Internet Marketing and LinkedIn | The Ultimate Internet Image

The Power and Potential of Inbound Marketing and the Internet

April 25, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

Is the Internet Necessary for Business?

There are unbelievers…still!

Perhaps these two images will help put things in their perspective. My usual posts runs into 2-3-4000 words.

These two images should do it!

How About The Ultimate Internet Image?

1440 Minutes - Every Single Day!

The Ultimate Internet Image Can Connect You to All of This - Internet in a Minute

The Ultimate Internet Image Can Plug You Into 1440 Minutes of the Internet Every Day!

Still Think LinkedIn Isn’t Necessary?

Really?

Don’t Waste Another Minute!

Contact UII Today

216-712-7004

John Zajaros
CEO & Director of Marketing
The Ultimate Internet Image, LLC

Thanks to Ronda Boccio via Bonnie Cranmer on Pinterest for the LinkedIn Image!

Be Sociable, Share!

Filed Under: Inbound and Internet Marketing, Inbound Marketing, Internet and Inbound Marketing Success, Internet Marketing and LinkedIn, LinkedIn, Social Media and Business, The Ultimate Internet Image, Ultimate Internet Image, Ultimate Internet Image and Inbound Marketing, Ultimate Internet Image Consultation, Ultimate Internet Image Consulting Tagged With: Pinterest Images, The Power and Potential of Inbound Marketing and the Internet

Inbound Marketing Overview and the Central Hub Strategy

August 17, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Inbound Marketing and Social Media:

A Recipe for Success Online

Inbound marketing is successful when you view it in terms of a combination of permission marketing and search driven marketing. In other words, you want to be where your potential clients are….when your potential clients are searching for your services. If you are not, you will be ineffective and your inbound marketing strategy will fail.

Central Hub: You must view your website in terms of a central hub. The idea is to drive as much traffic as possible to your hub by creating excitement, authority, and, above all, interesting content.

Video: We are in the video generation most online advertising and inbound marketing is driven by video. That is where the lion’s share of your clients will come from. An effective video campaign will send your business soaring, a lackluster video campaign will kill it!

Blogging for Business: Blogging is crucial! In fact, the static website of just a few pages is on its way out…if not dead already! The website that is primarily image-based, particularly when it comes to text, is worthless. You will derive ZERO SEO value from images alone. When a website full of images is crawled, it shows up as blank. A balance of text, images, and video is essential. Blogging also develops interest in your business and provides a line of communication between you and your clients that is invaluable. Blogging is essential for any business trying to grow and relate to their target market long term.

Viral Video and the Rest of the Online Guru Hocus Pocus: Forget about viral! Yes, that’s right…forget about it! If you intentionally set out to create a viral video or make some other sort of online media go viral, it will almost certainly fail! Focus on quality content that will interest your target market and get shared.

Note: I have videos and articles on websites around the world and very few, if any, would be considered viral. But they all get shared and it all translates into backlinks, subscribers, social media connections, clients, and friends.

Yes, friends!

Redirects: Redirects can be useful but if you are hoping to derive any SEO value from a super domain name that you are only using as a redirect to your not-so-great url, you are wasting your time, money…and a quality domain name too boot!

Articles: Articles accomplish several things at once. Articles establish you as an authority in your niche, they deliver backlinks to your main hub (although this is changing), and they drive traffic to your main hub. Even with the new shifts in Google’s algorithm, article marketing is still a crucial component of a solid inbound marketing strategy.

John Jones: Who is your target market? What does he look like? What are his interests? How does he dress? You must be able to SEE John Jones in order to relate to him…or Jane Jones for that matter!

Social Media: Social media is also essential! All of the components of an effective inbound marketing strategy must work together, in concert, if you are going to succeed. This is not an optional strategy, it is imperative if you want to compete in today’s market. Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook (both personal and a fan/business page), YouTube, Dailymotion, Break, Viddler, Foursquare, and others are the key to social media success. Ping.fm is the best way to reach most of the core social media sites in one blast, Hellotxt is another, and XeeSM.com is the third. If you integrate these social media hubs into your overall strategy it will make your job much easier.

