Social Media Sites Your Business Should Use

Social media sites are increasing their importance in business across the world wide. Many Growing companies are using social media as a novel tool to remain in competition. With the advent of excessive mobile Internet usage, enterprises find social networks as a vital chain to connect to its end consumers. Numbers of organizations are considering social media as a source of customer reviews on new as well as current goods and services.

• Facebook: Despite the fact that Facebook is directly not focused on businesses, it is one of the largest global social websites. Featuring an extensive user base, Facebook emerges as a top choice for enterprises. Businesses utilize Facebook to regularly interact with its customers and as well as other individuals who are curious about the company.

• Twitter: Again, not really intended for businesses, but Twitter is too important to be missed by any organization. Companies are increasingly hooking to site for providing general customer or technical support.

• Google+: A new social network platform, Google+ is poised to emerge as one of the largest social media platforms. Google+ plans to differentiate from its leading competitor Facebook, by offering easier groups management.

• LinkedIn: Particularly meant for business professionals, LinkedIn remains a distinguished platform for companies searching for new employees, contractors, investors and partners. The platform is ideally suitable for any corporation engaged in B2B products or services.

• YouTube: A video hosting website, YouTube provides companies an innovative tool to offer multimedia informative content, such as new product demonstration. The website is also an innovative way to broadcast advertisements.

• Flickr: A photo hosting website, Flickr enables businesses to upload product pictures, property pictures, event images etc.

• StartupNation: Ideally suitable for startup companies, the platform enables connection with other entrepreneurs. The site offers many other services such as, podcasts, articles, forums and seminars.

• PartnerUp: Almost similar to the previous social network, PartnerUp is a social network for businesses searching for new partners. The site predominantly focuses on small and mid-sized enterprises.

• Klout: Although Klout mainly focuses on measuring social influence online, it also features direct social networking functions. A Klout member can measure the wide reach of its social marketing campaigns along with its impact over social community.

• Amazon's Mechanical Turk: A crowd-sourcing social platform, Amazon's Mechanical Turk includes wide range of business social networks that offer services to a particular business segment. Amazon charges 10% commission on every transaction.

Conclusion:In April 2012, Google has launched Penguin update which has changed the technique of optimizing web sites and increasing their rankings on search engines. Link building Technique is no more sufficient to rank well in different search engines. You must have quality content and be active on social media marketing so as to get more traffic.

Out With the Old, In With the App

Do you fancy mobile apps? If YES then you are just one of the millions and millions …

Mobile apps today are what that which make our life a bit easier to lead.

Why mobile apps are used?

Well, who would not like to get installed some apps that can let life go advanced.

Reasons:

There are a plenty of reasons why Iphone users use the Iphone apps.

You want to know how the weather is in your city or any city across the globe - Use a weather app in your hand set

You are travelling and you are lost so you are looking for someone who can show you the way - Use "My Companion" or "My Fellow Traveler-" An app that can show you the way to your destination.

You want to know the identity of the caller who calls you - Use "Caller ID App" in your mobile

Get your voice more polished or neutralized for your listeners - Use "Voice Clarity App" in your hand-set.

You are at the party, you wanted not to come but still you are there sitting in a corner bored - Get Game Apps installed in your mobile and kill the boredom.

The biggest challenge for the mobile app development companies:

Now, Iphone users have become so very obsessed with the apps. Iphone users, from time to time, want newer apps that can be of immense benefit for them. Taking into account the same notion, many of the Iphone apps development companies' research out what is not present or what can be introduced into the market for the users across the globe. They, assign projects to their researchers who carry out a thorough research and come up with something very innovative and very beneficial for the users. Iphone app designers endeavor to give the best possible design for the ideas and the developers incorporate the best quality functions to make it look uniquely different.

Why Mobile Application Design is important?

Design + functionality + user friendliness = Perfect Mobile App

Many of the designers, owing to less knowledge of the app designs, do not fully give the best design for a particular app. This same problem even aggravates, when the authorities focus not more on only on the design rather than…... Sometimes, companies come up with newer apps which have perfect design but when you put to use one of such apps then the percentage of the actual performance or the work of the app will come to naught.

So, always just trust mobile app designers & the developers who are adept in designing and developing an app that which speak for its own self.

How to Create a Group for Your Local Business on Facebook

Facebook offers local businesses many different tools and features that can help them effectively market their businesses. The good thing about these features is that they are currently free, which means it is the best time to take advantage of them in your social networking.

One of the most useful tools available to help businesses build a loyal following is the Facebook “group” feature. Facebook groups are not entirely different from Facebook pages; the only difference is that the group revolves around a particular group of people rather than a brand.

Below are simple steps you can take to create a Facebook group:

1. Sign in to your account and click on the link labeled “Groups” on the left side of the home page.

2. The top bar menu will appear and you should click on “create a new group.”

3. A form will open with fields that you will need to fill. Some of them are mandatory while some are optional. Some of the fields you will need to fill include but not limited to group name, description, is your group public or private, picture upload and many others. To create a group that will not leave any questions, it is important that you fill all the provided fields.

4. After you have successfully created the group, you can now take your time to invite people to the group. You can promote the group through other social networks outside of Facebook, such as inside your business establishment, blogs and other effective social media sites.

It is important to start by inviting people who know you as this will prevent any spamming reports or blocking. Another important thing is to keep your group as active as possible. Active groups are more popular and are more likely to give you results.

Do not overlook the power of Facebook groups in your social networking strategies, as they have proven to be very effective in generating more exposure for small businesses.

How to Be Proactive When Building Online Reviews

Online reviews are a crucial part of any business because they act as a window that shows the public “how good” your business really is.

This means you have to be pay close attention to what is being said about your business from social networks because this will directly impact the number of consumers who will actually choose to do business with you.

If you have several positive reviews posted from satisfied customers, other people will want to experience those benefits for themselves. In fact, the more reviews you have, the better.

As a result, your sales will increase. So it is crucial that you set up, claim, and verify all of your local directory listings to open up social networks for your customers to leave reviews.

This includes Google+ Local, CitySearch, YellowPages, InsiderPages, Yelp, SuperPages, MerchantCircle; among many others.

Once you set up these listings, more people will be able to:
Find your business
Leave reviews for your business
See what others have to say about your business

You may be wondering “how” you should go about getting reviews from your customers… Simply ask them to go online and let others know what they think about your products or services. This should not be a daunting task and many would be happy to do so.

You can effectively ask for reviews through word of mouth, on your receipts, on your website, on your social media sites, and any other feasible method.

