It only takes a few minutes for users to go to Pinterest, gawk over the creative ideas on the home page and pin several of their favorites. They don’t have to read any complicated articles or spend time sifting through long-winded blog entries. If they like a picture, they can pin it, like it, comment on it or share it. The pictures that end up pinned to a user’s board link back to the website that created the original content.

The more pins a website has, the more traffic it receives. As a pin goes viral, the original website receives more and more traffic. Users don’t always restrict their sharing to Pinterest, either. Some Pinterest users maintain blogs for the sole purpose of sharing their pins. Many users share their pins on other social networking sites like Twitter or Facebook.

In fact, when it comes to driving traffic to websites, Pinterest is growing as one of the social media stars, surpassing other content-sharing sites like MySpace, YouTube and Google+. In the last four months of 2011, Pinterest’s traffic quadrupled, which means that the traffic the bookmarking site generated for other websites increased accordingly. The more valuable the content that is generated by a particular website, the more that website will be bookmarked on Pinterest. It could even surpass search engine traffic for specific niches, because its users trust that the pinners they follow have already sorted through the garbage.

You may wish to make Pinterest part of your Internet Marketing and Social Media strategy for 2012.

A descriptive title that is unique and tells search engines  - and users – exactly what that page is about, is critical to achieving good search rankings.  When you set up a page, take great care in deciding what to put in the <title> tag.

If you titles are one word like “Home,” “About,” or “Services,” you are doing yourself a disservice. If you don’t tell search engines what your page is about, they’ll decide for you and provide alternate title tags in search results. Those generated title tags are what Google thinks your page is about – and sometimes they get it wrong.  When creating a title tag, we recommend keeping them  to 160-170 characters including spaces. This will help ensure your title isn’t too long and won’t get cut off in results.

Another common mistake people make is to have the same title tag on every single page. This is another situation where search engines will take it upon themselves to show alternate titles in search results.  Finally, don’t put your brand name at the beginning of a title tag. You want to get the most important keywords in the front end of your title.

Creating a title tag is a delicate balance. You want to include keywords but you do not want to be repetitive and you never, ever want to keyword stuff.

A search for camping supplies leads to this result, illustrating a well-planned title tag.

Control your own destiny and take the time to create accurate, distinctive and concise title tags.

Whether you dabble in Internet Marketing or traditional, you need to know about SoLoMo. But what the heck is SoLoMo (So-Low -Moe)? SoLoMo stands for Social-Local-Mobile, which are the various forms of internet marketing that have been fusing within the last few months, and will see increased buzz this year. Each holds an importance for brands and deserves the utmost attention. We are going to take a deeper look at each one and some of the tools/services that are musts in order to crush a SoLoMo campaign.

1) Social  Media

– Having a social media presence is no secret, but you would be surprised as to how many companies do not have one. Why is it important? Name another form of marketing where you can access your current and potential clientele in seconds. Social media allows you to potentially reach thousands of people in seconds. SECONDS!

There are certain methods in attracting new business, and not everyone with a social media profile is an expert. In fact, the majority of business profiles across many networks are going about it all wrong. It’s not all about self promotion, in fact you need to drop that mind set before continuing. People are the best BS detectors and can sniff out your spammy tactics a mile away, pushing you even further away from your customers. As with the other forms of marketing, if you aren’t sure about how to go about it, give us a shout and we’ll help you grow.

2) Local Marketing

– Local Marketing is one of the first methods of advertising that has implemented the social aspect. It rules searches. Google, Bing, and Yahoo! have all dedicated areas of their platforms specifically to this local approach.  If, you’re not familiar with local marketing, it’s time for a crash course.

It’s a simple concept that allows you to list the location of your business which displays on a map, as well as provide content detailing what your business offers. These local platforms also allow for users to provide reviews, give tips, and upload photos and videos. ßThe Social End It is important to have a strong presence on various databases and sites that offer Local listings, not only to engage your customers, but also to help your business rank higher within searches that are performed within a certain geographic region. Here is more information on local marketing.

3) Mobile

– The advent and mass appeal of the smart phone, and other mobile devices, provides the keystone to the SoLoMo marketing strategy. With over 1/3 of the adult population in possession of these hand held computers, it was only a matter of time before they became pivotal for business to focus strategies on. Again though, many are not taking advantage of the marketing potential of these devices despite people having access to a company at their fingertips. Literally.

While all three offer phenomenal marketing opportunities in their own right, the combination of them can provide massive growth for a company. That is of course if they are done correctly.

1. Google Local – This one is a no brainer. Get your company listed on Google Local ASAP. Why? Well for one, Google is the largest search engine in the world and accounts for anywhere between 60 -70% market share at any given time. They are the 800-lb gorilla in the room. Oh and did I mention local listings are displayed atop the search results. There is a catch though, you don’t just rank because your company is awesome. Your listing needs to be optimized. How to optimize your listing is better left for another post, but take our word for it…it is important.