Warning: Do not use social media as a vehicle to spam your followers or you will kill any suucess you may have otherwise achieved! Additionally, if you spam, all you will have following you are fellow spammers…and they will eventually unfollow you as well!

Additional Blogs: Google’s Blogger, Squidoo, HubPages, and others are also useful and can be tied directly into your social media hubs for constant updating! These should be included, as they are virtually effortless to maintain and they do end up on page one!

Keyword Research: Most keywords are insignificant. Many businesses beginning to explore inbound marketing focus on keywords that drive ZERO traffic to your website. The key is to know not only what terms are searched for, something Google does well, it is crucial that you know which keywords get the most CLICKS! Click through rate is crucial.

Google Analytics: Metrics are also key! You must know who is visiting your website and where they are coming from if you are to develop and intelligent and effective, long term inbound marketing strategy.

Testing: A/B testing is probably the simplest and most effective, at least when starting out. Long term strategies can be added from there.

Consistency: An inbound marketing strategy must be applied daily if it to work! Social media can be time intensive at first. The longer you do it, the easier it will become. Blogging must be done at least 3 times per week for best results. A video blog with adequate text to introduce and provide a synopsis of the video can make all the difference in terms of SEO value.

SEO: SEO or search engine optimization is a long term strategy! Yes, there are certain tweaks and some people believe Google provides a bit of a nod to new entities on the web…but that is debatable. Google is King Kong on the Internet right now and they are changing their algorithms constantly. The best strategy is one that is keyword rich and delivers superior content.

Video, Article, and Social Media Delivery Software and Memberships: There are several delivery systems in the form of membership sites and software that can be used to make you job easier. It is crucial to use these systems in order to reduce the amount of time you must spend on tedious projects…or get your employees in on it and have them do it. In the long run, your labor costs will kill you. It is best to use the membership sites available to you. We will review many of these as we progress.

Video Creation: There are several video sharing and video creation sites online. Animoto is simple and effective for creating short, interesting videos. Vimeo, Viddler, YouTube, Dailymotion, and several other video sharing sites will allow you to add your own logo and message for a fee. It is well worth it long term. While placing YouTube videos on your blog and website may be cost effective short term, long term you want to create your own identity without relying on YouTube. I have integrated my Flip MinoHD videos through Camtasia to Screencast. Others use Amazon’s video platform and still others Brightcove. Whatever the platform, make sure you learn all the ins and outs, so it remains trouble-free and cost effective!

In the next article I will discuss several sites I recommend you set up profiles on and how to do it for next to nothing and with little effort. Your profile should be keyword rich and your image a professional and/or easily identifiable one. In addition to Google’s Keyword Tool, I sincerely feel that Market Samurai is the class online at this time. Check it out for free & then upgrade if you like it!

I love it!

Discussion: We will discuss any questions or comments you may have and raise here. I hope this helps you as you begin, at once, to create your new and Ultimate Internet Image…or help others to get there!

I look forward to sharing ideas and/or working with you and believe we can position you to do great things in your niche as a brick and mortar business, an online business, or as an Internet, inbound marketing consultancy!

John Zajaros (Jack)
The Ultimate Internet Image
Lakewood, Ohio 44107
440-821-7018 (cell)
johnzajaros@gmail.com

Note: Just assume links are affiliate links and that way there can be no misunderstandings!

Be Sociable, Share!

