I’ve been asked to teach two of these seven segments – can you guess which ones?

• Killer Keywords: Find the Keywords you Need and the Ones Your Competitors Leave Behind
• The Changing Face of Facebook: New Changes, Pages, Events, Ads, and more
• Getting Linked: Create and Use LinkedIn Profiles & Pages for Business
• Content is King: How the Words You Use Can Make (or Kill) Your Sale
• Reach More, Do More: Branching out beyond Facebook, LinkedIn, & Twitter
• Rockstar Videos: Tap Into the Magic of YouTube & Multimedia
• Managing Your Online Presence: What, Where, When, Why, & How to Manage Your Online Marketing

You’re right! Killer Keywords and Reach More, Do More! :-D In the Keyword sement I’ll cover the basics of researching your keywords, why we need to do it and how we can do it. During my afternoon segment I’m covering three hot social media sites (not Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter!) that business owners can use to reach even more potential customers online. Because at the end of the day the more folks we talk to, the more opportunities people have to find us, the more successful our businesses will be, right?

My friend Julia Lilly of 360Admin, will be covering all the new Facebook changes.

Paul Hattimer, a professional LinkedIn trainer, will be sharing with us best practices for using LinkedIn to grow our businesses.

Gerry Rubendall, of Gonzo Strategies, will be giving us the low-down on sales copy.

I don’t have details on the last two segments, but I’m sure they will be fabulous too! The pricing is great at only $99 for the day (includes lunch) or $25 for individual segments. Register early because seating is limited.

Hope to see you there!

Achieve top ranking on Google for FREE!

Get found on Google for free!

Google Places is the most effective FREE tool for getting your business found on Google! 97% of consumers search for local businesses online and 40% of all searches are location based; yet only 2% of all business owners have claimed their Google Places listing and even fewer have strategically optimized their listing.

• Learn insider tips and tactics to enhance your listing for maximum effectiveness
• Learn how to add photos, videos and promotional offers to your listing to help you stand out from the crowd
• Learn how to collect positive customer reviews in Google Places and manage your Online Reputation
• Discover insights about your business and what keywords your customers used to find you

This seminar will give you the tools and strategies you need achieve premium exposure and visibility using Google Places!

DATE/TIME: Tuesday, September 27th, 5:30 to 6:30 pm

PRICE: $10; Registration required for attendance – no walk-ins.

LOCATION: Knowledge For Success (near TCU)

It takes the same amount of work to build an unsuccessful business as it does to build a successful business.”

Unfortunately many people rush into business and start marketing without doing any research and simply how for the best. Unfortunately hoping for the best won’t get you ranked on Google. And if you don’t have rank, chances are people won’t click on your link. Studies show 90% of the time searchers will only click on the natural listings on the first page of Google AND 60% of those click-throughs come from the first three listings! If you want to rank high on Google, it’s critical you know the right keywords for your business and optimize for them.
However, conducting keyword research alone isn’t enough -
You also need to look at what your competitors and the leaders in your industry are doing. The process of analyzing which online marketing tactics the most successful businesses in your industry are employing will save you countless hours of frustration and a lot of money in ineffective marketing.
 
This month I’m teaching a class at Knowledge for Success on how to conduct your own keyword and competitor market research. This is a service I provide my clients and they tell me they find the information in these reports INVALUABLE and I’m sure you will too.

• Help you build great visibility on the Internet
• Get top listings in Google
• Protect your Online Reputation (ORM)
• Grow your website traffic and business.

This month I will give an overview of Organic SEO principles and how they impact your online reputation at Michelle Martin’s, C3 for Women’s July Success Event. Later in the month I dive deeper into this topic at Knowledge For Success.

Some of the topics I cover include:

• The definition of: SEO, SERP, SEM, Pay-Per-Click and ORM
• Easy and safe tactics to promote your website online
• Common, yet costly, mistakes to avoid
• How to avoid “Black Hat” or disreputable SEO con-artists
• How to pick a “White Hat” or reputable SEO consultant
• How to use SEO to protect your online reputation

Hope to see you at one of these events. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Unfortunately, saying you don’t have time to do any online marketing is like saying, “I don’t have time to save a ton of money on advertising.” While saying you don’t have time for social media says, “I don’t have time to listen to what any of my customers have to say.”

Online marketing and social media are some of the greatest tools to come along for small business in decades. But just like the other business tools available, you need to choose the right mix for your industry and business.

Foursquare, for example, is a fun FREE tool for business owners who want to encourage loyalty and repeat business. It’s tailor made for restaurants and many retail outlets, but a poor choice law firms or oncologists.

Some of the online tools YOU might want to consider are:

• Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn (a.k.a “The Big Three”)
• Email Marketing (with an avg. ROI of $46 for every $1 spent you can’t beat it for cost and efficiency)
• Foursquare, Yelp, Groupon, Google Places (good choices for location-based businesses)
• Blogging and Article Marketing (to establish credibility in your niche and increase your search engine ranking)
• Banner Advertising & Pay Per Click Marketing (via Google OR Facebook)
• Web Based Events
• Video Marketing

…and the list just keeps on growing in the wild and wonderful world of online marketing.

But how do you choose the right mix for your business? Before you can answer this question you first have to:

1) Know your USP (unique selling proposition). What makes your business special and what “messages” would you like your potential customers to hear from you?

2) Know your Customers. Where do they “hang out” online? Where do they go for information and what do they consider valuable?

3) Know your Competition. Who are they? What promotions are they running? Is there an unfulfilled need in the marketplace you can meet?

4) Know your Keywords. Spending the time to do keyword research for your business will help you target the right customers and rank well on Google.

By defining these four items FIRST you will learn:

1. What you should be talking about online with your potential clients
2. Which online mediums your clients use to find businesses like yours
3. Which social media outlets your competition are utilizing
4. Which keywords potential clients use to find businesses like yours & which keywords your competition is trying to rank for.

As a certified social media specialist & certified internet marketing specialist I develop online and social media marketing strategies that integrate with your offline marketing world and help you to achieve your marketing goals. I show you how to measure your success and track results in terms that matter to your company.

This month I will be speaking in-depth about Online Marketing on 6/23 for Action Coach’s, “Feed Your Business” series, and more generally about online marketing on 6/28 at Knowledge for Success from 5:30 to 7:00. Come check it out and learn how you too can become an Internet Rock Star!