While your focus will be placed on getting positive reviews, keep in mind that some of your unhappy customers will also post their opinions about your products or services online; and that’s OK. A few bad online reviews are to be expected, but when they exceed the number of positive reviews, your reputation is at stake.

So it is critical that you stay up-to-date about what is being said about your business online. This way, you will have a chance to respond to any negativity, which will show people that you actually care about your customers.

Following just these few simple tips and the advantages of social networking will help protect your brand, generate fresh leads, and build loyal customers online.

No More Google Places? – How Google+ Local Can Take Your Business To The Next Level

Google has recently made the move to take away Google Places and replace it with Google+ Local. Is this another reason why you need to take your social media seriously? What does this mean for the local business owner? Let us take a closer look at the all-new Google+ Local.

With the advent of the internet, the shopping habits of consumers have likewise changed. People now search for information online to help with their shopping decisions. With around a third of all adults in the UK owning smart phones this enables people to search even while on the go. If you are a local business, now is the right time to boost your own online presence.

It is clearly smart to have a page where you can feature your products and services. Aside from websites, Google is specifically acknowledging the power of local businesses. In fact, the search engine giant created its local business search engine, commonly known as the Google Places, specifically for this purpose. With the growing trend of small businesses promoting online, Google Places is also growing in popularity. But wait! There is no more Google Places, it now Google+ Local.

The main difference between Google Places and Google+ Local is very apparent. Google Places was static with business information, star ratings, and customer reviews. On the other hand, Google+ Local is more dynamic. You can add an interactive virtual tour and pictures to make your page more visually appealing and convincing for your clients.

There are a few exciting changes too. There will be no more star ratings. With the recent acquisition of Zagat, the reviews will be based on a 30-point scale. Moreover, a client needs to be a Google+ user for them to leave reviews. From now on, there will be no more fake reviews because the identities of reviewers will be displayed through Google+.

For those businesses with Google Places already, the search engine had already transferred your page to the new format. There is one problem though. You might need a few tweaks and adjustments to update your page and make it look right. Since you can post photos, videos, and updates, adding a virtual tour will make you stand out from your competitors and impress your customers.

With a virtual tour, your customers can interact with business to a whole new level. Isn’t that powerful?

To take advantage of all these changes in Google right now, it is time to establish your own Google+ Local page. It is crucial to have your page optimized and updated to obtain high rankings. Click here to claim your business for free.

I am also a Google Trusted Photographer. This means I meet Google’s quality standards and can create a professional virtual tour of your business, which can be added to your Google+ Local listing and your own website.

Hiring experts in Google+ Local is a great investment. Remember that this page will be listed in Google search, Maps, and Local search.

Being on the first page of Google can dramatically take your business to the next level.

Without a doubt, your Google+ Local page is a major platform to capture new customers every day.

Don't forget to claim your 4 free ebooks in the sidebar.

Rethinking Social Networking

Receive Top Level With Social Media + Social Networking = New SEO Google Momentum?

Facebook is among the elite social networks or social media sites YouTube, Twitter, Google Buzz, Friendster, LinkedIn, Foursquare, Digg, Flixster, tasty and have a million registered users. But what the site has to do with search engine ranking, SEO and online visibility?

The importance of social networking sites can not be overlooked, or just leave your competitors wrangle with. It was recently announced that Facebook for registered users has grown rapidly and now more than ½ billion.! Information Week last September shocked many people when he revealed that Americans spent 685,000 hours or 41.1 million minutes on Facebook in August, compared with 39.8 million. Minutes spent on Google, according to comScore Yahoo ranked third place with 37.7 million. Minutes "With the combined global strength of the North 2 billion social networking site users. Ignoring Social Media Today is a big mistake that all companies try to create a successful campaign towards the online presence, SEO and Online Exposure should not exceed at any cost to avoid.

FusionCharts.

Defining social media, social networking and social marketing

Wikipedia describes social media as the media of social interaction, using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques. Are you too many are still wondering what is social media site, and why you should attend? I stand before you to assure you that you are not alone. To help explain this relatively new phenomenon in Social Networking / Media site is a site that goes beyond just providing information, it is a Web site or Internet site that contains the user interface. Interaction rate can be as simple as rating something to fill the poll or vote. Successful social networking sites tend to be more complex and multilayered. For example, examination of the very successful Facebook, Facebook users to perform multiple tasks, often within the same login session. Facebook users often recommend something to someone with similar interests, posting links, pictures and videos and enjoy fixing their "voice", including Facebook followers.

Sites that are primarily information portals such as Wikipedia, to serve their customers primarily in a single layer, such as how to answer the question. Although the news site such as The New York Times offers its customers until now, national and international news. It was easy to see that ratcheting "social" aspect of the site and providing a level of interoperability is essential to maintain consumer interest. Less successful (social) websites often offer only a single layer or an primitive "socialness, but what really determines the success exception of Social Media and (or) network of sites is also running in different layers of social interaction in the inclusion of its users. This interaction and the social nature of these sites is what keeps the customers returning again and again.

Internet marketing and SEO campaign is essential to success, but social media has a strong future of Central Play!

Until recently, the Google way to get the best techniques and strategies used by SEO companies. A successful SEO campaign meant adjusting the optimization tactics and techniques, based on what could be slaughtered or constructs of the Google algorithm is tested in conjunction with other SEO techniques. Website SEO campaign traditionally consists of two separate but equally important components, site optimization, the daily off-site optimization.

Optimizing your site often, a new topical and optimized website content, ensuring the proper key, and use keyword density, linking other relevant pages within the site and linking out to sound authoritative and highly rated external sites. External or off site SEO capacity of networking (back links) site of origin from other authoritative high Google page rank of sites, blogs, press releases and more.

Although these two standardized elements of SEO campaign can not be reduced in importance, but the impact of online and SEO, Social Media and Social Networking one-third (new) The importance of the inclusion of the component can not be overlooked. To confirm the Social Media push to add a value, just look at the mainstream media such as TV, magazines, etc. Television advertisements constantly pointed references to Facebook, Twitter, and magazine ads tout Follow us on Twitter or visit our Facebook page " clearly the third component of the Internet impact, because the level of not only become mainstream, but is quickly becoming an important marketing tool.

It seems clear that the roll, it is important that social media and social networking sites taking a mandated approach to the three components of SEO. What is apparent is the extent of participation and level of participation, as well as how to properly use and take advantage of social media and social networks.

