Owner: For Your Own Safety URL:http://www.4yourownsafety.com Join Date: Sun, 13 Apr 2008 21:19:41 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Social media and online marketing can be powerful tools in your communcation tool bag. Use them in the wrong way, and they are going to hurt you!
For your own safety is all about the safe use of online marketing, what to do, what not to do! Site statistics:Click here
Do everything with design in mind 2008-04-05 19:38:53 Do everything with design
in mind. That design should be to communicate in the easiest and most concise manner to your audience, to make it as easy for them to understand, talk and buy from you. To get them to do the one thing that is most important, be that to sign up, or buy, or give you permission to contact them. I was at an internet marketing seminar today which was jam packed full of general information I already knew :p We had the opportunity to hear from a very successful Australian marketer. The information provided was great, but I had heard it all before. What really stuck for me though, was making the process as simple as po
"The thing about free" 2008-03-23 18:24:14 Seth Godin did an interesting post (nothing 'remarkable' about that, Seth, you should do something on the problem of becoming so regularly remarkable that you aren't remarkable anymore, if such a state is possible) called "the thing about free". It discusses the value of using 'free' in marketing. A summary could be that giving something away for free will win you the attention of your audience briefly, but that we value those things that we pay for, even though the fee may be nominal.
This is extremely relevant to the field of online marketing as almost every decent website you see is offering something for free, whether its information on a blog (such as this one), or free newsletters, free evaluations, reports, the list goes on. This is a standard tactic, one which I use myself and enc
Brand ownership, domain ownership 2008-03-14 17:02:39 How much is Melbourne worth? Someone in America thinks its worth about $200,000, melbourne.com that is, reports the smh.com.au technology section recently, in an article about the loosening of rules surrounding the ownership and trading of .au domain
names.
Domain name ownership is a basic insurance level of retaining control of your brand online. Why bother buy mybusiness.net.au when you already have mybusiness.com.au? Although extension like .net are less used by searchers and consumers, registering these domains is a great way to protect your corporate identity online.
Read more:Brand
Emarketing Mistakes 2008-03-14 16:55:16 Emarketing can be such a powerful tool but so easily abused. The gains you receive may quickly be reverse by its overuse or misuse.
Last week my wife receive a message from her tertiary institution informing her (and every single other student) about how they were going to pass on her email address to a third party company so that they could send marketing information. The email introduced the company and highlighted some products and benefits, which were in themselves valid. However, people had to opt out rather than opt in to receive this communication.Personally, I think that on an ethical level, this is dubious. The school obviously stands to profit by selling their list to the third party. But the point is that people had to opt out, and it gave them 2 days to do so, some people woul
Brand New Site for TMC 2008-03-14 16:51:52 This week our brand new company site went live. We are offering great website design, flexible content management and ecommerce options, graphic design and marketing services. We operate out of Chifley Tower, right in the centre of the Sydney cbd.
Focussed online communications is what we provide to clients, assisting them to navigate the myriad of possibilities in internet marketing to produce real and effective results.
We have free articles providing useful information on improving your the effectiveness of your online marketing efforts, available only to our members. Plus, by joining our site you will receive our monthly newsletter and access to discounts on marketing services. So check it out at Read more:Brand
, Brand New
A new record - our changing world 2008-03-14 16:50:35 A new record was set in Australia with an artist single topping the charts just on digital
downloads. Rihanna has taken the number one spot with Don't stop the music before a single
physical disc has been sold. News.com.au reports that some music stores have stopped stocking physical singles altogether.
This is the trend, you can download movies and tv programs straight to your media player, chooses the content you want, no ad breaks to sit through.
What does this mean for your business? Consumers are searching for products and services online, and more and more they are purchasing there. The current era has been called the information age, but consumers are no longer just using the internet to find information about products, services or companies, but to purchase. They expect choice,
Simple website management 2008-03-14 16:48:18 I love using the content management system (CMS) of my website
. If you are creating your web pages, page by page, then you are still living in a technological dark age. Within hours I have created more than 10 categories, 30 pages, uploaded pictures and articles. Its simple, its awesome. Go to www.websitegurus.com.au/ to find out more or check out our offers at Read more:Simple
New media, social media, web 2.0, digital media - whats it all mean and why should you care? 2008-03-14 16:18:20 Several new words and phrases have entered our vocabularly in recent times. Over the past decade a stream of innovation has occured in the digital realm forcing an
innovation in the language to describe it. Arguments surrounding the definitions of terms like
'new media
', 'social media', 'digital media', abound, which can lead to quite a bit of confusion.
