Happy Fifth Anniversary Fletcher Freelance!

I'm so excited for September. Although I'm a "summer baby" and don't look forward to fall, there's so much to be grateful for right now. September means back to school and back to "business as usual" for most of us. What really has me excited about September? The fifth anniversary of Fletcher Freelance

How Fletcher Freelance Got Started

September 7, 2007 - FIVE years ago, I started Fletcher Freelance. I began selling articles I'd written to various publishers. Having a good grasp on writing SEO content for the web, I started to dabble in internet marketing and web design. I have read dozens of books on business and marketing and learned so much from working with really great clients. Thanks to all of you!

The last couple of years I've enjoyed doing more trainings and workshops. I'm passionate about what I do and enjoy sharing my experience with others. Since 2007 I've worked with 80 different companies and spoken to 15 different organizations (several of which on more than one occasion). In the last five years I've written hundreds (if not a thousand) pages of content, managed dozens of social media accounts and websites, designed quite a few ads, attended countless networking and training events, and written 25 marketing plans. Phew!

In the next five years I look forward to seeing where sales and marketing trends take us. I'm poised and ready for eCommerce and  mobile marketing, responsive web design, new social media networks, alternative marketing, taking advantage of dual screen habits, understanding shorter attention spans and overcoming ways in which consumers block out and avoid marketing communications. I look forward to continuing to grow and build professional relationships locally, nationwide, and even internationally. I'm also working towards getting my "Certified Presenter" certificate from Constant Contact. And I plan to offer classes through NWTC starting in January, 2013. (Upcoming classes.) 

*This article is an abridged version of my September newsletter. Sign up for my newsletter by entering your email address in the box to the right.

How Social Media Helps SEO

*Special Guest Blog post by Sachin of websudasa.com

Social media is one of the most popular marketing trends these days. Social media can easily help anyone to raise brand awareness as well as to generate more targeted visitors to your website. Have you ever thought how social media can help you in SEO? 

Let’s explore some of the most famous websites in social media like facebook, twitter, YouTube, digg and many more. Click here to find list social networking websites. Yes, there are hundreds of social networking & bookmarking websites available which can help you in SEO. 

Generate Quality Links with Social Media

There are so many SEO activities we do for link building but social media is in one of most effective ways to build genuine one way links. As you know one-way links are of utmost importance in search engine optimization. 

Here’s an example

You can do a search on knowem.com for your brand.

“Search over 575 popular social networks, over 150 domain names, and the entire USPTO Trademark Database to instantly secure your brand on the internet.”

Let’s talk about some of the most famous websites. How these websites can help us in SEO, see the image below for your reference

We actively started focusing on some of the most popular social media sites to generate some quality one-way links.

So let’s talk about some of the most famous social media sites.

How to use facebook for SEO

Some of the activities we follow to generate quality one-way links from facebook

1.       Submit website link in facebook business page

2.       Website link in facebook profile

3.       Write facebook notes to generate some targeted traffic and links

4.       Share one or two links or status update in profile or business page

How to use twitter for SEO

1.       Create your company/blog business profile & add your website link in profile

2.       Share your blog or website links on twitter. As soon as your tweets became popular or get a good number of retweets, they become good links.

How to use YouTube or other Video Sharing Websites for SEO

1.       Create a company profile or personal profile where you can easily add your website link.

2.       You can keep adding some of the videos related to your products or. Add your product or website link in descriptions.

How to use Social Bookmarking Websites

1.       Create your personal profile as well as company profile on most of the social bookmarking websites.

2.       Maintain your account by adding some friends to your network.

3.       As soon as you publish any post on your blog you can bookmark those articles on these websites.

4.       You can exchange articles with your friends to submit different articles from your account.

5.       You should get some votes for your articles to get permanent links from these websites or they will remove your link after sometime.

How to use Webmaster to Track Social Media Links

1.       Login to your Google webmaster account.

2.       You can check traffic -> links to your site - >more where you can see all domains that have links to pages on your site.

3.       Here you can easily find social networking and bookmarking websites.

4.       You can click those websites for more details & found what kind of content is getting maximum links. Write that type of content for your blog.

As many genuine and targeted one-way links as you can generate for your website will give you higher chances to get top ranking for your keywords in search engine.

Author Bio: - Sachin Bhutani, Internet marketing consultant and founder of SEO company in India. Writes articles related to SEO, PPC, blogging and making money online. Email info@websudasa.com if you’re interested in having Sachin write a guest article for your website.

Fletcher Freelance in the Flesh (or at least video)

I’m a swimmer. Living in northeast Wisconsin really limits the season for swimming outdoors. Sometimes the water isn’t as cold as you think it will be. Sometimes you just have to dive in. The same holds true for video marketing. I don’t like myself on video. I’m quite camera shy. But what better way to get over it than diving in?

I have recognized the benefits of video marketing and even started a YouTube account two years ago. It’s time to start practicing what I preach. Please take a look at my channel, subscribe if you wish. Otherwise, if you Like my Facebook page, you’ll see new videos as they’re uploaded there. Feel free to leave me comments, but be kind. My ego is feeling a little fragile today.

