Online Branding Strategies

Posted by emarketingwizard on January 25, 2009 · Leave a Comment 


In today’s competitive environment, where there are so many self-proclaimed experts, how can one stay ahead of their competition, brand themselves as a true expert in their field and provide a way for their audience to come to know, like and trust them? There has never been a better time to address this issue.

With the advent of Web 2.0 Technology, we have access to resources and marketing tools that provide us with the ability to share our thoughts, voice and image (both moving and still) with our audience. As an example, you can access countless free resources that will allow you to do the following:

* publish your own internet radio or television show
* build your own browser toolbar which you can easily load with helpful resource links for your niche audience
* develop your own blog / expert site and invite interaction with your readers
* create flash ad banners and web graphics
* broadcast custom videos with your message
* network with professionals from around the globe
* communicate verbally with a small or large group of people
* and much, much more

Let us explore just one of these methods, that being the power of Conference Calls. Conference Calls offer you a great deal as far as being able to share your message and expertise with a small or large group of people at the same time. There are several free options available to you, my favorite is Free Conference Call.com . What this service allows me to do is set up a conference call with up to 100 people. (In future articles we will explore other Conference Calling options that allow you to reach an audience of up to 2,000 people.)

You can either speak via a muted line, thus cutting out all background noise, or you can set up your call to allow audience interaction. You can even set up your call to allow one or more guest speakers. For those not able to attend the live call, this service provides you with an MP3 recording of your call. Thus, people have the option of listening online or downloading your conference call to a CD or an MP3 player.

For a moment let’s explore what else you can do with this material to bring value to your audience and brand yourself as an expert in your field. There is a term which is becoming known in Internet Marketing circles called “repurposing”. An example of “repurposing” would be, as in the above example, providing an MP3 recording of your call. Another example would be for you to provide the transcripts to your call. How powerful would it be for someone in your target audience to not only have listened in on your call, but to have received the transcript which they can print off and review at their convenience.

Taking this a step further, what if you were to take your transcripts and break them into smaller chunks which can either become the foundation for an ebook or manual or can be used as part of your weekly email training. There are many, many ways that one can “repurpose” their materials in the efforts to brand themselves and offer more value to their audience. We will discuss additional ideas in future articles.

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Articles Increase Web Traffic

Posted by emarketingwizard on January 23, 2009 · Leave a Comment 

"Write Articles to Increase Your Web Traffic and Your Sales" is our second article in a series of articles on how to easily and affordably marketing your business online. Article Marketing is the single most powerful thing you can to do market your business online. You establish yourself as an expert, create a following and develop material which you can use many times over.
 
Once you have written and submitted your articles, carefully file them on our computer, in a specific folder called "Published Articles." These articles can be used as material for your online Newsletter, as segments of your training program, as part of an email campaign or even as material for your Teleseminars. Additionally, your articles can serve as the foundation of an eCourse and eventually you can turn a collection of articles into an eBook which you can sell or give away in exchange for people opting in with their email address.
 
Writing articles and posting them on the Article Marketing sites will bring traffic to your blog or website, give you further name brand recognition and highlight you as an expert in your field. When publishing your articles you are permitted to include a brief bio with links to your website along with any special offers. Carefully word your offer so that it provides something of value to the reader rather than trying to sell them something.
 
Set up a free account at EzineArticles and schedule time each week to compose and add articles on your given topic. In addition to the article marketing sites such as EzineArticles, you can use your articles as material for your blog posts and to further your reach on "Expert Sites" such as Squidoo, Hub Pages and Knoll. The most common question asked in regards to Article Marketing are "How do I begin?" and "How long should my article be?
 
Here is a perfect example of a type of article or series of articles that you can publish. Find out what questions your target audience is asking and develop a series of articles to answer those questions. For the purposes of this topic, let’s say that your target audience wanted to know more about how to create and publish an Ezine. You could write an article entitled, "Answers to the 7 Most Commonly Asked Questions About Ezines."
 
Here is an example of the types of questions you could answer. What is an Ezine, How do I create my own Ezine?, How do I publish my Ezine?, How do I get subscribers?, What should I put in my Ezine?, Should I allow advertisements in my Ezine?, How do I locate advertisers? After you write this main article, you can take each of these questions and write an article on that topic. Expand this further and you can create an eBook! In future articles we will be sharing more about both producing and repurposing your Teleseminars and How to Easily Create and Publish an eBook.

If you would like more information on any of these topics or on related topics covered in our Internet Marketing Series, you may want to visit our Blog where you will have access to both our Weekly Tips, as well as a wide collection of articles, videos, mp3 recordings and related training resources on each of our topics.

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Network – Promote Your Brand

Posted by emarketingwizard on December 9, 2008 · Leave a Comment 

Let us explore five of the most powerful ways that you can share your message with the world.  Each one of these topics can fill the pages of a book, however, for the purpose of this article I will provide you with a brief overview and a few tips that you can easily implement.   Audio Marketing, Video Marketing, Article Marketing, Blogging and Social Networking are easy and affordable methods that will give you a lot of “boom for your buck.”  These five areas are directly connected and intertwined. To begin with, writing articles allows you to share your knowledge and views.  Audio and Video Marketing provide a much more personalized way for you to connect with your audience. 

Blogging provides you with a storefront and provides your readers with a way to gain knowledge as well as share their feedback and ideas.  Social Networking, when done correctly, provides you with a built in community of people who want to help you succeed. People want to do business with people whom they know, like and trust.  Finding ways to connect with people and share something of value with them will help to bridge the gap. 