Digital media basically refers to electronic media, as opposed to analog media, i.e. CDs, MP3s etc.
Generally speaking, 'new media' is a reference in opposition to 'old media' - newspapers, radio, tv etc. The new media includes things like podcasts, blogs, websites, although many old media giants are utilising all these new mediums to much profit and advantage. For example, consider the fairfax group, who also publish their newspapers onl
There's only 3 search engines you need to worry about... not thousands! 2008-03-14 16:15:35
There are literally MILLIONS of search engines
out on the web and it would be impossible to get decent ranking on any number of them. Thankfully however, you don't need to worry
about the majority. The search market is dominated by three main players, google, yahoo!, and live (formerly MSN). These sites make up the majority of search traffic globally (with google as the biggest player), so much so, thats its not worth devoting time to any of the others.
A further reason is that many of the other search engines
are outsourcing their search to these three big players, i.e. alta vista, the big name in search when I first started using the internet, runs off the yahoo! engine. And apparently, AOL uses google.
In a more personal example, an associate of mine operates a regional info
I made a (SEO) mistake... 2008-03-14 16:13:16
When it comes to your SEO
(Search Engine Optimisation) efforts it is REALLY important to keep your site updated with new and relevant information. This is one of the pillars of SEO or SEM - Search Engine Marketing.
And I made a mistake... I went overseas for more than a month for my wedding, visiting family, and having a holiday, and I didn't employ any contingency plan for updating the blog or business site. I had limited internet access during this time, but google's spiders are unforgiving. Luckily my ranking didn't suffer too much for some categories and keyword searches, but everyday that you are not improving your SEO, your competitors are. They are creeping up in the rankings, and before you know it, you have lost that first page rank, to be banished to the oblivion beyond page 1.
“3 Reasons why pay-per-click ads (PPC) are a waste of time and money” 2008-03-14 16:11:23 Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising has become a huge market within the internet advertising scene. It is estimated that over 8 billion searches are conducted globally each month. Further, 85% of people find pages they are looking for online via search engines.
Hundreds of thousands of businesses are using PPC to advertise on the internet, and there are also thousands of businesses selling their services for something that you can easily do for yourself.
On the surface, it may seem to be a cost effective form of advertising; you choose your keywords, set your budget, and only put as much credit as you can afford. Different keywords will cost different amounts depending on their popularity. However, there are 3 problems with PPC that mean that it is a waste
of your time and money:
Pay-per-clic Read more:Reasons
Whats the value of something that costs you nothing? 2008-03-14 16:05:51 Most web 2.0 technologies will cost the user nothing, so whats the value? Further, how can companies utilise free technologies for profit?
Firstly, there is great value in these free technologies. Blogging, podcasting and social networking are great free forms of self expression, communicating and networking for people. People are out there sharing information and knowledge every second of the day. This has the dual benefit of serving as a form of expression for those who produce the content, and a source of information, interaction and advice for those who consume the content.
Secondly, companies gain the benefit of having content created for their sites, and the ability to track consumer trends by hosting these services, plus they sell advertising space. The gain for the consumer here Read more:something
Show me the money... 2008-03-14 16:01:37
So, you have gotten yourself an awesome looking, gasp producing, beautiful flash animated site. A splash page, intro video, music all of the bells and whistles, and you just paid a small fortune for it.
The all important question is, 'does it produce revenue for your business?' For all the looks, can you check your stats and produce reports instantly. Can you track if its working or not? Do you know what your conversion rate is? Do you have a plan for website success and are you implementing it?
Sometimes, the most flashy looking websites are not actually the most effective when it comes to search engine optimisation and ranking. Sometimes the coolest multimedia features can actually be harmful to your marketing objectives.
