Social Media Marketing Advertising: Facebook

Facebook has struggled mightily to find ways to monetize its huge network of users (and the huge amount of information that it collects about those users.) Facebook advertising is perhaps the platform’s most successful method of monetization to-date – and it promises a lot; but does it deliver?  Is Facebook advertising a valid vessel for your social media marketing budget?

Facebook Advertising: Platform Strengths

Facebook goes beyond what Google offers by providing targeting options based on the information users provide about themselves within their profiles.  This means that it is possible for a deep sea fishing supply store to target individuals who have listed “fishing” as a hobby or interest.  When you add this information to broader demographical information, it is possible to ensure that your advertisement hones in on a specific audience. For example, if the fishing supply store is sponsoring a “Father & Son Fishing Tournament” –it would be possible to ensure the ad only appears for Facebook users who are: male, living in the Houston are; and have an expressed interest in fishing.

Facebook Advertising : Platform Weaknesses

The tremendous ability to target users on Facebook appears to give it the advantage over Google ads – but there are a couple of caveats to keep in mind:

• Demographical Limitations. Facebook’s user-base is constantly growing and the most rapid growth is among those ages 35- 50. Despite these undeniably alluring numbers – it is important to keep in mind that a.)Older users may have profiles but tend to spend less time actively on the site; and b.) Potential clients of certain demographics may be more concentrated elsewhere online.
• The “Walled Garden Effect” of Facebook. In many ways, Facebook mirrors an intranet. While users can easily navigate back-and-forth between Facebook and external sites; observed behavior demonstrates that users of Facebook tend to prefer to remain within the “walled garden” of Facebook versus being redirected to outside websites. While there are exceptions to this (Facebook Share & Facebook Connect come to mind,) in general companies will have more success with advertising if they can keep users within the garden of Facebook.  This means having an ad campaign that redirects to a Facebook page vs. redirecting to a homepage. For many companies, this is not optimal – especially since most have not invested in creating a Facebook presence that is well-branded and mirrors the content of their home site.

Social Media Marketing Advertising Campaigns Are Not One-Size-Fits-All

Each company’s social media marketing needs and advertising goals differ. Consulting with a social media marketing company in Houston provides you with information and help you need to map your your specific social media strategy.

Read More about Social Media Marketing in Houston:

Social Media Marketing: Avoiding Culture Shock

Social Media Marketing: An Overview

Social Media Marketing : Why “Being There” Just Isn’t Enough

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Google Caffeine: The New Google Search Engine

For all of our valued Directory One clients who have come to rely upon our search engine optimization expertise, please note that there is some new excitement brewing in the search engine world!

We aim to always stay on top of what works best for our clients and as such, ensure that we are in the know regarding the latest and greatest as well as the classic optimization methods that have yet to die out in their supreme effectiveness for helping businesses reach the top of Internet search results.

If you are not yet a Directory One client and would like to know more, please do not hesitate to give us a call at (800) 477-1324 and ensure that your business does not fall behind the tidal wave of Internet marketing success.

Internet Marketing News

Internet marketing news:  Have you heard about the latest search engine tool commonly referred to as Google Caffeine?  It is currently out on the public web.  This means that anyone with the teeniest bit of curiosity is welcome to jump into the new cyber space of Google’s new search engine and give it a try!

Of course, I was curious….more than just a little bit and so I tried it.

What did I discover??  Well, for one thing, it certainly is fast.  I didn’t use a stopwatch to time and compare it to the regular Google, however, I did blink and my search engine results appeared.

For the old Google, I entered the same term, discovered about 40,000 fewer results appeared, and that was after counting one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand, three-one-thousand.  Okay, so these methods were not a state of the art comparison, but you get the idea…  The new Google search engine is definitely faster.

Some of the wonderful IT geeks out in cyberspace did an actual stopwatch timed test and found that the new search engine was specifically double the speed of the old Google search engine.  For those of us who are constantly researching data on the web, that means that we will be able to get all of our info twice as fast and this is not a small detail in enhancing productivity by any means!

