Are you trying to win that huge client in the Topeka, Kansas area? Need some buzz around your company in that key area to get your prospect to notice you more? Consider these three easy steps to build a quick buzz about your company and instill some confidence in that key demographic:

Step 1: Get your media relations / public relations firm to create a well written press release about your company announcing it’s ‘presence’ in Topeka, have them submit online to the various online press release venues and tag the key area to Topeka.

Step 2: Create an aggressive pay per click campaign with Google AdWords and set the ads to show only within Topeka. Google has some amazing geo targeting tools built in where you can choose whatever key area you want to show your ads in. Bid on key terms, bid on your company name and let them run during the sales process.

Step 3: After the sale closes, have your PR firm announce the win in that particular demographic.  This brings closure to the deal and lets your competitors know you mean business.  Be sure to add the press releases back to your web site in a online press room page.

My company can help with all of the above: give me a call today to discuss your Internet marketing strategy and how we can help you score that next sales score. In Orlando: 407-830-4550 and toll free: 866-998-6886. Visit my web site to learn more.

When I first started with Twitter, I didn’t have a clue.  I had no idea what I was supposed to do. Sure, I watched the cheesy Twitter video explaining stuff, I google searched, I read other’s wisdomful nuggets, but I’ll admit, the Internet Marketing guy didn’t have a clue. In fact, one of my own clients (A Life Coach) pointed out to me after I was posting tweets to no one that I was speaking to absolutely NO ONE. I’ve come a long way, but still have  much to learn. I think Social media can be a great tool, I think social media can help strengthen and reinforce a brand, I think social media can help us enhance customer service initiatives, etc. Here’s the biggest lesson I learned:

BE SOCIAL.

It seems so elementary, but people need people. The second you start making everything about you and your company, you’re doing it wrong.  Use social media to share your wisdom with your tribe, use social media to reinforce your brand, use social media to constantly improve your company and your level of customer service.  Social media is about talking and listening, it’s about contributing and building, it’s about transparency and being human.  The second you start using social media to SELL, SELL, SELL, you’re done.  People leave you, they move on to another tribe to learn and grow. Game over.

Need some help getting your social media campaign up and running? Give me a call: 407-830-4550.

The fine folks at Microsoft are trying to simplify your search online.  Microsoft announced today that it will be unveiling ‘BING’ it’s new search engine concept on June 3.  Bing’s purpose or goal is eliminate the amount of unnecessary results that you may see in a Google search.

“Lots of links aren’t always the most helpful way to answer your question,” said Stefan Weitz, Microsoft’s director, search group, in a promotional Bing video. “What if we could cut through those endless lists of links and give you great results quickly?” 

I’m looking forward to tinkering with Bing to see how intuitive it may be.  It’s always hard to imagine a ‘cleaner’ search engine than Google, but Microsoft really doesn’t have a choice about being innovative right now, they have to start getting in the search game. Could Bing be the ticket? We’ll see on June 3.

Read the full article here:

In our office, there is always an array of sounds. People are typing frivolously at the keyboard, the fax machine is printing, the phone is ringing, the radio is going, employees are discussing new and innovative ideas……you get my point. Amidst all of this noise, is the one phone call or fax that begins the never ending discussion. “Hi my name is Betty-Sue Lynn and I am calling with (insert name of web design company here) and I am calling to tell you that we offer professional and clean web design services at a great low price!”

Why do companies market (nay ….SPAM) us for services that we ourselves offer?

When beginning any marketing plan, wether it be online or conventional, you need to know your target market. My guess is that your target market isn’t your competition or any company that offers the same services as you. Research your demographics: large companies, small companies, individuals, ages, geographical location etc. Learn about your market, and how your potential clients might be looking for your services. And remember, if you are too busy to head up this research your self, contact us! We are eager to help you isolate your target market to achieve online success. 407.830.4550.

ICANN  (the Internet Corporation For Assigned Names) is supposed to vote today (Thursday, June 26) on whether or not it will open the flood gates of domain name extensions.  There are of course .com and .net domain names as well as .biz, .tv., etc., but this move would allow for virtually any extension with the exception of trademarked domain names (i.e., .Microsoft, .apple, etc.). 

