Is Bing SEM on the Rise?

February 12, 2013 search engine marketing No comments

Google may be the obvious powerhouse in the world of search engine marketing, but that doesn’t mean that you should limit pay-per-click advertising to just Google AdWords. In fact, Bing Ads has a few cool features that AdWords has yet to implement.

Why Bing Ads Might Be Better:

1.Quality Score Reporting – Bing Ads can show you the quality score for your keywords over time, and they even tell you metrics that help you figure out how to improve your quality score by changing your landing page, keyword relevance, and other related factors.

2. Awesome Reports – There are some great built-in reports in Bing Ads, like a report that tells you what search terms you are missing out on because of your negative keywords. You can even see a report that shows the reason you’re not getting as many impressions as you could be, whether it’s budget, rank, or even your bids.

3. Monthly Budgets – Bing Ads lets you set monthly budgets if you’d rather not calculate daily budgets for every single campaign.

So what’s the lesson here? Every company should try Bing Ads for search engine marketing at least once. You can import your campaigns from AdWords, so it’s easy to compare performance on both platforms. Who knows? Bing could be the answer to your PPC dreams.

The Power of PPC

January 29, 2013 online marketing strategy, PPC No comments

PPC or Pay-Per-Click marketing is a useful tool in any online marketing strategy, in generating new leads, and increasing sales for your company’s products or services. PPC is essentially a type of search engine marketing in which businesses pay a specific amount of money each time one of their advertisements is clicked through. Normally, companies will bid on their PPC advertisements to appear more frequently in Google searches featuring product-related keywords. For example, the more that a company pays Google per click, the more their advertisement will appear in a potential customer’s search of their selected keywords.

In order to develop a successful PPC campaign to bolster overall online marketing, a company must perform a high level of keyword research. By determining the frequency that related keywords will show up in Google Searches, companies can directly implement their advertisements to gain the most traffic to their website. Programs such as Google AdWords allow your company to track relevant keyword data and decide on the most frequently searched pairings. Choosing the perfect keywords for your advertisements will help your business to capitalize on a potential customer’s search for your product or service. Essentially, PPC marketing can help target your advertising campaigns directly to consumers who need your products or services most.

Optimizing E-Commerce for the Holidays

November 23, 2012 holiday marketing No comments

Now that the 2012 holiday season is in full-swing, the shopping frenzy that inevitably follows has arrived too. For many e-commerce websites, this may prove to be the busiest time of the year for business. So, here are three internet marketing strategies to optimize your website and online store to keep potential or returning customers in the loop as they scroll through products and bookmark possible purchases.

1. Make sure any bugs with your website are worked out, such as the check out process and the amount of time it takes for your website to load. Most people will lose-interest and steer away from a slow-moving site.

2. Make sure your website is SEO friendly by optimizing with meta titles and the appropriate tags. Appearing on the first page of Google for specific products and keywords could make a huge difference in the amount of organic traffic your website receives.

3. Connect your social media with your website. Social media platforms are a great way to advertise deals, promote products, and create links back to your website for further shopping.

One more tip…consider a pay-per-click advertising campaign for the holiday season to get your ads on Google.

Pinterest Pins Company Profiles

November 16, 2012 Ajax Union, social media, social media marketing No comments

November has been of month of progress and success for Pinterest! After unveiling the availability for users to create private boards, Pinterest announced that the social media platform will also host business accounts. Business accounts were previously a prohibited practice on the popular photo-sharing website.  Although Pinterest’s business profiles won’ t include any enhanced features, or even look different than private accounts, companies can find ways to utilize Pinterest for branding and online marketing strategies. Three ways your company can benefit from the new Pinterest business profiles include hosting an industry relevant board with interesting pins, pinning videos that you find informative or entertaining, and incorporating SEO into your titles and descriptions. Also, promote your business Pinterest account on your website and blog with the “pin it” button.

