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+ 

Squeeze pages, Opt in-boxes, Auto responders HELP!

Unless you have been living under a rock you should know that your database is gold and one of the most important things you can have on your website. FYI – opt in-box is just another name for and auto responder.

No matter how great your site is people get distracted and your visitor can be gone before you know it. That is why you need to collect information through an opt in-box (auto responder).

Capturing the names of visitors that come to your site only makes sense, you need to understand a simple fact, most visitors who come to you website will visit about 6 times before they decide to buy anything. The person who signs up, for your freebie is someone who is interested in what you have to offer, they simply do not know if they should trust you – or even if you know what you are talking about.
  Caution: Make sure and reassure you visitor you will not be selling, trading or other wise using their information for anything other than what they are signing up for…

This being said – it is essential to have it on our website(s), but have you ever thought about developing a squeeze page – and using this explosive combination! The value of a squeeze page is you can micro - target your market and get people who are extremely interested in what you are offering.

This is why using a squeeze page with an Opt in-box (getting permission to follow up with your visitors) can be so powerful.

What is a Squeeze Page?
A squeeze page – that gives away something of value in return for information is one of the most important things you can do for your business.
Consider it a marketing page that distributes information of value FREE. And in return will give people a sense of your expertise and/or credibility in the market place.
A squeeze page is really a 'trading' page - you are trading something of value to your visitor and they in turn give you information about themselves.

Why do businesses use squeeze pages?
They help target and capture potential clientele that are interested in your product and service. The most valuable squeeze page will combine two elements – offer the visitor a product at a discount and even when they don’t purchase the item, give them something of value for FREE… The visitor that signs up will be able to go away with a valuable piece of information. You will then have their information to thank them for visiting – and to announce other specials in the future.
Can you see why having a squeeze page can be invaluable? Having an auto responder, to collect information that you need, being able to market to that person, keeping your company/business name in front of them, letting them know when you have specials (etc.) is essential, for both a squeeze page and website.
It should be an integral part of you online marketing strategy.

Squeeze page Layout:
Keep the layout simple and to the point.
It is important to capture (opt in-box) only the minimum amount of information needed for the follow up - name; email address is all you really need.
Asking for state, country or phone should only be done later after they commit to more than the "freebie".
People are often reluctant to give up a phone number - especially on the first contact. They fear being put on lists or being called at all hours of the day or night.
It is important the visitor understand his/her information will be kept confidential. Remember that you can, and should, acquire more information as you develop the relationship between you and your customer.
You can make your own squeeze page but I am tired of seeing the same old page again and again… Are you??
Hire a designer to build a professional template squeeze page for you. This is especially important if you are not technically savvy. The cost of a good squeeze page is an excellent investment and well worth the money.
Make the effort to monitor your page by putting Google analytics or your favorite statistics code in the page. I love Google analytics because it is free and you can find amazing things about your visitors. If you don’t have a lot of visitors or people are coming and not signing up – you will be able to see what is happening. You can then go and tweak your page.

Graphics & Content:
Graphics are important – I am a visual person so I really love to see a page that is attractive and modern. Copy – I am sure you have heard often – sell the sizzle not the steak. That may be true with the first page of your website but a squeeze page is different.
This page is should be very targeted and direct. Let your visitors know exactly what this information or product will do for them.

Put your picture and a short bio somewhere on the page, this will lend credibility to your offer, what a great way to introduce yourself to first time visitors. Don’t forget to link back to your web site.
You need a high quality offer to entice the visitor to hand over her/his information. It should be something that is valuable – don’t be afraid to share – I promise it will come back to you ten times over.

Free reports are great items for squeeze pages. And these items need not be your product but can be products for which you are an affiliate.The information you are offering is only limited to your imagination – Example – lets say you are a sculptor and you don’t have a clue what to offer… What about the history of a famous piece of sculpture?

I guarantee anyone who is attracted to your page will want that information…
See what I mean. Be creative – put in the best keywords – send them out to search engines, tweet about your page – tell your friends on FriendFeed – and what about FaceBook, >LinkedIn, Plaxo…

The possibilities are endless. Need I say more?? Pamela Jacob - Artista Design Check some of my sites! http://linkbun.ch/6ymj

Your Secret to Online Success – Keeping Your Visitors Informed…

You’ve probably heard it said, and it is very true, that it is cheaper to keep a customer than to get a new one. But have you considered how that saying still holds water when you’re talking about traffic to your site?

Once you get someone to visit your site, the expensive part of the transaction is over.

But what is next?

Once they’ve visited, how do you keep your visitors coming back?

Once they’ve made a purchase, how do you keep them as regular customers?

If you want your visitors to come back, take a minute to consider why they came to you in the first place.

Was it for your great content? Was it for technical help or some other service? Was it to get something for free?

Whatever reason brought your visitor the first time could be the key to getting that all-important repeat visit.

But how will your visitors know they can return and get more of what they want?

You’re going to capture their email addresses so you can tell them so, and you’re going to tell them over and over again.

Maintaining an email list of previous site visitors and customers is an integral part of building your online business. Through your email list you can keep these clients informed about new and exciting offers, information and freebies you’ve placed on your web site since their last visit.

Your email list will be the tool you use to keep your site in the forefront of your clients’ minds.

There are two basic types of tools internet marketers use to manage an email list, an autoresponder or a broadcast script.

An autoresponder is just like the name sounds, it automatically sends responses to someone who has subscribed. You can have these responses timed to just about any interval and you can set them up in advance to send out messages for days, weeks, months or years to come.

A broadcast script is used to send out emails to your list as you write them; you could use this to send out announcements on a sporadic basis, or you could publish a regular newsletter.

Some online auto response scripts allow you to perform a combination of these tasks, sending out regular pre-written emails through the autoresponder and adding occasional broadcasts whenever you want.

Most internet marketing gurus recommend using a hosted service like a hosted solution with its own mail servers, my recommendations would be using Aweber (http://www.aweber.com/) or GetResponse (http://www.getresponse.com/) because these services have an excellent track record of actually delivering emails.

With the proliferation of spam filters, it can be difficult to get emails through, even to those who actually want to hear from you.

A free option would be to send out broadcast emails by starting a private Yahoo Group (http://groups.yahoo.com/) or Google Group (http://groups.google.com/).

No matter what avenue you decide to take – remember that your data-base is gold and you want to keep and maintain your clients. That is one of the secrets of a highly successful business..

For Help with All Aspects Of Your Business Go To Artista Design