Posts Tagged: out-smarts internet marketing
Written by Mhairi Petrovic, December 02nd, 2008
This Out-Smarts podcast takes a closer look at branding with returning interviewee Isabelle Mercier of LeapZone Strategies. Last time we looked at branding 101. This time we dig deeper, specifically taking a look at the business personality: core truths; values; purpose/drive; brand promise (accountability) and differentiators (what makes your company different). Its a follow up to the Out-Smarts Podcast #7 posted in September and number 2 a series of three.
[audio:http://www.out-smarts.com/Podcast15.mp3]
Enjoy!
Podcast: Download
Written by Mhairi Petrovic, November 07th, 2008
1. Write an article that relates to your area of expertise and submit it to ezine and article sites (the ones with the highest Google ranking).
2. Update your site often – a blog is a great way to do this.
3. Add forms to your site – check out Jotform.
4. Get more backlinks – find out which sites link back to your top competitors and submit your site to those with the highest traffic – don’t use a mass submit tool.
5. Podcast – add audio or video content to your site and make sure its listed in the podcast hubs.
6. Have the right content: effectively use keywords and appropriate SEO copy writing (listen to our upcoming podcast to find out more).
7. Get active in social networks – LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter and make sure that those link back to your site.
8. Encourage community – use your blog or podcast to build community and invite others to get involved.
9. Remember that Google may be the most common search engine but there are many others – take these into account when considering SEO.
10. Utilize the hot spots on your site to the best advantage. The top left hand corner is valuable real estate – use it to tell the audience (and the engines) what you do.
Written by Mhairi Petrovic, November 05th, 2008
I think the whole world breathed a sigh of relief and took a mutual step back from the brink last night as Barack Obama became President Elect of the US.
One of the reasons he was so successful was because he was able to appeal to ethnic voters, younger voters and voters from all walks of life in the US. His campaign was truly one of the best political campaigns ever conducted. Why, because he utilized every tool available to him to get the word out and to motivate the people.
His campaign was one of the first to effectively harness social media and this turned out to be pivotal in reaching the minorities and apathetics. Here are just some of the ways he used social media to help him win:
He effectively used YouTube posting inspirational videos to his own channel.
He used Flickr to real life pictures of real people in the campaigns as well as campaign posters.
His resume is on LinkedIn for all to see and he has used LinkedIn to ask questions and get answers from his constituents.
He used Facebook and MySpace to help humanize his appeal and to network with younger audience.
He has over 117,000 followers on Twitter and used that forum to briefly state the obvious during the campaign.
These are but a few of the social media tools he used to effectively spread the word and motivate the masses. In his victory speech he states “I will listen to you especially when we disagree”. No doubt he will be using the power of social media to do this too – I hope so.
Written by Mhairi Petrovic, November 04th, 2008
In this Out-Smarts podcast we talk with James Wells. James is the Commercialization Officer at BCIT working with innovators and investors to take their ideas to market), he is also a comedian and founded a peer to peer financing company. Learn about the challenges of peer to peer financing and listen to James’ take on social media.
[audio:http://www.out-smarts.com/Podcast12.mp3]
Podcast: Download
Written by Mhairi Petrovic, October 27th, 2008
LinkedIn is one of the fastest growing social networks. It grew by over 500% in 2007 and one of the reasons for its speedy growth is because professionals are recognizing its a great tool to expand your network, establish your expertise and conduct research.
This Out-Smarts podcast discusses LinkedIn with Rob Duncan. He’s a prolific LinkedIn user and has more contacts in his network than anyone else I know. I talk to Rob about what LinkedIn is, what he uses it for and the benefits he derives from doing so.
Rob is an Innovation Catalyst, Director of Applied Research at BCIT. He is a writer and public speaker too. Learn how Rob uses LinkedIn to help him spread the buzz.
[audio:http://www.out-smarts.com/Podcast11.mp3]
Podcast: Download
Written by Mhairi Petrovic, October 15th, 2008
Our podcast today looks at a serious alternative to gift giving – Dreambank. We had the pleasure of talking with Dawn Bowles who is the CEO of Dreambank, a local Internet company that truly offers a different way to make dreams come true, to give and receive gifts and to donate to charity. Its a unique and innovative service that really gives you an alternative to the sock and underwear dilemma.
[audio:http://www.out-smarts.com/podcast10.mp3]
Podcast: Download
Written by Mhairi Petrovic, October 14th, 2008
1. Understand your prospective customer: who they are, why they buy, when and so on – do they buy on-line or use the Internet to research product information?
2. Your company – what resources are in place or will be made available, also consider existing web presence, company culture, mission, goals and policies etc?
3. Competition – check out what your competition is doing on line, track blog and RSS feeds that mention them as well as comments on their products or service from users.
4. The market – is the overall market experiencing and up turn / down turn or is it in a state of flux? These will all impact the approach you take.
5. Integration to overall marketing and advertising strategy is imperative. Each must complement and support the other by conveying the same brand image and messages.
6. If you don’t have web savvy resources in house then don’t worry – get guidance from people who do this.
7. Positioning – find out where you stand in the web rankings in comparison to others in your field.
8. Traffic – who visits your site right now, how often and how long do they stay.
9. Pricing – if your offering is considered “prestige” then your web strategy will be different than if your its aimed at the masses.
10. Consider all tools at your disposal to promote your web presence and don’t forget to consider newer technologies such as wikis, social computing for effective Internet marketing.
Written by Mhairi Petrovic, September 30th, 2008
Where did the month go? Despite the hot and balmy weather, fall is definitely on its way and the leaves are a tumbling. There were many new media reasons to be cheerful this month including:
I’ve been looking for an online equivalent to Illustrator for a while now and I think I’ve found it. Inkscape is an open source graphics editor.
Another gem I discovered thanks to Mary Boles of Virtual Business Solutions is GIMP an image manipulation system similar to Adobe.
A local company is helping people achieve their dreams – non materialistic ones that is. Dreambank allows people to post their dreams and have others in the community contribute towards fulfilling them. What a great way to make a difference in the world.
Our hunt for a great online invoicing system is over. Blinksale is the one. Its easy to brand and use and allows you to send invoices via email or to print them out. I like the neat thank you generator too.
Finally check out MusicLinkUp a great on-line music resource aimed at connecting music teachers with students. Way to go Voya!
Written by Mhairi Petrovic, September 22nd, 2008
Out-Smarts has been working on a really exciting podcast project with local branding evangelists and business coaching firm LeapZone Strategies.
The podcast is called Rise and it tackles the issues companies and entrepreneurs face as they grow their company and establish their brand.
Each episode is short and to the point and covers pertinent issues such as getting more done in less time, effective time management and learning tolerance. Even more important, the podcasts are entertaining and well worth a listen so visit the site and subscribe via iTunes or your favorite podcast reader for some valuable insights that will help you raise the bar in your business endeavours.
Written by Mhairi Petrovic, September 19th, 2008
Another Friday Funny from Rob at Social Signal.
