The Best of the Best for Working the Web in 2017 and Beyond

courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

By Hector Cisneros

Annually, we do a year in review of our articles. We do this for several reasons. First, we want to make sure we are publishing content that people are hungry for. A lot of people say content is king, but the real fact is that only high-quality relevant content is king. Second, we need to analyze our own marketing (our blog, internet radio and WebTV shows are all part of that mix). This is a prerequisite for any successful business. Third, it's always a good idea to reflect on the year that has just passed. It’s hard to plan where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been. It’s also a good way to get ready for the coming year ahead. This year, several of our articles hit home runs. More so that in some other years. A few were big surprises, others we knew would be hits for sure. So, get ready for a fast and fun rewind of 2017 because, in this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will reflect and expound on the “Best of the Best for Working the Web,” in the year that just passed.

Hector the Connector's Tech, & Internet Marketing Predictions Go Beyond the Norm

By Hector Cisneros

Courtesy of PublicDomainPictures

I have been writing prediction articles for several years now and what is surprising is how fast things are evolving. My earlier articles would prognosticate about things two to three years out, and most would come to pass as predicted. Today, new ideas spread so quickly, and the product development cycle is becoming so short that making even short-range predictions are getting a little tricky. Nevertheless, I have spotted several trends in A.I., Cyber Security, Next Gen Tech, IoT, Internet Marketing, Web TV, Social Media and Fake News that will evolve like gangbusters over the next 18 months. So, gaze into my crystal ball as I reveal what’s coming next from the ever-evolving cyberspace of the World Wide Web.

The Growing Holiday Cyber Security Threat

By Hector Cisneros

Every year since the invention of malware, cyber-attacks have escalated. This is especially true during the holiday season. Every October, the U.S. government commemorates National Cyber Security Awareness Month, guided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Cyber Security Alliance. My question is why don’t they declare the whole fourth quarter National Cyber Security Awareness Season instead. During the holidays, cybercriminals are all too aware of how people are distracted by their holiday plans. People become more careless online, especially on social media and this allows cybercriminals to take advantage of them. To make things worse, it’s extremely easy for anyone to acquire hacking and ransomware tools that are easy to deploy, without being a cybercriminal mastermind. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will explore the latest cyber holiday threats and provide our readers with tips, tools, and resources to counter these holiday Cyber-Grinches. So, put on your holiday cap to learn about what happens as the season of thieving nears.

Wearables 4.0 - The Activity Trackers Strikes Back

The Next Generation of Activity, Health Trackers, and Smartwatches.

By Hector Cisneros

Apple Watch Courtesy of Flickr

Health Trackers and Smart Watches are everywhere. You can walk into a room without noticing these items inhabiting the arms of thousands of people across the fruited plain.  It has been about five years since these items were introduced to the public and the fad has turned into a trend that still seems unstoppable. In fact, it appears these devices are replacing regular watches as the de facto timepiece. This trend will grow as long as computing power grows, size shrinks, devices improve, and the prices drop. It seems that there is no end in sight to the number of people adopting activity trackers and smartwatches. This is especially true for health conscious and athletic individuals. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will delve into the latest and greatest activity/health trackers and smartwatches. There is considerable overlap between many of these devices, and this article will endeavor to help you understand the differences. So, roll up your sleeves Dick Tracy and take a gander at your wrists as we take a close look at the latest and greatest Smart Watches and Activity Trackers.

Make Black Friday Your Best Friday

Courtesy of Pixabay

How to Make Sure Black Friday Doesn’t Make You See Red

By Hector Cisneros

For more than a century, Americans have been engaged in what has now become a time-honored tradition where holiday shopping starts right after Thanksgiving. Today that event is called Black Friday. If you’re a retailer, my question for you is this; Is Black Friday your Best sales day or is Black Friday making you see red?  Are you able to generate sufficient local business versus the online competition? Or, are you seeing dwindling sales? If sales are dwindling, then it's time to take advantage of the internet to garner new sales and new customers! In this episode of Working the Web to Win we will explore Black Friday Marketing Tips to help local retailers compete with the online retail giants.

