The Buzz You Need to Know About Google + **

By Hector Cisneros

There is a lot of hype on the Internet, and every product launch brings its advocates and critics. The launch of Google+ is no exception, (read as "Google Plus").  I am a huge advocate of social media and online networking. When a giant internet player like Google says, they are launching a social media platform, my ears perk up, and I pay attention.  This article provides a quick synopsis of what Google+ brings to the table.  It will show what is different about Google+ verses the current leader Face Book.  It will also give you an overview of some of the cool features that only Google+ provides.

A Movie in Every Mailbox

Courtesy of www.instantvmail.com

By Carl Weiss

Want to get your message to the masses? Looking for a cost effective way to create leads and sales?  Why not try sending a video via email? While you can’t actually embed videos in every email, you can attach them to online newsletters such as Constant Contact.

With billions of videos being watched online monthly, it seems logical that businesses will want to maximize the marketing potential of video in such areas as email, newsletters, blogs and social networks.  What’s even better is the fact that a number of popular platforms are adding ways for their users to put a  movie in every emailbox. 

Top 5 Reasons to Blog

By Carl Weiss

Courtesy of flickr.com

Like it or not, if you own a website, you are forced to compete for exposure online.  With 242 million websites already in existence and nearly 130,000 new sites coming online every day, is it any wonder that being found is getting harder and harder to accomplish?  Well, the good news is that while it may take a little sweat equity to put your web presence in the winner’s circle, the task can be accomplished in short order if you blog just once per week. Here are the top ten reasons to blog: .

Hector the Connectors Social Media Marketing Predictions for 2012 & Beyond

By Hector Cisneros

Courtesy of www.hotpotatosocialmedia.com

2011 is gone, and 2012 has rolled in without missing a beat. The social media industry is growing in leaps and bounds. I often hear business people say social networking is like the Wild, Wild West! So answer this question for me.  Would it be valuable if you knew the future social media trends for 2012? How wonderful would it be to know what trends are in store for the coming year? Could you adequately prepare for this rapidly changing industry? In this article, I provide my 2012 predictions for the evolving trends in the social-networking industry. It's always gratifying when my predictions come true. My predictions are not based on any kind of special powers. They are based on my industry research, what I read and what I see happening every day in my work. My accuracy rate in the social media industry has been about 97%.  However, even when I’m wrong it's only because my timeline ended up being longer than I thought it was going to be. I have a knack for spotting social media trends. And this article lists four powerful trends unfolding right now. You can profit from what I say or ignore me, the choice is yours. Either way these trends will unfold as the year progresses.  So read on and heed my advice. Prepare your social media marketing campaigns to take advantage these trends for 2012 and beyond.

What's the Best Social Media Site for a Small Business?

Courtesy of www.lostintechnology.com

by Hector Cisneros

A common question I get is: "What's the best social media site for me to be on?"  Alternatively, they will ask: "What social media site will bring me the most internet business?"  My answer to these questions may surprise you, but here it is:  There is no such thing as "what is the best" social media site for a small business. A small business should create a presence on as many platforms as they have time for.

The Devil's in the Etails

By Carl Weiss

Courtesy of www.opencolleges.edu.au

With the price of gasoline rapidly approaching $4 per gallon, more and more people are electing to save gas and let their fingers do the shopping via online etailers.  With vendors such as eBay, PayPal and Amazon greasing the skids of online commerce, getting started with etailing couldn’t be easier.  The hard part is how do you promote your products in such a way that doesn’t break the bank?  While pay-per-click can be effective, organic results cost way less if you can generate them. For my money, one of the best secret weapons to producing organic results is online video.

How Freeware Can Cost You BIG

by Carl Weiss

Courtesy of www.quickenloans.com

Especially in today’s economy, most people are searching for deals.  Whether it is a buy-one-get-one at the grocery store, or an online coupon that offers fifty percent or more off your next restaurant visit, most people are only too happy to snap up a bargain for something they would normally purchase.  When it comes to acquiring software for the home computer, this rule is even more prevalent.  Why pay for the cow, when they’re giving the milk away for free, right?  In the case of recognized vendors, such as Filezilla or Linux, not to mention CNet and Tucows, these sites either own the software they distribute freely, or else the vet any vendors promoted on their sites.  Unfortunately, when it comes to freeware, there are a number of purveyors who are not offering their software out of the goodness of their hearts.

What Tips Would You Give a New Business Owner Who Wants to Start Their Business on the Right Foot?

By Hector Cisneros

Courtesy of www.businessnewsdaily.com

There are many issues that a new business owner must tackle during start up.  These items generally fall into three categories.

1. Things that must be taken care of now (either because they are legally required or must be in place before the next item can be handled).
2. Things that need to be taken care of soon, like creating short term marketing plans, creating a unique selling proposition, your ideal customer profile and goals.
3. Longer term issues like creating operating procedures, having a growth plan, detailed marketing plan, an employee handbook and more are last on the list.

Six Clear Reasons Why You Should be Using Social Media to Build Your Credibility

By Hector Cisneros

An ad agency client asked me the other day to provide them the primary reason why their clients should use Social Media as part of their advertising mix. Specifically they were talking about Facebook, Twitter and Angieslist. The answer to this question is often confusing and misstated. This article provides six concise reasons why Social Media is so important today.  Reading this article will make it easy for the reader to see why Social Media has risen so quickly in advertising circles and it will help them prosper from using it.  Here are a few reasons why they should use Social Media as part of their marketing mix. 

Holy Algorithm, Batman, the Penguin Strikes Back!

by Carl Weiss

Gorilla (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Many website owners were shocked and dismayed to find their sites had suddenly disappeared from page one of the world’s most popular search engine after Google launched its Penguin 5 Update at the end of April.  While Google’s recent action has left many website owners blindsided and scrambling to recover lost rankings, the move, while ruffling more than a few feathers, was hardly unprecedented.  So if you have suddenly fallen out of favor with the 800 lb gorilla in the room, what you need to ask yourself is whether you want to get mad, or whether you want to get even.

The Tao of SEO

by Carl Weiss

Courtesy of flickr.com

When it comes to search engine optimization, most people think of it as some kind of religious cult where members speak in tongues, intoning such mantras as “SERPS,” “Meta Data,” “Linkbait,” and “AJAX,” as though they were trying somehow to transmute lead into gold.  Worst of all, there is so much conflicting data out there regarding the ever changing world of SEO that keeping current is almost a full time job in itself.  Add to this the fact that no sooner do you get a bead on what the search engines want, when they up and change their algorithm (as Google recently did with their Penguin Update), making the analogy to sorcery even more poignant as your listing disappears like a puff of smoke.  So, if you don’t want to have to start the process from scratch every time the search engines decide to do a little spring cleaning, this is what you need to know:

What Does the Public’s Uncontrollable App-etite Mean to You?

By Carl Weiss

“There’s an app for that.” How many times have we all heard that phrase during the past couple of years? Allow me to put it into better perspective for you. During the last week of 2011, 1.2 billion apps were downloaded, with 242 million apps being downloaded on Christmas day alone. While that number may seem staggering, it is even more so when one considers that less than 11 billion apps were downloaded in all of 2010. Add to that the fact that it is predicted that the number of mobile apps offered by companies will increase by a factor of 10 in 2012, and it is clear that the public’s App-etite is clearly uncontrollable.