Filed Under: Blogging for Business, Brick and Mortar Business and Inbound Marketing, Business Blogging, Business Blogs, How to Build an Internet Marketing Business, How to Create an Inbound Marketing Strategy Using the New Media, How to Succeed at Inbound Marketing, Inbound and Internet Marketing, Inbound Marketing, Inbound Marketing and SEO, Inbound Marketing and Social Media, Inbound Marketing and the Central Hub Model, Inbound Marketing and Video, Inbound Marketing Consulting, Inbound Marketing Strategies, Internet and Inbound Marketing Success, Internet Marketing and LinkedIn, Internet Marketing and SEO, Internet Marketing and Social Media, Internet Marketing and the Blog, Keyword Research and Video, New Media and Inbound Marketing, New Media Marketing, Relationship Marketing, Social Media and Business, Social Media and Connections, Social Media and New Media Marketing, Social Media and Twitter, Social Media Blogging and Business, Social Media Relationships and Sales, The Central Hub Model, The Ultimate Internet Image, Ultimate Internet Image, Ultimate Internet Image and Inbound Marketing, Ultimate Internet Image and SEO, Ultimate Internet Image Consultation, Ultimate Internet Image Consulting, Understanding Inbound Marketing, Video Marketing and Social Media, Video Marketing and the New Media, Viral Video Marketing, Web 2.0 and Business Blogging, What is Inbound Marketing?

Inbound Marketing: New Media Strategies and Social Media for Offline Business

June 2, 2010 By admin 4 Comments

Understanding the Importance of Social Media for Offline Businesses

Long-time business owners may not think social media and offline business should coexist, but in realtiy, and particularly in today’s marketplace, a social media presence is essential. Brick and mortar businesses can use social media for branding, gaining name recognition and visibility at an extremely reasonable cost. Social media and inbound marketing are valuable tools in an advertising toolkit and should be an integral part of any business’s marketing strategy. Social media is also called the new media marketing.

How can you become involved in social media as an offline business? Start with a blog about your business and what you do. Be sure to update the blog often and encourage participation by way comments. You can research, discovering which social networks your customers use and become a presence on those networks. For example, you can create a Facebook page and invite customers and friends to visit your page. The page will link back to your blog and drive traffic back to your site and provide additional exposure for your business, thus increasing brand awareness.

Twitter is a very popular social media network. Most followers on Twitter are very loyal and will help promote your brand providing you engage without spamming. You must learn the social rules of Twitter and follow them accordingly or you will lose more clients than you will gain but if you use the proper etiquette you will profit for your involvement.

To make social networking work for your company, you must provide useful content that people will want to share. Bloggers today are becoming a leading source of information; work on building relationships with other bloggers through social media networks and they will provide valuable links for you.

Several social networks are specialized for businesses.

Examples include:

Explore these and other business/social media sites for the best fit for your company. It may not be wise just to join a large number of networks that you cannot maintain.

LinkedIn is one of the largest and most popular social networking platforms for business. By forming a LinkedIn group related to your company, you can attract possible sales leads. Ask your employees and others in your field to join your group. The group page will be linked to your blog, so users can find you easily. As an expert in your field, you can also answer questions on LinkedIn and gain exposure in that way.

Ecademy, spelled ecademy (small “e”), is another social network for companies and has grown quickly, having a loyal membership base. Ecademy allows you to post your business profile and connect with other entrepreneurs. Business owners can receive advice as well as promote their own services worldwide. Networking groups are a popular destination on ecademy.

Xing claims to be the number one business/social network in Europe. Over eight million people use Xing. Xing sets up connections between businesses so they can find others to meet their needs and sell their services and products. You can search among all the professionals listed to find the right match for your needs. Xing also features groups and popular events, where you can meet other network users. Job seekers will find a separate application for them on Xing.

Naymz is an online network that offers some different features from some of the other business networks. Over one million people subscribe to this free service. Naymz offers a blogging feature and identity verification, among other things. The main idea on Naymz is to establish a positive reputation. Users build their reputation score through various assessments. If you have a high-scoring reputation on Naymz, the network will provide you with a sponsored Google listing. Naymz also assists in monitoring internet sources for any time your name appears online.

