company that continuously produces products to help your affiliate marketing efforts. Repeat business is based on providing multiple related products. This ensure the commissions keep rolling in. Fad products and one-trick ponies are no good for you.

    Explain your affiliations to your readers, so they understand what they are for. Customers will know you are honest and be more likely to buy.

    A common scam involves people trying to get you to use an invalid tracking system. Only use legitimate tracking systems with good reputations to avoid these scams.

    If your site is designed for sports, your viewers are there for sports. Your affiliate links will not be useful unless they are specific to your overall site content. Your readers will be primarily interested in clicking links that are relevant to the rest of your site.

    Make your first newsletter your very best so that first-time readers will sign up for more. Not long ago, people enjoyed receiving emails. Nowadays, emailers do whatever it takes to safeguard their address from getting overrun with spam.

    Keep your web marketing articles completely positive. Avoid expressions that sound negative. Avoid language that sounds threatening or foreboding.

    Paid advertising, such as Google Ads, is a good way to make money from affiliate marketing programs. Purchasing ad space will help you gain sales and will get more people to your site.

    Always make your readers feel that you are open with them. Honesty is the key to having a loyal client base. Alienate your audience and they might bypass you altogether.

    You must remain relevant so that your web marketing efforts are successful. Stay informed on the programs being run by the affiliates with whom you are engaged. There are new tools and approaches being developed all the time. Use these ideas to make your ads more engaging to potential customers.

    When deciding which affiliate companies you should partner with, favor those that provide resources and support. Affiliate agencies are not unintelligent. Affiliate marketers do extensive research about market trends with customers. The best affiliate partners are the ones that provide this data to their affiliates to improve their success rates.

    Do not put tons of banners all over your site. Too much advertising will make your website appear pushy, unprofessional, and of low quality. Create a balance between on-site banners and site content.

    Provide pictures of all products along with user reviews to give people more information about the product. Your potential customers are much more likely to make a purchase if you give them a lot of information.

    Actual statistics are important. This lets you know how many users have been to your site and how many of them have made a purchase.

    Paid advertising is an economical way to promote your program. Try and get your ads to target popular keywords as a means to increase both your sales and the amount of visitors of your site. This will draw potential buyers and your products will get more interest in general.

    when you choose an affiliate, you need to know your audience ahead of time. Advertising dish detergent on a shoe website, for example, would be a bad strategy. People come to your website for a specific purpose, with certain topics and expectations in mind. Keeping that in mind, place appropriate ads that will appeal to many visitors.

    Putting a time limit on purchasing an affiliate product is a great affiliate marketing tool. When customers see that the product is only available for a limited time, they may feel a need to buy now before the deal goes away. This is a time-tested way to boost sales.

    Put together a brief e-book, and share it on a variety of websites. This will show off your knowledge, attract visitors, and interest potential buyers in your website. Do not forget to incorporate your website links into the document.

    When you are beginner in the affiliate marketing game, start modestly and don’t get too big. This will make it easier for you to learn the ropes, earn some money, and avoid competition. This knowledge will allow you to take on bigger and more competitive niches later in the life of your venture.

    Improve your own review to increase you affiliate marketing revenues. Include things like photos, screen shots and videos if possible. You will make people want to purchase your niche product. Always offer lots of details in your reviews. People are interested in learning about products they buy.

    Have a basic knowledge about accounting practices. This can be a person, or even simply an accountant program. Establishing a method of accounting for profits and losses will let you know where your business stands financially. You should ensure this program is started up before any other programs are, so that it will be ready as soon as you are.

    By now you will have realized just how profitable affiliate marketing will be. By using these tips, you can turn yourself from an affiliate promotion novice into an expert.

    There are some vendors who may attempt to scam you. They do this by persuading you to utilize their tracking system. Simply avoid this by choosing to use a proven tracking system.


    1 week ago  /  6 notes  /  Source: juhui1

  8. Social Media: Automation v. Authenticity

    currentlyjenny:

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    I’ve noticed an overwhelming focus lately in the world of online marketing on helping individuals and marketers drastically cut down time spent on social media while still maximizing results.

    Most of the pithy articles and beautiful infographics I read stress automation, automation, automation. Stick to a rigid schedule, blast everything out everywhere, and sky-rocket to success!

    If only it were that simple.

    I totally agree that there are some amazing tools out there like Hootsuite and Tweetdeck that are great for blasting out updates to a number of platforms in a quick period of time, and scheduling future updates as well. And believe me, I use these tools heavily (and would be lost without them!).

    My issue, however, is that total reliance on automation means you’re really only doing half the work. You’re not realizing the limited life of your update and the potential to start or contribute to the conversation happening online.

    I see this in so many people I coach who are just starting out. They look for the easy way out, the least amount of work, because they really don’t want to engage. They want to broadcast.

    It’s really all about balance:

    1. Automate everything that needs to be automated. This is usually factual information that won’t be swayed by real-time events.

      ie. An event happening in the future or a blog post you want to schedule for promotion later.

    2. Update real-time events as they happen, because they will usually be opinion-based and unpredictable.

      ie. going to the beach on a windy day, a successful product
      launch, or a really great sandwich.

    3. Engage with your audience/community. Yes, this one is totally sporadic and also time-sensitive (everything has a short shelf-life). You can’t schedule this time, but you can decide who to engage and who to ignore.

      ie. starting a conversation with someone based off of their update, or responding to someone who has mentioned you.

