December 2010 Newsletter
Happy holidays from our family to yours!
We are truly blessed with progress through the past year and very grateful to all of you as our clients. The team at IM4B is growing with the additions of Jack, Jeff and Jay to our team and poised for additional growth in 2011. With new team members, software tools, tactics and techniques we are geared up to be a big part of our clients’ growth in the New Year.
While many of us have experienced tougher times than we may like, our resolve makes us stronger & more grateful than ever. So let us celebrate the spirit of giving by giving back to our local communities in every way we can. We wish you & yours the very best through this Holiday Season & the New Year ahead.
For a very special holiday gift to your company, please view the video at the bottom of this page.
Google News
Recently Google acquired yet another company for 6 billion, Groupons. Groupons is a coupon site that ties social media into a coupon site. The driving force is that the “deal “ is not valid unless certain minimum number of customers sign up. The discounts are substantial around 50%. So interested merchants determine the volume of new customers needed to make the deal work. Customers can invite their friends to join in the deal. This is a great service for business looking to drive more local foot traffic. So here are the pros and cons from my perspective.
Pros, I believe that this type of “sale” can drive an increase in traffic, and acquiring new clients is the most expensive endeavor for any business. Additionally, Groupons does all the promotion by sending out notices to individuals that sign up to get daily notices on deals in their city. Considering other forms of advertising, this is highly targeted. The social media component is a great way to get potential customers to invite their friends. We all like to share in a deal so this helps sell out the deal quickly.
Cons- The first drawback, this is only working in about 100 cities so unless you live in a major market, chances are Groupons is not available or does not have enough merchants and customers. The second concern is that the discounts are large, this means you need to sell on volume, and if you’re not ready for volume then you may not be able to offer a deep discount and still make any profit. This is good if your business uses coupons and you want more foot traffic. Service business may find it hard to capitalize since customers do not buy on impulse but more on need. For example offering coupons for a donut shop makes sense, but a window company would not find much value since people do not buy windows on an impulse.
Internet Marketing Tip
Looking to get your message out? Well have you considered video? Video is becoming the new online TV, but forget about doing slick TV commercials online they don’t work. So here are five tips to creating a viral video for your business
1. Keep it short – We have found that 30sec to 1 minute max is a good length for a sales, or as we call them magnet video. The objective here is simple, tell them what you have , how it can benefit them and what they need to do to find out more.
2. Make it easy- Whatever your call to action is, call us, go to our website, e-mail us, sign up, make it easy for them to take the next step.
3. Put you info in top third of video for the duration. Don’t wait till the end to give them your info, keep your website or phone on the screen throughout. We never know where they will drop off the video so don’t save info till the end.
4. Make it compelling – ok this takes some thought and creativity. Boring does not work, so if your topic is about the new widget for jet rockets, don’t go into all the technical boring stuff unless the only clients you want are rocket scientists. So how would you make it more exciting? Out of box usually works best. So a series of clips showing past rocket explosions can be very entertaining. This gets their attention then we get them to find out more.
5. Ask them to share it – don’t assume they will share your video and make it viral. You need to ask. We have even used enticements to get them motivated. A good way to do this is embed share buttons for Facebook, twitter, and other sites.
We have many more tips to share about making viral videos and other topics. Make sure you visit our site and sign up for our video series on internet marketing.
All things considered-
Internet marketing moves at a very fast pace, and what worked yesterday may not apply tomorrow. That is why having a company that is watching trends in the market is so important.
So here is what I consider to be the next most important component to marketing.
Mobile marketing! When I use that term it conjures up all kinds of misconceptions, so let’s get those out of the way first.
Mobile marketing is not all about delivering ads to iphones and smartphones, they only make up about 20% of the mobile market. While smart phones are sexy, they are not the end all. Mobile marketing is not about blasting unwanted messages to everyone or having annoying pop ups show up in your applications. Mobile marketing is not something your business can ignore. Regardless of what type of business you’re in, mobile marketing should be considered in all your marketing planning. Why because of these reasons:
1-Smart phone sales are projected to outperform global pc sales within 3 years
2- there are 4.2 mobile devices only 1.8 billion internet
3-Mobile web adoption is growing 8X faster than the equivalent point 10 yrs ago for the desktop
4-Half of new internet connections are from mobile devices
So the good news is you now know that mobile will soon overtake the pc as the device of choice for getting information. So let’s explore a couple of quick scenarios to highlight this. You’re out driving around and you spot a car you might be interested in. Whip out your mobile phone take a picture of the 2d bar code and whala, you have every bit of information about that vehicle since it rolled off the assembly line. You are in front of your favorite restaurant, as you walk in a text message shows up on your phone welcoming you and letting you know the specials available to you as a VIP Mobile member. You’re out shopping and the item your interested seems a bit expensive, snap take a picture of the QR code and you can compare prices at local retailers for that item, instant comparison shopping.
