Animate Your Business with Animatron.com

Wondering through the masses of websites that are offering free or paid services can be maddening even for a seasoned web marketing veteran. After all, who has the time to tinker with every new tool that might be of use to your business in marketing and selling online? Nobody does.

I’ve taken the time to swim through the channels of many tech tools online for you, and one point of focus has been on image and video tools. Images and video have really become important keys for one's website and social media for business use. They capture the attention of viewers! Fortunately, the tools keep advancing and the price points improve for small business and now it is much easier and quite inexpensive to create great eye-catching image and video with online web tools.

"Web tools" are distinguished from "computer software" by the fact that the software is not downloaded and residing on your computer. Rather, the software is online, in the "cloud", where it is updated and you login to access it. This saves precious space on your computer hard drive and allows you to always have the most updated version of the software, simply by logging in online.

One newer online tool to animate your business that is worthy of consideration after my vetting process is Animatron. This is a European tool that's great for anyone to use and is gaining popularity worldwide. It allows you to create, without needing professional skills, animated image banners, infographics and more that you can embed on your website.

Animatron Key Features:

  1. All projects can be mobile friendly and work on any browser. The days of "flash" animation are over. Animatron works across all online tools including iPhones and iPads (where flash didn't).
  1. You can choose to make your projects public or private. This is handy for students, group corporate projects and individuals. Flexibility is primary, as most business owners need that flexible, turnkey option to have something private and then turn public at a specific date.
  1. Animatron.com makes it easy to operate without much training (they also have a number of tutorials, by the way). No coding knowledge is needed. Their user interface is simple and inviting.
  1. You are allowed to host your own work on your own site. That includes HTML5, with the Javascript and resource files.
  1. The timeline based animation is similar to all who are familiar with general types of video editing. This enables precise pinpoint editing for a smooth finished product.
  1. Getting back to the business advantages . . . a business owner or marketing manager is able to invite others to work or assist on the project simply by sending them the projects URL. Here is a big plus . . . you can watch the changes in real time!
  1. With their vector drawing tools and vector artwork libraries, you are empowered instead of left out in the cold to fend for yourself in the deep ocean of codingHTML5.
  1. You have the ability to import audio and have multiple scenes. 9. Their "snap to path" feature is a revolution for creating quick, quality animations.

These are only a few of the positive points of Animatron.com. The website itself is designed with the ease of user interface in mind as well.

There are three plan options: FREE, Starter, and Pro. The free package is a great suggestion for the entry level user to marketing graphics. The cost of the Starter and Pro packages are $6/Month & $60/yr. and $20/month & $200/yr., respectively. This part really blew me away, only $200 to set your business apart from the multitudes of competitors? For those wanting to take their business imagery online to new heights, Animatron is the real deal!

Have you tried it? Let us know what you think about Animatron.com in the comments.

3 Free Video Conferencing Tools for Business

Video conferencing gives businesses a way to bring teams together outside of the traditional office meeting.  It also allows a regional business to expand nationally or even internationally with "in person" meetings online.  This technology is growing in use and features, and small businesses would be wise to brush up on the potential tools available!

Here are 3 free video conferencing tools to consider for your next virtual business meeting:

Google Hangouts

If a company is using Google Apps or Gmail, using Google Hangouts is an easy addition. Hangouts integrates with all of Google's services, so it's accessible and easy to use for free.

This video conferencing application supports up to 15 people in a video chat. Whenever someone speaks, the primary display switches to show that person. Muting features help cut down on extraneous noise.

Hangout is a multi-platform app, so it's available on most mobile devices and computers. Screen sharing is particularly useful for business meetings, as the attendees can share media and presentations. It's also integrated with Google Calendar.

Skype

Skype has been in the video chat arena since its inception, leading it to be one of the most polished video conferencing tools available. While it may commonly be associated with personal video calling, Skype is quite flexible for the business market.

Its biggest advantage is the 25 person call support. Participants don't even need to have the Skype app to join in. They can go through their mobile or landline phones, which helps when dealing with less tech-savvy attendees. Available as both a conference call or group video conference, Skype is versatile.  Like Google's Hangouts, it offers a chat feature and the ability to screenshare and fileshare.

