Internet Marketing
Google: The New Microsoft
The other day I was watching TV and saw an ad for Google Chrome. The various scenes in that ad which all had to do with Internet Marketing and cloud computing using Google Docs, made me think. With all the new tools that are coming out from Google such as Google Apps, Chrome and the Android OS for smartphones and tablets, is Google becoming the Microsoft of the 21st Century? It seems like it as just about every new mobile device not made by Apple is using the Google Android IOS. This is basically where PCs were twenty some years ago.
The other thing about Google is its dominance in the Marketing arena. All the major tools we in the Internet marketing field use are from Google. There are a few tools outside the rink, but for the most part all the decent and known solutions all are coming out of Google’s camp. The one nice thing about the solutions is that they are not under attack yet. Everyone seems to be happy with Google’s dominance in the Internet realm.
The most interesting thing will be the competition between the Android based devices and Apple’s devices. The Android based devices are all Flash friendly compared to the Apple OS devices coming out into the market. Yes, the new version of HTML might phase out the need for Flash, but does that require jumping ahead of the gun and not supporting it? Obviously Google sees the need to keep it around awhile just as Blackberry does. There are more things that I could get into about this, but this discussion is on my other blog, MyFavoriteTechie.com.
Overall, I think the products that Google has given to us have been great and more keep coming. As I said earlier, the interesting thing will be where Google goes in the future between Internet marketing and operating system development for a new generation of computing devices.
Posted in Cloud Computing, Internet Marketing | 
Tags: Android, Google Analytics, Google Dos, HTML 5, HTML5 | 
No Comments »
Putting the Human Element Back into Internet Marketing
Since the Internet came into the picture almost 20 years ago, a critical piece of marketing has slowly been lost. That little piece is the human element. We need to remember that a major element of marketing is through human interaction and relationships. People still buy from people they know and trust. Even though we have many tools now to get our word out online, communicating with people we know is still a key method to getting product out.
If we think back to simpler times, many businesses have started because friends and family were impressed with a unique feature about something we developed and told others about it. Slowly more and more people would find out creating a demand. Well, that same concept still exists with Internet technologies such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. The first place we should start with is those in our inner circle. Once the inner circle has seen the benefits of our products and services, they will become the driving force of your marketing effort. The human element has not changed since the dawn of recorded time. The only thing that has changed is the method in which we engage the human relationship.
It seems that in an electronic world, where more and more is done online in order to avoid needing people, people are craving the personal interaction more and more. People want to see and talk to people rather than the ambiguity of being a number or record in a database. Businesses that cater to the personalized and human world are cherished rather than before where it was taken for granted.
.Me Domains
I had a recent conversation with someone who has been out of work and asked if he had considered creating a personal website with a .me domain extension. He had no idea what I was referring to so I explained. Later on I asked my brother the same thing and he was unaware that .me existed either. We all seem to know .com, .net, .org, .biz and a few others, but it seems like one that has great potential for us in this online world of personal marketing seems to be a well kept secret.
Should we all get one? If we have a name that is different, the odds are it would be relatively easy to get. However, if you’re a Smith or Jones, you may need to be a bit more creative. Where do you go to get your .me name? Visit Godaddy and search out your name and while you’re there you can get hosting for your site. With the ability to get a free or almost free website and website builders available, anyone can put together a quick website for themselves and promote it through the multiple media that are available. Just make sure that the content is kept current so that the search engines notice you more than once a year. Consider checking out my post on Personal Websites for more information on the content side.
When this option came out, I registered my own name and have been working on a personal presence. However, I have been lax on getting it done. Those who I have told about it have been quite intrigued by the concept and its potential. Now that I have a better idea of where will be taking it, hopefully it will be a good representation of myself.
Posted in Internet Marketing, Web hosting | Tags: me domains, personal domains, personal internet name, personal website, personal websites | No Comments »
Marketing Using Cloud Computing
One of the many benefits of cloud computing is sharing documents as marketing material. Using services like Google Docs,YouTube, Vimeo, Viddler, Box.net, Slideshare and Powershow, we have the ability to create or upload documents and video content to the service and then share them out to the general public or selected constituents.
One has to remember that without the “sharing” piece, information is just something stored somewhere. Data becomes information when it is processed and shared publicly. Therefore, by posting and sharing knowledge via virtual services otherwise known as “The Cloud” we are marketing ourselves and our products to the prospective markets available.
Remember “the cloud” is another fancy word for saving things on the Internet. When using “cloud” services you do yourself a great favor by spreading yourself out thus giving your web presence a boost by having content in various places. Other places on the “cloud” may include article directories, social networks, and comments on other blogs and bulletin boards.
Web Marketing Using QR Codes
All over now you see strange looking bar codes in magazines, on billboards, and flyers. You may be wondering what they are. They are called QR Codes and are intended to be used by smartphones with QR code scanner apps to get you to access a website or other web based medium. These QR codes are available for FREE. They are one of the newest tools developed for Internet marketing, but more specifically mobile web marketing. With most of us on the go during the day, these codes allow us to get information about something quickly without having to type in the address to our mobile devices.
If you’ve ever used a service like Bitly or TinyURL to reduce the size of a web address for sharing, you are familiar with these URL shortening services. Well, QR codes use the same concept except use a barcode and software that works with your phone’s camera to link you to a specific web address. QR Codes can forward a user to a web URL, SMS address, a service like Facebook, a YouTube video, and many others.
Once you’ve gotten the QR Code, you can either download the HTML code to embed it in your website, blog, electronic newsletter or download a image file that can be placed in printed documents and other physical items.