Today, social media remains a mystery to most businesses and organizations that are ideal strategy and level of participation in general is scheduled in and knowledge of, and even sometimes some even C-level management understanding. When the organization has left scratching their collective heads, while maintaining an experienced, well-working social media optimization, SEO company can tender an important advantage of the need to triumph over their respective competition. 80's and 90's it was understood that many companies have a higher PR firm. Today, new media or SEO Internet Marketing Company is quickly becoming the de facto standard to reach the masses quickly pay for it in a positive return on investment (ROI).

Back to the future installments of old windows in our series of articles highlighting the SMO / SEO and the importance of social networks. Other article topics include:

First How to leverage social media.
Second What needs to be budgeted toward the CMO / SEO takes time and money?
Third How do I save the best CMO / SEO company for your money.
4th What kind of content and materials should be posting?
5th How to write methodology. Meet your business needs and vertical slot to get from social media and social networks.

These sources provide detailed lists of today's social media and social networking sites.

* Wikipedia. This is a list of major active social networking sites, dating sites and do not.

* SocialMediaWebsites.com. Full of social media and social networking sites.

* Traffikd.com. Updated frequently and breaks down the social media site type, ie food, consumer, fashion, etc.

* InsideCRM.com. 50 social sites to the needs of every business presence.

About the Author

NYC SEO provides attention to clients and deliver measurable success through Online Business Marketing, when providing search engine optimization services.

How Does Google Places Being Replaced By Google+ Local Effect Your Business?

Well the big news overnight is that Google Places as we know it is winding up and being replaced with Google + Local results instead. This comes as no surprise to us here as Google Places has been plagued with a multitude of issues since it was born out of Google Maps back in 2010. The fact that Google Places had extremely limited user interaction was also a major thorn in Google's side, as Facebook Business Pages had market domination for this very reason.

What Has Changed?

There are some notable changes, and these include obviously the new Google + pages now appearing where the Google Places page used to display in organic search results. This has yet to roll out to all countries, although expect it to happen quickly.

In your personal Google + pages there is now an added tab for Google + Local search.

Zagat reviews. Now gone is the 'five gold star' rating system, and replaced with a much more in depth review system, that allows for a better user experience. Reviews are now given out of 30, and there are sub sections of the review process, that includes such things as food, service and even atmosphere for a restaurant review. If you log into your personal Google + account and write a new review, you will now be prompted to import all your previous Google Places reviews into the new format. Your name is now on the line for all to see, and this is a great addition as it will lower the number of fake reviews from your competitors.

The addition of Google + Pages have also extended across to Google Maps. If you have an Android device by default you will also begin to see the inclusion of Google + Pages in organic search results.

All these changes make for a much stronger user experience, and it may prove to be the winning move in Google's long losing streak in the social arena.

What About SEO?

Here is where things get interesting for a business owner. The big news is that Google + Local Pages will now be indexed by Google, as opposed to the Google Places Pages that were not.

So if you like it or not and you have a Google Places Page, it will be automatically converted into a Google + Local Page, and by default you are now in the Social Media Marketing game.

If you are a savvy business owner then see this as massive opportunity, and if you nurture and grow your Google + Local Page then you are going to be rewarded with more traffic to your website, and ultimately more customers.

The SEO benefits of this are a great indication of the way Google is thinking right now, and I really see this as a positive move that will greatly help businesses and the end user.

What Do You Do Now?

If you already have a Google Places Page then expect it to change to a Google + Local page in the coming days. You're going to see an entirely new interface, and if you are not familiar with Google + then it might seem a bit daunting at first. This is not the time to ignore it, as there will be others in your market whom do take advantage and reap the rewards.

The way to build out a Google + Business Page is to do so like you would with anything else Google promote, relevant and valuable. Create content, share content, grow and engage your audience.

There are sure to be more rollouts of changes as Google tweaks and refines their systems and processes, so expect things to bounce around for a while.

Effective Local Business Marketing

Does your business survive on local shoppers? Even though you may draw customers from a limited area, you are not necessarily limited in the ways that you can advertise. Many business owners do not specialize in marketing, and after placing a few ads, getting a company listing in the city yellow page book and networking with people they know, they run out of advertising ideas.

Marketing does take time and money, however using creative strategies that people like will bring attention to your business and is more likely to bring in new customers. Here are three low-cost marketing strategies that you can use.

1. How to Get Free Publicity

Start by announcing your business to your community. Are you holding a grand opening event or open house? Writing a short press release to your local newspaper can result in a story written about your company. There are resources online that help you write a press release, and you can even find free templates. If you do not feel comfortable writing your own release, you can always hire a public relations firm to do the job for you.

One news story can go a long way in bringing you business, but you do not need to stop at one. Any time you have news about your business that would interest the community, you can submit another press release. The same release can be sent to radio and TV stations as well.

2. Get Customers to Love You with Coupons

People love to save money. A coupon ad will tend to bring you more customers than a regular advertisement alone, and you do not have to worry about devising a complicated sales pitch.

You can send out coupons in through social networking sites, or run them in local newspapers if you have money to burn!

3. Get Local Online

The yellow pages used to be a powerful advertising tool, but more and more people are using the internet. Local online directories and social networking sites are quickly becoming a popular resource that customers use to find local businesses. You do not have to pay a lot of money to get listed in these directories, and it is an easy way to get more exposure for your company.

Websites like Facebook and Google Local, are high traffic online locations that can help you promote your business with a little effort. An important part of local business marketing is to advertise your company in multiple locations so you can gain the most exposure. If you are limited in the amount of time you can spend marketing, then hire a professional who is dedicated to finding customers on your behalf. Over time, the quality of your service can bring you repeat business and referrals also, so remember to treat your customers well.

How Your Facebook Timeline Cover Can Give You The Advantage In Your Social Networking

One of the most interesting things about the new Facebook timeline designs is the large picture area at the top of the screen. This is known as the cover, as it acts as a cover page for the story of your life.

When choosing a timeline cover, you want to pick something that reflects you, whether it's a graphic of yourself, your family, or a graphic that showcases a hobby or interest of yours.

What is the Facebook Timeline Cover?

The timeline cover is an 850px by 315px graphic at the top of your timeline (formerly known as your profile). The concept behind the timeline is it gives a more structured view of your life as presented on Facebook. Every time you've added a friend, changed your relationship status or edited your profile text will be placed on the timeline.

The cover acts as the front page to this story of your life. This is what gives you an advantage in social networking and is so important: think of it as your social media first impression. This cover is especially important so everyone can get a good idea of who you are in a glance.

The cover also addresses an issue that many people who crossed over from Myspace to Facebook criticized: lack of customization . Myspace let users to create fully personalized websites, whereas Facebook only let you upload images , not edit the appearance of the profile. The Facebook cover adds a new level of customization to your page.