Join.me

Join.me is designed specifically around videoconferencing, making it perhaps the most robust app option out of the three. It supports up to 250 participants in the chat, which can often cover an entire large company or a large presentation to an audience.

This app is multi-platform and supports iOS and Android devices. It provides presenter control with ease, allowing the meeting to switch from presenter to presenter without a break in between.

It integrates with Microsoft Outlook and Google Calendar for scheduling, records meetings and has screen sharing, Salesforce integration, and cloud-based storage. When a company needs a heavy duty video conferencing tool, this is one to consider!

Video conferencing is much more of a "must-try" tool in today's business environment. Each of these free video conferencing options has their own advantages and limitations, so finding the right one for an organization may take some testing but at a price point of free, there's nothing to lose!

I personally use Hangouts daily and Skype weekly for team and client meetings and find them both more than adequate.  It's a new day and "face-to-face" doesn't have to mean extensive business travel!

Ready to try or already using?  Let me know!

Rise of Social Messaging Apps

Using social messaging apps to get in touch with friends, family, and coworkers in real time is at an all time high right now with no signs of letting up.  What's important for businesses is the present and coming opportunities to use these same apps to connect with customers!

Social Messaging apps are quick and convenient to use, similar to text messaging on your phone but usually offering more multimedia tools and other additional features.  BI Intelligence from Business Insider estimates that in 2015, social messaging apps will grow to surpass standard social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+ in use, so it's a trend to pay attention to!

What are Social Messaging Apps?  We're talking about apps like Facebook Messenger, SnapChat, What's App, and more.  Typically they are used on Smartphone's  but also have website interfaces.  Small or mid-sized businesses and companies need to pay attention to these changing trends as they become tools that businesses will need to use to connect with their customers, and which may allow for advertising opportunities. They are where customers are spending time. Social messaging apps are not a flash in the pan. As these apps become the primary way people choose to communicate while using their mobile devices, companies need to adapt and change marketing strategies to reflect the usage of these apps.  Let's dig into a few of the key apps in a bit more detail.

Facebook Messenger

Rise of Social Messaging AppsOne popular and growing app is Facebook Messenger.  According to HubSpot's Blog, Facebook Messenger has experienced a 50% growth rate in 2014. Integrated within Facebook and also as a stand-alone app, it's a tool that is experiencing phenomenal growth.  If a business has a Facebook page, then it's possible to use Facebook Messenger as the business to connect with fans.  Using Facebook Messenger companies can easily interact with customers and answer their questions and customer service concerns. Customers develop a deep loyalty to brands that take the time to reply to concerns.

It's also interesting to note that Facebook is spending considerable time on adding new features and tools to Messenger, both for the user, and for developers to add features.  It's similar to how Facebook Pages evolved over the years.  Basically, if Facebook is seeing growing value in Messenger for their own marketing and connecting users, then businesses want to pay attention and look for ways their business may want or need to use the tool to reach their ideal customer audience.  One recent addition Facebook is rolling out for Messenger is the peer-to-peer payment integration.  Connect once, and then

What's App

Rise of Social Messaging AppsWhatsApp is another popular messaging app, with a particular strength of users outside of the United States.  It's interesting to note that Facebook bought this app and continues to have it function as a separate and stand-alone messaging app.   This online messenger app on mobile phones has a feature to integrate with a user's phone contact list and allows users to message their contacts. Employees in small to mid-sized companies can easily communicate with coworkers rather than sending out emails for quick correspondence.  With one of the largest user bases of all apps at 700 million, and being owned by Facebook, this is an App to watch and be familiar with.

Viber

Rise of Social Messaging AppsViber is a step up from WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger in that it also offers voice call capabilities. Users can send text messages to their contact list as well. Viber text messages don't count against a user's data plan. For speedy communication, this is a very useful app.  At this time, Viber isn't very marketable from a business to a customer yet, but that will change.