2.  Foursquare – Being a location based social network, Foursquare allows users to “check-in” to wherever they may be.  This gives your users a lot of control over how your brand is portrayed. The conversation is going on with or without you, so registering your business, and taking part in the conversation is a necessity. If that isn’t reason enough to join the Foursquare revolution, realize that there are over 10 million actives users on the network, checking in over 3 million times per day at various locations.

3. Yelp – If you want to build exposure, list your business on Yelp. Another location based network, Yelp allows its community of users to discuss, rate, and review your business. Yelp is just another popular network where you need to be monitoring your brand.

The above networks are available on mobile devices, and the communities of each are expected to grow immensely in 2012 and are all focuses on SoLoMo marketing. So whether you are looking to impress your clients with this awesome new phrase, or get asked about it, you can now crush it by explaining how a SoLoMo strategy is going to help increase traffic for a brand.

Google Plus officially launched to the public on September 20, 2011 and has made a giant splash since that time. What sets G+ apart from any other network is the fact it is not only a platform to connect with friends new and old, but integrates other Google services such as Google Profiles and the now defunct Google Buzz. Google didn’t hold back with incorporating just those services, but also added new ones that have helped evolve the online social experience.  Some of the new services include:

1. Circles – Circles are an easy to understand way to organize friends and acquaintances in your network. Rather than having your whole network view all your posts, you can now designate them to a certain group, or “Circle.”
2. Hangouts – A hangout is a simple service that takes the social experience to the next level by allowing you to create video chats with up to 10 people on the G+ network.  A revolutionary experience that individuals and businesses are sure to find beneficial.
3. Search – With the G+ search attribute, you can now search posts within your circles and all public posts that contain content that you find interesting, from the people you trust the most.

Not only is G+ a new shiny toy for the social media connoisseur, but it is also a pivotal outlet for businesses. Over the past several months, Google has rolled out brand pages within G+. Pages similar to the ones we see on the rival Facebook, but with an added benefit. The business pages have been evolving since news of the launch. We have helped several companies already develop a custom approach to G+, and are continuing to do so. But, the true benefit doesn’t lay within the page themselves, but more the searches in which they are now incorporated.

Watch this video on YouTube.

It’s no secret that brands with websites want to rank higher within search results. One of the ways to do this over the years has been through a detailed SEO campaign. While SEO is still needed, G+ has helped the process immensely by integrating Google Plus pages, images and videos, and posts into search results. As a business owner, an optimized Google Plus page just gives you another opportunity to outrank your competitors.

There are multiple uses for Google Plus whether you are an avid social media freak, or a company looking to extend your online presence. Whatever your position is, you need to get on the train that is G+ because if you don’t, you will be left in the dust playing catch up!

It’s not just About Keywords

Yes, keywords are important. The truth is that they’re not the only important thing to consider. Keyword density shouldn’t be your one and only concern. As social media continues to evolve, search results won’t only be displayed based on an article’s keyword density. It’s important to target keywords, but they should be used sparingly. Take the time to make sure that all of your content is of quality, rather than focusing on keyword quantity.

Make sure that you’re not worrying too much about beginning a sentence with target keywords or using them throughout your headings. As long as you’re creating quality content that reads well, the search engines will recognize and reward you. Google’s new algorithms can also tell whether content is popular in the social media world. This is another reason why it’s imperative that you create quality content that web users will want to read.

Usable and Original Content is Crucial
With the new algorithm changes, Google is making sure that the most original content is at the top of the search results. Google can penalize you if your website contains the same old information that can be found 100 other places on the web. It’s important that your website isn’t just sharing recycled information in a similar way. If you want Google to recognize your website as valuable, you need original content that will truly be useful to web users.

When creating content, don’t just focus on the number of words you are using. Make sure that you’re providing web users with quality and helpful information. If you’re looking for a new way to discuss information, take a look at discussion boards. This can be a valuable place to share your authority on a particular subject. In many cases, web users have many questions that need to be answered on various discussion boards. This method can help you draw in new readers and buyers because they will appreciate your insight and will begin to trust your authority.

Make sure that you’re not just republishing online content. You should include unique thoughts and ideas in all of your articles. Always offer a unique perspective on all of your information. This will help to keep readers engaged in what you have to say. Google can tell if you are simply rewriting the same material. If you want to see the best search engine rankings and want to make sure that your readers are interested in what you have to say, take extra care when creating your SEO articles.
Understand Your Niche

Whenever you’re developing online content, it’s important that you write your content for your target audience. Web readers can tell whether content is created for informational purposes or simply for rankings. The search engines can also tell if your content is written for the right reasons. By keeping your target audience in mind when creating all web content, you will be able to reach your goals while also providing a purpose.

