Branding Your Business: Why and How to Get Started!

If you have a startup business, or one that is not doing as well as you'd like, it's time to kick your marketing and branding into gear and get things rolling! Effective marketing can jumpstart your traffic, pump up your revenue and skyrocket your profits. Many small business owners suffer from inertia-- they have no idea where to start, so they do nothing. Obviously, getting started is crucial, and doing it right is vital! Here is my simple three-step plan to get started branding and marketing YOU and YOUR business:

5 Tips for Making More Money with Pinterest

Pinterest is no longer just for pinning recipes; a quick look at the numbers proves that ignoring it means turning your back on buyers! Today, Pinterest has over 20 million active users, and those users spend an average of over an hour per visit to the website. Even more important for marketers, look at these stats--81 percent of online consumers say they trust information they find on Pinterest (BlogHer stat), 69 percent of those consumers have found something on Pinterest that they have bought (Bizrate stat), 20 percent of social referrals to ecommerce sites come from Pinterest, people spend more on average (All Facebook stat) and more than 70 percent of Pinterest users are right here in the United States(Business2Community stat.)

It is pretty clear that Pinterest users are looking for more than cute puppies and pictures of desserts. Pinterest users are extremely receptive buyers as well. Make the most of Pinterest with these tips:

These Two Simple Things Will Keep You Out of Google Jail

•                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              We've seen lots of Google smackdowns over the last five years...first there was Panda in 2011, then Penguin in early 2012...since then, there have been a number of smaller algorithm changes.

Last week, we saw a Penguin "update" which targeted spam links and junk websites. On this one, I say more power to them for taking out the trash! 

Google is trying to make everyone play by the rules, and where there are rules, there are always rule-breakers!  However, we need to keep in mind that 

"He who has the gold makes the rules."

Are You Doing it Right? SocialSEO for Businesses

I have always been a strong believer in the power of social media; to me, it is the equivalent of word-of-mouth advertising on steroids. I realize not everyone shares this view, and until recently it was hard to prove that social media was so effective. Indeed, social media professionals were often looked down upon by SEO gurus who thought that only their work was the secret to online riches. In many years doing marketing work online, I've come to realize that the only thing that is constant is change-- and now those same SEO people are singing the praises of social media! The fact of the matter is, you can no longer separate the two, they go together like peas and carrots. (In my best Forrest Gump voice.)

New reports show that combining social media with organic (non-paid) search engine optimization results in higher search engine rankings 58% of the time.(I'm going to go out on a limb and say those that don't see results aren't doing it right!) In a nutshell, SocialSEO works. Further, the same report, which was done by Social Media Examiner, pointed out that smart marketers focused on providing unique content and value to their readers; meaning that the original content we are populating websites with both keeps web properties fresh and draws more traffic! Win-win for everyone, right?

Local Marketing for Small Businesses

Do you have a brand-new business or one that needs some help in the marketing department?

Chances are, some local marketing would be helpful, regardless if your business is a mom and pop restaurant, a family-owned pressure washing business or a computer networking company. Because our world today is so small, some business owners overlook their own backyard. That is a big mistake!

We all know that people do business with other people that they like. Think about it--- if you walk into an establishment, and they are rude-- are you going to spend any money there? Chances are you will not, unless it's a government office like the DMV! On the other hand, if you get a warm welcome, and great service, won't you be inclined to return frequently? I love our local hardware store for this exact reason. Sure, I could go to one of the big stores and save a few pennies, but I prefer to give my business to the kind gentleman that finds me the exact doohickey I need.

Win $100 and an Awesome New Book-- FREE Entry!

 I am happy to be involved in helping market this book for Phillip Michael Cash with this giveaway. Not only can you win a copy of his latest, but you can win $100 in PayPal instant cash! You cannot beat that-- and it costs you nothing to enter!

On the planet Darracia, an ever-widening social gap between its inhabitants is causing turmoil that is fracturing a once peaceful world. Struggling with his identity, nineteen year old Prince V'sair must harness the power of the elusive Fireblade, the secret to a warrior's heart, in order to overcome his uncle Staf Nuen's lust for supremacy. Will the energy of the Elements guide the young prince to his true destiny or will Staf Nuen conquer Darracia? 

5 Great Marketing Tips from My Favorite Internet Gurus

Pardon this slight Google+ verification interruption: Google+

Staying up to date with online marketing is a full-time job in itself, so there is no way to read everything that is "out there" in cyberspace. But still, I need to keep up with changes, trends, important news, and of course Google's latest moves. Thankfully, there are some people in the industry that do not have ADHD like I do (Look, Squirrel!) and stay on top of all these things. Even better, they share!!