Tees In A Pod: 10 tips

Thursday, August 12, 2010

4 Ways Of Internet Marketing

Businesses are always striving to rank higher in Google, to build stronger relationships with customers, and to stay profitable, to name just a few. One way businesses have chosen to achieve these goals and challenges is by marketing online. For some of us, understanding the way in which internet marketing works, is not always clear and can end up hurting our company rather then boosting it's online exposure. The first step, is in knowing what internet marketing is and why it is important for your business.

Internet Marketing: What is it all about?
Internet Marketing is where your business can reach a global audience to bring exposure, awareness, and attention to products and services your company offers. A couple of the unique features Internet Marketing offers, due to it being an interactive medium, is in providing instant responses to customers and in getting instant responses from customers. Internet marketing is mostly free and can bring traffic to your website that may not have been possible without it.
Internet Marketing: How to use it?
Here are 4 ways in which your business can use internet marketing to reach potential customers. Included below, is list of some Tees In A Pod Blog posts you might find useful in understanding and sustaining these 4 ways of Internet Marketing:

1. Search Engine Marketing - is in promoting your business' website to greater it's visibility on Search Engine Result Pages (also known as SERP's) when potential customers put keywords in the search engine. So when promoting your site be sure to use targeted and specific keywords that you think customers would put into search engines for your website to appear on the search engine results page.

How To Market Your Brand - 9 Marketing Tips and Ideas

2. Search Engine Optimization - is by promoting your website or webpage to rank higher in search engines through organic or unpaid search results.

What Does SMO and SEO Really Mean?

Finding High Page Rank Sites For Backlinks

Follow The Linker: Backlinks

6 Onsite SEO Tips That Can Improve Your Rank!

3. Web Banners OR Banner Ads - is by placing an ad on a webpage to bring traffic to a website by linking the ad to the advertising site. One way is to use Social Media Sites such as Facebook to create ads and to gain a large amount of exposure.

Facebook Ad Tips

4. Email Marketing - is a way of direct marketing in communicating commercial services, etc. by sending electronic mail to a specific audience.

Be careful when using this tactic for too many emails can be considered spamming.

10 Ways For Businesses To Promote Without Spamming

Most of the tools used through Internet Marketing is free and is mostly about understanding the way in which to design a website, interacting with customers, creating links, placing ads on proper sites, and by knowing more about the expectations of search engines in order to improve your websites ranking. One great way to figure out if your business is already using these 4 internet marketing ways, is by creating a checklist to see what you may or may not need to do, to bring more traffic to your site and to create online exposure.

Let Tees In A Pod know if there is a specific topic and/or information you'd like us to cover, be it, more details regarding Internet Marketing or any other! We always love to hear from YOU!!

Written By: Amanda Ryan, Creature Creations, Personalized Photo Gifts

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

10 Tips On How To Make Facebook Work For Your Business

There are over 400 Million active users on Facebook, in which 50% log on each day, as given in the 2010 Facebook Statistics. From the 400 Million, 160 Million users are actively involved in pages, groups, and events during their daily activities. Knowing these facts, helps in recognizing the importance of using Facebook for your business. Some companies may already have a "fan/business page" on Facebook, but are not using it to its full potential. While others may be contemplating using it, but just don't know where to start.

Here are 10 ways to use Facebook for your business:

1. Take advantage of filling out your page's profile (also known as "Info" tab). Let users have the ability to get to know your business better through your Facebook page. Within the write up about your business and within the products section, be sure to include keywords relative to your company, which will make your page easier to find when users are searching Facebook using those specific keywords. Also, be sure to add not only your website link in the section provided on the profile page, but other links (like Twitter, Blog, etc) where fans/likers can find you.

2. Make a Facebook "Vanity" URL so that users can find your business' page easier. Usually, Facebook pages are made up of long url's that are very difficult to remember. Once your page reaches 10 or more fans/likers, you can create a Vanity URL which shortens your pages link and makes it easier to remember and share.

3. Share company activities on your business' Facebook Wall. Using your status updates as a way to connect with those on your page helps in building relationships between your fans/likers and your business. Ex: ABC Business is helping in creating a logo for 123 Business, etc. Also, post what your business is doing. Ex: ABC Business is doing a Webinar on 03/05/2005 and invite people to join in. Update your status on a regular basis, 2-3 posts a day at the most is best.

4. Use Facebook with other social networking sites, like Twitter. Ex: A Follower Tweets a question regarding your business. Write up an answer within a blog post then post it on your Facebook page, and tweet out that the answer can be found here with a link to your Facebook Page. This helps in connecting those on Twitter (or other social networking sites) to Facebook and to explore other places your business can be found online and follow you there too.

5. Search for and join other business pages and groups that are related to your business. If you run a T-shirt store, join other T-shirt/merchandise business pages to connect with those who may have fans/likers that could also be interested in what you're selling.

6. If just starting out on Facebook for your business, be careful in what you name your Business Page. Once you've chosen the name for your page, it cannot be changed. Make sure the name you want to use, is the name you are willing to keep. Otherwise, you would have to delete that page and start from the beginning which can make things a lot more difficult for your fans/likers and in establishing your business on Facebook.

7. Post discounts, promotions, and sales to your Business Facebook wall. This will allow your fans/likers to be aware of the deals happening within your business and it keeps them in the loop. This will also help in creating possible sales through marketing your products on Facebook. Your business may also want to post sales that have happened to let fans/likers also be included in your successes.

8. Post relevant photos that are business related to your Facebook Page. Showing customers photos of "Employee of the Month", "Casual Fridays" or other types of company photos, helps in building relationships and allowing customers to get to know the people behind the business better.

9. Integrate and use applications that are useful to your business on your Facebook Page. Add a Twitter feed or blog feed, etc. to let users see what's happening on other sites your business uses. (Be careful not to add too much content for it can become overwhelming to your fans/likers if there is too much to look at on your Facebook Page.)

10. If you have a personal Facebook Page, it may be important for you to keep your personal information private by using the Facebook Privacy Settings. If there is something you don't want your fans/likers or other companies to see or get a hold of, correct/change the settings to reflect this.

Using Facebook as a place where customers can connect with you, learn more about your business and about the products it offers; strengthens your relationships with customers as well as build new ones. Use these 10 tips as a way to make Facebook work for your business!

Let us, Tees In A Pod know how you use Facebook for your business! Will or have you used any of these tips listed here? Leave us a comment on our blog or visit our Facebook Page and let us know.

Written By: Amanda Ryan, Creature Creations, Personalized Photo Gifts