What should I use for my cover?

• Use a picture of that's already in your albums. If you do this, you'll want to use a big, high quality picture -- no tiny cell phone images ! This is the first thing people will see when they visit your page, and a grainy distorted graphic won't make a great impression.

• Design your own cover. If you have some graphic design chops, you can make your own cover in whatever graphic processing program you have. Use images , drawings and text to create your own work of art at the top of your timeline.

How to change your cover

1. Look at your Facebook timeline by clicking your name at the top of the Facebook page.

2. Click the "Change Cover" link. This gives you a drop-down menu.

3. If you'd like to use your own picture that's already on Facebook, click "Choose from my images ." This will present you with all your Facebook images.

4. Click "Upload a Photo" to choose an graphic on your computer to use as a cover.

5. Once you've picked your cover image , drag the cover around to reposition it if you need to adjust the position of the graphic.

6. Click the "Done".

Why Is Social Networking So Important To Your Local Business?

If you are a local business and you are still pondering if you need to jump on the bandwagon to social networking sites, you need to read this article. The advantages of social networking are so relevant to big and small players alike, so ignoring the benefits is unwise. Most entrepreneurs are taking advantage of social marketing sites such as Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.

These businessmen and women are also beginning to ride the power of mobile marketing. If you are still on the fence, then let this information explain why.
Social media is so important right now, especially to the business owners. In fact, the 2011 Social Media Marketing Industry Report revealed some interesting facts. In the report, it was revealed that 67% of small business owners and self-employed individuals strongly agree that the influence of social media to their businesses is so paramount to their growth. Without a doubt, it is the most effective way to reach and service clients.

Social media platforms that are used in local businesses include Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and blogs.

Mobile marketing is also gaining momentum as one of the breakthrough approaches to reaching customers. With 1 in 2 Americans owning a Smartphone, and a third of all adults in the UK using one, ignore this potential at your peril.

But what are the best advantages of social networking sites?

Low Investment Required

Yes, social networking sites offer the opportunity to provide exposure to your local business without breaking the bank. It is because social media is inexpensive that it allows you to challenge big competitors.

You have the option to use the platforms for free. Alternatively, you also have the option to make use of their paid advertising channels such as Facebook paid advertising for faster, laser targeted results. Nevertheless, most of these paid channels are still cheaper than the traditional TV or print ads. When you find the cost of starting a traditional advertising campaign prohibitive due to the small budget of your business, you need to give social media a try.

“Social Networking Sites - The Only Way to Challenge the Big Boys”

Here is the catch. Yes, you can use these social networking sites for free. However, when you want to challenge your competition, it is best to take your marketing to the next level. When you opt to use social networking sites to promote your business locally, hiring a social media expert is simply one of the smartest moves you can make. For the fraction of the cost you would pay to launch a take out a classified ad, advertise in yellow pages, or to post a billboard etc, social networking experts can reach more clients for every pound or dollar spent.

Global Reach

Indeed, the playing field is already even for everyone. With the advent of social networking sites, local businesses can now compete in reaching more prospective clients from all over the world without the high cost barrier.

“Everyone is basically on Facebook or Twitter!“

With 850 million people on Facebook alone, all within your reach, how can you ignore the power of social media marketing?

But where will you start? This is where a social networking expert can help you.

Conclusion

The influence of social networking today is simply the tip of the iceberg. Aside from the fantastic combination of low investment requirement and global reach, there are still so many more benefits to social media. I have a special affinity to Facebook, Pinterest, and mobile marketing. The potential with these sites are so overwhelming that I strongly advocate every business owner to start exploring these mind-blowing tools.

With the help of strategic marketing plans and appropriate software tools, this is definitely the key to taking your business to a new level.

With the opportunity to outsource these tasks to experts for the fraction of the cost of traditional advertising with none of hassle, what are you waiting for?

Contact me now on Skype for an informal chat, my I.D is deonbryan_otg

Uncover the Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Networking Sites – Surviving the Craziness of Google

SEO is truly crazy nowadays with recent updates of the Google algorithm. If you have observed the massive deindexing and the drop in the rankings of many websites, you need to pay attention. Today, social media is the flavor of Google and you need to know the advantages and disadvantages of social networking sites if you truly want to survive online.

Yes, I experienced the switch from heavy backlinking to the rise of social networking sites. Without a doubt, social media is truly important regardless of the size of your business. Particularly for the small business owners, social networking is so vital that it might be the answer to taking your online presence to the next level. Let us go through a few of the advantages and disadvantages of social networking sites.

Before anything else, what are these social networking sites? These are web technologies that are used for interactive communication, primarily employed to interact between individuals, groups, communities, and businesses. If you are familiar with Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, then you know what I am talking about.

People realize the need to connect with a celebrity, a business, or an important cause. In short, consumers wanted to have an interactive platform where they can voice out their sentiments and feelings. They might crave for this new dish from a restaurant or cheer for a celebrity. Social networking sites are the perfect venues to do anything interactive. As a business owner, there is a ton of benefits that you can take advantage with these technologies.

Building Traffic

It can be a headache to build traffic with the frequent updates in search engines right now. For online business owners, building traffic is the key to success and this is where social networking sites can be of great help. Through social networking sites, you can have your own site and let your customers see more about your products and services. You even allow them to comment or tell you their concerns. When you cater to your customers this way, the traffic will surely come through referrals and word-of-mouth marketing. In addition, as per the recent updates with Google, your site will be heavily favored by the search engines too.

Interaction with Customers

When you attempt to engage your customers online, you form this bond with them. In return, loyalty is fostered and you satisfy them at the same time. So, go on and try to post the updates with your latest promotions and videos about your business. Your customers will feel as if they are part of your business. Customer interaction, when properly handled, translates not only to more traffic but to increased sales too.

Cheap Form of Marketing

In this time of financial crisis, social networking sites offer a cheap way to advertise your business. The tools are mostly free. With a few minutes on these tools each day, you can reap the benefits with consistent effort. Moreover, you can do these online promotions yourself and you do not need to pay for professionals, unlike the other forms of traditional marketing.

The Disadvantages

Yes, there are a few disadvantages to the use of social networking sites. One of these problems is that it can be time consuming, especially for those entrepreneurs who are still learning these technologies. Nevertheless, this is compensated with its low price to execute an online marketing campaign.

Summary

These advantages and disadvantages of social networking sites are concepts you need to be familiar with. These concepts are important for your online business to survive down the road.

Get your 4 free ebooks in the side panel to learn more.

