Need More Followers ? Here's How...

Today it is more crucial than ever to use all mediums to gain search engine optimization and exposure. As time passes by visuals are just as important as articles and videos are on fire. Blogs should be a foundation for everything else like a show case or vehicle.

What you need for optimum exposure.

A Social Media Marketing Plan
                Not all social media sites are good for all businesses; you would go crazy trying to harness everything. However, when you know the goal of your business, you can build a strategy that will allow you to connect with customers and network with some amazing people.

A Blog
                I started long ago when blogs were first introduced, but I can tell you that it has given me a voice and I have shown from my articles, I an expert in my field. I have attracted clients from as far as Australia. Don’t underestimate the power of a blog.

Images
                Images are huge draws and can really help you get followers to your business social media sites. I find that images with quotes are especially popular. Remember when you name your images to use keywords that will help with your SEO.

Videos
                If you are on the Internet at all, you know that videos are gaining in popularity. There are so many ways to make videos and places to put them.  YouTube being the most popular, but if you Google you will find many more. One of the newest video sites has been started by Twitter it is called Periscope. How it works is that you can record your video, and it will be live online for 24 hours then it is gone.  You have a choice of saving it once it is gone so you can re-post it to a video directory.

SlideShare
                This is a really neat social media site – and it is largely professionals so if you are a business to business company you want to take advantage of this awesome visual medium.

Newsletter – Email (Get Response)
                Newsletters and emails are really important – it helps to have an auto responder, and once that is in place it is much easier to keep connected to people that are interested in what you have to offer. It does take some time to set up a campaign, but it is well worth it. I use " Get Response" for email blasts and setting up campaigns when people sign up for free information.

Podcasts

                  I have to admit I have not started doing podcasts yet – but as you can see  if you have ever listened to a pod cast it is a very powerful tool that will build your business – and take it to the next level.  It shows that you are an expert in your field and when you interview other professionals, you will gain their listeners as well.     

To success beyond measure and friendships that last a lifetime…

Pamela Jacob Artista Design 
8 Crucial Steps to Social Media Dominance (Free) + Bonus

Follow me on: Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+ 

SEO and all that Jazz!

The other day I received an email from a previous client that really disturbed me. Now I am really not very thin skinned and have been in this business a long, long time, so I can handle most any situation.

Most of my clients are fabulous – every once in a while there is a client that you try to please, and you go above and beyond the call of duty and they still question what has been done.

This client whom I had built a website for and did make sure her website was search engine optimized – emailed me with a scathing letter on what I had not done for her as far as back end keywords and meta tags etc. It seems that another web person had told her that these things had not been done.

Believe me, we went through and did it, and did it, and did it… IF you know what I mean…

The kicker to this story is she had another very professional person go through this website (right after we built it) with a fine tooth comb and all of these things had been done – according to an independent study (someone other than myself) she even has the report.

Why am I telling you this?

Understanding search engine optimization – is something that is sometimes very challenging. Things do change on a regular basis, for instance in studying the latest from the expert's, Google ignores the meta description tag and instead will automatically generate its own description for your pages.

A lot of people know nothing about this – and depend on experts to tell them what to do. Make sure you know and trust who you talk to. Moreover, things change so what is true today may change tomorrow.

Some experts tell you to only index a few main pages – then you will get a higher ranking – most say to use a site map so the spiders from search engines can index all the links.

So what is a website owner supposed to do?

Even though Google reportedly gets about 85% of the share of searches, there are a lot of search engines that are extremely popular.

Yahoo and MSN are searched by millions. In addition, what about the niche search engines that are particularly important if you are in a niche market??

All of the search engines have slightly different criteria so why not just cover all of your bases?

Do it all - the meta tags, alt tags, and remember the page titles are extremely important.

Most of all remember once your have your website – complete with all SEO criteria – submit them to search engines!!

For a free check list of SEO components go to my website and download it.

To your success.

Pamela Jacob - Artista Design

$1M Sales Letters - oops squeeze page…

SECRETS OF MILLION DOLLAR SALES LETTERS

That’s all a squeeze page is after all!

I purchased this article that was in a article pack some years ago – I bought it for the purpose of getting idea’s for articles as well as being able to research subjects that I wanted to learn about. I was cleaning out my computer folder – and just as I was getting in the mode (I am sure you can all relate!) to throw away the junk. I decided to open up this folder one more time – I saw the title $1M sales letters.doc I just had to open it… The interesting thing is that as I read it, I realized a squeeze page is just a sales letter that you develop on the internet and send out through e-mail! So I plucked out the pieces that are relevant and always will be… I have refurbished the letter with all the valid points that still hold true – and added some of my own comments in about writing a successful squeeze page. If you would like the original article – perhaps you would like to send out an actual sells letter in the mail email me and I will send you the full article Pamela@artistadesign.com. The actual article does have a lot more about print and brochures etc… Here is the tried and true formula of a sales letter oops squeeze page… Regardless of what you're trying to sell, you really can't sell it without "talking" with your prospective buyer. In attempting to sell anything on the Internet, the sales letter (squeeze page) you send out is when and how you talk to your prospect. All winning sales letters (squeeze pages) "talk" to the prospect by creating an image in the mind of the reader. They set "the scene" by appealing to a desire or need; and then they flow smoothly into the "visionary" part of the sales pitch by describing in detail how "wonderful" life will be and, how "good" the prospect is going to feel after the product or service is purchased. This is the "body or guts" of a sales letter (squeeze page). Overall, a winning sales letter (squeeze page) follows a time-tested and proven formula:

• Get your visitors attention
• Get your visitor interested in what you can do for them
• Make them desire the benefits of your products.
• Create Urgency – an action step - tell him to click the right button or send for whatever it is you're selling without delay - any procrastination on there part might cause him to lose out.

This is called the "AIDA" formula (Attention, Interest, Desire and Action) - it works. Another thing – have customers testimonials tucked in – with pictures I am sure you have seen that as well… The "inside secret" is to make your squeeze page/landing page so interesting, and "visionary" with the benefits you're offering to the reader, that they can't resist reading it all the way through. You break up the "work" of reading by using short, punchy sentences, underlining important points you're trying to make, with the use of sub-headlines, indentations and even the use of a second color, and leaving lots of white space around it. If you are more than just a squeeze page one hit wonder you may want to put your URL on the page. In fact unless you want to be like some of those squeeze pages I see that look like the carnival barkers – and I am sure most of you know what I mean – the kind you cannot get rid of – You may want to put your web site –email and other contact information on the page. This kind of open display of your honesty will give you credibility and dispel the thought of you being just another "fly-by-night" mail order company (squeeze page manufacturer) in the mind of your prospect. Once the product is paid for if it is a digital product - eBook or software it should be instantly downloadable. Sometime we make things so complicated that we fail to see the simplicity in it all I hope this article helps – simplify the process of developing your squeeze page/landing page! To Your Success! Pamela - Artista Design