Seven Valuable Benefits Social Networks Provide and Social Media Marketers Covet

By Hector Cisneros

Courtesy of Flickr

Today I was asked the most important question encompassing the subject of Social networks and social media marketing. The question I was asked is; What is the value of social media marketing, that is what are the benefits of social media like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+. Although these social networks are diverse in nature, they have common values both to subscribers and business people alike. That’s right, even though these networks operate in very different ways, their users often have very different motivations, different backgrounds and personal needs. They all provide these seven values to all that use them. Read on and find out why social networks and social media marketing is changing the face of the internet from what we know to what it will become.

Working the Web: The Lowdown on Local SEO

By Carl Weiss

Courtesy of Flickr

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a bit like the Air Force in World War II.  It was great when it came to carpet bombing cities.  But it was woefully inadequate when it came to discriminating individual targets.  The phenomenon of SEO is a lot like that.  Type in keywords like Jacksonville Video Production or Jacksonville Boat Club and the companies that pop up on Page One of Google are listed based upon their overall SEO score. 

While this works out fine for video production companies and boat clubs, where customers are prepared to drive clear across town to get the best deal, it doesn’t work so well for businesses (such as Auto Repair, Dry Cleaners or Pizza Parlors) that draw their customers from a smaller geographic area.  Although Google sometimes displays a map of the surrounding area where you can select businesses close to home, it has been proven that search engines have a built-in bias that favors firms located close to the city center. A recent article by Search Engine Journal pointed out:

Working the Web: Making Sense of Online Marketing

By Hector Cisneros

Courtesy of Flickr

Have you ever entered a conversation about marketing and became instantly perplexed by the terminology being bantered around? Did you get confused trying to follow the how, what, when, and where in the marketing plan? At the end of the conversation, did it seem like an epic tale spoken in Greek? If this is where you are with regards to internet marketing then this article is for you. This article is part of a series that is designed to cover basic terminology and actionable elements, as well as give specific steps for developing your own marketing plan.

Cyber Security Shuffle

Courtesy of www.pbs.org

By Carl Weiss

If you’re like most people, you probably only react to cyber security matters when your computer is so infected with malware that it refuses to function. This is what IT professionals refer to as locking the barn door after the horse has bolted. In today's wired world, what you have to consider is that everything from your PC to your smartphone is subject to attack by hackers who are out to sell your personal information, steal your financial data and do much more than mischief. What many people don't realize is that this problem is so serious that even governments are having problems dealing with it.

Will Web TV Change the World as You Know It?

By Carl Weiss

Courtexy of Pixabay

When it comes to the Internet, there are a number of sites and technologies that have truly been game changers. When Jeff Bezos founded Amazon.com in 1994, he started an etail revolution that would eventually put the fear of God into brick and mortar retailers. In 1995, eBay was founded, which would change the face of auctioning forever. Then on September 4th of the following year, a pair of enterprising Stanford University students named Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google, the search engine that would later go onto dominate web search.

Along the way, technologies came and went.  Online empires (such as Netscape) rose and fell.  It wasn’t until February of 2005 that three former PayPal employees named Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim started YouTube.com.  A little more than a year later, on October 9, 2006, it was announced that the company would be purchased by Google for $1.65 billion in stock. And the rest is history.

What Every Business Owner Needs to Know About Online Marketing

By Carl Weiss

Courtesy of  b2b-marketingblog.activeconversion.com

In 2009, $155 billion was spent on local advertising in the US. Yet only seven percent of that figure was spent online. Market trend projections predict that 50% of local advertising revenue will be spent online within the next 7 years. That means that $77 billion will leave traditional advertising venues. Recent advances in online advertising such as online coupons will only serve to accelerate this trend.

You may have read the recent news item, "Groupon rejected Google’s $6 billion acquisition offer." According to Chicago Breaking Business and Bloomberg, Groupon decided that it was better off on its own.

What many people did not read was the fact that Google reported revenues of $6.77 billion in the first quarter of 2010, representing a 23% increase over first quarter 2009 revenues of $5.51 billion.

Social Media Marketing via Online Video

Courtesy of www.abhikarma.com

By Carl Weiss

When we talk about social media we immediately think of Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn, but often overlook the video option of YouTube.  I know what you're thinking, "YouTube is a video portal, not a social network."  When you get right down to it, what is a social network? It's an online diary that can be used to update friends, family and associates about your life and/or your business.  Better still, it's an e-diary that you not only allow, but encourage others to peruse and redistribute.

Now I ask you, which  would you say is  more compelling, Text or Video?

Hector the Connector's Website Marketing Predictions Still Hold True

By Hector Cisneros 

Courtesy of Flickr

The years come and go and lot of changes roll in like clockwork. Wouldn’t it be terrific if you could predict the future? How fantastic would it be to know what website marketing techniques will work this year? Would having that knowledge allow you to prepare and maximize your return on your advertising dollars? In this article, I provide my 2012 predictions covering website marketing trends. Adjusting your marketing plans to take these trends into account should translate into profits. Historically, my predictions have come to pass about 98 percent of the time. It's always gratifying when my predictions come true. I have always had a knack for spotting trends. In this article, I list four website marketing trends that are unfolding before our eyes. So read on to see my advice and get your website ready for 2012 and beyond.