Taking Advantage of Social Networking With Your Online Business

Social networking sites can provide many advantages to building an online network marketing business (or any online business) if used properly; and if you have a website and you're not getting involved in these networks, you're leaving a lot of money and potential leads on the table. Here are 4 advantages of tapping into this internet phenomena:

FREE ADVERTISING

The internet is huge, with hundreds of millions of people online at any one time. Social networking sites like MySpace and FaceBook alone have over twenty million users each; so you are doing some major leverage of your time and reaching millions of people all over the globe.Unlike television commercials, which can cost thousands of dollars for thirty seconds, there is no cost to use MySpace or FaceBook. Furthermore, the benefits of online social networking can usually be seen quickly, making it a good investment of time and effort.

BUILDING A CUSTOMER BASE

A drawback to the vast number of people online is that it's easy to drown in anonymity. How do you get those millions to notice you? How do you know which people to target? Social networking can help on both counts. Build your friends list, join personal development and business building groups and make friends within those circles. You can then network to their online friends to reach larger numbers of people with similar interests. Suddenly, you have a targeted set of potential customers.

BRANDING

Most people would rather do business with someone they know and trust than a complete stranger. Interacting with potential customers online gives you the chance to establish a personal relationship. From these relationships, you can get feedback from your prospects about their likes and dislikes, the challenges they face and their suggestions to improve your business. By being responsive to this feedback, you can establish an online reputation as a dynamic name that values its customers and provides great service. Keep in mind that participating in social networking is for providing valuable information and service to your potential customers, not completing a saleleave that to your company website and other forms of marketing. In this circle, it's all about establishing yourself as an expert in your industry and providing valuable information to others that will help them be successful.

INDUSTRY CONTACTS

Finally, social networking sites can be used to reach more than just potential customers. You can befriend and build relationships with other people in your line of business. You can use them as a resource to learn more about your industry and customer base, to make contacts with reliable suppliers and distributors, and keep current on the latest trends in the industry.

Spread your networking out between a variety of social sites, get out there and make friends, and raise the level of discussions by actively participating in groups and forums, and you'll begin to establish yourself as a leader in your industry.

Get you for 4 free ebooks in the side panel to learn how to monetise social networking.

The 4 Most Popular Social Networks

I have seen so many business owners trying to explore the internet to find new and better ways to promote their businesses. Without a doubt, social networks are now one of the most interesting ways to invite people to your website. With around 15% of all Internet visits in the US dedicated to social media and with 9 out of 10 adults using social networking sites frequently, it is time to exploit this powerful channel to promote your own interests.

Yes, I know that they can be quite confusing with so many choices. If you do not have much time for a trial-and-error approach, it is best to find the most popular social networks. With a huge following, popular social networking sites can surely give you your next big clients. So, where do you start? If you are keeping an eye to the best social networking sites with the most number of visitors, here are the top websites that is truly worth your time:

Facebook

This social networking site is so hard to ignore with its huge following and almost 140 million unique visitors every month. The good thing with Facebook is that you have the option to use free methods and paid methods when promoting your website or business. You can create your own Facebook fanpage and start promoting your local business for free. In addition, you can also check the paid advertising component. Although this might entail costs, you have the power to reach targeted audience with your ads instantaneously.

Twitter

If you are a business owner and you have events and promotions, you want your target market to stay informed in real-time. This is where Twitter is truly helpful. Twitter is one of the fastest growing social networking sites today. It is a free social messaging facility that allows you to post short messages or tweets of up to 160 characters. As a business owner, there are also many tools that can help you use Twitter such as scheduling tweets and automatically building your followers’ list. With more and more people tweeting every day, I think this is something every small business owner should consider.

Linked In

This social networking site is so powerful because it has targeted users of more than 30 million professionals all over the world. What is the significance of this for an ordinary entrepreneur? It can help you connect with skilled people to help you develop your budding business and expand your network too. You can also meet the potential clients that require your products and services.

Pinterest

This next big social networking site is something everyone should watch out for. In fact, reports revealed that this online pinboard, the new kid on the block among the four sites here, is already trying to beat Linked In and Twitter recently. This content sharing platform allows users to pin images and more to their own pinboards and share them to rest of the world. Thus, this is yet another perfect site to find targeted audience that may want to avail of your business.

Conclusion

The social networking websites are definitely making a big impact to our lives. As an online marketer and entrepreneur, it is time to focus on these four most popular social network sites. At least for now, you will never go wrong with them. But since the social media landscape is fast changing, it will not hurt to keep updated with all the trends in cyberspace.

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Social Networking Sites for Adults

With the growing popularity of the internet more and more individuals are beginning to reap the benefits of social networking websites, primarily adults. With the implementation of these websites the options are relatively endless considering that they provide an ample amount of communication opportunities between friends, family, and even potential employers and employees. With social networking websites you are able to converse with a wide variety of different individuals from all over the world.


As previously mentioned, social networking sites provide adults with the opportunity to communicate with a vast audience of individuals. This provides an ample amount of business opportunities and personal opportunities that can be taken advantage of. With the ability to contact the hiring official of your desired career company you will undoubtably be able to provide a lasting impression that will enable you to apply for any positions within the company.


Alongside business opportunities, social networking sites also allow individuals to expand their networking knowledge with past and current friends. Generally after high school ends and after people move on from past jobs, keeping in touch with those that they conversed with while spending time in that institution can prove to be extremely difficult. Luckily, social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter enable the individual to keep up with past acquaintances.


One of the largest advantages of using a social media website is that they are convenient and free to use. Rather than having to worry about acquiring an acquaintance’s phone number you can easily search them on the social media website and add them as a friend.


This will allow you to continue your conversation within a more neutral area and to further your friendship/relationship with that individual. Many individuals are finding that they are expanding their friend base overseas or in different countries which can prove to bring forth a numerous amount of advantages to home and cell phone bills on a daily basis. With the use of these social media websites you will be able to communicate with individuals on the other side of the world for free and without having to worry about excess long distance charges.

Taking Advantage of Social Networking With Your Online Business

Social networking sites can provide many advantages to building an online network marketing business (or any online business) if used properly; and if you have a website and you're not getting involved in these networks, you're leaving a lot of money and potential leads on the table. Here are 4 advantages of tapping into this internet phenomena:

FREE ADVERTISING

The internet is huge, with hundreds of millions of people online at any one time. Social networking sites like MySpace and FaceBook alone have over twenty million users each; so you are doing some major leverage of your time and reaching millions of people all over the globe.
Unlike television commercials, which can cost thousands of dollars for thirty seconds, there is no cost to use MySpace or FaceBook. Furthermore, the benefits of online social networking can usually be seen quickly, making it a good investment of time and effort.