Are Internet Algorithms giving Mary Shelley a run for her Frankenstein Monster?

By Hector Cisneros

Courtesy of Flickr

It’s almost the 200^th anniversary of the classic horror story Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley. So, what’s this got to do with marketing? Lately, there have been a slew of news stories about how advertising and newsfeeds have gone awry doing everything from favoring a political candidate, and allowing hostile foreign governments to influence elections, to allowing advertisers to target hate speech or dissidents without the search and social media giants knowing what’s going on! In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will take a close look at the Frankenstein results being produced by search and ad algorithms now being used by the internet giants. In fact, we will see how these scary results foreshadow the future of Artificial Intelligence and its uses in the 21^st century.

Free Cool Google Tools to Raise Your Ranking

By Hector Cisneros

Courtesy of Pixabay

If you ask about the cost of doing SEO work, most businesses will tell you that outsourcing your SEO work is costly and time-consuming. You don’t normally hear people say, “yeah, it’s easy to do, and I use these free tools.”  Well, what if I told you Google provides a number of software tools to improve visitor experience, make your website convert better and raise your search engine ranking. Would you use them? In this episode of Working the Web to Win we will highlight and explore more than a dozen online software tools. Google provides these tools free for any would-be internet marketers. So, fire up another browser tab and get your mouse ready to click on some cool tools as we explore Google’s free SEO tools and apps to raise your ranking.

How to Implement an Internet Security Counter Attack

Courtest of Wikimedia Commons

By Hector Cisneros

For more than a decade, hackers and cybercriminals have been increasingly wreaking havoc on business, government and the general public. Cybercrime has increased by a 100-fold in the last decade. Now it’s time to counterattack! But how, you ask? By what means do we have to counter this ever-growing menace? The fact is, we always could stop most hack attacks in their tracks. It’s just that people and businesses and governments try to implement what I call the least effort most gain strategy. This does not work! What does work is to implement the tools available and to then continuously upgrading your capability to stop all threats. Plus, there are new security measures available to make it much harder to breach your defenses. By implementing new and time-tested measures to thwart cybercriminals dead in their tracks, you can safeguard your digital domain.

What are these new and tried and true security measures? How can a business, government, or individual protect themselves from the increasing threats of cybercrime? In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will explore new security measures that have just been released by Google and other companies to help counterattack the latest hacking threats being perpetrated by cyber criminals and rogue nations. We will also provide a detailed security plan that will stop most cyberattacks in their tracks. This will provide the reader with a list of potential threats and a means to further thwart hack attacks. So, get ready to print out this article and bolster your security as we delve into the latest in internet security methods to counterattack those who hack.

Content Marketing Tips and Best Practices for the 21st Century

By Hector Cisneros

Content Marketing has become a buzz word of today’s marketing professionals, yet most of these honest, hard-working individuals only know part of what it means to be successful in this arena. Many, only work in one or two areas of content marketing like blogging, producing videos or posting to Facebook. What does it really take to be a successful content marketer? What are the principles followed and the marketing elements used to achieve success? In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will explore four of Working the Web to Win’s primary Success principles. We will also cover seven of our main marketing processes so that you will understand and implement our successful methods. So, let’s delve into these content Marketing Tips and Best Practices as we cover Content Marketing in the 21^st Century.

The Life Cycle of a Successful Sale on the Internet

Courtesy of Wikipedia

By Hector Cisneros

Millions of new products and services are launched for sale on the internet every year. Some become profit makers for their respective companies. A few become big profit makers, and a very small percentage become mega-hits generating millions of dollars in profit. What are the elements that produce mega-hit sales? How is it that many great products never achieve much success and some products of mediocre quality take off and soar to sales heights? In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will look at four very important elements that control the life cycle of successful sales on the internet. We will explore many of the aspects of a sale that include; “Good Internet Products and Services,” "How to Get Found," "Increasing Conversion" and "Creating a Positive Image." So, take notes and share this with your friends as we delve into the Life Cycle of Successful Sales on the Internet.