XeeSM states that they are “a social business application platform.” Professionals can keep all their contacts and their individual social networks together in an orderly fashion. Salespeople are able to reach clients through any number of social media; therefore, time and money are saved. XeeSM also provides a way for recruiters and job seekers to find one another quickly. XeeSM also offers various applications, including a business level app that is quite useful.

Brick and mortar business should embrace new media, inbound marketing, Web 2.0, etc. Social media is a low-cost way to build your image worldwide. Social media and inbound marketing are the future of advertising; it is better to become involved sooner than later but in the right way, with an overall marketing strategy designed to create brand awareness and a unique online identity, the ultimate Internet image.

Would you like to talk about your business’s social media strategy? Allow us to help you create brand awareness and a social media identity that will connect with your target audience!

Contact Us Today!

John Zajaros

The Ultimate Internet Image
Lakewood, Ohio 44107
216-712-7004 (bus)
440-821-7018 (cell)
johnz@ultimateinternetimage.com

Be Sociable, Share!

Filed Under: Internet Marketing and LinkedIn, Internet Marketing and Social Media, New Media and Inbound Marketing, New Media Marketing, Social Media and Business, Social Media and Connections, Social Media and Marketing, Social Media and New Media Marketing, Social Media and Web 2.0, Social Media Relationships and Sales, Ultimate Internet Image, Ultimate Internet Image and Inbound Marketing Tagged With: Inbound Marketing and Social Media Marketing, Inbound Marketing and the New Media, New Media, New Media and Social Media, New Media Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Web 2.0

Understanding LinkedIn: An Integral Aspect of the Ultimate Internet Image

September 24, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Launched in 2003, LinkedIn is a professional networking site with a membership of over 40 million and growing daily. While it is a form of social media, Web 2.0, LinkedIn serves a more definitive role as a relationship building tool and as a business networking community, one often under-utilized.

The networking platform has the same basic features as other Web 2.0 sites ¬– members create a profile, list their educational and employment experience, interests, upload a picture, post a link to their website or blog…the usual information. Interestingly, while immensely popular with business and professional people, many members are yet unaware of the full power of the networking platform, as well as the various capabilities and features of available to LinkedIn members.

Business Identity: Internet and Offline Image

In addition to the social aspects of LinkedIn, the site is regularly visited by those seeking confirmation of an individual’s credentials and reputation, not only within LinkedIn, but as an established entity in the business community. Lack of a LinkedIn profile may be quite costly and many who have yet to fully develop their LinkedIn identity may be missing a real opportunity for exposure and validation. LinkedIn is an excellent place to develop and enhance your online identity, your Internet image, per se.

LinkedIn’s Influence

LinkedIn’s power, once recognized and fully appreciated, is quite persuasive. LinkedIn is heavily trafficked not only by human resource personnel but by prospective clients and customers seeking additional information during the information gathering stages of a relationship. In fact, all 500 of the Fortune 500 companies are represented on LinkedIn. Social media and networking platform to be sure, but it is also a wonderful marketplace for those seeking employees and employment, including freelancers looking for new relationships and assignments.

LinkedIn’s Profile: Your Online Resume

The LinkedIn profile is your executive resume online and should be treated as such. The profile is the first impression, either a great one that states “I am someone to be taken seriously” or, conversely, “I am incomplete, look elsewhere!” For this reason, the profile should be as professional and as thorough as possible. When developing your online image, list your current or last held position, as well as past companies and affiliations. Set your profile to “Full View,” in order to make your information available for search engines to index, and customize your public profile’s URL to be your actual name, not some obscure nickname; in other words, brand yourself. This can all be quite easily accomplished through the “Accounts & Settings” tab under “Public Profile”. Including a link to your LinkedIn profile in your email signature, and also when you comment on blogs, are great ways to improve your connect-ability and your professional identity.

LinkedIn and Connections: The Power of the Network

Probably the most important aspect of a LinkedIn membership is the ability to make connections. Connections are to LinkedIn, what followers are to Twitter, and friends are to Facebook. Significantly, there is data to suggest that the “link” between connections on LinkedIn has a much greater and lasting effect, and affect, than either of the two aforementioned social media platforms.