In all the above scenarios running home to use your PC is just not convenient. Since our mobile devices rarely are less than 3 feet way from us you can see how this will soon become the device of choice for information gathering and sharing. You will also start seeing a lot more QR codes and 2d bar codes ). If you want to know more , sign up for video series and we will show you how your business can benefit from the mobile explosion before your competition does.
How to Make a YouTube Video
Are you interested in making your own videos to upload to YouTube and to share with the rest of the internet community? If you are and if this is your first time trying to do so, you may be wondering how you can go about making your own videos. Although the process of making a YouTube video may seem like a complicated one, it isn’t necessarily. Even those with a low amount of computer knowledge are able to successfully make their own videos, many of which later end up on YouTube.
The first step in making a YouTube video is to get a video recording device. Video recording devices come in a number of different formats. For instance, it is possible to use cell phones, webcams, or traditional camcorders. If you are interested in using your cell phone to help you make a YouTube video, you will need to make sure that your cell phone has video recording capabilities. You will find that most new, modern cell phones do. For the best quality videos, you want to use traditional camcorders, particularly digital ones, but webcams are also nice low-cost alternatives.
Once you have a video recording device in your possession, you can start to make your own videos. Popular videos on YouTube include video blogs, comedy skits, how-to videos, or travel videos. You can make just about whatever type of video you want, whether it is one that is staged or just recording spur of the moment activities or conversations. When learning how to make a YouTube video, it is important to remember that YouTube doesn’t limit the number of videos you can submit, but all videos must be ten minutes or less, if you have a traditional YouTube membership account. Therefore, if you want to have videos be longer than ten minutes, you either need to upgrade your account or make your videos in different segments.
When making your YouTube video, you will want to make sure that the quality is good. For this, it is a good idea to speak directly into the camera or else use raised voices. This will help to ensure that those watching your videos on YouTube can actually understand what you are saying. It is also advised that you make sure the lighting is good. The best time to make movies is during the day. If you want to make your movies at night, whether they take place inside or outdoors, you will want to make sure that you have the appropriate amount of lighting. Nothing is worse than watching a video that is hard to see.
Although there are a number of steps, like the ones mentioned above, which you can take to ensure that your YouTube videos are quality ones, there is a way that you can fix problems later on. You can do this with movie editing software. Moving editing software allows you to preview and edit your videos, should you wish to do so before uploading them to YouTube. If you have a relatively new computer, you should be able to find movie editing software already on your computer. If you are unable to find movie editing software, you should be able to get free software programs or even purchase deluxe software programs online or from one of your local media stores.
The decision as to whether or not you want to edit your videos, before sharing them on YouTube, is yours to make, but it is advised that you at least look into doing so, especially if your computer already has a movie editing program. You will want to watch your movies and see if there is anything that you would like to edit, change, or remove. If so, the time to do it is before you post your video on the YouTube website. Editing your YouTube videos or at least previewing them first is likely to improve their quality, which, in turn, will help to improve the exposure that your YouTube videos get. Many YouTube members share videos that they find interesting with those that they know and your videos may be one of them.
Making Your Own YouTube Videos
Are you one of the millions of internet users who enjoy watching free videos on YouTube? If you are, the thought of creating your own YouTube video may have crossed your mind; has it? If so, you may be wondering whether or not you should make your own YouTube video and then upload it to the YouTube website. When making your decision, it is advised that you can examine the pros and cons of doing so.
When it comes to making your own YouTube video, there are a number of cons or downsides to doing so. Perhaps, the biggest downside to making your own video and then uploading it to YouTube is that you are essentially sharing the video with the whole world. Many individuals mistakenly believe that their videos will only be seen by YouTube members, but that isn’t the truth. Any internet user, even those without a YouTube account, can view videos on YouTube. In fact, it is not uncommon for YouTube video viewers to email a YouTube video link to those that they know. Therefore, the views that your YouTube videos may get may be more than you ever expected or wanted.
