Why You Need to be Using Online Coupons

Why You Need to be Using Online Coupons

We hope you haven't made the mistake of assuming that online coupons are no longer a viable method to use in your marketing mix, because you could be making a costly mistake!
The fact is, 55% of all internet users now routinely access and u
se online coupons, resulting in more and higher sales. Clearly the consumer has gotten more comfortable couponing, and now make searching for coupon deals an integral part of the shopping process.
Think of coupons as advertising, and an effective form of it at that. They are also a terrific source of intelligence about your business and products, and shed a lot of light on what your customer base is really after. Let's look at 7 top places to put your coupon offers, and get you started on the road to greater profit.

7 Hot spots to advertise with your coupons

Valpak - An offline service that reaches consumers through the mailbox, Valpak is a trusted direct marketing mailer, that consumers are used to seeing.
Red Plum - Another offliner that is now online as well, Red Plum is known for physical coupons that come in your Sunday newspaper. They also have an online and direct mail component.
Groupon - The first of the big online couponing sites, Groupon has become a trusted behemoth in the couponing sector, offering many daily deals and other offers.
Living Social - Another of the original online couponing companies, Living Social makes a speciality of the deal of the day market.
Yelp for Business - Not only is Yelp a major player when it comes to citations and online reviews, Yelp Deals allow you to offer coupons much like Groupon but a bit less expensive. A good one to use if you have a good set of reviews there.
RetailMeNot - This is a truly monstrous site, with over half a million coupons available. Many are from major stores whose names you will recognize, and many more from small vendors.
Your email newsletter - Make sure that if you have a current email list you are sending offers to them. This form of email advertising works very well, and results in better open rates, higher transactions, and significantly improved customer loyalty.

How's that 2015 Marketing Plan Working Out So Far?

What's in your Marketing Plan for 2015?

Having a comprehensive and workable marketing plan together for your online business should be one of the first orders of the day for 2015.
Having a clear and precise roadmap of where you're going and how you want to get there is vital to your short and longer term success.
But what should you really include in your plan for marketing in 2015? What specific items or initiatives stand out as things that will propel your business to where you want it to go, and not merely stand pat. Let's have a look at 5 things you'll want to consider when crating your 2015 marketing plan.

5 Ideas to perhaps include in your 2015 marketing plan

Create a content marketing initiative - If one of your goals in 2015 is to create and post more content, and it should be, understand that doing so can help in several ways. Not only for the immediate benefits of new and fresh content for your web properties, but also providing you the ability to repurpose some of that into various forms, multiplying your efforts.
Get into video if you haven't already - And if you have, get further involved! This is a visual Web, and people would rather watch than read, sad to say. But you need to give them what they want, so make sure video and visual content takes on a significant part in your 2015 plan.
Check out your SEO - If you are not getting the organic search rankings you are after, it might be time to either do some SEO yourself, (if you are able) or hire it out to someone who knows how. This can pay dividends for some time moving forward.
Look into alternative sources of traffic - Google isn't everything, and there are many other viable sources of traffic out there that can drive loads of visitors to your pages. This might also be the time to get into paid traffic, as there are more and cheaper ways to make it happen than ever before.
Adding any new products this year? - If you are planning to add another product, or several, this year, make sure to account for this in your plan, as it certainly will need some time and money as well.

How to Create an Bursting Content Calendar for 2015

How to Create an Bursting Content Calendar for 2015

Now that we all agree that terrific content is a necessity going forward in 2015 and beyond, the question then becomes exactly how do we implement this initiative with the time and talents we have available?
While there will always be changes happening, such as the need for longer and better quality content, the changing mediums in which that content can be delivered and more, it's beneficial to plan how we can fill up our content marketing calendar in 2015.
So let's jump right into what you will need to consider when doing your content marketing planning.

7 Tips for content marketing planning in 2015

Video - It's been said every year for quite a while, but video simply refuses to cool off. It will see another surge in growth this year, and is a perfect vehicle for delivering content. Make it your business to either start or maximize your video marketing footprint this year.
Utilize and expand your social media - Social can do many wonderful things for content marketing, Not only does it inform you well about what your audience is thinking about, it is a perfect vehicle for promotion and reach.
Look back at 2014 - Take a trip down memory lane and figure out what worked well for your audience in 2014. This can easily be done by looking at site analytics and customer comments, to see what struck a chord last year.
Ask the horse's mouth - Ask your audience directly what they like or want to see, by using a poll, quiz, contest or survey. Bribe them if necessary!
Repurposing your best content - Take popular pieces of content and repurpose them into different media. For example, slice up a good post into social media posts, videos, Tweets and even memes.
Curate great content - Another terrific method for providing value for your audience while at the same time boosting your own authority and content is by curating content you find on the Web.
Try new flavors of content - If there is some channel of content creation you've yet to explore, such as podcasts or long form content like whitepapers, perhaps it's time. Your audience might be hungering for this!