LinkedIn’s Reach

LinkedIn members, those who are “linked-in,” build a contact network by inviting others, users and non-users, to become a part of their network. Members join a network by agreeing to “connect” and non-users may join, and take advantage of a wide array of benefits, depending on membership level, or create a public profile at no charge with limited access to the features of the paid membership. Your profile will also assist past and present associates, clients and partners in finding you. Features can assist members link-up with past employers and employees, various alumni groups, and other associations and groups. An individual’s network is then built based on connections, your connections’ connections, and the people they know through 3 levels. Making connections in this fashion is designed to build trust among members, and has the potential to link you to tens of thousands of professionals. People are more likely to do business with or hire someone who comes recommended by another individual or company who they know and trust.

LinkedIn and the Power of the Group

If you would like to connect specifically with members based on interests, affiliations and goals, you can also join or create a LinkedIn Group. LinkedIn groups can be created by anyone for any purpose. The most popular groups are those with a networking focus, primarily networking with others in a specific area of expertise. After networking, professional education and information sharing are very popular group memberships. Basically, the possibilities are endless when it comes to group formation and affiliation, if two or more people come together, a group is formed.
LinkedIn’s “Advanced Search” feature can be a valuable tool whether you are seeking a new position, or want to assess the competition, research a perspective employer’s current workforce and turnover rate, or get to know more about the individual interests and accomplishments of those you may be considering working with. You can also use the “Advanced Search” to find people with similar education backgrounds and/or technical skills; and, to find out what companies they are currently employed by, or see who within your network may be initiating a new startup. The possibilities for using the LinkedIn search are myriad, it is a powerful information gathering tool when applied properly.

LinkedIn Answers: Ask and It Shall Be Answered!

The newest feature to be added to the site, “LinkedIn Answers,” allows you to ask for advice. Members can broadcast a business-related question and seek responses from both their network and the greater LinkedIn network. Let’s say you were looking for an accountant qualified in a certain area, or trying to gauge the appropriate salary range for a particular position, this would be an excellent forum from which to receive valuable responses.

Some other interesting statistics to consider when weighing the value of getting LinkedIn:

- People with twenty or more connections are over 30 times more likely to be approached with a job opportunity
- A company’s decision maker tends to be the more active user of the site
- The greater the number of connections the greater the likelihood of higher personal income

The Ultimate Internet Image and LinkedIn: Recommendations and Referrals

One of the most attractive features of a LinkedIn membership is the ability to give and receive recommendations. The recommendations are not only in the nature of peer reviews and recommendations but also recommendations from business clients, associates, colleagues, and employers. The LinkedIn recommendation, received in such a manner, is an invaluable tool not only in job-seeking but as an image and business building tool. The public nature and cumulative effect of such recommendations adds additional weight and value to the recommendation, not only enhancing one’s status and reputation within the LinkedIn community, but as a tool to be used by anyone seeking an objective evaluation of the individual’s credibility and competence, given by his or her peers.

LinkedIn: Do Not Be Caught Online Without It!

Overall, the LinkedIn membership is a vital asset for any business person, online or offline, interested in building a network for personal promotion and advancement, as well as for the promotion of business interests. LinkedIn membership is also a not-so-subtle message to anyone interested that an individual is at least established enough to have taken the time to build a relationship with his or her peers and to have been recognized as a colleague and a peer by those interested enough to make a connection with them. The connection, an active process of approval within the LinkedIn community, further validates the status of the individual members within the business community…or at least within the LinkedIn membership, which is basically one and the same. Ultimately, no serious marketer with an online presence should be without a LinkedIn membership and an active and engaging profile; thus assuring the Ultimate Internet Image!

Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr., CEO and Founder
216-712-6526
Skype: johnzajaros1
johnz@johnzajaros.com
johnz@ultimateinternetimage.com

Be Sociable, Share!