How to Vet Anything (Website, Product, Business or Person) on the Web

By Hector Cisneros

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Today’s world is a mixture of profound opportunity and unprecedented threats. The dangers come our way because we have created the Internet, a worldwide communications network that provides instant access to people and computers. But this same wonderful tool comes with a very scary dark side. This same doorway that gives us access to a universe of information can swing both ways. It can allow cybercriminals to come into your digital house and steal all your most valuable digital possessions. It can give them access to your digital identity, your account numbers, passwords even your digital memories like photos and videos. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will explore how to vet companies and websites on the web to lower your risk of exposing your digital life to the ravages of cybercriminals and hackers. You will learn about websites and tools that allow you to check to see if a website or company is legitimate or a scammer waiting to sink its claws into your digital devices. So, let’s start digging into the research that shows us how to vet websites and companies online so we can avoid scams and stay safe while using the internet.  

The Latest Hack Attack - Equifax Breach Exposes 143 Million Americans

Top things you Need to Know and Do

Courtesy of Flickr

By Hector Cisneros

For years we have been writing about the threat of hackers and their attacks on our institutions. Today the threat level has now evolved into an ongoing curse because the latest hack on Equifax will have long-lasting negative effects on millions of Americans for many years to come. In the past, we have written how our government has been asleep at the wheel when it comes to the threat of hack attacks. Now our personal and financial information is being exposed by hacks on companies like Equifax, who have been gathering our personal information for decades without our permission. This hack attack has compromised 143 million amercians and made us vulnerable to all kinds of fraud and financial devastation. In this episode of Working the Web to Win we will discuss the hard reality of this breach. We will discuss the outlook and its consequences and we will provide direction and solutions to help mitigate this horrendous long-term threat. So get ready to understand the the situation that 143 million of us are now in. So Take notes on what you have to do, because this problem is going to get a lot worse before it gets better.  

How the Internet is Helping People Cope with Natural Disasters Like Hurricanes and Floods

By Hector Cisneros

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

There you are glued to your TV set, computer, tablet or smartphone watching the blow by blow coverage of a natural disaster happening in your area. It doesn’t matter if it’s a hurricane, flood, earthquake, solar flares, freak storm or a combination of these events, your world has changed for the worst. However, today's disaster recovery efforts are much faster and better than just ten years ago. Today we receive disaster warning much earlier than before. News coverage is widespread and available on most digital devices; Social Media and the Internet allows us to connect and communicate with friends, family and even work as we move to recover from such devastating events. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will explore new technologies, online services and digital capabilities that make terrible disasters a little less terrifying and provide help and hope to the many who have been affected by such horrendous calamities. So, read on and share this with your friends and family as we learn how the internet and digital tech is helping mitigate natural disasters.

Promoting Your Business in Jax – There’s an App for That

By Carl Weiss

Courtesy of intoGo.com

When it comes to using apps to promote a business, the first thing that comes to mind for most business owners is Google Adwords or Facebook.  That’s because Google has 71% plus of the search traffic and Facebook has more than 2 billion users.  They also have an advertiser interface that’s is relatively easy to use.  A manager sitting at a bar can literally control and Adwords Express campaign or tap Boost on Facebook to advertise and after entering their credit card number, their advertising starts running.  Whereas with other apps, like Yelp, you must claim your business, then you have to contact an account representative and do more labor to spend money on ads.  This goes for other apps as well.