Your online content should be focused around issues that interest your niche audience. Make sure that you research and understand what your potential customers are looking for. Take the time to address their questions and concerns so that your articles are a success. Your content should read well and appeal to a variety of readers.

Plug-Ins A-Plenty

One of the most wonderful features about WordPress is how it has been designed to interface with plug-ins. Custom CMS applications are usually designed to interact with a particular programmer’s sensibility, and as such usually do not leave a great deal of room for integration or improvement. WordPress actively seeks plug-ins, and issues regular updates that are designed to streamline its dashboard while giving users increased control over how search engines classify their website. While custom CMS applications may or may not have regular updates, they invariably will require improvements to keep pace with the developments of search engines and user requests.

Optimize and Keep your Options Open

WordPress is designed to both optimize a website by keeping images small and also allowing the user to highlight specific terms for SEO. The “SEO panel” is a particular gem, as it also suggests search engine friendly “tags” for users based on the content entered in to the system. WordPress is also very scalable. Whether a person wants to run a small blog-based site or an online publication with hundreds of contributors, WordPress makes it easy to quickly add content and change the designs on the fly. Different permissions can be set for different users depending on their level of expertise with the software. This makes it easy to add or delete users for different projects, seasons, or other limited run ventures. In some custom CMS applications, adding users can take hours. In WordPress, it only takes a few minutes.

Perhaps the genius of WordPress is due to the fact that it works equally well on different levels. As an example, WordPress offers its users template designs that allow them to construct a fully functional website in under an hour. In addition to the templates, WordPress also enables knowledgeable users to quickly construct custom designed looks that load quickly and have a professional appearance. A new user can experiment with the “What You See is What You Get” tools to create a website without having any previous coding knowledge. A veteran programmer, however, can also quickly construct a multi-faceted website using WordPress’s toolkit.

Best of all, WordPress is easy to install and is available over the web. It does not require an intensive downloading process or technical configuration. It can literally be downloaded in 5 minutes over a typical Internet connection, with no prior programming knowledge. Custom CMS applications demand time and expertise. WordPress makes very few demands, yet provides all of the benefits of a fully-fledged CMS.

Our answer? Don’t jump ship just yet. The heart of the updates was the quality of content.  There are still plenty of article directories that rank very well for certain keywords, and those rankings are based on quality factors.

Quality is Key

Much of what shows up on syndicated sites is worthless.  Content that has no substance isn’t worth anything to anyone, and Google took the appropriate action. Ezine articles lost a lot of rankings post-Panda. But some of their pages held fast. The pages that made it? Those that were written by actual expert authors and had real substance.  Word counts of 300 or less? Probably worthless.  Word counts of 500 plus – there is probably substance in there. They looked at the structure of the articles, as well. Content that was created just to boost keywords was probably affected. But content that sought to educate and inform made the grade.

We recommend, as always, a varied link building strategy. Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket. Article marketing can still work as part of a well-planned strategy.  The more information you are putting out on the web that is valuable to readers, the better off you’ll be.

Article Directories Lost Their Original Purpose

Article directories were not designed to be the spam havens they are today. They were set up so that people could share information in easy to use and easy to find platforms. Over the years they became overrun and diluted with worthless articles whose sole purpose was to generate backlinks. People began using software to literally spin articles to make someone else’s work appear “unique.” All Google really did was try to bring some integrity back to the platform.

So if you are taking the time to create good, solid content, you can be confided that your articles will make the grade. But you should mix it up a bit and try to stay up to date with all best practices for quality link building. Consider doing guest blogging in your niche. Get active on social media platforms. Submit articles to nontraditional outlets and add a little spice to your article campaign.

At the end of the day, as long as you work with users in mind, you shouldn’t have to worry about Google algorithm updates. If you engaged in internet marketing techniques that all along seemed a bit too easy to be effective, you were probably right.

Similar to Google’s Adwords for paid search, Facebook only charges when a user clicks to your brand page, ensuring no waste of your advertising budget. It gives business owners the luxury of sitting back and watching their fan base grow at a steady rate.

So what happens once your business acquires a Facebook fan? What is your potential return on investment in terms of your money spent on advertising? The debate rages on in terms of the actual value of a Facebook fan. It truly varies in terms of their specific demographic and how frequently they are active on the site.

Facebook has recently released a new and improved guide to further encourage business owners to get involved. However, adding a fan is only part of a small equation for brands. Any social media company or expert will tell you that. How your corporation or business interacts with and engages your following will unlock Facebook’s full potential for your brand.

Facebook is obviously here to stay and your competitors are most likely already benefiting from it. If you are interested in learning more about the unlimited power and reach of social media for your brand, please contact us.