QR codes are a significant bridge in marketing. They create a link between the printed world and the online world. So, what does this all mean? Websites these days are a portal linking us to various sources of information relating to our businesses. On the other hand, printed flyers, advertisements and such printed material only discuss a small portion of what is actually happening. With the QR code embedded on a printed marketing piece, the person who takes the document now has the option of scanning the barcode and being sent to the website or other web reference that the business would like the person to visit for additional information.
So, if you’re looking to get your product or service out to the masses and want to make it easy for prospective customers to get information, then consider getting a QR code or a few.
Posted in Internet Marketing, Printing and Graphics, Promotions | Tags: cell phone marketing, Internet Marketing, QR code, qr code generator | No Comments »
Marketing using Google Places
A great resource for getting your business out there on the Internet aside from marketing your own website, is using Google Places. Google Places would be considered the modern day equivalent of the Yellow Pages in the phone book. There is one difference from the phone book to the Internet; that difference is the ability to be interactive.
Google Places allows a business to post a mark on Google’s maps. The information you place in that listing not only includes the phone number and address, but can also be enhanced with photos, videos, and other pertinent information about the business. Later on, those who deal with you can then comment on your customer service, products, etc. It literally becomes an extension of your website and also a boost to your web traffic.
Once your “Place” has been found and visited, analytics will be made available to you providing key data on what people are looking for in your line of business. Your ongoing market research is actually being done for you in real time rather than you having to do it yourself as a dedicated project. That saves you time and money!
So, take your business online and increase your income and web traffic using one of Google’s great tools made for today’s businesses.
Posted in Internet Marketing, Promotions | Tags: Google Places, market research, real time market research, web traffic, web traffic analytics | No Comments »
Marketing Real Estate through New Technology
The Real Estate market will eventually change from where it is currently sitting right now. The difference will become how to actually market to the new generation of buyers that is emerging. Gone are the days where newspaper and printed materials are the default go-to place.
The new generation of buyer, which is now either in their mid-20s or early 30s, is the new market and they will be looking in new places; those places will be located online. The question to be asking oneself is, “What media should be used to market properties to this new target market?”
There is no solid answer to this question right now I feel. But…we can certainly begin to use methods such as Facebook and Twitter to broadcast new properties that have been listed. We might also begin to look at and consider using RSS feeds to broadcast new listings to those constituents who are looking in addition to automatic emails from the MLS.
The list is almost endless when we can apply a little imagination, creativity and common sense into Internet marketing. The world will find us as long as we make our selves known. Just like the old saying, “A squeaky hinge gets the oil.”, the more we talk and contribute content to the virtual world, the more we will get noticed and increased web traffic.
Personal Websites
One way that we can improve our own personal brand is by creating a personal website for ourselves. Every one of us is different thus making something about us uniquely marketable. What goes on one of these personal websites? Well….Anything that makes you…you. The options are endless. It’s just up to your creativity and that creativity that you show online could result in someone realizing the true you which may not come out in a typical interview.
Most of us all have a resume of some sort. It can be offered either directly in a HTML format or combine it with a downloadable version. Combined with the print resume, consider putting together a video profile of yourself promoting your personal brand. There are many ways to go about posting one of these videos. The default which everyone knows is YouTube. However, there are other services such as Vimeo.com and Viddler.com which offer similar services which don’t have the 10 minute limitation which YouTube has.
If you’re active on Facebook or Twitter, consider incorporating widgets for those services so that your followers can get your newest info right at your website. It is also a good idea to provide a contact form so that people can send you a message without having to go into their email client.
The personal website can be used in many ways and that is completely up to you. In a world where it seems to be that relationships matter, we should all have one to work on our behalf 24 hours a day.
Two Sites for the Price of One Setup
One idea that I have been considering is offering the setup of a website and blog at the same time. The main site would be powered by the Open Source CMS, Joomla and the blog would be powered by the Open Source blogging software, WordPress.
The reason behind this thinking is that a website is a great tool for demonstrating services and products to the public, but it is not a great interpersonal marketing tool. It is meant to demonstrate to the general public. The blog on the other hand is a tool which allows a person or business to get personal with the audience so that the reader begins to build trust with the author. This relationship has become the new method of gaining clients rather than the old fashioned method of selling.
This one-two punch method does two things. First, with an inexpensive website, services and products of the person or business can be marketed. Secondly, with the blog, the author can demonstrate to his or her audience that they are experts in their field and can provide the services or products in a value added manner. The blog can also serve as a newsroom where new and upcoming events and promotions can be brought to the public.
Posted in Content Mangement Systems, Internet Marketing | Tags: blog, interactive website, Internet newsroom, Joomla, web promotion, Wordpress | No Comments »
Syndicating Content Is Key
We have all heard the phrase now “Content is King.” However, if no one knows that the new content is there, it will not be found. The key is to syndicate content so that the Internet audiences can access it as soon as possible. So, how does one go about syndicating content? The major way is via RSS feed.
All new content management systems have a unique feature to them which is not inherent to traditional HTML sites, that feature is that they generate RSS feeds right out of the box. No extra coding is needed. The feeds can then be subscribed to, imputed into social networking sites and some email marketing campaigns. Blogging systems such as WordPress, have RSS feeds pushing out the newest posts which is why they are so important to search engine optimization and marketing.
The other way of syndicating content is through pingback. In other words, each time content is created or edited, the system sends alerts to the major search engines. Pinging the search engines could be compared to the kid in school who never stopped talking or always was the attention getter. Again, blogging software has this technology built in so the search engines are made aware constantly of new posts and changes.
Whether it be through RSS feed or pingbacks, both technologies play a significant role in search engine optimization. The more the search engines are aware of changes to your site, the more often it will come back to it thus improving your rank.
So, do yourself and your website(s) a favor, take advantage of one or both of these methods of announcing new content and you will see how much your traffic will increase.