BUILDING A CUSTOMER BASE

A drawback to the vast number of people online is that it's easy to drown in anonymity. How do you get those millions to notice you? How do you know which people to target? Social networking can help on both counts. Build your friends list, join personal development and business building groups and make friends within those circles. You can then network to their online friends to reach larger numbers of people with similar interests. Suddenly, you have a targeted set of potential customers.

BRANDING

Most people would rather do business with someone they know and trust than a complete stranger. Interacting with potential customers online gives you the chance to establish a personal relationship. From these relationships, you can get feedback from your prospects about their likes and dislikes, the challenges they face and their suggestions to improve your business. By being responsive to this feedback, you can establish an online reputation as a dynamic name that values it�s customers and provides great service. Keep in mind that participating in social networking is for providing valuable information and service to your potential customers, not completing a sale�leave that to your company website and other forms of marketing. In this circle, it's all about establishing yourself as an expert in your industry and providing valuable information to others that will help them be successful.

INDUSTRY CONTACTS

Finally, social networking sites can be used to reach more than just potential customers. You can befriend and build relationships with other people in your line of business. You can use them as a resource to learn more about your industry and customer base, to make contacts with reliable suppliers and distributors, and keep current on the latest trends in the industry.

There are several different social networking sites besides the two mentioned here that can offer even more! Take ZENZUU for example: they're changing the way of wealth distribution throughout the world and even offering what they call "green pages" for online advertising in addition to many extra advantages for their active members who join for free.

Spread your networking out between a variety of social sites, get out there and make friends, and raise the level of discussions by actively participating in groups and forums, and you'll begin to establish yourself as a leader in your industry.

Please take a moment to watch this! So very moving...

Never Give Up! Your Dream is Within Your Reach.

How are you doing with your entrepreneurial pursuits? It’s not always easy to build a business on your own — out of thin air. But don’t give up if it’s something you really and truly want. Far too many people look back and regret giving up on their dreams. Despite how difficult it is to break through the barrier of making the kind of money you want so you can enjoy your life, perseverance can pay off!

Are You Willing to Work in a Normal Job for the Rest of Your Life?

As someone experienced in various businesses over the last ten years, I know what struggle is like.

• I feel the pain that those who are trying but not succeeding.
• I know what it’s like to feel like you need to give up and resolve yourself to the fact that maybe you’re just not meant to have a successful business.
• I also know what it’s like to have that nagging voice tell you that you don’t want to just be “like everyone else” and work for someone else in a “normal” job until you’re ready to retire. Who wants to wait until they’re old and grey to enjoy life on their own terms?

(I applaud those who are old and grey who are STILL living it up, though! It’s never too late to change your life for the better!)

My point is that I’ve never given up and so I’ve probably gone a lot further than most in terms of trying various businesses. I believe that puts me in a unique position of experience and I’m more than happy to help others towards success. I hope to help others take short cuts that could save time, money, and frustration.

The Six Figures Community

I have found many opportunities over the years and have spent thousands on my internet marketing education. Whilst I’ve spent large sums of money on expensive programs, a newer opportunity that I’m very excited about is the six figures community. This is what I believe will be the last opportunity I’ll ever need. I’m very thankful to have found it and would love for you to have an opportunity to learn more about it. Interested? Check out here to learn about a low cost but high yield opportunity that could make a dramatic difference for you. What sets this apart from all the other programs is the magnificent support you will receive 24/7. So you will be literally hand held through the process if this what you need. See what sets apart the six figures community, click here now.

Viral Marketing – Powerful Results with Little Effort

Competition is so intense today especially on the web. With this level of competition, business owners are trying so hard to stay ahead of the game. But there is one powerful marketing strategy that you can tap in order to create powerful results even with so little effort from your part. This is the concept of viral marketing.

Within the confines of the internet world, viral marketing is one of the biggest concepts that are gaining momentum right now. Like a storm gaining strength, this type of marketing is so effectively ideal for small players who try to gain more sales and more clients but do not have the deep pockets to invest in pay per click or other paid forms of advertising.

The main goal of viral marketing is creating buzz, building this desire among people with common interests. The key here is creating a certain attachment to a particular product or service you are promoting. Thus, you need to let your message come across clearly so that your target understands it perfectly.

When we talk about viral marketing, we instantly think of social media marketing or Facebook. Yes, viral marketing is much practiced in social media sites where we share a website or a post we liked. But this does mean that other forms of promotions cannot take advantage of the concept of viral marketing. Even the old-fashioned article marketers can actually make good use of this powerful form of marketing. How?

Article marketing requires you to submit articles to directories. In return, you are allowed to create your own resource box or signature wherein you can supply your link back to your own site. The great thing here is that these directories let other people republish the unaltered article in their sites and blogs. As time passes along, your articles become viral and you gain more and more traffic because the article you may have written was already published in quite a number of places already. This also allows you to gain more inbound links to help your search engine rankings.

Another way you can take advantage of viral marketing is through twitter. When you tweet your message and this message is something that really sparks the interest of followers, people will start re-tweeting. This is a powerful way to convey a message to your target audience and leverage on their effort to help you spread the word. This is especially effective with events and short-term promotions.

With so little effort from your part, viral marketing can help deliver your message to many people. This is the real power of being viral. You engage people who have common interests and you allow them to willingly share this to their circle when they like what they found. Thus, you reach genuine prospects without spending a fortune in your marketing campaigns. This is word-of-mouth marketing in steroids. If you are not still taking advantage of viral marketing in your business today, what are you waiting for?

If You're Selling Online, You’ll Want to Become a Member of the Hot New Startup Pinterest

With its traffic in the U.S. skyrocketing Pinterest, the new online scrapbook site, is now one of the top 10 social networking and forum sites. According to comScore, the website had over 11 million unique visitors in December, 2011. Time magazine included Pinterest in its "50 Best Websites of 2011" column. On Pinterest, users create online scrapbooks consisting of images and videos to share projects and coveted products. The images placed on a user's page or board, produce an inspiration or collection of ideas. Pinterest is very popular with women, especially those in their twenties and thirties.

This new site is an elegant easy-to-use way to power social shopping. Businesses are using this new social photo website to promote their products and services, build a community, bring web traffic and drive sales. For now membership to the site is available to only by invitation. Businesses can request an invitation at Printerest.com.

