Eric Brantner
SEO Content Writer

Did you have a busy week that didn’t give you enough time to keep up with the latest internet marketing news? Never fear, the Friday internet marketing roundup is here! Okay, that was cheesy, but the point is here are a few of the top blog posts from the past week.

From the Directory One Blog

• It’s no secret that we’re living in some tough economic times. Because of this, many companies are reconsidering their spending habits. However, I think that internet marketing during a recession is absolutely necessary. Now is the time to take care of the past marketing mistakes of your company. Remember, marketing is not an expense; it’s an investment for the future of your brand.

• As you know, I’m a huge advocate of always furthering your SEO education. That’s why I created a list of the 5 best free SEO eBooks. All of these books have useful information that can help you propel your site to the top of the search engine rankings. If you’re always learning, you’ll have a better chance of creating a well-rounded online marketing strategy.

• The benefits of social media marketing are limitless. You get to connect with your audience on a personal basis, and you can increase your online visibility exponentially. However, to get the most out of your social media marketing efforts, you need to understand how to create content for social media sites.

From Around the Web

• The importance of Twitter has been a hot topic of discussion recently. In this post, Ann Smarty of Search Engine Journal talks about 16 huge brands currently using Twitter to promote their business. The fact that these big corporations are getting in on the Twitter bandwagon just proves how effective this tool can be for increasing your online exposure.

• Is your blog suffering from a lack of comments? Follow these 9 easy tips to get more blog comments. Next thing you know, your blog will be buzzing with great conversation from a loyal reader base.

• If you’re just starting out as a blogger, it can be easy to get overwhelmed with building a successful online presence. Here are several suggestions for beginning bloggers. Follow these tips to get your blog on the right path toward success.

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Eric Brantner
SEO Content Writer

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard the horror stories about the economy. There’s no doubt we’re in difficult economic times, and it’s necessary for everyone to rethink their spending habits.

However, it’s important to make sure you’re cutting spending in the right areas. Marketing isn’t one of the places you should be looking to cut spending. In fact, I believe Internet marketing is more important now than ever before.

Here are a few reasons to support this statement.

• Higher ROI- One of the most attractive things about Internet marketing is the potentially unlimited ROI. With traditional marketing, you pretty much know the results you’ll get for your marketing dollar. With SEO and other online marketing, the potential ROI is unlimited. Good online positioning is an investment that will continue to pay off for years to come. During a recession, it’s necessary to get the most out of your marketing budget. Internet marketing gives you the best chance for maximizing your ROI.

• Undo Past Mistakes- When business is good, it’s easy to get lazy with your marketing efforts. Sure, you’re making a lot of money at the time, but it doesn’t mean you’re doing everything right. An economic recession presents the perfect opportunity for you to correct your past marketing mistakes. During this downtime, you can create a unified marketing theme that separates your brand from its competitors.

• Positioning for Post-Recession- Things won’t always be like they are now. The economy goes through its ups and downs over the years. Now is the perfect time to position your company as an industry leader. Your marketing efforts will pay off tremendously when the economy recovers and people are more willing to spend money. It’s all about planning ahead!

Don’t succumb to the tough economic times. Remember, your image is important. Show the consumers that your brand is resilient and that you’re still the best choice in your field.

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Eric Brantner
SEO Content Writer

As always, I’d like to start this post out by saying you should really consider subscribing to both our RSS feed and the feeds of the blogs I link out to. Education is the key to implementing a sound SEO strategy. The more you learn, the more well rounded your online marketing will be.

Here are a few of the best posts from this blog and those around the web.

From the Directory One Blog

• Earlier this week, I gave out 5 tips for a good call to action. The bottom line is you need to focus on creating good calls to action that make readers become loyal customers. Without a call to action, your website visitors will passively scan your website before moving on to another site.

• Are you using Twitter to promote your brand? If so, you should read this post about 5 deadly mistakes Tweeters make. All of these mistakes can undo a lot of the hard work you’ve put into building your brand. Follow these tips to turn Twitter into a powerful brand building tool.

• I know we always say that content is king, but the truth is how you present your content is just as important. Great website copy is more than words. Make sure you’re presenting your content in a format that accommodates online readers. This will help increase your conversions and your bottom line.
From Around the Web

• Does writing a good SEO article in 15 minutes sound too good to be true? Dave Snyder shows us how to create solid, search friendly content in just a few short minutes. With the importance of providing the search engines with fresh content on a regular basis, this is a great resource for getting the most out of your content.

• One common complaint I hear regularly is that writers are struggling to get people to read their content. Want to know the key to getting your content read? It’s all about the title. Without a good title, you don’t stand a chance of separating yourself from the thousands of competitors vying for reader attention.

• Does your Facebook page just sit there doing nothing for your business? If so, you need to read these 5 tips for promoting your business page on Facebook. If I’ve said it once I’ve said it 1000 times—social networking is a powerful tool for promoting your brand and increasing your visibility. Get the most out of your social marketing efforts!

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Eric Brantner

SEO Content Writer

It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve done one of these. Things got a little hectic last week with our friend, Hurricane Ike.