Rise of Social Messaging AppsKik

Kik has over 200 million users and can be a marketing tool for smaller companies right now. Instead of pulling contacts from the phone's contacts list, this social messaging app allows the user to register with a username. Then a user can connect with others and send text-like messages that have photo and video capabilities. A business can use Kik as a part of a marketing campaign by connecting with customers and using hashtags, videos, and images to attract business.

SnapChat

Rise of Social Messaging AppsSnapChat has been on a serious growth curve in the past year and is an emerging force in social messaging apps.  They turned down a $3 Billion purchase offer from Facebook and are said to now be valued at 3x that amount!  Why? They command the important 13-25 year old demographic.  Used most as a peer-to-peer image and video messaging app, there is also a text feature and  a one-to-many stories feature that businesses are beginning to use.  The key feature of SnapChat is that messages disappear after viewing, or in the case of stories, after 24 hours.  This means users pay much more full attention when absorbing a message, much like a phone call or in-person conversation.  When it's over it's gone, so viewers pay attention to each message, something marketers value!  This is an emerging app that it one to watch for sure.  It has a massive user base and is a growing force in social messaging.

Final Thoughts

With the new social messaging app technology, small and mid-sized businesses will have to watch as these apps progress and measure up against social media sites. With the projected growth expected, a business would be wise to start looking at possible ways to integrate some of these apps into their marketing efforts.  Learn early so your business can be ready when the time is right to connect with customers where they are in "in app."

Are you using any of these apps regularly now for personal or business use?  Let me know!

I'm all-in on Facebook Messenger and use SnapChat some with family and friends.

So you've got a content plan and your writing helpful blog posts regularly, GREAT!

What would you say if I told you that perhaps 50% of your effort should go into your blog post title?

Headlines matter BIG TIME. They really do!

how-to-write-blog-post-titles-that-drive-traffic

In this episode of Halftime Mike I dive into reviewing an Infographic from QuickSprout on blog headlines and what process you need to follow to ensure you maximize this key piece of real estate for for capturing viewer attention and for SEO.

NOTE:  Plus, I go on a bit of rant about a pet peeve...people not finishing things.  Be a finisher.  Don't start something and get it 95% of the way done and call it done.  Finish it!

How to Write Blog Post Headlines that Work

what-makes-a-good-headline-2-600x357

Listen Now:

Subscribe:  Halftime Mike on iTunes  | Android users via RSS  | Listen on Stitcher.

badge itunes lrg Growing Business Online: Identifying your Ideal Customer

Tips on How to Write Blog Post Headlines

We all spend our precious time creating great content that educates and entertains our readers. But your content may not be getting read!

The first thing people see and read is your headline or title. Are you capturing their interest?

What are the secrets writing great blog post headlines? I’ll outline a few from the infographic.

1. Length

– 65 characters and 6 words. Mobile devices are forcing our headlines to be more eloquent (short and sweet).

I'd say you can go a bit longer than this but not much.  The KEY, however, is that you must include your targeted KEYWORD phrase in the title, and ideally within the first four words of the title!

2. Adjectives

– Descriptive words are key!  Words like "Discover", "Maximize", "Top", "Unbelievable", and more help you capture attention and draw in the visitor.

3. Be specific

– Clearly state what your article is about. Titles like “Living on the edge” or “The best Product of all time” are too general.  Also, don't make the mistake of being too creative with a"cute" term that the masses may not know!  Cute sayings in titles are not helpful!  There's too much at stake and too many keys you need to accomplish with a title to just go for cute. Cute helps you ZERO in search and longevity of being discovered.

4. Numbers!

– Adding a specific set of numbers to your post title to let the user know what to expect has proven to drive viewership.  People see "The Top 7..." and they know and make a decision to come and view the 7 items you note.   I've used top 5, Discover 7, and more successfully.  I'm not a big fan of the huge numbers myself like "Best 100 this" or "Top 47 this".  Those to me are too much.  I'd don't have time to scroll through 47 let alone 100 of something.

Give'em something they can handle in a bit size read or skim!  Numbers help qualify and quantify.

what-make-a-good-title

Bonus:

The formula for creating headlines is priceless!