8 Great Apps for your Facebook Business Page

I’ve been touting the benefits of a Facebook business page for years. But don’t let it stagnate! The purpose of such a page should be to build relationships, to engage users, and to position yourself as an expert in your field. Using these apps will help accomplish those goals.

Tabmaker

If you’ve wondered how to get one of those fancy landing pages, you could hire a web developer or website designer to do it for you, heck – you could hire me. But you could also do it yourself. Tabmaker is a free application that allows you to set up a landing page for first-time visitors or share exclusive content with your fans only. Use your own images, chose colors, and the design you like.

Easy Promos Premium

With Easy Promos you can create your own sweepstakes, photo or video contests, essay contests, pick your favorite, or offer other coupons and promotional codes on your Facebook business page. The premium version costs $100 per campaign. The user-friendly app allows you to manage and customize your promotion from participant requirements to deadlines and more. The Premium version offers options to, “create and manage video contests, customize opt-in checkboxes, create custom wall posts, upload your own banner in the header, and control registration and voting dates. You can also control the frequency of voting according to IP, and limit voting to friends of the entrant.”

Contest Tab

Contest tab is only $30. For that price you can build awareness of your brand with user-generated photo content. The potential to go viral is huge. You can customize with CSS, view real-time analytics, and add share and invite buttons. Additional app options include access to related apps: My Restaurant Tab, Photo Contest Tab, Hotels Tab, Real Estate Tab, and Rent Your Home Tab.

One Way Commerce

If you’ve read the statistics on mobile shopping, you’re aware of the direction commerce is heading. This full e-commerce system allows you to create an instant storefront on your business page. Inventory is tracked, emails sent, and it integrates with QuickBooks and Salesforce.com. The app is FREE and takes only a few minutes to get started. You can create custom banners, upload graphics, and add like buttons to each product. Now there is no excuse to not be selling online!

Join my Mailing List

If you’re on Constant Contact, this app should be a no-brainer. Why not have a tab to grow your list? Enough said. Here's mine. (I made it while in Constant Contact.)

Networked Blogs

Another helpful app. If you’re blogging, have your blog autopost on your business page (also works on a personal profile). All you have to do is register your blog and prove you are the author. Here's mine.

SlideShare

If you use slideshare.net, you need this tool to import your presentations to Facebook. Supports PowerPoint, Keynote, and more! It’s easy to synch the accounts. Just find synch under the application. One disadvantage is you cannot view without going to the app page.

Cueler

If you’re on YouTube autopost videos you upload to your business channel on Facebook. It’s super easy. Just add the Cueler app and tell it what your YouTube username is. Cueler adds a tab and stores your latest videos there as well as posting on your wall (and in fans’ newsfeeds). Body Essentials uses this well.

These are just a few of the apps I like. Also consider a review app. Have one that’s worked for you? Please share in the comments below. If you need help managing your social media presence, just call 715-584-6773.

The Future of Display Ads, Is Google the Way to Go?

Three years ago, Google acquired DoubleClick to grow beyond search advertising. The $3.1 billion purchase allowed them to tap the market for display ads on the top and sides of webpages. Google’s stock soared 35% in the two months following the deal.


Since then stocks have stagnated. Google brought back behavioral advertising halted by DoubleClick. The current wave of “Do Not Track” bills in Congress threaten to limit the cookies companies can use to track ad effectiveness. The attention of anti-trust regulators has also been captured in Europe.

Google allows users to adjust online profiles and even opt out of tracking from the ads preferences manager. According to Neal Mohan, VP for product management at Google, for every seven users that adjust their preferences, only one user opts out. He says, “What we find is that the more relevant the ad, the better the user experience is.”

Threats to Google display ads include Microsoft, Facebook, Twitter, and even Apple. Yahoo! was the big contender, but now Twitter is poised to take in larger shares of ad dollars. Apple’s iAd program for mobile devices is going to prove a worthy adversary as people spend more time online mobily, even shopping from their smartphones.

As of October display ad sales by Google were budgeted at $2.5 billion annually. Google says display ads reach 80% of internet users. The company says 99% of its 1000 largest advertisers run both display ads and text-based search ads.

Analysts counter that at least half of said revenue is from ads run on YouTube (Google acquired in 2006). YouTube would likely be successful without display revenue. YouTube surpassed Google as most-visited site on the net. Video marketing is proving a wise investment for many businesses.

Bloomberg Businessweek cites Facebook as Google’s biggest threat to display ads. (I think they could’ve ended the statement after “Facebook is Google’s biggest threat.”) Facebook revenue in 2011 will be around $4 billion. Revenue comes almost entirely from the small display ads run on members’ pages. Facebook sells these ads directly, not allowing outsiders like Google access to Facebook’s 500 million members.

Google senior vice president of advertising, Susan Wojcicki says “Facebook will definitely do interesting things and has an interesting perspective, but the web is a really big place.” She’s been at Google for 12 years now. In fact it’s the only job that showed on Wojcicki's LinkedIn profile. My guess is that she’s hoping to stay there a few more years. But I do have to wonder if she is on Facebook.

For help with your display ads, call Fletcher Freelance today. (715) 584-6773