SEO PR TIPS

This has just happened today

1. My friend and colleague Samia “Likes” Pop Boutique on Facebook
2. I MSN her excitedly that I am wearing a dress from Pop Boutique today
3. I also “Like” Pop Boutique
4. I visit their website http://www.pop-boutique.com/ from Facebook, browse a bit and add myself to the mailing list
5. Samia has visited the London store and can’t place where the Leeds one is, so I go to Google Maps and use the Streetview to show her where it is.  Samia plans a shopping trip.
6. I write up this piece and post in on our blog
7. I tweet about this
8. I add it to my Facebook
9. Samia and I discuss Pop Boutique some more – we are both planning shopping trips
10. BINGO – Social Media Marketing for fashion definitely works…

PS – We are not connected to Pop Boutique in any way, shape or form – we are just fans.

PPS – We are more than happy to hear from anyone from Pop Boutique if they would like to get in touch

Web traffic can be improved in many different ways, depending on your needs and budget. Through PR there are several options to use:

Continue Reading »

Social media campaigns are popping up all over the web from businesses in all types of industry. It is essential not to rush into such campaigns, you have to think about how you are going to develop your strategy, what you want to achieve etc and from research, how you are going to achieve it.

Continue Reading »

As social media is playing a more active part in many organisations, WebCertain MD, Andy Atkins-Kruger decided to hold a Twitter Training session, the idea being to maximise website traffic and to enhance company engagement with their audience. After all, social media is a cost-effective marketing solution with real time search benefits.

Continue Reading »

Do you have blocked or runny nose? Are your eyes itchy and uncomfortable? If so, you are probably one of 40 million* people in the UK suffering from hayfever and the summer months are the most uncomfortable for sufferers.

* Figure plucked out of the air for purely illustrative purposes

Continue Reading »

The opportunities and threats of marketing through Twitter

At the Social Media International Search Summit hosted by WebCertain in London on Thursday 14 May, I gave a presentation on the use of Twitter as a marketing tool.  Twitter is definitely a “marmite” concept – it divides people.  There are some who have embraced it with almost religious zeal and it provokes red-faced rage in others.

Continue Reading »

The fourth International Search Summit hosted by WebCertain is taking place at the moment.  This conference is focussed on Social Media.  Whether you weren’t able to attend, or just want a reminder of what was said – here’s an overview…

Also follow #isslon on Twitter for live updates.

Continue Reading »

The use of social networking and blogging is growing increasingly popular every day, with more and more people looking to find reviews and true product knowledge on all topics. From finding what a specific holiday destination is truly like from real life experience of a blogger, to using Twitter for recommendations of restaurants and cafes in a certain city. The use of online networking has escalated to new heights, in a positive way; this will continue to rise in the future.

Blogs and forums are used to promote products / services and to inform people about issues which you may need to research about a product, or for example, DIY to give you up-to-date information. Many people use forums to get information they need, not necessarily to join one. News stories from bloggers aren’t always dependable, although many people do find blogs for product reviews.

Social media is also advantageous in real life experiences, i.e. following selected people on Twitter can be beneficial, as Jenny, our online news and PR manager discovered. Also, the news on the Hudson Plane crash posted on Twitter was passed around the world faster than any of the media coverage on satellite or cable TV.

With social networking you tend to build your own portfolio and web presence, creating links to people you know or people who may be of interest to you, generating a network, whether personal or professional.

Blogging is all about giving your opinion on a subject and can be more educational, unless you have your own site you’re not going to be building a web presence. Blogging can go from giving your opinion on a subject matter to reviews of products or services.

Both blogging and social networking are very different, yet can offer the similar routes to problem solving and product knowledge, getting you the information you need.

Social media is a concept 2 years ago I wasn’t really interested in, I knew it existed, yet I didn’t really know anything about it and I didn’t really want to. I reluctantly joined Facebook to view my friends photo’s from her travels around the globe, and then got hooked! Over those 2 years in which I have been interested in social media, I think it has been catapulted into the limelight (from my perspective anyway, you may disagree), and now there is no escaping it!

The development of design, content, links, networking and media coverage of social media has improved enormously, it’s well documented and new innovations are continually being introduced. Social networking is a phenomenon I never thought I would get into, never mind checking my profile and searching for friends regularly, this was more so when I first signed up.

Online profiling on such networking sites as, Myspace, Facebook, Twitter or any type of blogging sites will enhance and develop your profile across the web, depending of course on your privacy settings. Content quality and use of keywords all effects how you rank in search engines, such as Google.

The following selection of tips may enhance your visibility and optimization…
1. Include good quality content
2. Utilise any links to other sites you blog on etc
3. Update your blog / social networking site regularly
4. Use keywords to enhance ranking capabilities.

Over the past few months my colleagues have been talking about Twitter, I didn’t really want to join another social network, (having one I thought was enough work for me), and a couple of months ago I decided I had had enough and finally gave in.

I cannot begin to tell you how much I have benefited from joining Twitter – from a work/industry perspective anyway. As I mentioned in an earlier entry I am fairly new to the world of PR and SEO, following people on Twitter who have much experience and sharing links / articles on related topics has helped me immensely.

I often find with social networking some can people become obsessed over it, depending on whether it’s used for social or business purposes…. Is it ok to be obsessed with it? What do you think? Am I alone with this perspective? And have you tried typing your name in Google to see where / if you rank?

What are the “Golden Rules of Social Media and Internet Marketing”

1) Listen: listen and observe, see what’s being said online and how you can participate

2) Participate: join in, share stuff, be helpful

3) Give first, ask later. The best rule of thumb is to give more than you take.

4) Dialog: communicate, remember the cocktail party example

5) Don’t try and do everything: it’s not always a great idea to have 35 social networking sites. Get only as many as you can manage

6) Leave your wallet at the door: don’t show up online wanting to make money. Show up ready to share and enlighten. This will take you much further.

7) Don’t be afraid to share your opinion.

Be honest: it’s tempting for some to embellish or lie. Who’s gonna find out about it, right? Wrong. The Internet has a way of sifting out the fake stuff and embracing the real messages.

All credit to http://amarketingexpert.com for the article – great summary