TRIGGER WORD + ADJECTIVE + KEYWORD + PROMISE

[Tweet "Best formula for Blog Post Titles! TRIGGER WORD + ADJECTIVE + KEYWORD + PROMISE #halftimemike"]

A word of caution.... TIME! It will take some time to come up with a title that fits inside of all the criteria for a good headline.

Again our friends at QuickSprout have hit a home run with this timely infographic.

Items Noted in this Headlines Podcast:

Want even more ideas on how to optimize post promotion?  How about 41 more ideas for promoting your posts online >>

Next Doable Task:

It’s always about taking away learning's and applying them!  What’s your key takeaway that you need to do in the next 24 hours based on listening to this?
Help Spread the Word! Please let your Twitter followers know about this podcast. Simply click here now to post a tweet >>.   If you enjoyed this episode of the Social Media Marketing podcast, please “go over to iTunes,  leave a rating, write a review and subscribe!   Thank you so much for your support!

Why the Halftime theme Mike?

I’m a Indiana Hoosier native where basketball is the top sport. Every team heads to the locker room at halftime to evaluate the first half and create a updated plan for the second half. That plan includes adjustments based on reviewing what worked and what didn't. The “halftime” is a key review point where the game stops, the team pulls away to huddle in the locker room away from the fans, and they come out prepared and ready to succeed in the second half.

That’s what this podcast is all about, taking the time to pull away for bit to evaluate, learn, and set some strategies for your business to succeed in the second half. Join me by subscribing and let me be your “business halftime” to help you find great success going forward!

Subscribe via iTunes: Halftime Mike on iTunes | Android users via RSS | Listen on Stitcher.

Catch all the episodes of Halftime Mike by signing up for inbox delivery below!

How Construction Businesses Can Use Houzz for Marketing

Houzz is a newer online platform that offers design and construction professionals a unique and targeted marketing opportunity. The site can appeal to any business that wants to showcase their projects, share information, gain leads, and find new ideas. In this article I'll dive into this design and construction online site and the ways a business can use it.

What is Houzz?

Houzz is a steadily growing online website. It’s a community dedicated to architecture, creative construction, interior and exterior design. That alone points to the all the possibilities with Houzz. The community consists of millions of homeowners and hundreds of thousands of professionals who showcase their projects.

The platform

The site consists of:

In addition, there’s a database of professionals available for users. This all promotes interaction between professionals, homeowners, and people who need professional design and construction services. Top building supply companies such as Build Store swear by the Houzz online platform.

Why Houzz is Important for Contractors

How design and Construction Businesses Can Use Houzz for Marketing 2

People are more in tune with what they want and are on the platform because of their needs and interest.

Millions of those people are on Houzz looking for ideas, pictures, and professionals. They want to ask questions, hire contractors, and get to work. It's an opportunity for contractors and interior designers to intersect directly with interested persons. A place to be found and to potentially get new business.

How to Leverage Houzz for Marketing

There are several ways to use Houzz for marketing. In fact, Houzz makes it easy. Here are a few marketing ideas.

Add photos

How design and Construction Businesses Can Use Houzz for Marketing 2

By adding photos for members of the community to find, and bookmark gives businesses a subtle presence on the site. Each picture can have a caption, a URL, category, keywords, and location. It’s even possible to add branding. Once the photo is up, users can add it to their ideabooks, email it, print it, comment on it and ask questions about it.

Ideabooks

Ideabooks are like digital scrapbooks. Users can take pictures from anywhere and put them into their idea books. Professionals can create idea books as well. Creating a themed idea book showing off what a business can do is one way to generate interest in that business’ s services.

Create a professional profile

How design and Construction Businesses Can Use Houzz for Marketing 2

 

Professionals can create profiles with "projects." Projects are like idea books, but they outline a complete project. Professionals can show off their projects in detail with pictures of the project.

Users can view projects much as they can view idea books. They can save the pictures from the project and share them. Professionals can include their contact information in the project, which in turn can generate interest and clients.

Join the conversation

One of the easiest ways to a construction or design professional to generate interest on Houzz is to join the conversations. Many of the users and homeowners seek professional opinions and ideas.