Not Sure About your Keyword Research? See How to Do it in 2015!

Not Sure About your Keyword Research? See How to Do it in 2015!

Quite a few people are asking if keywords remain relevant in 2015, and the simple answer is, yes. Keywords still play a key role in online marketing, no matter the medium, whether for ranking pages on your site or blog, videos, imagery, paid search or more, you will find that keywords are one of the main items you will want to keep in mind when planning your web content.
Like it or not, keywords are still the primary way Google ranks your content, whether that's in the form of web page, blog post, video or anything else. Google's ranking algorithm considers how well you are optimized for the particular keywords, and ranks you in the search results accordingly. For this reason it's imperative to make sure we are targeting the proper keyword from the outset.
To help with that, let's look at 5 items you'll want to consider as you select the keywords for your content.

5 Things to think about when embarking upon keyword research

1. Decide what you'll use keywords for - Presumably you have a plan for these keywords, and if not, this is a great time to clarify this. Will they be used for new content, web pages, social media, visual content (videos and more) or what? Knowing this early on is helpful, especially when it's time to cross-promote.
2. Identify the keywords common to your market - Simply by looking at the top site in your market you'll be able to identify several of the more prominent phrases people are optimizing their content for. This will give you a decent starting place for your research.
3. Take a look at your competition - This can be done with the help of tools, or again by taking a close look at their pages. Check under the hood for title tags, page descriptions and keyword tags, if they made use of them.
4. Employ tools to help do the work - Luckily for us there are lots of keyword research tools out there, most of them sport a free version, such as the Google Keyword Planner, SEMRush, and KeywordTool.io.
5. Discover the intent - Now comes the hard part, where you actually have to use your brain. The best keywords are those that people are searching on with the intent to take action. This usually isn't the keywords everyone else is using. This is where you take your list, and attempt to get inside the mind of a searcher and discover their intent. Doing this will help you outstrip your competition quickly!

Don't get overwhelmed this is one place I highly recommend hiring out unless you really truly know what you are doing. Wasting money and choosing  the wrong keywords can damage your organic reach. If you are looking to add this to your and want help go to ppc and display ads help 

Look at These 5 Ways to Screw Up Your SEO

Look at These 5 Ways to Screw Up Your SEO

Performing SEO can be complicated business, and the effects what you or someone you hire does may have lasting and significant impact for your pages.
Whether do it yourself or hire your SEO out, you've got to be aware of what not only just doesn't work, but also what may indeed be counter-productive, and harm you even more.
Let's have a look at 5 SEO mistakes that are easy to make and sometimes hard to undo.
5 SEO mistakes to avoid at all costs!

Keywords and anchor text - Google has now polished the search engine algorithm to the point now where it can easily detect heavy-handed attempts to game the system. No longer can you get away with much, and the resulting penalties can be harsh if you're caught trying. Instead, aim for natural keyword profiles with plenty of related verbiage, and together with that, a diversified and sensible anchor text policy using naturally occurring keywords, naked URLs, and other generic terms.
Avoid using Tags - The primary reason you'll need to avoid the use of tags is that they automatically create a duplicate content issue for you. Use categories instead. And if you use a tag cloud you've only added to the problem by using valuable front page real estate as well.
Don't use Flash - In the quest for some stunning visual effect, many designers are tempted (or forced) to use Flash. The damage done to your SEO and mobile can make it very unwise to do so.
Ignoring Mobile - It's not an option. More than 60% of web users access via mobile, and now Google has even gone to the point of ranking unresponsive sites lower in their mobile search, and labeling them with a rather unflattering tag that this page "May not work on your device".
Not taking advantage of internal linking - The best way to secure better rankings as of late is to make sure your pages are optimized well, and the primary element here is sound internal linking. Google loves this, and it is a far easier get than valuable external links.

The Perfect Client Thank You - Use Social Media

The Perfect Client Thank You - Use Social Media

One fantastic idea that is clearly under-used is the practice of using social media to thank your clients and customers. Not only is the social media real estate free, it's immediate, and can have a massive reach if done well.
Not just that, there are rumors that non-linked social mentions will be a factor going forward in Google's search algorithm.