Since any video that you upload to the YouTube website can be viewed by just about anyone with an internet connection, you may want to be careful with the amount of information that you disclose. For instance, if you are doing a video blog, you might not want to give your real name or at least not your full name. It is also important that you don’t mention where you live. If you want, you may want to outline the state that you reside in, but never give the city or town, especially if you disclose your name. You will want to try and refrain from giving any personal information to any YouTube member, even those who send you personal messages asking for information.
Although there are a few downsides or cons to uploading your videos to the YouTube website, there are also a number of pros or plus sides to doing so. One of those pros is ease of use. Even if you consider yourself to be unskilled with computers, you should still be able to make, upload, and share your video or videos on YouTube. In all honesty, all you need is a video recording device, like a camcorder or a webcam, and a movie editing software program, which now comes standard with most computers. Once you have your video on your computer and edited, if you wish to do so, you will just need to follow YouTube’s step-by-step uploading instructions and then your video should be ready for sharing, in as little as a few minutes.
Although a large number of internet users use YouTube videos for fun or for personal reasons, there are many others who use them for business or at least to up their exposure. You need to remember that millions of internet users watch videos on YouTube. While your YouTube video will be unlikely to get one million views, you could get quite a bit. Whether you are advertising your services, like as a website designer or an online actress, you can do so through YouTube. The only thing that you will want to do is try to not take the spam approach. If you are advertising yourself as a website designer, try taking a few videos of you making a website or use your video to explore websites that you have made. Simply adding your business information at the end of the video is a great way to get your point across, but without making your YouTube video seem as it is an advertisement.
Marketing A Business Online
Marketing a business online: Are you one of the millions of internet users who enjoy watching free videos on YouTube? If you are, the thought of creating your own YouTube video may have crossed your mind; has it? If so, you may be wondering whether or not you should make your own YouTube video and then upload it to the YouTube website. When making your decision, it is advised that you can examine the pros and cons of doing so.
When it comes to making your own YouTube video, there are a number of cons or downsides to doing so. Perhaps, the biggest downside to making your own video and then uploading it to YouTube is that you are essentially sharing the video with the whole world. Many individuals mistakenly believe that their videos will only be seen by YouTube members, but that isn’t the truth. Any internet user, even those without a YouTube account, can view videos on YouTube. In fact, it is not uncommon for YouTube video viewers to email a YouTube video link to those that they know. Therefore, the views that your YouTube videos may get may be more than you ever expected or wanted.
Since any video that you upload to the YouTube website can be viewed by just about anyone with an internet connection, you may want to be careful with the amount of information that you disclose. For instance, if you are doing a video blog, you might not want to give your real name or at least not your full name. It is also important that you don’t mention where you live. If you want, you may want to outline the state that you reside in, but never give the city or town, especially if you disclose your name. You will want to try and refrain from giving any personal information to any YouTube member, even those who send you personal messages asking for information.
Although there are a few downsides or cons to uploading your videos to the YouTube website, there are also a number of pros or plus sides to doing so. One of those pros is ease of use. Even if you consider yourself to be unskilled with computers, you should still be able to make, upload, and share your video or videos on YouTube. In all honesty, all you need is a video recording device, like a camcorder or a webcam, and a movie editing software program, which now comes standard with most computers. Once you have your video on your computer and edited, if you wish to do so, you will just need to follow YouTube’s step-by-step uploading instructions and then your video should be ready for sharing, in as little as a few minutes.
Although a large number of internet users use YouTube videos for fun or for personal reasons, there are many others who use them for business or at least to up their exposure. You need to remember that millions of internet users watch videos on YouTube. While your YouTube video will be unlikely to get one million views, you could get quite a bit. Whether you are advertising your services, like as a website designer or an online actress, you can do so through YouTube. The only thing that you will want to do is try to not take the spam approach. If you are advertising yourself as a website designer, try taking a few videos of you making a website or use your video to explore websites that you have made. Simply adding your business information at the end of the video is a great way to get your point across, but without making your YouTube video seem as it is an advertisement.
