Outsourcing Ecommerce Social Campaigns to Movers and Shakers

Posted by on April 24, 2013
Posted in: Social Networks.

Social media is a full time job, and time is a luxury most ecommerce marketers and brand operators don’t have. Another ugly truth? Five minutes a day of social media a day isn’t going to accomplish much, will it? How can you get active consumers and brand evangelists to “work” for you? There are a few more ways, outside of the traditional social box, to get more social content without spending (much) of your own time.

Pinterest

When you’re posting great content with even greater photos on your ecommerce site’s blog, you’ll get pinned. This is basic. But how do you encourage more engagement and kick your pins’ visibility into overdrive? Invite other users to pin to boards with you. Finding pinners active in your vertical is as easy as a Pinterest search. Few pinners are likely to accept, but if your board is interesting enough, you’ll see pins popping up every once in a while.

The key is in your boards, though. You can’t expect to stimulate a bunch of fashion consumers into pinning for you when your board is something as painfully boring as “Cashmere”. Yawn much? Lets kick it up a notch. “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Real Fur”, “Cold Weather Couture”, and “Plaiddicts Anonymous” (get it?) are all titles that can get someone’s attention, play to their sensibilities, and might self-sustain by attracting new users.

Tip: joining a group board is a great way to increase your sprawl! Just make sure you aren’t posting duplicate photos or over-pinning.

Reddit

Within each community are sub-communities, sub-communities of sub-communities and so on. There is always an untapped niche and an unspoken community. Why not start a subreddit that relates to your ecommerce product line? Reddit for marketers essentially requires that you don’t take yourself too seriously. Some of the best nichey subreddits have been:

Fashion: /r/ABraThatFits “because everyone that wants one deserves a bra that fits.”

Toys & Gaming: /r/GreenDawn “taking over the world, one little green soldier at a time.”

Gadgets: /r/TechSupportMacGuyver hacking your gadgets and tech in true MacGuyver style.

Appliances: /r/ToasterRights it’s exactly what it sounds like, but better.

All of the above subreddits are active communities that have been given the covetous “subreddit of the day” award. They also all have over 3,000 subscribers. That’s a lot of engagement potential. How many of these subreddits seem like gold mines for link drop opportunities? Answer: all of them.

When momentum picks up, try to appoint new moderators to your subreddit. This is how you know you’ve proverbially “made it” as it will save you a lot of time and keep your community in control.

Creating a subreddit as a brand is not recommended. Redditors do not tolerate this kind of thing. Rather, craft a persona that will be active in your subreddit, as well as other relevant subs. This will give more credibility to your username and your brand new community by association.

For more tips of the trade, check out the entire ebook, Mastering Social Media: The Guide to Boosting Ecommerce Profits for Indie Retailers.

Katie Patkowski manages all things social media for Retail Packaging.

Video Creation Beginner Tips – 4 Ways To Creating A Professional Looking Video

Posted by on April 15, 2013
Posted in: Video Editing.

Maintaining a strong social media presence can help you to expand your customer base and it has a direct effect on your sales and profit margin. One of the best ways to ensure that you have this presence is by creating and uploading a video on a social media site and on your blog. It is important to choose the site where your target market frequent. The art of online video production requires some skill to create a good quality video. If you are a beginner, a few basic tips can help you to create a professional looking video.

  • The right equipment

Shooting the video using the right equipment goes a long way in enhancing the quality of the video. Before buying or hiring equipment, you need to decide the type of video you want to create. If you are creating a home video for your personal blog, a simple Flip camera will suffice. If, on the other hand, you want to enhance the viewing experience for your audience, a more professional camera, and a tripod is necessary.

  • Do not ignore the audio

Make sure that you pay attention to the quality of the audio. It is very important to choose the location of the shoot carefully to avoid distractions. Something as simple as the wind blowing or background noise can ruin a great video. Use a headphone jack to determine what the audience will hear and carry out proper sound checks.