How to Keep Your eCommerce Dream from becoming a Nightmare

By Hector Cisneros

Courtesy of Pixabay

Selling products and services online is a multi-billion-dollar industry. In fact, it’s a 427-billion-dollar industry in the US alone. Worldwide 1.61 billion people purchased goods and services online. However, many seasoned businesses are struggling to find significant returns on their eCommerce investments. An article in BIG Commerce states that many retailers are struggling to capitalize on their digital sales channels. Today eCommerce competition is fierce. Whether you’re competing directly with the giant eCommerce retailers like Amazon, eBay, and Walmart, or you're struggling to get your unique new product found in the sea of online sales sites, today you must be strategic and have all your eCommerce ducks in a row. If your web pages don’t have all their T’s crossed and I’s dotted, people will simply go to your competitor and buy from them instead. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will cover all the important aspects needed to produce your secret sauce to create a successful eCommerce website business. So, keep reading and learn how to make your eCommerce dream a reality.

The Makings of a Great Blog Post & Other Writing Enigmas

By Hector Cisneros

Courtesy of Max Pixel

With the success of our blog comes compelling questions as to how we did it? How were we able to grow our readership organically from nothing to as many as 85,000-page views in one month? The growth of a blog audience is a marketing question to some extent, but many bloggers forget one very important aspect of blogging – that of what people want! People want to read high-quality articles that are Relevant, Timely, Useful, Focused, Educational and or Entertaining. A high-quality blog that is useful to lots of people will garner readers and subscribers. Even if you have a great distribution system, if your blog is mediocre, it will produce poor results. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will explore the many elements of a blog and what is needed to end up with a high-quality product that compels an audience to read, comment on and share your articles. So, start reading and taking notes as we pen – The Making of a Great Blog Post and Other Enigmas.

Is Humor Marketing’s Secret Weapon?

By Hector Cisneros

Quirky Humor Courtesy of Flickr

What makes an advertisement memorable? Is it the graphics, the color scheme, or the high-priced celebrities? Is it the guarantee, the amazing claims, or clear and easy to understand call to action? Or, is it something as simple as humor blended into your message? In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will look at several elements, especially humor and how it is used to make advertisements and commercials memorable? We will explore some successful start-ups who have made it big and we will take a good look at how humor is used in commercials, both past, and present. So, strap on your funny bone and get ready to be tickled pink as we explore humor as a marketing secret weapon.

A Closer Look into Alphabet’s (AKA Google) Hardware Business and its Competitors - Part 3 of 3

Can Google Hardware be All Things to All People?

By Hector Cisneros

Courtesy of Google Advanced Image Search

Everyone knows that Google is the king of search engines and that Google has dozens of internet properties and applications. But did you know that Google is also big into all kinds of hardware? Google is into creating some of the top hardware tech on the planet, and it's looking to become a dominant player in hardware tech as well as the internet. In this 3rd episode of “Can, Google be all things to all people,” Working the web to win will take a close look at Alphabets (aka Google) hardware tech, including driverless cars, Nexus tablets, Pixel smartphones, Chromecast, Chromebooks and Google home. So, open up the notes section of your browser as we take a spyglass look into Googles hardware divisions.

A Comparative Look at Google’s Top Applications and its Competitors

Episode 2 of 3 – Can Google be all things to All People?

By Hector Cisneros

Courtesy of Flickr

There is no doubt that Google dominates the Internet today. However, the Internet is rapidly evolving into multiple arenas that include organic and paid search, cloud storage, and computing, video and photo storage and streaming, social media, browser, and OS connectivity and office productivity suites. These subsets of the Internet are becoming productivity and marketing arenas on their own. Google’s competitors are eager to knock Google off the top of its dominant position on the World Wide Web. The companies that control the sub arenas will directly affect our lives in many ways. Soon everyone will have to choose a camp to maximize the benefits of what the web should offer. In episode 2 of this 3-part series, we will explore Google's top offerings along with its top competitors including; Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon, and others. So, get ready for a comparative look at Google’s apps and its top contenders and their Internet applications as they slug it out to gain supremacy.

