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Category Archives: English

Jun 08 0 comments
English

5 Secrets to Selecting Highly-Effective SEO Keywords

If there is a single concept that is the driver of much of the Internet’s growth over the past decade – not to mention nearly all of Google’s annual revenue of $25 billion – it is the concept of keywords. Keywords are what we type in when we are searching for products, services, and answers on the search engines, an act that Americans performed 15.5 billion times in April 2010 according to ComScore, the web research firm.Blog - Key Words

Companies optimize their webpages for search by assigning keywords to those pages. The implications for a business of picking the right keywords are therefore huge. Keyword selection is fundamental to success when it comes to executing a paid search or PPC campaign. It is also integral to a website natural or organic ranking on the search engines.

But keywords are not just about SEO. They at the heart of a company’s marketing campaign at its most granular level. Do our customers love our product because it is fast-acting or because it is long-lasting? Are we cheap or the best? Do we provide people with ideas or with help? If you can’t immediately identify the most important keywords for your company, it is doubtful that you can effectively market your products and services to your target audience. The following guide will provide you with 5 ideas to keep in mind when you are selecting keywords on which to build your online marketing.

Picking SEO Keywords: Focus on Good Phrases

When it comes to search engine marketing, there may be no larger misnomer, no more archaic term than the ubiquitous keyword. In my view, there should be an official migration to the more accurate term keyphrase, but for now I will be forced to use what I consider to be an inaccurate term. My frustration with this term is that it quite simply implies a single word, which is rarely the strategy that we employ when doing keyword research and selection in the service of PPC and SEO campaigns.

All too often, people dramatically overthink the most basic keyword research concepts; keyword generation should start simply with answering the question of “What products or services do you sell?” If you sell dog food online,  the root words dog and food alone would be very poor keywords because on their own, neither dog nor food do a remotely good job at describing what you sell. Though this example makes it obvious, many times we have to fight through our urge to include those bigger, broader root keywords.

Dig Deeper: How to Be Keyword-Savvy View the rest of this posting »

Jun 03 0 comments
English

May’s Top Ten Innovation and Marketing Articles

Blog - Top 10This year I thought I would experiment with a Top Ten list at the beginning of each month, profiling the ten posts from the previous month that generated the most traffic to Blogging Innovation. So, without further ado, here are May’s ten most popular innovation or marketing posts:

1. 20 Strategies for Solo Social Media Success – by Mike Brown
2. Create a Culture of Successful Failure – by Paul Sloane
3. 8 Traits of Ineffective Leaders – by Mike Myatt
4. Innovation Perspectives – Social Media Return Dilemma – by Paul Hobcraft
5. Building a Better Pizza – by Robert F. Brands
6. Definitions of Innovation – by Mitch Ditkoff
7. 100 Awesome Quotes on What It Takes To Innovate – by Mitch Ditkoff
8. It’s Time for CRM to Go Social – by Idris Mootee
9. Taking the NO out of InNOvation – by Mike Brown

Source: Blogging Innovation

Jun 02 0 comments
English, Multimedia

America’s Entrepreneurial Spirit is Alive and Kicking

May 28 0 comments
English

‘The Cat Hid My Car Keys’ – Excuses Workers Make

Honest businessmanLast year, an account executive dozed off during a training session at Strategis LLC, a small marketing-communications company in Stoughton, Mass. Co-owner George Irish says the employee explained the bizarre incident by claiming to suffer from narcolepsy.

“What he had was a case of partying too hard the night before,” says Mr. Irish, noting that the salesman smelled of alcohol when offering up the excuse. He later fired the man, a poor performer who never provided proof of a medical problem despite having previously been caught napping on the job. “I just don’t have time for games,” says Mr. Irish.

When it comes to excuses for poor employee behavior, small-business owners have heard it all—from bad hair days for rationalizing absenteeism to faulty alarm clocks for explaining tardiness. Sometimes the excuses are part of a chronic problem, and business owners say it’s best to dish out a stern warning, punishment or even walking papers to the offending employee. Other times, the excuses come from top-notch staff, making it a more delicate situation to handle.

That was the case for Mitch McLeod, owner of Arcos Inc., a small software company in Columbus, Ohio, whose top-performing software engineer repeatedly called in late, with a litany of bizarre excuses. The strangest? The engineer claimed his cat hid his car keys, according to Mr. McLeod. Instead of disciplining the employee, Mr. McLeod decided to simply switch the engineer’s schedule to a later shift. Now, the employee is mostly on time for work. View the rest of this posting »

May 26 0 comments
English

Blush, Babble, Cringe: The Shy Social Butterfly?

Most people who know me believe I’m really outgoing. I’ve held hands with strangers who were nervous on planes, made a friend while shopping for ties at Saks and once called a wrong number and chatted away—for 10 minutes.PJ-AU981_bonds_DV_20100517182443

Cocktail parties? Interviewing someone important for work? Speaking in public? Not (typically) a problem for me. As my best friend helpfully pointed out recently, “You could talk anyone under the table.”