Instagram and Pinterest Add to the Features

November 11, 2012 social media, social media marketing No comments

Social media platforms seem to be stepping it up this month, especially Instagram and Pinterest. It’s kind of hard to tell what social media surprise will be next before the end of November. Starting with Instagram, the mobile-exclusive photo sharing application finally gave users the opportunity to have public profiles online. This could also be very good news for the future of mobile and online marketing via Instagram. After all, companies like Tiffany & Co., Red Bull, and Free People have utilized the application to host various marketing strategies. One fear is the acquisition of Instagram by Facebook earlier this year will determine the future of the application and its ability to stand on its own without too much association with Facebook. Moving on to Pinterest, another photo sharing social media platform, a new feature to create “private” or “secret” boards has become available. This is not a new concept if you think of the way other social media platforms have organized information sharing by groups of people or “circles,” aka Google+, but this is something noteworthy for Pinterest. The change makes the sharing of specific boards and pins more exclusive. One benefit is that it gives the user a little extra content control, which is never a bad option to have. This is also an interesting feature that may come in handy as a targeting tool for online marketing.

Get Chatty on Twitter

October 31, 2012 Ajax Union, ajax union marketing, tweets, twitter, Twitter Marketing No comments

Everyone spends a little time chatting with coworkers throughout the day. It can be a great way to get in a quick break and start fresh on your daily workload. Well, some businesses are taking the chatting company-wide on Twitter as an online marketing strategy. It may seem like a radical idea, but the live Twitter chats are beneficial in a variety of ways, both off and online.

What are the benefits? Hosting a Twitter chat allows you to create a conversation that utilizes a specific hashtag created for your company. The hashtag can be formal, or it can be more fun and creative depending on the tone you would like to set with your chats. With a number of employees tagging your company and carrying on a conversation through the hashtag, a branding storm across Twitter is being created on multiple accounts. Another benefit of hosting a Twitter chat is the ability to choose an interesting or timely topic that will draw users to your scheduled chats. You can also invite professional connections to join in the chat and see the kind ideas being bounced around by the power-source of your company – your employees. Lastly, Twitter chats don’t have to be restricted to the 140 character maximum. Utilizing shortened URLs, you can host chats on favorite pictures, memes, and videos from all around the web.

There are several websites that are making Twitter chats even easier for users. One site that will automatically include the hashtag that you are following is www.TweetChat.com. It’s a great tool to get in the chat, quickly maneuver the conversation, and participate in several miniature conversations all at once.

The last benefit of hosting a company-wide Twitter chat might be the simplest. It’s a great way to keep office mates connected and excited about your company and the work being done.

Join Ajax Union’s Twitter chat each Friday from 11:30 a.m. to noon. Each week we will be chatting with the hashtag #AjaxUnionTGIF and featuring a new and exciting topic. All are welcome!

Three Ways to Giveaway on Social Media

October 24, 2012 Ajax Union, Facebook, Facebook Marketing, Twitter Marketing No comments

Social media platforms are a leading way to stay connected with your customers and clients. Keeping an active Facebook and Twitter presence allows you to stay fresh in the minds of your followers and play an active role in their overall social media experience. It is essential to any online marketing strategy you could ever dream of. Another great way to get involved with your customers and social media fans is to host a giveaway or promotion. There are several ways that  you can utilize social media for various types of giveaways and deals through Facebook and Twitter. Some of the most popular include creating a Facebook application for the giveaway, promoting a post for likes, or creating a Twitter campaign with hashtags.

First, developing a giveaway through a Facebook application allows you to run the giveaway for an extended and dedicated period of time to allow more people to see the offer and enter to win. Facebook applications can also be beneficial when promoted using Facebook ads and having the application as a landing page. Using ads to promote the application allows you to further your demographic targeting through the ad management options. You can also use Twitter to promote the application and direct people, also known as potential customers, to your Facebook page. A great detail for online marketing.