They also tested it for accuracy, as did I.  With my search of the beta search engine, I was very pleased by the improved accuracy of the search engine results.  The tech geeks I am referencing were also pleased and noted that Bing was not even close to being as accurate as the Google search engines both were.  How is it that Microsoft still falls short even with all that capitol to back them up, I wonder??

To sum up, the new Google search engine, nicknamed Caffeine, is better with an increased amount of search engine result listings, is at least twice as fast and even more accurate than the old Google search engine the majority of the world has come to rely upon.

Perhaps the dawn of a new search engine age is upon us after all…..

Search Engine Optimization

To make sure that your company website is optimized for the new Google search engine and all others, please don’t delay in giving Directory One a call today!

We offer very unique, personal service to all of our clients and calling us now at (800) 477-1324 will ensure that you too have a chance to achieve business growth while reaching potential customers that your competitors would prefer you are not targeting….

Directory One will provide your business with a targeted Internet marketing plan and help you climb the search engine optimization ladder of success.

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Social Media Marketing: Avoiding Culture Shock

There’s a statistic that’s floating around Powerpoint presentations these days that points out that if the population of Facebook were an actual country, it would be the fourth-largest in the world . A stunning statistic – and one that can help me illustrate a point. You’d do well to treat entering the world of Facebook or Twitter much like you would entering a foreign country: hire a guide; visit with people that have been there before you; and learn the language. Too many businesses are over-eager to get their social media passport stamp. The result is either a poor-impression on the locals – or culture shock for the brand in question. Either way, it’s a missed opportunity for a business to connect with customers in a powerful way.

Here’s a Twitter example: Brand X creates a profile and logs on without investigating Twitter or mapping out a strategy. How hard can it be, right? Brand X assigns someone in communications to do the tweeting to ensure the tweets remain on-message. And sure enough, the Brand X message starts going out on point with with tweets like :

“ Did you know that Brand X contains no trans-fats or artificial flavorings?”

Or “Brand X just released a new, tastier, version of product Z! Check it out!”

Soon followers start dropping like flies. Overwhelmed by corporate-speak & underwhelmed by the lack of personality. Perhaps before clicking “unfollow” – one Twitter “local” could be kind enough to tweet

“ Dear, @brandx : Twitter is not for incessant promoting. Try interacting a little or you become #irrelevant and #annoying”

While there is no Rosetta Stone for instantly understanding the culture of social networks –the most important thing you can remember is that monologue has been replaced with dialogue. Don’t let this scare you – think of it as an exciting opportunity to have a legitimate conversation with your customers. Real interaction should lead to real results. A consultation with a social media marketing agency that is immersed in the culture of social media and its many platforms will go a long way in getting you off on the right-foot with your customers . Think of a Houston social media marketing company as a local guide who speaks the language.

Social Media Marketing : Mapping out a Strategy

In addition to making sure your brand doesn’t fall victim to culture shock – you should also map out a strategy. In next week’s blog, we will talk about the 5 things to consider when creating your company’s social media marketing strategy.

Houston Social Media Marketing Company

Ready to hire the guide and learn the language? Consult with a respected Houston social media marketing agency today. Call Directory One at 713.465.0051

Read More

Social Media Marketing: An Overview

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Web Design or SEO:  Which Comes First?

Web design or SEO: Which comes first?  It appears to be the age-old chicken and the egg controversy if you listen to many web designers discussing this topic.  But the real question may be this.  Does one actually have to come before the other?

If you choose, you can stop reading this blog right now and call Directory One for an in-depth answer tailored to your business web design and Internet marketing needs at (800) 477-1324, or read on to learn much more about the details involved with determining whether web design or SEO comes first.

The realities of posting your business website out into the cyberspace world are that whatever service or product you are selling is also being sold by countless others.  Okay, perhaps not countless others, but typically thousands, if not millions of other companies are competing with you for the massive amount of exposure that is obtained by having a business web presence.

This fact puts web designers in high demand.  Everyone who wants their business to grow is trying to make sure that they are benefiting from advertising online.  Unfortunately, there is a very common misunderstanding regarding having a business website live online.