So why do I get tongue-tied, back up into a file cabinet or blurt out something inappropriate every time I run into one particularly talented colleague? Why do I dread simply walking across a restaurant or room full of people? Why did I dribble wine down my chin at a party recently when I noticed a man checking me out?

Here’s a hint: I was voted Most Shy in high school. And while I’ve successfully exorcised much of my bashfulness—partly with determination, partly by simply racking up more life experiences over time—I still suffer from what psychologists call “situational shyness.” In other words, certain circumstances, or people, can make me unexpectedly, uncontrollably shy.

While about 40% of Americans actually consider themselves shy, a whopping 95% of people say they experience temporary timidity from time to time, according to studies from the Shyness Research Institute at Indiana University Southeast, in New Albany, Ind. In other words, almost everyone—even the people you think are most confident—experiences shyness sometimes, and this can negatively impact their interactions with others. (As for the other 5% who say they have never, even once, felt shy? The researchers think they’re lying.) View the rest of this posting »

May 25 0 comments
English, Women@Work

Why Are Women-Owned Firms Smaller Than Men-Owned Ones?

[SMCOVER]The phenomenal growth of women-owned businesses has made headlines for three decades—women consistently have been launching new enterprises at twice the rate of men, and their growth rates of employment and revenue have outpaced the economy.

So, it is dismaying to see that, despite all this progress, on average, women-owned business are still small compared with businesses owned by men. And while the gap has narrowed, as of 2008—the latest year for which numbers are available—the average revenues of majority women-owned businesses were still only 27% of the average of majority men-owned businesses.

While the number of women starting their own business outpaces men, revenue for female owned companies still lags behind. Hear Sharon Hadary, Former Executive Director and Founder of the Center for Women’s Business Research, discuss this trend and what women can do to improve their prospects.

There are those who will say that these numbers substantiate what they always knew: Women just don’t have what it takes to start and run a substantial, growing business. But I don’t buy that: More than a quarter of a million women in the U.S. own and lead businesses with annual revenue topping $1 million—and many of these businesses are multimillion-dollar enterprises. Clearly, many women have the vision, capacity and perseverance to build thriving companies.

So what’s holding back so many women business owners?

I have spent decades conducting research, studying the data and interacting with all the players involved—entrepreneurs, researchers, educators, bankers and others. And I am convinced that the problem is twofold. First, you have women’s own self-limiting views of themselves, their businesses and the opportunities available to them. But equally problematic are the stereotypes, perceptions and expectations of business and government leaders.

Understand: I’m not arguing that all entrepreneurs, all bankers, all policy makers are guilty of such limited thinking. But I’ve talked to enough of them, and studied enough of the research, to know that these problems are pervasive, and they are having a big impact—on both individual entrepreneurs and in turn on the health of the overall economy.

In that spirit, here’s a closer look at how I believe these factors are preventing so many women entrepreneurs from fulfilling their potential—and what can be done to prepare them to accelerate business growth.

Where the Problems Are

IT STARTS WITH THE GOALS: The value of setting high goals for growth is not just a motivational myth. Research shows that the only statistically significant predictor of business growth is not the industry, size of business or length of time in business. It is the entrepreneur’s goal for growth. View the rest of this posting »

May 06 0 comments
English

Be Remarkable via Pricing Strategy

Being the first, the best, or the only one doing something (and in a way meaningful and relevant to your customers) is a strategy your company can use to stand out from your competition.

Something that is relevant to all your customers is how they compensate you for your products or services. Adding a spin to the way they pay may be a way to help your business be remarkable.


Most of us heard about the restaurant* that offered “‘pay-as-you-wish” pricing? There are no prices, and the waiter doesn’t bring you a bill. At the end of the meal, you simply leave what you feel the meal was worth. “Pay as you wish”‘ as an idea wasn’t new, but it was in a restaurant atmosphere.Many “new” ideas are simply existing ideas combined in non-traditional ways. Old ideas remixed to form new ones.

*The pay-as-you-wish restaurant concept may not be that successful, seems I should have learned and remembered the name of the restaurant that started it. Yet, being remarkable doesn’t mean you have to be world famous. You only need to be memorable enough to be the stand-out choice from among your potential customers’ choices.

Methods of Payment to Explore

Below is a list of common (and not-so-common) payment methods. Apply these to your business, and create a new approach that allows you stand apart from your competition.

Some of these may have more technical names than what I’ve dubbed them. Please correct me in the comments section below.

Per Hour/Day (Increments)

Your company pays you every two weeks. Military personnel receive monthly payments. The plumber charges by the hour. View the rest of this posting »

May 04 0 comments
English

Willing to be great

I recently attended a conference with about 150 other client-side and agency marketers at which we had the pleasure of hearing from Scott Truck-PullBedbury, who played a key role in the rise of both Nike and Starbucks, and Jeff Hayzlett, who is playing a key role in the resurrection of Kodak.

Despite having completely different styles, Bedbury and Hayzlett were both inspiring as they told tales and shared lessons about their experiences marketing iconic brands. I’m sure I wasn’t alone in feeling just a tad bit envious of what they had accomplished.