Pinterest Traffic is Strong

According to statistics provide by Shareaholic, a social sharing tools firm, Pinterest is driving almost as much referral traffic as Google and Twitter. In fact, Pinterest is driving more referral traffic than YouTube, Google+, or Reddit at this time. It's one of the most popular social media portals for consumers to visit before they go to a retailer's website.

Hitwise, a tracking firm, stated Pinterest is one of the Web's top 10 social networks. People who visited the site in January, 2012 spent close to 100 minutes at the site, compared to 19 minutes on the professional social networking site LinkedIn.

It's Easy and Fun to Create Boards

At Pinterest, companies have the opportunity to grab a visitor's attention with images instead of words. The website and apps allow businesses to create image boards showcasing products and/or services. Businesses can upload an image or link to a board, pin links to videos they have at YouTube as well as add images related to the products or services they provide. Many companies are creating unique and interesting photo galleries just for use on Pinterest.

The most important thing on Pinterest is the pin. A pin is simply an image. Once an image is pinned it can be repined by other Pinterest users. Repining is how content spreads virally on this new social platform. Users can even follow other user's boards and repin, comment or place a "like" on a pin. Companies can add a "Pin It" button to their product pages to lets users know they can pin items they find in their online store onto their own Pinterest board.

Businesses shouldn't just place images of items they sell; the interaction on this hot new site about sharing the lifestyle associated with the brand. Pinterest wants businesses to engage in their community. Using pins from other sites on your own company's boards show followers that you are not just using Pinterest to promote your own merchandise and/or service; you are promoting a lifestyle which builds trust and gains more followers.

Companies can also use Pinterest's price display feature. When a Pinterest user pin an item on a board for their followers to see, the image of that item automatically includes the item's title and a banner showing the price.

Pinterest is Driving Targeted Traffic That Is Buying Merchandise

Traffic to a company's website coming form Pinterest has been highly targeted from the onset and is more likely to produce a purchase. Many businesses have found the traffic more targeted than Facebook or Twitter. Typically traffic from a person's Facebook and Twitter pages consist of people who are interested in that particular person, what she did last night what she had for dinner and whether or not she is in a relationship but traffic from that same person's Favorite Dress board at Pinterest consists of people who are interested in dresses. For example, a user finds a fabulous dress on a retailer's board, using the "Pin It" bookmark in her web browser, provided by Pinterest, she pins the dress to her Favorite Dress board. This visual pin also serves as a direct link to the product page where other consumers can purchase the same dress from the originator's online store.

Google Analytics Tie-in

Google Analytics keep tracks of all pins on an individual basis. The information lets businesses keep track of popular items being shared by users and conversions which may result from the pin. Business can see every pin which has been pinned from their domain. This information helps a marketing team to identify sales and viewing trends on the most pinned items.

Some Ways You Can Use Pinterest

You may want to consider creating a contest on Pinterest where customers create boards and pin their favorite merchandise from your online store. The additional sales and brand awareness that is generated can easily outweigh the cost of providing a prize to the winner of the contest.

Companies are also using their Facebook pages to advertise their Pinterest boards. You can also encourage your Facebook and Twitter followers to pin your products on their Facebook and Twitter page. Innovative companies are also sending emails inviting people to see what they're doing at Pinterest or have recently pinned.

Pinterest provides a new way for companies to build a valuable connection between their ecommerce platforms and consumers that are collecting and sharing content. It's a great tool for small, medium and large businesses.

Is This The Missing Key To Your Success?

Succeeding in any venture, whether online or offline, and working from home or working in a skyscraper of an office building, is easiest when you have solid support during your learning process.

Support can come in many forms. If you can afford them leads can make a marked difference. But another way to reach success easier is through having actual support. Does your internet marketing program provide you with live support? Or, do you have to dig through support forums, put in problem tickets and then wait and hope someone to takes the time to answer you helpfully and quickly?

Live Support versus Support Ticket System

Live support, versus submitting a support ticket and waiting 24+ hours for a response can make a huge difference. Home business workers don’t always work full time at their online pursuits. They may steal moments in the evening and on the weekends while they’re waiting to quit their day job. Getting a live answer could mean the difference between getting closer to a real second income or waiting until next weekend when you have more time to devote to your entrepreneurial efforts.

There are many programs out there however I work with one whose major selling point is their 24/7 Skype chat room.

Webinars, Training, and More

Affiliate marketing programs that offer ongoing webinars can be very helpful. But if in addition to training programs you also have instant access to real support, this can make a dramatic difference when you dedicate a few hours at a time to promote and build your business.

Need more info about making money online or affiliate marketing in general? Keep in touch with my blog.

Men Are From Foursquare, Women Are From Facebook

Our fascination with the differences between men and women has spawned countless tv shows, hit songs, and bestselling books. And now we’re starting to understand how gender also influences social media use.

I began thinking about this while reading Porter Novelli’s EuroPNstyles research conducted among consumers in the UK and other European countries. Drilling down into the facts and stats around social media, several clear trends emerged showing that the same preferences and behaviours are being played out in the digital space just as they are offline.

Of course both sexes are highly engaged in social media, but our data indicates that women are using social channels to reinforce existing social connections, and to interact with friends and family.

By contrast men demonstrate a clear bias towards showing or sharing status, and promoting their opinions to the wider world. Never mind Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus – today it seems Men are from Foursquare, Women are from Facebook.

I pulled some of these trends into a presentation that I gave as part of Social Media Week London, here are a few UK highlights:

Women are more socially active than men:
65% of women access social media at least once a week, compared with just 51% of men

Women are more likely to connect with people they know:
93% of women using social media do so to read posts and view pictures from friends or to comment on their friends’ profiles.

For men the numbers dropped to 89% and 84% respectively.

UK women lead the rest of Europe in following brands to access deals and offers – this is the motivation for around 64% of women in social media, compared to a European average of just 52%, and 56% among UK men.

Men are more likely to use social networks to display status and opinions. In the UK 45% of men use social media to check into places compared with just 33% of women. Men are also more happy to broadcast what they’re saying to the world: 35% of socially-savvy men are Twitter users compared to 27% of women.

Men are also more active in the blogosphere: 54% of digitally-active men say they seek out other people’s blogs to read, compared with 46% of women. Men are more active bloggers than women too (34% vs 24%).

It’s interesting to see that Forrester, the Wall Street Journal, comScore and even Facebook are all seeing similar trends, although brands and marketers are not always following suit.

As Forrester’s Tracy Stokes argues: “Women have the potential to drive a brand’s reputation online because, compared with men, they are more connected with each other and like to talk about brands and products, especially in social media. But marketers, particularly in more male-oriented categories like finance, are not making a digital connection with women.”