Can Google be All Things to All People on the Web - Episode 1 of 3

Episode one - A Look at What Alphabet (AKA Google) Has to Offer the World

Courtesy of Flickr

By Hector Cisneros

There is no doubt about Google's wide spread internet dominance. Whether it's Search, YouTube, Android OS, AdSense, Google Photos, Gmail or Chrome, the Google product line is broad and impressive. And it's not just software or internet apps; Google is also big in hardware as well. Think of Google driverless cars, Google TV, Chromebook, Chromecast, Pixel Smartphones, Google Glass and its latest competitor for Amazon's Alexa, Google Home. This is just a small percentage of the products and services that Google has to offer. In fact, Google has discontinued almost as many products and services as they currently offer. The point I'm getting at is this. In the near future, everyone will have to make a decision on what digital platform they will be adopting. You will have to choose between Google, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon and possibly Facebook. In episode one (part one of a three-episode series) of Working the Web to Win, we will be exploring the many and most prominent offerings of Alphabet (AKA Google) and how these offerings stand against their competitors. So, sharpen your pencil and start making those check lists as we take a comprehensive look at what Google has to offer our world.

The Zen of Search Marketing

By Hector Cisneros

Courtesy of Flickr

Around 2010 internet marketing had reached a crossroads where what had once worked for getting found in Search had reached a tipping point. A perfect storm if you will. If you did your research, you’d know that Google had reached Search Engine dominance by partnering with Yahoo in 2000, acquiring key web properties like Blogger (2003) and YouTube (2006) and launching its AdSense platform. Google also fortified its position by acquiring many other useful web properties, tools, and add-ons. Google topped this off by winning the latest browser wars with Chrome, which finally displaced the internet Explorer after it had held the dominant position for over 14 years. This was the coup de gras for its competitors, and today its search dominance is so strong that it is almost impossible to displace. However, the internet has evolved into a multi-segmented arena. Fast forward to 2017, and you have the search engine market, The social Arena, the video arena, the news arena, the blogging market, email marketing, digital press releases and much more. Today’s Search Marketing has evolved way past on-page search engine optimization. It now requires a lot of off web page work to build a brand, drive traffic, create buzz, build credibility and make sales. Google has stated publicly that you must provide the best user experience for the visitor. This is also true in the social arenas in blogging and any other venue you're engaged in when marketing. In this episode of Working the Web to Win we will dissect the current state of Search Marketing, discuss it’s must-have elements, its segmented arenas and provide the reader with tips and techniques to achieve search marketing success. So, get into your Zen posture, and get ready to start taking notes as we study the Zen of Search Marketing. 

Internet Broadcasting for Fun and Profit

How to Create your Own Internet Radio, PodCast or

Courtesy of Working the Web to Win

WebTV show

By Hector Cisneros

In 2012 when Carl proposed that we create an Internet radio show to improve website ranking and traffic, I told him I though it wasn’t a good idea.  In fact, I was opposed to the effort altogether. Reluctantly, I went along and before we knew it, our fledgling Blog Talk Radio show went from zero to hero where in four months one of our shows had 30,000 downloads in a 10 days span.  Since then our blog, which is what we use as the outline for each show, has grown to more than 1,380,000-page views and the radio show has expanded to simulcasting on YouTube and Facebook. Our episodes have been downloaded several hundred thousand times since the show's inception, and we have even been able to develop a formula for producing a cost-effective show for our clients. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will explore how we have turned our marketing efforts to produce traffic and ranking into a fun and profit-generating center for W Squared Media Group. So, tune into blog talk radio and turn on your podcast recorder as we lay out the path for internet radio for fun and profit.