Professionals do themselves a great favor by offering their expert opinion and answering discussion questions. Professionals can solve problems and prove they know what they’re talking about. These conversations will remain, and other users can become potential clients when they read what a professional has to say.

Keep everything updated

Contractors should keep their information up-to-date. It will help the occasional client find the contractor they’re looking for. It will also make sure the right information shows up in a search on the site or from a search engine.

Sign Up and See

Houzz isn’t difficult to use, and it’s not hard to navigate. Any designer, construction business, or other type of contractor should have no trouble getting started with it. It’s worth it to be a part of the professional database and actively engage with the people who are literally looking for professionals to help them. There are even options to list call-to-actions on your listing such as a "Free Consultation" or coupon, plus ability to pay for sponsored listing in order to get more visibility faster.

Thoughts on Houzz?

Other Construction Resources:

 

 

What is Buzzsumo- And How Do I Use It-

Need tools for the best content ideas?

Want to learn from competitor’s success?

Content marketing has proven to be one of the best ways to help promote businesses both big and small. For a quick definition, it is providing resource-rich and helpful information on your company website, typically via a blog, on a consistent basis. It helps because it provides more resources related to your industry that web surfers may be searching for and thus they can discover your website, your company, and ultimately your products. According to neworganizing.com – an in depth review blog established in 2015, Buzzsumo is the tool you are looking for when you are building the content strategy for your website.

The problem is, however, that you can't simply fill a blog or website with anything and everything and expect it to bring in potential clients. You need to plan and pick the best content that is relevant to your target audience and also which answers the most "in-demand" questions.  Makes sense, because good content that no one is searching for is not valuable, but having quality resource content that is in-demand in searches online is golden!  It hasn't always been easy to know what works, but it can be much easier with the help of a site called Buzzsumo.com.

What is Buzzsumo?

Buzzsumo is powerful online tool that allows any user to find out what content is popular by topic or on any website.

In order to provide the content that people want to know, you need to know what it popular. It can take hours scanning all the various social sites to find out what people are talking about and what their concerns and needs are. Being able to input certain search criteria, analyzing content and finding out what is already working in your area can be priceless to a marketer to help sharpen your focus and give you direction. Buzzsumo is that tool.

What Can Buzzsumo Do for your Business?

what is buzzsumo

Content Insights

What are people talking about? Searching across multiple social sites, Buzzsumo gathers information on what topics are gaining the most attention. It analyzes where certain topics are being discussed and how much attention these topics are getting.

The team at gaming site Spider Solitaire Challenge uses Buzzsumo to understand what’s trending in the classic card gaming space. Based on what they see, they evaluate if they can create more in depth articles, or how they may connect topic ideas.

Influencer Information

Who are the people that others are listening to the most? Who gets more social media shares on their posts? Knowing who has the public's attention and trust can give you insight on who you need to follow and get on your side.

Alerts

Buzzsumo allows you to set up keyword alerts, so you are updated when content is posted or updated. You are able to know who posted and where, and this allows you to be able to know what your next step should be in regards to your own marketing efforts.

Competitor Analysis

Knowing what your competitors are doing, and what is working or not working for them, goes a long way in helping you. It helps you avoid things that aren't very effective and gives you insights into what works best, and where you stand in comparison to competitors.

This is the bare basics of what Buzzsumo can do. It all boils down to saving you hours of time, increasing your success and helping you plan each step of your content marketing. Once you've planned and put things in action, it will analyze your efforts, giving you a chance to fine-tune the process.

What is the Best Way to Use Buzzsumo?

As with any system, the best way to use Buzzsumo will depend on where you are in your content marketing and what you hope to achieve - such as, do you want to create a viral post, or do you want to generate more leads for your business, or is it that you want to find the correct formula for a post that brings in a hail of backlinks? Let's look at an example.

Ray owned a pet grooming business. He had developed a line of all natural grooming products that he wanted to try and market on a greater scale than locally. Using Buzzsumo, he set up keyword alerts for pet grooming and natural pet care. He started to get alerts that showed him who was discussing such topics and joined some of the busier forums and groups. He started a blog and found topics that related to pet care. Buzzsumo allowed him to see who the influencers were in this area and he worked on creating a relationship with these people, eventually getting them to make guest posts on his blog, and announce it to their followers. This grew his list, giving him more exposure.