    If all of this is overwhelming, just remember this analogy:

    With an enticing 7-minute abs model of social media or online marketing management, you won’t ever see that six-pack if all you do is tell everyone about how much you’re working on your abs without ever doing a crunch.

    - Jenny

    1 week ago  /  7 notes  /  Source: currentlyjenny

  9. How Important Is SEO, Really?

    doublelinx:

    I pride myself in being a bit of a contrarian.

    When the ‘masses’ start taking to an idea in large numbers, I start to get suspicious. More and more people are accepting search engine optimization (SEO) as a way of life in business. The phrase is thrown around with reckless abandon amongst business people and there are literally thousands of new articles about the topic emerging on the market every single day (this article being one of them).

    But, what difference is SEO really going to make to your business? What kind of results has SEO produced for other businesses? How well does it work for small to medium-sized business?

    Well, I decided to find out.

    The Biggest Market Ever

    The Internet is the biggest market of consumers there ever was.

    There are currently two billion Internet users around the world and that number is projected to jump to 2.7 billion by 2015. That’s more people than any other media source and makes up 40% of the world’s population.

    That’s a figure that could make even the most self-restrained marketer salivate. All you need is to get the attention 0.000001% of this market and you’re on a major gravy train, right? Well, not exactly. The perils of working in market that big far outweigh the benefits.

    There are approximately 634 million websites on the Internet – 51 million of which were added in 2012 alone. How do you stand out with so much competition?

    That’s where SEO comes in…

    Don’t operate in a vacuum

    If your business doesn’t have a website, it doesn’t exist. In 2013, if your business website isn’t search engine optimized, it doesn’t matter either way.

    The first thing most people do before they buy anything, even if it’s offline, is search the Internet. Approximately 89% of consumers look to websites like Google, Bing and Yahoo before making a buying decision. Search engines are the number one source of traffic, beating social media by 300%. For these reasons businesses work very hard to make friends with the likes of Google.

    But, it’s not enough to be ranked on Google, if you want to have any kind of impact you’ll need to be on the first page because, and although as much as 61% of people look for products online, only 25% ever go beyond the first page of results.

    Give The People What They Want

    There are two main reasons people use the internet: To check their emails and to get information.

    Although email marketing and search engine optimization is linked, the former is a huge field of study in its own right. SEO is more concerned with the second reason – giving people the information that they’re looking for.

    Most of your customers go on the Internet to search for information on a certain topic, which is related to your product or service. They aren’t looking for your business, they aren’t even necessarily looking for products and services like the one you offer. However, if you can be the one to give them the information they’re looking for you’ve instantly proven yourself knowledgeable and reliable, which can be a doorway to a very profitable long-term relationship.

    To answer the original question I posed in this article – yes, it really is that important. A good SEO marketing plan can mean the difference between a massive business success and operating with a vacuum.  

    Need help with your SEO marketing plan? Try a few SEO services on Doublelinx.

    1 week ago  /  37 notes  /  Source: doublelinx

  10. Our Unhealthy Reliance on Social Media

    twocentsay:

                There has been a recent trend in society to use social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to organize political events. Protests, petitions, rallies and interests groups are all being established and organized using such sites.

    And for a good reason. Their ability to reach thousands and thousands of people and spread like wildfire is possibly one of it’s most powerful components. All people have to do is discover it,- on a homepage, a friends wall, likes, a retweet or even in advertising- click it and the ability to be convinced at the click of a button is uncovered. The world realizes this power and are using it more and more to get a message across. Some might even say that we rely too much on social media to get a message across.

    So what would happen if one day, a platform just simply disappeared? What would happen if all of a sudden, our government just decided that the bullying, defamation and sharing of sensitive information overrode all the positives of social media and took it away? It’s possible. In fact, a similar thing happened in Syria this week, when it was discovered that Internet traffic to and from Syria has ceased.

    Douglas Rushkoff in his article The Evolution Will Be Socialized describes an alternative Internet call ‘Contact’ to prevent such a catastrophe. Contact would include the “development of a new non-hierarchical Internet to the implementation of alternative e-currencies, the prototyping of open source democracy to experiments in collective cultural expression”. Basically, an Internet without any hierarchical control but rather a democratic, open source system and where only virtual money would exist.

    However, I do find problems with this concept. Without any government control, who is going to set the rules as to what is okay and not okay? Even democracy has rules and regulators that control what is defined as wrong and right. If there’s not a governing body overlooking content, then who’s going to stop problems such as child pornography, when it could simply be defended as being a ‘collective cultural expression’? My other issue is why is there a need for currency at all in an open source system? Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of open source content?

    I think there’s a much easier solution. I think we should just start going back to ye old times and start communicating and organizing in person. In fact, the other day my mother offered me to hand make some simple invitations for my 21st, and my reply was that I was just going to make an event on Facebook and not worry about invitations. Why? Because it’s easier, and the reason it’s easier is because I’ve stopped using ‘outdated’ forms of organizing, such as invitations. Its also easier because of how much I rely on social media in general to organize my life, and I don’t think I’m the only one.

    So I challenge you all to do something that you would usually do on social media and do it in person. Send someone a birthday card instead of a wall post. Call someone up or meet for coffee when you’re catching up with a friend or family member. Organize your next event using invitations. It may be a little inconvenient, but at least we’re not relying on a social networking site as a way of life.

     

    Bibliography

    Rushkoff, Douglas (2011) ‘The Evolution Will Be Socialized’, Shareable: Science and Tech http://www.shareable.net/blog/the-evolution-will-be-socialized >

     

    Lecture word- social organisation

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