The Dark Side of Social Media

Courtesy of Flickr

By Hector Cisneros

Social media has been a Godsend to most people. It has allowed millions of people from around the world to connect and share ideas. It has made it possible for people to reconnect with family and lost friends from the past. It has made it possible to find missing loved ones and allowed humankind to share the blessings and calamities of our world. But like all powerful tools, Social Media is a double-edged sword. It has a dark side that is often ignored by the general public. This Dark side of Social Media is riddled with all manners of scams, bigotry, hatred, piracy, pornography, bullying, cyber traps, ID thieves and much worse. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will explore the dark underbelly of social media to expose its dangers and to give our readers a leg up on how to avoid the Dark side of Social Media.

The Four Golden Keys to Maximizing Online Sales

By Hector Cisneros

Courtesy of Pixabay

Ever wish you knew the magic formula for selling products and services online? My business partner Carl Weiss and I have been managing online advertising since the late 1990’s. This includes organic search position (aka SEO), banner ads, pay per click, directory ads and the latest foray which started around 2007, that of social media marketing and social pay per click. These advertising mediums evolve rapidly. We have devised more ways to engage in these types of advertising than I care to remember. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will explore four principles that are the keys to maximizing online sales. We call these principles “The Four Golden Keys.” These keys will open new marketing doors for you and your company, so read this information carefully and don’t leave anything out of the process.  

Top 12 Marketing Secrets for Filling the Credibility Gap

Courtesy of Flickr

By Hector Cisneros

In today’s competitive business world, you need an edge to stay ahead of the competition. More importantly, you need to be able to give prospects a reason to choose you versus others in your industry.  The reason people choose a company or professional is due to their reputation. Trust becomes the determining factor. Think about it. Most people do their shopping with companies they trust. They buy products because those products have proven themselves to meet the consumers' standards of quality and performance. Sure, people will buy something just on price, but if that product doesn’t meet or exceed their expectations, they will never buy that product again. The same is true of professionals and the service provider industry as well. Trust trumps all other factors short of budgetary means. In this week’s episode of Working the Web to Win, we will explore how addressing a business’ credibility or professional reputation can make a significant difference when it comes doing business. We will look at ten often overlooked elements of reputation that can sway a prospect towards or away from your products or services, without you even realizing it.

Team Tech - Your Secret SEO Ranking Weapon

By Hector Cisneros

Courtesy of Flickr

Have you ever noticed how big corporations always seem to have the best marketing? They always seem to have the best search engine position, great commercials, websites and always seem to be omnipresent. Above and beyond having more money than small businesses, they have a secret weapon. They don't do their marketing by themselves, they have a team or in some cases multiple teams of marketers working on their behalf. This team approach allows them to do more. Have multiple minds working on their behalf allows them to come up with better marketing ideas, it allows them to more research, testing and to monitor their efforts. It also lets them make adjustments when necessary to maximize their return on investment. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will explore how Team Tech Marketing wins the online marketing battle when it comes to SEO and content marketing.

What Are the Most Cost-Effective Marketing Channels Available Today?

Courtesy of Flickr

By Hector Cisneros

When the economy is booming, marketing your business is easy. Just about anything you do will produce some positive results. But what do you do when the economy heads south? How do you know what will be the best venue for your marketing money? What happens when every customer is researching the internet 19 ways from Sunday, even while shopping in your store? How do you determine where and how much to spend on marketing when no one seems to be buying? In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will explore answers to these questions and more. We will provide the listener with a system to follow that maximizes their return on their marketing investment by helping them choose the best marketing channels for their available budget.

Does Ransomware Make you Want to Cry?

How Hacker Threats are Turning the Internet into a Financial Minefield

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

By Hector Cisneros

Every year since 2011, we have been writing about the tremendous threat that internet hacking poses. The number of hacks has continuously gone up every year since then. The financial cost has skyrocketed, and the number of lives this menace affects is mind boggling. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will cover how this threat exploits your digital life, we will explore new ways to protect yourself, and we will provide a checklist of items that must be deployed to stop these hack attacks in their tracks.

Is It time to Cut the Cord on Cable and Satellite TV?