Marketing A Business Online
If you are not already Marketing a business online, it is time to start. Although there are a few exceptions, just about every business can benefit from online marketing. There are just so many advantages to this type of marketing. First of all, it is extremely affordable to market a business online. Other advantages to marketing a business online include the ability to reach a large target audience, the ability to reach potential customers all over the world and the ability to customize the marketing for different sectors of the target audience.
The affordability of marketing a business online is one of many reasons why many business owners are turning to the Internet for advertising. Advertising online is incredibly affordable especially when you consider how many potential customers a business owner can reach with an online marketing campaign. Most methods of online advertising are quite affordable and some of them do not have any direct costs. For example, you may choose to market your business online by participating in industry forums and posting links to your website whenever it is appropriate to do so. In this case the cost of creating and maintaining the website is insignificant in comparison to the number of potential clients you could reach through online marketing. Additionally, the costs associated with posting links to your website are incidental. You could consider the cost of having access to the Internet as part of the cost but you most likely require Internet access for other reasons as well so it is completely worthwhile.
Reaching a large target audience is another very worthwhile reason for marketing a business online. You may have spent a great deal of time and energy doing market research and determine who your target audience is. You may have also spent a great deal of time trying to figure out the best way to reach this audience. This is a very sound marketing principle but as it applies to marketing on local television, radio and print media it only allows you to reach a limited audience. However, when you take your marketing to the Internet you automatically drastically increase your potential target audience because you now have the ability to reach members of your target audience around the world.
This ability to reach customers around the world is another major advantage to marketing a business online. Regardless of where you live and operate your business, you have the ability to reach those who have an interest in the products you sell or the services you provide no matter where they live. This makes it possible for you to do business with customers around the world.
Likewise the fact that the Internet is available 24 hours a day is also very beneficial to those who choose to market their products or services online. Shopping for products and services in person can be very difficult especially for individuals who work long hours or those who work unusual hours. These working conditions make it difficult for these individuals to do business and make purchases of products and services they need during regular business hours. However, business owners who have an online presence are much more convenient because unlike stores and calling centers, the website never closes. This convenience gives potential customers the ability to view products and services, compare these products and services to the ones offered by competitors and make a purchase at any hour of any day.
If you are a business owner who is reading this article and you do not already have a strong online presence, you need to immediately start learning more about the world of Internet marketing. This is so important because if your competitors are marketing online, you may find they are gaining a steady advantage and are becoming more appealing to potential customers. Before too many of your potential customers become loyal customers of the competition it is time to start figuring out how you can market your business online and keep up with the competition.
Small Businesses Change Social Media Expectations
About a quarter of small businesses now marketing via social media
After climbing steeply, according to research from Network Solutions and the Center for Excellence in Service at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, small-business adoption of social media marketing has plateaued at 24%.
The study of US small business found that those that do market via social media primarily use Facebook (82%), and that the most common activities are maintaining a company page on a social network and posting status updates or links to interesting content. About half of businesses that used social media also monitored brand chatter on social networks.
As small businesses have gained experience with social media, some have realized their expectations for the channel did not line up with the reality of the social web. As the wider marketing world begins to look at social as more of a loyalty channel than one for acquisition, small businesses are also finding that their hopes for spreading brand awareness and attracting new customers have not been fully met. By contrast, somewhat fewer small businesses had expected to use social media as an engagement channel, but nearly two-thirds have had success in that area.
The most common business objectives small businesses have achieved through social media marketing tell a similar story: Customers are connecting with companies through sites like Facebook and LinkedIn, but relatively few sales leads have been received through the sites.
Small businesses have found other frustrations as well. Many say their efforts take up more time than they had expected, although that percentage dropped from 50% to 43% between December 2009 and June 2010, suggesting companies are being more realistic about what’s involved in social campaigns. At the same time, however, the percentage saying their business had been criticized online nearly doubled, reaching 29%. Still, just a tiny 1% of small businesses said their image was hurt more than it was helped by social media—a number that’s also down, from 6% in December.
Social Media Written by eMarketer Digital Intelligence
A Great Idea for a Blogging Website is No Longer Enough
A Great Idea for a Blogging Website is No Longer Enough
Because there are so many blogs and web sites about blogs on the internet, it can be tough to distinguish your blogging website from all of the others. Whether you are starting up a new web site aimed at bloggers or whether you are looking to make your existing blogging site more distinctive, the key to building and maintaining a site that will capture the interest and attention of the blogging community is finding your niche. If you can fill a unique need in a way that no other web site does, you’ll be able to build a lasting readership among web surfers. Once you have discovered a niche, you will still have a lot to do, but finding your place in the blogosphere is the place to begin.