Ultimately, if your website doesn't 'show you the money', then
Planning to succeed online 2008-03-14 16:00:08
So, you have your website up and running, but do you have a plan to drive and attract traffic to it, and a strategy to profit from it? Most businesses will consider investing significant time and money in getting a website designed, and fitting it out with appropriate content.
Be sure to take full advantage of the power of internet marketing. With our Integrated Website Success Program (IWSP) and Targeted Marketing Communication Plans (TMCP) we can help you plan for website success, and propose solid, actionable steps to make it happen. Contact us for an obligation free strategy session. Read more:online
You have a website, but do you have a plan? 2008-03-14 15:59:05
How many times have you come across a site when searching for something on google, yahoo or live only to find it irrelevant to your search? What is your reaction... do you click back to your search results never to return? When you search for those keywords again, and see that you have been there before, did you click on that site again? If you haven't found the information relevant, the answer is probably not!
When implementing an online marketing strategy you need a plan, and a plan for success. You need to get your site ready to receive traffic, BEFORE you start driving traffic to it. Otherwise all of your time and effort spent climbing the SEO ladder will be wasted. You need relevant and compelling content, and a way of capturing your visitors details and engaging with them. You nee Read more:website
Your Targeted Marketing Communication Plan (TMCP) 2008-03-14 15:52:26 What is a Targeted Marketing
Communications Plan (TMCP)? This is a term we use for the online marketing strategies we put together for our clients.
In any of our attempts to communcate with a market or segment, we need to be targeted about it. Not every communication we make is going to appeal to everyone, everytime. That's why we plan it; we plan who, when, where, why, how, analysing market segments and working out specific, measurable strategies to reach each one.This is so important in the current advertising environment where all of us are constantly bombarded by marketing and advertising message, demanding our attention, shouting at us from radios, blaring at us on tv screens, distracting us on highways, filling up our mailboxes. Our philosophy follows the concept of permission mar
Websites are no longer relevant... or are they? 2008-03-14 15:51:12
Today was a great day at the office, watching the Melbourne Cup with a whole group of people who have had a few drinks is fun! On the way out I had an interesting conversation with another worker in the building who is employed by a private banking and investment firm, about the relevance of web sites. We did the usual intro chat and one of his final comments, when discovering that I do web design and internet marketing, the comment was something like "that was really big in the past, but they're not that important now". The idea being that the business world has moved on, it was just a fad.
Of course, I would have to disagree, and I did. I suggested that web sites are just a starting point - a part of corporate image. Having a professional website designed for you is a representation to Read more:Websites
The Integrated Website Success Program (IWSP) 2008-03-14 15:47:49 What is the Integrated
Website SuccessProgram
(IWSP)? This is a process developed by the legends at websitegurus, of whom I am a franchisee. They've been in the website design and online marketing game for years so they know what they are talking about. The IWSP is a comprehensive system for planning and implementing the necessary strategies and content that will make your website work for your business. This program is exclusive to websitegurus clients, you won't find it anywhere else, and will definitely give you a competitive advantage with your online marketing strategy. There are 10 steps, and I'm not going to give them all away now, but the first consultation and assessment is absolutely obligation free. Getting a website, is literally just the first step. To find out more
Online Marketing 2008-03-14 15:44:38 I have been listening to a lot of great podcasts lately (which I intend to link to by the way) and have been getting really enthused about the opportunities available to businesses at this time. There are so many great resources, and new horizons available to businesses when it comes to the online universe, and so much is available for next to nothing. "You get what you pay for" does not necessarily apply. Web 2.0 is creating new ways for companies to interact with their markets in real and effective ways that can be beneficial for both sides. I am looking forward to helping navigate through this time of change in the way businesses is done and information is communicated. Links coming soon... promise Read more:Marketing
, Online Marketing