  • Lighting is very important

You need to make sure that you consider the lighting when shooting the video. Do not have a window in the background or have the person in the video standing directly in front of the window. To avoid shadows or poor looking shots, make sure that the lighting is not too bright or too dark. If you are unsure about the best lighting, talk to a professional photographer.

  • Proper editing

When editing your video, remember that your audience does not want to spend a lot of time watching the clip. Edit for an audience with a short attention span by keeping the video short and yet interesting and full of relevant content. The video should be able to connect with the audience immediately to keep them from moving to something else.

Once you have created your video, upload it through different social networks. Wide distribution will help to ensure that you reach a large audience. Send the link to the video to your social media followers and anyone else you think would be interested.

SEO Services: The Difference Between A Thriving Business and a Closed Business

Posted by on April 15, 2013
Posted in: SEO.

Everyone who owns a website is looking for a way that they can bring more people onto their website. The problem is that this can sometimes be difficult. The strategies that work for other people do not always work for everyone. Nonetheless, someone who invests their money in SEO services is likely to see a great return on their investment. SEO is called an investment because what it should do is bring more traffic back to a person’s website. If it does not do that, then it would be wise to keep looking for another company. What does it take to own a successful website? In order to own a successful website, a person should be seeing an increase in traffic on their website every month. In business, people are either dying or growing, so it is important to decide where a business is currently at, and fix it so that it will be growing over time. Even if it is only a little bit at a time; after a while, that little bit will add up to great amounts of growth. An SEO company can help to make sure that a website owner’s business is only growing. Look For A Company With Clients A good SEO company should have a decent volume of clients. There is no shortage of work for people who do high quality work, so a company that is doing good work should have a fair amount of clients. Consider Years Of Experience A company grinding on their craft day in and day out will have greater knowledge than a new company that just popped up recently. They earned their skill by working on it nonstop. This means that they will also more than likely do a good job with the work they offer, and it will maximize the dollar of anyone who hires them. Look For Guarantees A company that is confident in the product being offered will give a guarantee because they are not worried about providing low quality work. It also shows that a company is willing to do the extra work to keep a client happy. When looking for an SEO company, look for a company that is willing to go the extra mile. Companies that go the extra mile deserve the business that they receive and more, so it is important to give referrals to these companies to ensure the prosperity of their work. It is a small way that people can give back to good companies.

Click here to learn more about reviews of different SEO service companies.

Hot Wallpapers for HDR Desktops

Posted by on April 15, 2013
Posted in: Software.

Hot wallpapers can really create it an exciting day for you. In your personal and official life the place where you sit and do some work from morning to evening, the wallpaper placed in front of you can take control of your changing mood and keep you cool for the day ahead. According to the psychologist, if you are able to set your mood on a positive vein at the starting of the day itself then you may be in a happy mood with a positive frame of mindset throughout the rest of the day. Therefore in order to set your mind on a positive note, hot wallpaper does play a unique significance role.

You can choose your favorite Hollywood or Bollywood celebrities on your personal chamber or official cabin’s wall. One you can have it on your desktop too. According to the recent research study on hot wallpaper pick by adults, Angelina Jolie stood the favorite because of her bad attitude, cherry lips and sexy carved body line makes her top the list. Some actress whether they have a new movie release or not they remain in the limelight because of their hot relationship with other celebrities. They create scenes to spread rumors around the mill and then the drama of denial of relationship. Soon they are seen with another partner. This makes them the hot favorite wall paper too. Example of such celebrities is Jennifer Lopez and Scarlett Johansson.

Jessica Alba has a special place in hot wall paper because she doesn’t have any restrictions on showing off. So she captures a special private place on the personal computer desktop. The other hot favorite celebrities who have got marked a place on the wallpaper are Pamela Anderson, Lindsay Lohan, Carmen Electra and Jennifer Aniston.