Why Doesn’t My Website Show Up In Internet Searches?

“If you build it they will come.”  That would be wonderful if it were true, however this is a misconception that many web designers do not attempt to explain as being a fallacy to their customers.  Yes, if you build a web page to sell a product or service that no one else in the entire world is selling, then it is likely that when people search on the key words and phrases that come to mind with regard to that offering, that you might have a chance of being located online.  However, two points must be made with regard to this concept.

-        If no one else in the world is selling it, is it really very sellable?  How will the public even know to look for it or that it exists if it is a product or service that people would actually purchase?

-        Even a brand new product line on the market will have corresponding terms that will connect with other products and services.  Your customers might try to find your new and improved product when they surf the web and come up with results about everything except what they are looking for if your website is not optimized.

Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization.  The term itself scares many business owners trying to figure out how to benefit from engaging in Internet Marketing.  To be honest, it even frightens most web designers.  When asked about SEO they will often skirt around the topic as much as possible to try and redirect the conversation to that which they do understand, basic web design.

If your website is not optimized, however, no one will be able to find it amidst the mass of other companies advertising online and using optimization methods themselves.  Your web design expenditure will be returning very little, if any of your investment and your opinion of the effect of Internet marketing will be skewed by your lack of experiencing any positive results for your company.

So, then, acknowledging the importance of SEO in partnership with web design, which comes first?

Internet Marketing and Web Design

The most effective Internet marketing campaign will partner both web design and SEO services from the very beginning of the online marketing campaign’s inception.

Details regarding what domain to choose, how to structure the HTML code and the education process that is involved from the very beginning to ensure that your website performs at the highest possible level are all pieces of information that you can only obtain by working directly with a knowledgeable SEO firm from start to finish and beyond.

Directory One provides SEO web design to help their clientele to avoid the financial pitfalls involved in working only with a web design company and then having to back-track on a large amount of work, sometimes doubling your expenses, while attempting to make your business web presence available to the public through key word and key phrase searches in the search engine results pages.

Being satisfied with just being somewhere on the Internet and hoping that your potential customer base might trip over your site by accident is not taking advantage of the profit potential awaiting you through Internet marketing.

SEO and web design must work in parallel in order to achieve the desired effect for your business.  Once your website is designed in an optimized manner, there will then be additional work to build and grow your online presence, as well as to compete with other online company listings.

Your priority should be in getting your website to the first page of Google through the various SEO methods at your disposal.  Save yourself time and money by calling Directory One today at (800) 477-1324 to build your website while at the same time optimizing your website.

Web design and search engine optimization must go hand in hand in order to receive the benefits of having an online presence.

More Informative Articles:

Domain Age and Credibility

Analytics Tools – Consulting – Education

Sitemaps for Search Engines XML

Houston Companies Average Three to Six Percent Marketing & Advertising

Key Phrase Competitiveness and Analysis

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In the weeks to come, I’ll open up my playbook and share tips & social media marketing strategies. In this first installment my social media marketing blog, I want to begin with an overview of what is possible for businesses utilizing social media marketing on social networks.

Social Media: What is it?

Before getting down & dirty in terminology; let’s quickly review what social media is. In the stone ages of the internet (you know, the late 90s!) websites tended to broadcast information to users. Yes – there was a lot of information available, and almost anyone could create it — but there wasn’t much interaction between those broadcasting information and those at the receiving end. This naturally resulted in the internet being used by businesses to communicate with their customers in a way that was pretty similar to the way they communicated with them offline. As a result websites mirrored billboards, brochures, and commercials.

Fast-forward to today and the advent of web 2.0. Open-source developments, and the exponential growth of internet technology and accessibility has allowed for the creation of two-way platforms. This means that merely broadcasting a message to your customers and potential customers just won’t cut it anymore. Interactive marketing is the name of the game. While some may view this as a challenge – in reality, it’s a tremendous opportunity to connect with your customers! Consult with a social media marketing company and learn about the endless possibilities available to your company for interactive marketing!