Social Networking is perfect for accomplishing this.  Be sure to keep in mind that building trust and building relationships online takes time.  You don’t want to become known as someone who is always trying to sell something.  Instead, become known as a person who has a lot of knowledge and experience to offer.  How you can accomplish this via Social Networking is by participating in group discussions and helping others.  People will become accustomed to seeing your name, and in many cases your photograph. 

You can also initiate conversations by asking questions.   Frame your questions in ways that encourage people to reply.  For example, which question would you be more inclined to answer?  1) “I have a great product that can help you save a lot of money and …. buy my stuff!”  or  2) “I noticed last week that Jim K. was asking for suggestions on how to connect with Health Professionals in Canada.  I would be so grateful for your ideas on how I might connect with Massage Therapists in New England.” My favorite Social Networks are, Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, Ning and Fast Pitch Networking.  Remember that Social Networks are for building relationships, not trying to sell people stuff.  Sell them on “you”, not on your product!   Your first step is to select a social network and set up your profile. 

Be sure to take a few minutes to fill out your profile and add your photograph.  This will make a world of difference.  You do not have to spend a lot of time Social Networking each week.  In fact, you may want to delegate a brief 30 minute session, 1-3 times a week as part of your business development strategy. Once you have your profile set up spend some time exploring the site.  Many Social Networks have groups or forums that attract Niche groups.  Participating in groups and on forums that attract your niche market is the perfect way to build relationships and grow your business.  A word of caution… Just like in “the real world”, you want to use common sense and good judgment.  Refrain from giving out personal information until you’ve established credibility and build relationships. 

Most social networks allow you to email back and forth from within the system and thus you do not need to give out your personal information. Now that your profile is set up and you have joined a few groups and blocked out a few times each week that you can dedicate to Networking Online, you are on your way to expanding your horizons and your Network.  A great way to drive traffic to your blog or website is by having your web address in your profile signature.  This is viewed as an acceptable and low key way to market your business and also provides people with a way to find out more about one another’s products and services.  Once you know your way around you may want to initiate a group discussion.  This will shine the light on you and will facilitate relationship building and thus future business and referrals.  Become known as a “go to” person and an expert in your field.  Set yourself apart by adding audio and video to your Social Networking profiles and at least once a week post a reply to a question or participate in a discuss.

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Perfect Author Resource Box

Posted by emarketingwizard on May 25, 2008 · Leave a Comment 

If you want to really make your article "SELL" then you've got to craft the perfect RESOURCE BOX. This is the "author bio" that is below your article body and it's also known as your "SIG" (short for SIGnature). Article Marketing 101: The Perfect Author Resource Box By Christopher Knight Here are the essential items that should be in your RESOURCE BOX:

  • Your Name: You'd be amazed at how many folks forget to include their name in the RESOURCE BOX. Your name and optional title should be the first thing in your resource box.
  • Your Website Address: in valid URL form. Example: http://Your-Company-Name.com/
  • Your Elevator Pitch: This is 1 to 3 sentences that encapsulates the essence of what makes you and your offering unique. Also known as your USP (Unique Selling Proposition).
  • Your Call To Action: You've got them warmed up and now it's time to lead them to BUY from you or visit your website. This is where you "Ask For The Sale." Best to only give (1) specific call to action.

Here are some optional items you could include in your RESOURCE BOX:

  • Your Ezine Subscription Address: While getting your interested visitor to surf your website is nice, capturing their email address can help you begin the confidence/trust process. If you're going to do this strategy, include a URL for your ezine subscription address and do not use an email address for the "join" address.
  • Your Contact Information: Such as your business phone number or how to reach you for interviews or your press/media kit. Keep in mind that article marketing is a timeless strategy and you may not have an easy ability to retract what you put in your article once it hits major distribution.
  • A Free Report: This could also be part of your call to action or your free bonus report that further enhances your credibility as the expert on the topic of your article.
  • Your email autoresponder: I'm not a big fan of this strategy due to the fact that spammers will text-extract your autoresponder address and add it to their spam list. Perhaps this strategy was best for the 1990's and has now run its course.
  • An anchor URL that is related to one keyword or keyword phrase that you want to build SEO strength for. Example: if I wanted to build search engine relevance/strength for the term "Article Marketing," I'd link up that term in my resource box to my website. This is an intermediate to advanced level strategy and should not be abused by over-doing it. Keep it simple.

What NOT to include in your RESOURCE BOX:

  • A listing of every website you own. There is no faster way to dilute your credibility than by posting a half dozen irrelevant URLs that have nothing to do with each other. Best to only post ONE URL that is related to the topic of your article.
  • A listing of every accomplishment you've achieved to date. No one cares. Keep your resource box brief and to the point. Yes, your resource box should be benefit oriented so that the reader finds value in reading it rather than your ego being justified.
  • Advertisements or pitches for products that are not relevant to the topic of your article.
  • Keep the size of your resource box so that it's no larger than 20% of your total article size. Too often I see resource boxes that are 50% of the size of the total article and this is abusive.

Your Perfect Resource Box Conclusion: The BODY of your article is where you "GIVE" and the RESOURCE BOX is where you get to "TAKE" for your article marketing gift of information. The resource box is the "currency of payment" you receive for giving away your article. Be sure to include your name, website address, your unique selling proposition as briefly as possible and a simple call to action. About The Author: Christopher M. Knight invites you to submit your best quality original articles for massive exposure to the high-traffic http://EzineArticles.com/ expert author community. When you submit your articles to EzineArticles.com, your articles will be picked up by ezine publishers who will reprint your articles with your content and links intact giving you traffic surges to help you increase your sales. To submit your article, setup a membership account today: http://EzineArticles.com/submit/ (c) Copyright – Christopher M. Knight. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christopher_Knight http://EzineArticles.com/?Article-Marketing-101:-The-Perfect-Author-Resource-Box&id=17172

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