Let's have a look at 7 ways you can integrate this into your business.

7 Ways to thank your clients using social media

Twitter - Giving your client a shout out on Twitter can be a terrific way to show your appreciation. This works well with links and images of the work, and can lead to more work if you have a large following.
Endorse them on LinkedIn - This is one of the purposes of LinkedIn, and it is well set up for this. You can leave a review on your page, their page, your groups, or post in status feed. This could easily result in more work for them!
Leave on online review - Leaving a review on a site like Yelp can help both you and your client! All small businesses need online citations in the form of reviews.
Use Facebook - Posting about them on your Facebook business page can bring the news to a lot of people quickly.
Record a video Testimonial and put it on YouTube - An excellent way to show your thanks is by creating a video testimonial. This can be shared and potentially enjoy a very wide reach.
Share an image on Pinterest - Pinterest users are very eager to buy, and sharing images of their work for you there can work really well. Especially with the female demographic! (70% of Pinterest users)
Feature them in your company newsletter - If you distribute a company newsletter, a short spotlight on your client can easily garner them more leads, and you as well!

Should You Do It Yourself or Have it Done For You in Your Small Business

How to Decide Between DIY or DFY in Your Small Business

When you're just starting out with your small business, the temptation is omnipresent to attempt as much as you can yourself. This is not just from a cost standpoint, but also a sense that you can do this. While it's a good idea to have a basic grasp on things, there are many things you'll need help with, and just don't make sense to try and learn.
For example, coding a website from the ground up takes a skill set you probably don't possess, and would take a while to learn. Easier to hire that out. This isn't always the case however. Some things you can and should do. Let's look at several of the factors that will inform your decision as to whether to go with DIY or DFY.

Is DIY or DFY best for your small business?

• Ask yourself what you truly want to do in your business. Do you want to be the one doing almost everything, or do you not want to "work" in your business much at all, wanting instead to be the executive or visionary.
• Brutally assess your skill sets, and weigh whether or not it makes sense expense and time wise to do a particular task.
• If you do hire out, seek to get personal recommendations whenever possible, and never pay in full upfront. Schedule payments on a staged delivery basis, to ensure that the work will actually get done and that you won't get taken for a bundle.
• Think carefully before opting to write your own copy, in particular sales copy and emails. These are two areas crucial to your income, and if you don't know what you're doing, it will show in your receipts!
• Look to maintain a unified look and vision to all your online properties. When you have several people working on your business, it's easy to lose your look and become fragmented. Stay clear about what you want to see!

Each business is different, and solutions vary. There is no one size fits all here, but no matter which road you choose, remembering that the buck stops with you helps keep things in perspective!

You will have to pick the best solution for your business and sometimes outsourcing to another company, employee or friend could free up your mind to create a better business. If you are looking for a team I can definitely help you just go to this website and fill out the contact form and someone will be in touch to set up a getting started strategy session.

Have you tried Using Google Webmaster Tools for your SEO?

Have you tried Using Google Webmaster Tools for your SEO?

If you are a newcomer to Google Webmaster Tools or haven't even given it a test drive yet, you should know that there are a number of very useful tools that will help you with your site's SEO.
What better place to find out what's ailing your site than where it matters most, Google. After all, they are dealing out the search rankings, and it's good to know what they think about your pages.
Google Webmaster Tools is a huge suite of tools. For the time being let's concentrate on 4 areas that will give you a lot of bang for your buck.

4 Great Google Webmaster Tools reports to inform your SEO

HTML improvements - The HTML Improvements report is a very handy tool indeed for SEO. It can show you things you need to be aware of, like how well or even if your Meta data is optimized, title and descriptions deficiencies, as well as duplicate content issues. Well worth a look.
Search Queries - Probably the most useful report, Search Queries returns loads of data including impressions, clicks, click-thru-rate, keyword terms searched, image and video SEO and more. The keyword section only goes back for 30 days, but it does give you some data you can use with other tools.
Crawl errors - The Crawl Errors report will show you which of your pages aren't resolving to their requested URL. This typically shows up in the form of a 404 Page not found error. It's extremely helpful to have this information, as it may be a simple matter of fixing a URL, link or redirecting.
Links to your site - This one returns a list of sites that are linking to your pages, and will show you what pages are drawing the most interest. This can be, and often is, quite surprising, as pages or content you may not have thought was significant may very well be drawing loads of traffic to your site!
Google Webmaster tools are a very useful tool for telling you what you need to be concerned with and fixing within your SEO. It should be your first stop, even if you do eventually use a more sophisticated paid tool to dive deeper.