Social Media Marketing in Small Bites: Social Networks

While the width and breadth of social media marketing (and the possibilities it creates) is tremendous — let’s begin by breaking-down the top-two social networking sites for businesses wishing to reach a large audience : Facebook and Twitter.  These are two social networks with demographics that are appropriate for most businesses; and also social networks that provide a platform that is suitable for interacting with customers.

Facebook for Business:

Facebook continues its assault on the internet-as-we-knew it. The rapid growth of the site as seen it transition smoothly from mostly college-age users; to the point where most new users are 35 and up! Globally, more than 6 billion minutes a day are spent on the social networking site. 6 Billion! That’s pretty incredible.

More and more businesses are getting savvy to the fact that Facebook is somewhere they need to be! If you’re not there – chances are pretty good your competitor is. A social media marketing agency can walk you through the possibilities for engaging with a huge (and highly-targetable by demographic) audience on Facebook. Some Facebook for business solutions include: Facebook business pages, Facebook advertising, and specialty application development.

Twitter for Business:

Twitter is another social network phenomenon. It’s growth thus far in 2009? 1,300%! Twitter is essentially a micro-blogging site in which people communicate with each other in 140 character bursts of information. Many businesses are entering into the Twitter arena. But very few businesses are doing in right. In part this has to do with the unique user-culture that has emerged on Twitter – businesses that log on and blast away with promotional materials are quickly ostracized. The way to success for businesses on Twitter is by adopting the communication techniques of the community. A social media marketing company in Houston can help you map a strategy that will yield results.

Social Media Marketing: More to Come!

Stay-tuned right here for more in-depth social media marketing tips and insights. If you have any questions you’d like me to tackle; please leave a comment below or email me at Jenn@directoryone.com

Ready to Learn More about Social Media Marketing?

Social Media Marketing: How to Avoid Culture Shock

Social Media Marketing & Your Business’s Message

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Organic Marketing Benefits

Organic marketing benefits include dominating the Internet pages for search results relating to key terms that your consumers are searching on in order to purchase your product or service, if you contact the top SEO company Directory One by calling (800) 477-1324.

When thousands of competitive links are listed as a reference in the search engine, effective organic marketing will not only bring your company’s listing to the top, but also push a number of your competitors right off of the first page of search results.  How would you like for your customer base to search and find you to be the only option or at least 5 out of 10 of the options that they see in the results that come up on the first page?

With a diversified organic marketing campaign, this is a possibility for your company.

Google’s I’m Feeling Lucky

Google has a feature in their search engines called “I’m feeling lucky.”  You may have seen this when doing your Internet searches.  There are actually thousands of people daily who click on this instead of the basic search button after typing in a keyword phrase.

When your customer clicks on the “I’m feeling lucky” button in Google, they will not be taken to a page of 10 different search result links the way that they are directed when they click on the basic search.

“I’m feeling lucky” will actually take the potential client directly into the website that is listed as the first organic listing on the regular search results page.  This means that every single customer of yours who clicks that feature does not even see any of the paid advertising listed in the top and side bar of the Google search engine.  Nor do they see any of the two through ten links on the search results page.

The only thing that searcher will be seeing is the actual website that was listed at the top of Google search’s free or organic listings.  They will not see pay per click ads.  They will not see yellow pages ads.  They will not even see the Google maps ads that always come up at the top of the search engine results above the organic listings.  Your customers will only see the actual website of that first place organic link.

Importance of Organic Marketing

These facts mentioned above demonstrates the utmost importance that you should place on your organic Internet marketing campaign.  With a regular monthly service such as Directory One provides, your company can be brought to the top of the organic search listings and even remain there.

Using only integrity-driven methods has given Directory One the credibility it needs to help our customers develop and maintain top search engine listing results.

If you are serious about your Internet marketing campaign, you will employ the services of Directory One to receive organic marketing benefits today.  Call us to learn more about the multi-faceted Internet marketing campaign offerings we will utilize to assist your company at (800) 477-1324.

Your customers are looking for you right now.  Make sure to help them in their search!

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