Communicating your message through blogs and podcasts 2008-03-14 15:43:23 Web 2.0 - user generated content - is changing the way that businesses interact and communicate online. Companies are using blogs (weblogs - diaries or journals) and podcasts (internet based broadcasts) to connect and engage with consumers. They are joining or creating social networks like myspace, facebook, linkedIn, and online worlds like second life. What is your organisation doing to reach out and connect with your customer/client base? Having a website will not be enough for businesses in the future. In fact, it is not enough for business that want to be effective today. Consumers are now engaging and interacting through social media, not just with one another, but also with brands. Are you in the conversation? Do you struggle to understand the meaning of all this? Change is happen Read more:Communicating
... or just be human 2008-04-15 18:19:47 "... or just be human
." This was the closing comment of a recent post of Seth Godin's, after riffing about an impersonal note he received from a mail merge from a large corporation. It got me thinking about how screwed up the whole marketing thing can be. Obviously, he meant, just be a GOOD human, because it would be so very human to do the normal marketing thing, and push our agenda, expound our features and benefits. Really great marketing should remove our agenda. It really should be personal, not just "personalised". We should keep in mind that being a human at its best, is when we show more concern for others than for what we are selling. That they are a human with feeling, fears, loves, hates, concerns, needs. Our product or service is most probably not at the top of the agenda...I b
Marketing Outside of the fishbowl 2008-04-06 10:44:00 CC Chapman has this really great description about social media and the people who play in it - his calls it the fishbowl. Its like those who know and use social media tools are connecting with other like minded people in the same space. But its actually a closed off environment. This is especially true of virtual worlds like second life, but goes for anything. Those who know about use it, those who don't use it, don't know what they don't know!Now apply this to marketing. My problem is, that my ideal client is highly unlikely to be listening to a podcast or reading my blog, or connecting with me on facebook. They probably dont even know what those things are at this point. Yet these are the people I want to work with, people who I can help to educate and Read more:Marketing
, Outside
Respect your list of lose it! - Episode 1 of For Your Own Safety 2008-04-20 19:28:06 This is the very first episode of the podcast For Your Own Safety
- the 4 minute online marketing podcast with real life examples of WHAT NOT TO DO and 4 safety tips. In this episode I chat about the dangers of email marketing and looking after your list. You can play or subscribe from here or in itunes. Read more:Episode
Viral marketing by a genuis 2008-04-25 13:04:20 Seth Godin has to be one of the most forward thinking marketers around, what ever he writes is worth reading. He has authored books such as The Purple Cow, Permission Marketing and more lately, Meatball Sundae. You can get one of his books FREE, in ebook format. To download his manifesto on viral marketing and idea viruses click the link. This has been out there a while but I only came across it recently and enjoyed it thoroughly. Read more:Viral
The Death of Traditional Advertising 2008-04-29 10:42:26 Cam Beck, over at Marketing Profs, recently wrote an insightful post called "The Publisher's Paradox: Why TraditionalAdvertising
Models Are Dead"The traditional publishing model for newspapers, magazines, etc has been to create great content, and sell advertising space on it. The author recounts how the digital scene has turned this model on its head. Consumers now expect to get access to great content, not pay for it, and not be interrupted by advertising while consuming it. This is leading towards the decline of some traditional media giants, and the way advertising has been done.Some marketers and advertisers have countered this trend by just getting bigger, louder and more in your face. This reaction is not the way forward however. The author leaves the way forward open for discussion
Launch of the 2008 Online Effectiveness Survey 2008-05-13 19:05:59 Today I launched a new initiative for our business, and we're calling it the 2008 online effectiveness survey. So, what does that mean?Well, we're asking business what activities they are engaging in online, and what is working for them. Its a very brief survey, more of a poll, but we're hoping to get some general trends and correlations out of the data. From this, we're going to produce a report Read more:Launch
Marketing outside and inside the fishbowl - Episode 2 of For Your Own Safety 2008-05-12 15:46:16 In this episode I chat about the the social media marketing fishbowl, connecting inside
and out of it. This is episode 2 of the podcast For Your Own Safety
- the 4 minute online marketing podcast with real life examples of WHAT NOT TO DO and 4 safety tips. My 4 Safety tips for this episode were
Stay in the real world,
Don't make a meatball sundae out of it,
Earn your way into the conversati Read more:Marketing
, Episode
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