If you are a girl or woman, the perfect hot wallpaper would be the Hollywood actors that could make your day ahead more exciting. You can have the wallpaper of Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Matt Demon, Hugh Jackman, George Clooney; Orlando Bloom etc. It could provide you inspiring moments for the rest of the day. You can arrange them on your bedroom wall, desktop, private cabin etc. The celebrities with sexy look and muscular body, on bike, different photogenic postures will create a good mood for the day.

If your favorite celebrity is a sport star then you can have them in your indoor play areas. If your celebrity is from the regional movies then their variety of wallpaper are available from the local market. Select the most colorful and attractive one for your wall. Try to decorate them at the right corner so that you can have a look at them at h right moment of your life in your special place. The favorite regional stars are Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Hruthik Roshan, John Abraham, Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor, Aiswarya Rai, Asin or Madhuri Dixit as your favourite wallpapers. There are other types of wallpapers of famous celebrities which may not be generally hot but for some special person they may be a source of positive energy. Such personalities are APJ Abdul kalam, Vivekanada, Mother Thersa etc. they are great achievers in life. A glance at them will greatly motivates us.

Guide on Choosing an SEO Friendly Domain

Posted by on April 15, 2013
Posted in: SEO.

It is important to know that choosing an SEO friendly domain name will give you the needed motivation to succeed. Google and every other search engine give significant attention to domains with quality keywords. Your name will be given a high rank when it will have the necessary keywords of your niche. Also, if your name is SEO friendly, you will get more visitors to your site.

Take into consideration the following for choosing a SEO friendly domain:

The title of your website has to be similar with the title of your domain. This is pertinent because when your visitors think about your site, they will do that by the title of the domain. Also, if it is the same with your URL, your visitors will naturally know what to type in order to get to your site. You can lose customers when this is not applied. It is advantageous in the sense that customers will be able to memorize your site name. This will aid them in locating you often; thereby your business will increase. If you are starting a new business, it is advisable to obtain a domain name first and later the website name.

Get a domain that goes with your brand name or generic name. This is necessary since the title you used to market your niche/products will be the title you will like for your website. It is so because that is what people will usually type if they desire to browse your website. It will also make it easy for them to recall all at your own advantage.

Consider the length of time you will register/renew your name. This will assist you to increase your Google or any other search engine rankings. It is so because they consider a site real and reliable when its date of termination and the period is very long say from five to ten years. When you register or renew a domain on a plan of 5 to 10 years, it eases off the stress of yearly renewing. In addition, the possibility of having your name registered by another person all together when it expires will not be there since the period for renewal is long.

How long or short the domain name is. Unlike a long domain name, a short one can be recalled without difficultly and the possibility of misspelling is reduced during typing. Long names with important keywords are beneficial since they do well in many search engines. This is so because the important keywords are favorites of search engines.

There are advantages and disadvantages of having domains with hyphens. One of the disadvantages is that they cannot be recalled easily. Also, in recommending the name orally to a potential visitor more mistakes are witnessed. In addition, it requires full attention to key in and it is complex when typing. However, one of the advantages is that Google and other search engines can differentiate the keywords in your domain name thereby making your site more noticeable. Nevertheless, you can select the name of your choice since there is the possibility of the non-hyphenated type being unavailable.

To conclude, your choice of domain or domain name should always be the priority before going for a business or website name. This works in your favor when choosing an SEO friendly domain.

Work with an Internet Marketing Consultant to Grow Your Business

Posted by on April 15, 2013
Posted in: Business.

Are you interested in expanding your online reach to gain more customers and drive sales? Internet marketing is the way to do this. In Chicago, Internet marketing consultant firms work with businesses every day to develop strategies that will allow businesses to grow their consumer base to achieve the success they want. Internet marketing uses a variety of techniques and methods to reach consumers. Here are few ways that Internet advertising can help your business grow and gain new customers.