Every great blogging website starts with a great idea, and you can’t build a successful site that will last without one. There are many great sites aimed at today’s bloggers, and competition for the attention of this growing demographic is fierce. To make your blogging web site stand out from the pack, you will need to offer something that no other site is currently offering, or you will need to do the same thing that an already popular site does but in a more impressive or valuable way.
One way to discover an ideal model for your blogging website is to look at the sites that have successfully captured a blogging audience already to determine if you can appropriate some of their strategies to help realize your vision. Of course, you will also need to add a unique flair to your project in order to stand apart from your competition. Many people agree that the web sites that do the best in today’s market are the sites that have the most personality. The fiercely individual surfers who are bloggers are a demographic that responds especially strongly to personality, so consider how you can give your site a unique and attractive feeling by lending your own voice and sensibility to your site’s design and content.
Once you have a great idea for your site, have pinpointed a special niche that you are well equipped to fill, and have infused the site with personality, the next step is figuring out how to get the word out to bloggers. In the long run, a great idea just isn’t enough to propel your blogging website to success. You will need to draft a smart and realistic marketing plan in order to draw readers to your site. Once you hook a blogger, your great content will keep them coming back, but it is vital to get that first glance or your blogging website won’t have a chance to shine.
How to Create an Outline for Your Article
Article Writing
We have done it through junior high, it expanded longer through high school, then on college it became chapters. No matter how many times a person has done it, writing articles has proven to be a task many have continuously avoided. Now at a time when article writing could help your job or work, facing the job at hand can be still faced with unfriendly behavior.
While there are a great number of people who do not have the same attitude in article writing as others, there are still those who would rather walk in piping hot coals than do some article writing. What set other people apart from other towards article writing is that they are prepared and has some methods and procedures in writing articles.
One of the methods you can use to prepare yourself when tasked to write in article is creating an outline first. Creating an outline for all your articles makes you prepared. You have an idea of what to do first and make a plan for your succeeding steps. Being prepared makes the job easier and faster. Being organized will allow for disorientation to be shunned away.
An outline can act as the design or blueprint for your article. This will guide you in creating the introduction, body and conclusion of your article. Here in this point, you can write down some of the ideas and sentences that you feel will look good in your article. This could be some of the focal point that could help make your article creative, interesting and appealing to a reader.
A carefully planned and fully prepared project would guarantee and ensure a problem and worry free procedure that can virtually go without any hassles. Creating an outline for all your articles will get you ready and breeze through writing an article in no time at all. Here I will provide you with some tips and guidelines in how to create an outline for all of your article writing projects.
Do a couple of brainstorming and jot down your brilliant ideas first. Think of some ways to attract the interest of your reader. Designate a time frame where you can write down all the ideas that you can use for your articles. By this time you should have done all your research and information searching. Review and reread your ideas and notes, gain mastery and sufficient familiarity with your topic so that writing them down later own would be easy for you.
The next step is to discover your sub topic and sub titles. As you would provide a first sentence for your article, one that would immediately grab the attention of your reader, you would need some as well for your sub topics. To be concise, you would need to get all the facts that will support and go against your point.
These are the frames or skeleton of your article, now it’s time to add the flesh and the meat of your article. You will need to connect all your paragraphs and sub topics. This will form the body of your Article. While the introduction will usher in the ideas of your paragraph, you will need a conclusion. The conclusion will wrap up your points and drive in what you are saying in your article.
The outline for your article would also require you to write a draft first. This may take more than one attempt but remember that it is called a draft for a reason. Your outline shall be perfected as each draft is written and this draft is meant for your eyes only so there’s no reason to feel ashamed. As you go on, you will clearly see the bigger picture and write an article that will perfectly suit what is demanded of it.
Reread and reread what you have written down. Always refer to your outline so that you won’t drift away from what you had first written down. It’s not hard to be caught in the moment and get lost in your writing frenzy. Your outline will help you keep in track. All those hours spent in outlining your article will not go to waste. This will serve as your guide in writing articles. Trust and rely on your outline because this will prove to be a very helpful tool in all your article writing projects.
Like our Facebook Business Page