But it got me thinking. What, exactly, was the difference between the two guys who stood at the front of the room and the rest of us who sat in the audience? My sense – and I have a feeling Bedbury and Hayzlett would agree – is that one key reason was that they were willing to be great.

I know that sounds odd – ”willing” to be great, as opposed to “wanted” to be great. But I think “willing” captures it better. After all, everyone wants to be great, but few have the will to do what’s necessary to get there. Oh, sure, most professionals work hard and do their best and desire to succeed. But to be great – that takes more.

Becoming great requires not only the knowledge of how to do things, it requires the wisdom of knowing what truly needs to be done. It requires character to challenge unspoken rules and sacred cows, conviction to stick to your guns, and determination to not be dragged down by those who are content to stay in the audience. It requires the confidence of vision and a willingness to risk doing right – morally and ethically, to be sure, but also professionally.

Bedbury and Hayzlett both offered testimonials to the above, from Bedbury’s conviction not to waste money on copy testing to Hayzlett’s refusal to let “legal” shut an idea down. The thing that impacted me most, however, was not what they said, but where they stood: At the front of the room.

They were willing to be great. Am I? Are you?

Source: Blogging Innovation

Apr 28 0 comments
English

How Not to Market Your Startup

Marketing your web-based business is never an easy thing to do. You’re bound to make a lot of mistakes and waste money on things that just don’t work.

Over the past 8 years, I have worked with dozens of startups. Many of these startups got acquired, but most of them failed. And one trend that I noticed between the successful startups and the failures, is that the failures made a lot of marketing mistakes.

Here are 7 marketing tactics that you should avoid with your business:

1. Useless splash pages

splash page

A common trend on the web is to create a splash page before you launch your startup. On this splash page you’re probably a bit vague on what your company is about and you have a message saying that you are launching soon.

The problem with creating a splash page like the one above is that it isn’t useful to the people visiting your site. If you create a minimalistic splash page like the one above, the chances that someone is going to come back to your website in 30 days is slim to none.

Here is how you can create an effective splash page:

  1. Grab people’s attention – you only have a few seconds to grab someone’s attention. A catchy headline that’s relevant to your business is a good start.
  2. Don’t be shy – tell people what your product or service is going to be before you have created it.
  3. Include visuals – if you have a screen shot of your product or service, include it. It doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to visually explain what you are creating.
  4. Promise a solution – tell your ideal customer what you are going to do for them.
  5. Collect emails – at the end, you should collect people’s name and email address. This way, you can send them an email when you launch. View the rest of this posting »
Apr 27 0 comments
English

7 Tips for Millennial Leaders

business team standingCongratulations! At a younger age than most, you’ve taken the leap into entrepreneurship and started your own business. I started my first company (an advertising agency) when I was 25 years old and have been on my entrepreneurial path for 20 years. So I truly respect your drive and ambition.

But if you’re like many of the young entrepreneurs who hire me as their business coach, you may be struggling with managing and leading your employees.

Many business writers and motivational speakers have codified the attributes they believe are essential for leaders. Frequently, however, their descriptions focus on traits that make a leader personable, affable and well-liked. It’s nice to be liked, but leadership is not (just) a popularity contest. As a young leader, you’ll have to make decisions that won’t make everyone happy. And that’s OK. As long as your employees respect you, the ones who were not happy with your decision typically will get over it.

Almost everyone can describe the characteristics of an exceptional leader. Their descriptions may be based on a single great boss they had or on a collage of desirable features they recognized among several leaders, but most people seem to have some idea of what’s essential. However, whatever else might be true about the role, you’re not a good leader unless you have followers who respect–rather than fear–you.

In my book, Millennials Into Leadership, I discuss more than 100 tips and strategies to help Millennials become effective leaders. Here I’ll share seven attributes of respected leaders to help you on your journey to becoming one. They are reflections of character and personal integrity. And they must be developed through self-discipline, time and desire; they are not inherited and cannot be faked successfully . . . at least, not for long.

  1. Sets high standards. Leaders set high standards for their followers–and for themselves. Successful leaders are consistent in demanding compliance with the standards they espouse. Those who do not are only fooling themselves.
  2. Lives up to those standards. Leaders live up to the standards they’ve set. Nothing disqualifies a would-be leader faster than a double standard, one for them and another for those under their authority. Subordinates will quickly see through the duplicity, and loyalty will rapidly be replaced by disgust, grudging obedience and resignation letters.
  3. Mentors those who follow. We all need guidance. However, many mediocre leaders expect their followers to attain the standards set by their leadership without being taught how. Effective leaders, on the other hand, invest themselves in their followers. They make a concerted effort to communicate verbally not only what is expected but how to achieve it.
  4. Creates and shares a vision. Effective leaders are driven by a singular vision, not of what is, but of what will be. And they make sure that everyone around them understands and buys into that vision of where the organization is going and what is necessary to attain that goal. A splintered vision, or one that is implemented in a fragmented manner, will always result in competing interests within the organization, people vying for resources and each person thinking his or her particular function and sphere of effort is most important. This is when employee morale takes a plunge. View the rest of this posting »