Affiliate Marketing

The objectives of web marketing are to push a product, a place, service, or a promotion through online advertising. One way to achieve this objective is through affiliate marketing. This style of marketing partners companies in a manner that mutually benefits each of the companies’ goals. For instance, if you have blog and you want to make money from your blog, you may agree to allow advertising on your site for products that relate to the theme of your posts. Advertisers will pay you a percentage based on either actual sales or per-click in the hopes that your readers will purchase their products. This form of web marketing is only one way to sell a product or service.

Email Marketing

Reaching potential consumers through email is another way to increase interest in your company. Using advertising and promotional marketing tools, email can reach current and potential customers immediately. To increase your chances of staying in the customer’s inbox and not immediately sent to the spam folder, you need to create an email that promotes your product or services, but also offers advice and solutions. Email newsletters are wonderful examples of email marketing. These emails not only boost communication, but provide you with a format to let your customers know what your company is about without being too obvious. Consumers are more likely to open newsletters than other forms of email marketing.

Social Media

This form of Internet marketing has exploded over the last several years. Social media is an umbrella term that includes not only social media sites like Twitter and Facebook, but image-based sites such as Pinterest and Instagram, too. The social media platform provides businesses with the opportunity to continually engage with their customers multiple times throughout the day. Promotions can be announced immediately. Sales can be advertised at the click of a button. Customers can ask questions and receive answers in real-time. Almost all of this can be done for free, too. You can pay for additional services, but for companies new to social media marketing the free features work beautifully. Of course, no one company is a social media overnight success. As with anything, success depends on the amount of work you put into your social media advertising campaign.

Consultant Firms

In order for your company to grow and expand into a successful business, Internet marketing and advertising techniques must be part of your marketing goals. In Chicago, Internet marketing consultant firms work with businesses every day, helping them devise reasonable marketing strategies that are in line with their company’s overall business model. These firms employ individuals who understand the role that the Internet plays in the success of your business. If you are unsure of the direction you should be going with your online marketing, consult with one of these firms to ensure your online success.

You Mean There Is A Change In Communication Procedures At Your Place Of Work?

Posted by on April 15, 2013
Posted in: Business.

Communication wouldn’t be at its best without the assistance of the right IT company being on call 24 hours a day. I recall when the organization I am working for was young and up coming in the business industry, communication was such a hassle. At times information would only be conveyed to the intended person past the required time. The best that the organization would come up with was a black book on which all the incoming messages and calls were noted. This book would then go round the organization and everyone would seek for their messages on their indicated pages. This sounds ancient but by then it was working though some mishaps were often encountered. Urgent messages would reach the recipients too late and ones that needed confidentiality would end up in the wrong hands.

What about with advancements in technology?

Now with the latest technology, this kind of strategy is definitely ancient. With services such as instant emails, communication in all organizations is more efficient, time saving and private today. Your intended information is instantly conveyed to the right recipient and within no time, you receive your feedback.

Managers who frequently travel all over the globe for business meetings and conferences can now walk with their businesses. In simple terms, they just need to login into their systems via their laptop to be able to access their businesses. Companies offering Information Technology services have made life easier and running of businesses more effectively by introducing software applications that enables organizations to be more successful and thus profitable. Apart from this, businesses now are able to give the best services to their clients.

For instance, in the health industry where patients records was manually stored in physical files insides the cabinets, this latest technology has made it possible for the same files to be accessed anywhere through the computer system as they are now stored electronically in various IT systems. A doctor is now able to access the patient’s information anywhere other than the clinic’s file cabinet.

Why opt for an IT company to help run your business?

Many would claim that hiring a company to assist you with the IT issues is costly and unattainable but I would argue that it is even more costly not to do so. Imagine losing out on a contract simply because the information was not transferred to you on time. Isn’t this more costly since you end up losing future business? In the business world, you have to use money to get more money. Getting a good IT company to assist you in information technology related matters is the best choice you can ever make.

Out there are many companies offering these types of services but aim for one that is reputable. Your organizations goals will greatly assist in defining what a reputable company is for you.