Second, creating a status that is offering a “special deal” or “limited-time giveaway” through Facebook allows you to promote the post in the same way as ads with paid promotion and demographic targeting. Using the “Like this post…” strategy makes it quick and easy for interested users to enter to win and to move on to other parts of your page. Again, this can be advertised on Twitter as well.

Last, hosting a Twitter campaign to give people a chance to win a free product or service is a great way to integrate branding for your company and the promotion. You can ask people interested in the offer to tweet at your company with a specific hashtag to enter to win. These types of promotions can be exclusively done for an hour or two, or they can be run long term. This is also a great way to market virally since the Twitter posts will reach the followers of those who enter the promotion.

Monitoring Social Media

October 15, 2012 Ajax Union, ajax union marketing, social media, social media marketing, social media trends No comments

Whether you are an established company or just starting out, social media monitoring plays an important role in determining where your online marketing strategy stands. There are a variety of ways to keep tabs on your online buzz, and finding the one that works best for your needs should not be a challenge since there are numerous tools available. Here is a rundown of three well-known social media monitoring tools that could beneficial.

Hootsuite – Available as a free version, or a more extensive paid version, Hootsuite allows you to post to various social media sites and follow RSS feeds from a computer or a mobile device. The tool also allows you to manage your social media monitoring through an organized dashboard and offers statistical history and social interaction insights for your brand.

Google Alerts – A simple and user friendly way to monitor any buzz about your company or brand, Google Alerts allows you to select which keywords or phrases you would like to receive alerts about. Then, Google will send you the alerts at your discretion of immediately, daily, or weekly. It is also a great tool to follow buzz about your competitors to see what kind of news is surrounding their name.

Social Mention – A search tool for social media sites, the toolbar allows you to type in the brand, topic, or cause that you are interested in, and it will search multiple social media platforms, blogs, social bookmarks, and comments to find mention of what you are looking for. This company is offering the toolbar as a free browser accessory, but also provides coding to create a widget on your site.

Other sites that are honorable mentions for social media monitoring are Wildfire, Facebook Search, and Google Reader. These sites are a great way to keep track on your social media and determine the performance of your online marketing strategies.

Stay Professionally Linked

October 10, 2012 Ajax Union, LinkeIn Marketing No comments

With so many social media sites available, how do you make sure your professional profile stays polished and ahead of the rest? Optimize your LinkedIn profile to reap the benefits of the social world with your professional goals in mind. There are several features of LinkedIn that can be utilized to make your profile shine and your professional presence well known.

First, take advantage of the status updates. Let people know what you are working on, share links to your company’s website, or posy current links to professional industry blogs that you like to follow.

Second, get endorsements from current and former colleagues. Make sure your endorsements are positive and that your skills are shining through. In return, endorse people as a form of professional reciprocation.

Third, don’t be afraid to ask open questions or to post responses in the LinkedIn Answers section. This can establish you as an industry leader in your field, especially if you are consistently providing sound advice to other professionals.

Lastly, make sure your profile picture represents you in a positive and professional light. If it’s not a picture you would show to mom, then it’s probably not the best choice for your professional profile.

Boost Your Reputation Online

October 3, 2012 Ajax Union, ajax union marketing, online marketing services, online marketing strategy, reputation management No comments

Reputation management is no joke considering the amount of damage that can be done online with just one little post or a scathing review. However, cleaning up a bad reputation can be a little more tedious for an online marketing strategy, but have no fear because it can be done. Fortunately, there are a variety of ways to boost your positive reputation through online marketing strategies and social media. One way is to ask for reviews on some of the popular review sites, such as Yelp! and Google+. Ask for endorsements from new satisfied customers, but also reach out to former customers that you know were satisfied with your services. A second way to boost reputation management is to cater your online marketing strategy to include online public relations. Write press releases that are optimized for search engines, but also inform readers of exciting and newsworthy happenings at your company. This will help with SEO efforts, but it will also give you a chance to give your company an online makeover and separate yourself from previous negative reviews.

« Older Entries