It sounds simple but in this new era of communications, it’s not enough to know how to “do digital” – we still need to understand people and what influences them, regardless of the medium. Those brands that manage to combine social media savvy with human insights will maximise their chance of success.

Note: EuroPNStyles is an annual study conducted by Porter Novelli among more than 10,000 European consumers in the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Belgium and the Netherlands (UK sample = 1,700 people).

It reflects our agency’s belief that research uncovers insights which can trigger behavioural change.
Helen Nowicka is UK head of digital/EMEA social media strategist, Porter Novelli Read more: http://wallblog.co.uk/2012/02/17/men-are-from-foursquare-women-are-from-facebook/#ixzz1px93r4aj

The Other Side of the Google - Google Tools

When most of us think of Google, we tend to focus almost exclusively on the Google search engine. If we are bloggers or online marketers one of our primary concerns is optimizing our websites to rank high in the Google search results in order to drive more and more traffic to our websites and blogs.

You should be aware though that Google has a wealth of inbound marketing tools, that largely go unnoticed, that can help you drive more traffic to your sites for both free and paid marketing.

I'm talking about tools like Google Adwords, Google Places, Google News, Google Reader, Google Alerts, the Google+ Social Network, Google Analytics, and Google Docs to name a few. We will briefly examine a few of them here.

In my opinion, Google Places definitely gives you the most bang for your buck, especially since it's FREE! It is one of the easiest ways to get your business listed on the first page of Google when people in your local area search for your type of business.

Google Places will get your business found on both Google Search and Google Maps. Let's face it, most people would be more comfortable doing business with someone in their local area than they would with someone in another state or country. You often hear that people tend to do business with those they know, like, and trust. Nothing develops trust like face-to-face contact. I think if you aren't using this, it could be a real boon for your business.

Just go to google.com/places to create your Google Places listing. Be sure to optimize it for the keywords you want people to use to find you. You should enhance your listing by adding images and videos so as to help capture your audience's attention. You also want to be sure to provide links to your website and current contact information.

Google Adwords is the vehicle for paid advertising where you can purchase Pay-per-Click (PPC) ads. These are the ads that show up on the right-hand side, and sometimes in a shaded area at the top, of the Google Search Results page. These are known as Sponsored Links. These ads also show up on many other websites via the Google Display Network through the use of Contextual Targeting.

Contextual Targeting uses your keywords and themes to find the best placements for your ads across the GDN. For example, if you are marketing vitamins, your ad can show up on certain health and wellness sites. Adwords actually has a Context Targeting Tool that allows you to create ad groups based on the keywords you enter.

When it comes to the Sponsored Links, because there is so much competition for the top spots, you need to be smart about picking your keywords so that you can rank higher in the ad placement order than your competitors.

Adwords has a Google Keywords Tool that can help you create a thorough keyword research strategy. You can use Google Keywords whether you are using paid (Adwords) or free marketing. There isn't nearly enough time to adequately describe Adwords and paid strategies.

You really should educate yourself about paid strategies like PPC before embarking on this type of marketing, as it could get pretty expensive if you are not careful. You should also know that about 75% of searchers will click on the organic (free) search results and only 25% of online searchers will click on the paid ads.

Google Analytics is one of a number of Google tracking tools. This one is for websites and basically provides you with a wealth of information about the visitors to your website, where they came from, how long they stayed on your site, and what actions they took while there. This also is a free service. It can provide the data you need to measure the effectiveness of your ads, capture pages, and other marketing efforts so that you can tweak your marketing to improve sales and conversions.

Other tracking tools includes Adword's Conversion Tracking and Conversion Optimizer. Conversion Tracking shows you which visitors to your site actually performed the desired actions.

The Conversion Optimizer uses the Conversion Tracking data to adjust your ad placements on the Google Display Network to get your more profitable clicks at a lower cost.
Google News and Google Alerts are basically used by marketers to generate content ideas. Google News allows you to stay on top of the latest information about your industry, so that you can take advantage of the newness of the information to write a blog post about it before your competitors.

Similarly, with Google Alerts you can be instantly alerted about news and messages related to keywords that interest you. So instead of monitoring Google News, you can be alerted when something that interests you comes across the wire. You can filter the alerts to limit them to the type of content you're interested in, for example, news articles, videos, blog posts, etc. You can also get them in a daily or weekly digest if you prefer.

Google Reader is similar in that it can be used to generate content ideas. You can use it to subscribe to websites, blogs, and RSS feeds so that you can stay on top of industry happenings.

Google+ aka Google Plus is a relatively new social network that can drive both search engine and social media traffic to your site. You can set up any number of circles on your profile for different categories of associates, and share content with the whole circle or select individuals within the circle on a message by message basis.

Another thing you can do to increase traffic to your site is to install the +1 Button on your website. Similar to the Facebook Like Button, this button allows you to easily share links and promote results in the Google organic search results. Research of over 5,000 sites has shown that you are 3.5 times more likely to receive traffic if you have the +1 Button installed on your site. There are now also Google+ Business Pages that are relatively simple to create. Google+ Business Pages will allow you to better develop relationships with prospects and customers.

There is also evidence to suggest your Business page will be more apt to show up in the Google search results, and just like any other page, you should optimize it as best you can. Google also created a Direct Connection integration between Google+ and the search engine, so that all anyone has to do is put a plus sign (+) in front of your business name in the search window, and Google will skip over the traditional search results page and go directly to your Google+ Business Page.

Again this is just a taste of what is available out in the Google universe. If you think any of these tools could help in your marketing, you owe it to yourself to do a deep dive on the tools of your choice to get more information. This is especially true if you are considering paid marketing. One thing is true when it comes to getting traffic from Google is that you will pay one way or the other to get listed.

You can pay cash directly to get immediate results in the form of paid ads in the Sponsored Links and on the Google Display Network. Or you can pay with the time that it takes to create content and optimize your website or blog to be listed in the organic or free search results. Paid marketing strategies are a short-term solution that yield immediate results.

Search Engine Optimizing your site for free traffic is a more long-term strategy as you can conceivably receive traffic forever organically, whereas paid marketing can only generate traffic for you as long as your budget for the marketing campaign allows. Once you stop paying, the traffic dries up. Which ever way you decide to go, I hope that this information can help you pick the right tools.

About the Author
Thanks and I hope you enjoyed reading my article The Other Side of the Google.
You can order the course or get more information at this Newbie Launching Pad site.
Reginald Liggins is an internet marketing trainer and coach who resides outside of Portland in Beaverton, Oregon. Reginald can be reached at regliggins@gmail.com