By Hector Cisneros

Courtesy of  Flickr

I have heard it said that “life is short and then….” You fill in the blank! As an advertising executive, I strive to understand the motives of consumers. What drives us to do things in life? What are our wants and desires? As humans, we have many things that drive us, and our wants and desires can be endless. Having said that, I know that most of us value time and money the most, (I’m excluding love and our survival needs for food, water and air because they are subjects for another story).  Many value money because it is a universal means of exchanging goods and services. But, there is one thing that everyone values more than anything else, and that is time. Time can only be spent once, and it is very hard to extend your time of play when you’re getting close to game over.

This brings me to my point. Today’s broadcast TV market is shrinking, not because people are addicted to their digital devices. They are switching to watching their digital devices because it saves them time. It also provides them a better way to control and allocate their time and money. It puts them in charge of what, when and how they watch TV! In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will explore why, when and how to cut the cable and satellite TV cord so that you can watch TV anytime you want, (and save some money along the way).  So, put down your remote and get your scissors out so that you too can cut the cord and watch digital TV on your own terms.

Top Tips and Tools to Make Your Next Online Presentation Sizzle

By Hector Cisneros

Courtesy of Flickr

Have you ever wanted to know how to expand your reach, audience and customer base? Most of us who engage in word of mouth networking know that doing a presentation in front of your networking group is a great opportunity to educate the crowd, expand your reach and obtain leads and new customers. What if you could do that same thing without any drive time, gasoline cost or having to set up in an unfamiliar room? Well, you can accomplish this by providing your presentation online. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will cover the basics needed for any good presentation, then explore several of the best online presentation tools, plus provide some useful ideas to make those presentations work overtime for you.

To Follow or Not to Follow – That is the Social Media Question?

Here’s How to Determine “If and When” you should Follow Someone Back in Social Media

By Hector Cisneros

Courtesy of Pixabay

Several years ago, a friend asked me, ‘how do you know who to follow,” after I told him that I was engaged in social media development and marketing. The question he asked was a good one because, at that time, most of what I was doing in the social media arena was new to everyone. In fact, we were in an era of discovery, testing untried techniques and methods. I quickly realized how similar social media development was to word of mouth networking, so it dawned on me to apply word of mouth marketing principles to the new social media phenomena. This application proved to be fruitful, but it did not address the need for rules for who to connect with and who to avoid. If you're engaged in social media development, you have to connect with people. Social media means following and unfollowing people, groups and businesses. This happens on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Google+, LinkedIn, and when you blog (whether it’s on WordPress, Blogger, Tumblr or another platform). In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will explore why we need to use social media to connect with others, who we need to be following, (making connections) and who we need to avoid (undesirables). Take out your highlighter and get ready to lay down some yellow lines as we take a deep dive into who to follow and why, along with how to avoid following those pesky undesirables.

Avoid Being Cheated by Online Advertising Companies

Courtesy of Flickr

How Businesses are Changing the Way They Spend Advertising Money

By Hector Cisneros

Over the past seven years, I have been writing about the latest trends in online marketing and advertising. Many things have happened, and changes are as constant as change itself. What doesn’t seem to change is the fact that major marketing players keep trying to stack the deck in their favor without regard for the return on investment that they provide businesses. Recently, Google made lots of negative headlines because they were serving up ads on inappropriate YouTube channels for some of their biggest corporate clients. It’s easy to understand the sensational headlines when a large corporation pulls millions in ad money from the likes of Google or Facebook. However, little is said when millions of small company’s websites take it on the chin because Google changes its search algorithm or Facebook policy flip-flops canceling ads running mid campaign. If you consider how these advertising giants wield absolute control over how business is advertised online, you quickly start to realize that you must have a plan B in place if you want to succeed. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will explore the current state of online advertising. We will ask the question, “How can businesses protect themselves from the power these mega advertising giants wield?” We will provide the steps needed to make sure you have a good plan B in place so that you will get your money’s worth.