If approved this could obviously change the landscape tremendously on the internet: will you rush to purchase your own .tom name?  Read more here….

Internet search portal Yahoo.com has announced a partnership with Google (which honestly blows my mind….). Yahoo will be displaying Google AdWords along side it’s own pay per click ads.  This of course is opening up much speculation as to how this new system will work, how will ad pricing be determined, etc.

Yahoo will have the ability to display which ads it wants and further, how to present the AdWords in their own Yahoo search results. Yahoo chose the ‘deal’ with Google over another offer from Microsoft. Read more about this announcement here…

It will definetly be interesting to see how this plays out, of course, details and logistics are still being ironed out and their is some regulatory compliance ‘stuff’ that needs to be hammered down, but this could open many more avenues for both advertisers and content providers.

Google’s stock price dropped 4.57 percent last Tuesday: one of the reported reasons for the drop: Stagnant pay per click performance over the last year. Google AdWords had been growing at least by 25% in previous years.

This, of course, brings up an interesting question: are searchers turning a blind eye to pay per click? I think a lot of this goes back to authenticity and pull marketing rather than push marketing.  When people do a Google search, they expect and demand relevant search results: they are also educated enough now to know that people have ‘paid’ for their ads to display upon their search results, could it be that searchers are looking for the ‘real’ results? Organic search engine results reveal authenticity, skill, staying power and true relevance.

Getting found in the search engines is an integral part of true Internet marketing: if your company shows up in the top five Google search results on a competitive term in your industry, you have authenticity, you have established confidence, you have established credibility.

Is your web site found in the organic search engine results? Call On Target Web Solutions today and speak to one of our skilled organic search engine experts: Start building your online presence today: 407-830-4550

Found this great article regarding blogging and your corporate web site.  A corporate blog for your company is a fantastic way to keep your clients and prospects updated as to corporate news, new products, new services and industry trends.  Not only does your blog benefit your web site visitors, it is also an excellent way to keep your web site content fresh and inviting for Google, MSN & Yahoo.  The more relevant your blog is to your corporate web site, the more times you publish unique content, the more likely your web site is to be found.

Google has been putting in some overtime lately: check your web site for the latest Google Page Rank Update.  We noticed a change in PR on late afternoon Friday.  While there are many schools of thought on page rank and it’s importance with organic search engine results, it is just one tool of measurement that we use to gauge a web site’s popularity. Page Rank can go up and just as easily go down as Google alters its algorithm.

You can download the google toolbar here to view page rank on each site you visit: you will need to activate that particular feature once you download and install the tool in your browser.

The open source search engine Wikia Search is alive and in beta testing as we write: we’ll be kicking the tires on this one for the next couple of weeks… http://alpha.search.wikia.com/.

Pardon me for being Mr. Glass half empty, but we’ll have to see how this whole open source search engine pans out with the human element and possible corruption.

November was a strong month for Google searches: The AP reports that Google snagged 57.7 percent of US online searches in November which is up over two percent from October. With this staggering number ahead of us, it’s time to think about 2008 and your search engine optimization / online marketing plan. Will you be found by one of those 4.25 billion searches? Will your web site convert one of those billions into a sale or a customer for life?

Let’s talk about your online marketing strategy in 2008: Call the search engine marketing experts at 407-830-4550 today for a free 30 minute consultation on how you can benefit from Google’s growth. Visit On Target Web Solutions.com today: Web Design : Internet Marketing : SEO.

A company with as much pull and money as Google is bound to be held to a higher level of social responsibility.  Let’s face it, Google is without a doubt, one of the best corporate success stories in history.  With that success comes scrutiny, and with that success comes power and influence.  While there are many companies who love to catch the wave of a trend, I do believe that Google’s corporate persona and philosophy can inspire change. By harnessing that power and influence, Google and all other corporations can evoke change.

Learn more about Google’s plan to lower the price of solar energy and further encourage the use of renewable energy sources here.