From the Directory One Blog

• Speaking of Hurricane Ike, I thought it would be a good idea to talk about cleaning up the image of your brand. Whether you recently suffered a PR nightmare or you just need some spring cleaning, this post will help you get the restoration process started. Remember, image is increasingly important in the ever expanding online market. Give your brand the image it deserves.

 
• On Thursday, Herb Firestone wrote a post titled Top Ten Google Chrome Blog Posts. I know I’m one of those people who have been holding out on downloading the new Google web browser until I hear more opinions on it. Thankfully, Herb helped out by linking out to 10 different opinions on the browser. It’s very informative for anyone on the fence.

From Around the Web

• One of my favorite bloggers, Dave Snyder, made a great post giving his perspective on Internet marketing through Goodfellas’ quotes. Since Goodfellas is one of my favorite movies of all time, I absolutely loved this post. Any fans of the movie will definitely enjoy this entertaining piece.

 
• We’ve had several discussions on here about how social media can help your PR efforts. Chris Winfield, of Search Engine Land, recently made a post going into deeper detail on the subject. I highly recommend reading this to anyone who’s concerned about improving their brand’s image and reach online. The benefits of social media are limitless. Get in on it today.

 
• Have you stopped to think about how blogging became so darn popular? Alex, of Blogsessive, identifies the top 5 reasons blogging rocked our world. As a blogging addict, I enjoyed this post because it helps me realize why I do what I do. In the end, it all boils down to us wanting to improve ourselves through interacting with one another.

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Eric Brantner
SEO Content Writer

As many of you may know, Directory One is located in Houston. As you’re well aware, Hurricane Ike recently dropped by for a visit. Since the whole city is in cleanup mode, I thought it’d be a good time to discuss ways to cleanup the image of your brand.

 
When did you last step back and take a look at your brand as a whole? Many times, we get so caught up in promoting our brand that we forget to think about the bigger picture. What exactly are we promoting? What do potential consumers see when they take a look at our brand?

 
Here are a few tips for cleaning up your brand.

 
• Update Your Content- I really hate the saying, but it’s true—Content is King. If you’re cleaning up your brand’s image, content might be the most important place to start. Is your website full of boring, static content from years ago? Give your content a facelift. Create new, relevant content that is consistent with the image you’re trying to build. You’ll be surprised at how effective quality copywriting is at restoring your image.

 
• Build Unified Image- One thing many brands need to pay attention to is the visual aspects of their brand. It’s simply not enough to have a cool design. You need to build a cohesive theme that runs throughout all of your marketing collateral. Everything from your website design to the packaging of your products should present a unified image that sets you apart from other companies. Something that consumers can immediately identify with your brand.

 
• Update Social Networks- Too many brands get in the habit of opening social networking accounts and then forgetting about them. Remember, these profiles are direct representations of your brand. If people see you disregard them, they could start to think your company is slacking off. Put a consistent effort into building a strong presence on these sites, and you brand will be better off because of it.

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Eric Brantner

SEO Content Writer

Marketing your company on the Internet can be a complicated assignment. Potential customers come in contact with you through many different online avenues: social networks, articles directories, press releases, blogs, PPC ads, and your website.

Consistency is one of the most overlooked facets of Internet marketing. Many companies are so focused on getting their name out as often as possible they forget about building a consistent brand image.

Here are a few benefits of Internet marketing consistency.

• Creates Trust- Even though an ever increasing number of consumers are using the Internet for shopping, it’s still difficult for companies to earn their customers trust through a computer screen. People tend to be a bit more cautious when dealing with a brand online—especially one they’ve never heard of. By having a consistent marketing platform, customers will begin to trust your company because consistency breeds legitimacy.

• Establishes Relationships- Through consistency, you can also build relationships with potential customers. These users begin to learn your message, and over time, they identify with it. Consistent themes help visitors feel as if they’re speaking with one person from your company. In a way, it’s as if the two of you are having a conversation.

• Builds Brands- Most importantly, consistency builds successful brands. If your online visitors are constantly exposed to the same themes and messages, they’ll begin to associate those with your company. It’s the same technique companies have used for years. Take Target for instance. All of Target’s commercials employ the same type of backdrops and music. That way, you know it’s a Target commercial within the first seconds of it hitting the air. Using consistency for your business can create the same type of brand recognition.

So, we’ve identified what consistency can do for your brand, but how do you create it?

Follow these tips to build a strong, consistent brand.

• Copywriting- Consistent copywriting might be the most effective way to build a strong brand online. Nearly all of your Internet marketing efforts boil down to copywriting. Whether it’s on your website, blog, social network, or articles, you need to create a consistent style throughout. As I mentioned earlier, consistent copywriting establishes relationships with potential customers. They’ll feel comfortable knowing they’re dealing with the same person at all times.

• Design- By taking a consistent approach to your website layout and design, your visitors will feel more comfortable navigating throughout your website. Comfort is essential to converting visitors. If a website visitor isn’t comfortable when they land on your site, they’ll leave immediately for another page. Make them stick around by using a consistent web design.

• Avatars- The benefits of social networking are limitless. One of these is you can build a strong brand through them. One way to do this is to use the same avatar throughout all the social networks- Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Myspace, Digg, etc. This way, people will instantly associate the avatar with your brand. Switching it up between several avatars won’t allow consumers to recognize you as easily.

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