As Ray's list grew, he used Buzzsumo to find out what kind of products his potential customer's most wanted. He checked on his closest competitors and was able to see that only one was experiencing more traffic than he was. By analyzing what this competitor was doing differently, Ray was able to see what his competitor did differently, and this helped him tweak his own campaign.

By being available and approachable to consumers online, he was able to learn what the natural pet care field lacked that people wanted. This helped him expand his offerings and, therefore, increase interest.

So that's a quick overview of a powerful tool!  Buzzsumo has both a solid free version and paid plans for bigger businesses.  The free plan is definitely something to check out and use regularly.

Here are some more great tools and resources for you!

Keyword Research Tools for Website SEO

7 Strategies to Increase Organic Traffic to Your Website

How to Write Blog Post Headlines that Work

Business Blogging Success Tips with Ian Cleary

With over 400 million users, a valuation of greater than $10 billion, and the recent title of most traveled place on the "Internets," Facebook has become an important business destination for all businesses. As a result, many businesses are scrambling to find their place on this most popular internet platform and others are realizing they are need to be.   Often, the biggest challenge isn't setting up a Facebook Fan Page, but the deployment of a viable and measurable strategy that converts visitors into customers.

Social Media is a communication tool by its very nature and can lack a clear internet marketing sales funnel that businesses can utilize to convince visitors to take action. Facebook is no different. These strategic sales funnels are usually reserved for the company's conversion platform, it's website. Because of this, businesses are forced to "encourage" visitors of their Facebook Fan page to take the leap from Facebook to their website. Internet marketing professionals have known for years that click-through rates drop significantly when people have to jump to a different website.

As a communication tool, Facebook is great for building brand awareness, growing a fan base, and building relationships. As a conversion platform, Facebook has had limited capacity due to Facebook enforced protocols. However, this has been changing over the last 12 months with the proliferation of custom applications that enable businesses to enact and utilize more standard methods of conversion conventions. Now, with the launch of a Facebook TabSite by Digital Hill Multimedia, these barriers to conversions are gone!

The Facebook TabSite application allows businesses to easily build a website on their Facebook Fan page. This website can have multiple pages, a contact form and it even allows for the use of flash animation. Companies will now have the ability to deploy a robust sales funnel on their Facebook Fan page just like they would on their website. With TabSite, Facebook has officially evolved from a social media communication and networking tool to a robust sales and marketing platform that businesses can take advantage of.

For full details on Facebook TabSite, visit their website at FacebookTabSite.com

Press Release

Web Marketing for Business Presentation

GOSHEN, IN, - Mike Gingerich, a Web Technology and Internet Marketing Consultant for Digital Hill Multimedia, Inc., along with Troy Rumfelt, President of Digital Hill presented, "Web Marketing for Business" to business owners and Dealers of Borkholder Buildings in Nappanee, IN (Elkhart County) today.

The presentation was done at the invitation of Borkholder CEO, Dwayne Borkholder, and was designed to inform the Borkholder Dealer Network on the social, technological and business changes necessary to stay competitive today, with a focus on effective websites, Internet Marketing, and Social Media. The event was a follow-up to the successful launch of a new Borkholder website, New Energy Homes, a new division of Borkholder, which focuses on building Net Zero Green homes and buildings. New Energy recently opened a model Net Zero home in Nappanee, Elkhart County. Digital Hill built and launched the new website for this Elkhart County Manufacturer.

Below are slides from this Internet Marketing and Social Media Presentation:

[slideshare id=3554020&doc=borkholderdealermeetingwebslides-100325134323-phpapp01]

The one unique aspect of the presentation is that I was struggling mightily with laryngitis! I had lost my voice 2 days earlier and was struggling to be able to speak.  I tried to save my voice for that moment and then let loose.  I sounded like a raspy Rod Stewart!  I had to pass the baton halfway through to our company President, Troy Rumfelt, who capably carried the second half of the presentation!  What a day!

For over 12 years, Digital Hill Multimedia, Inc. has specialized in Web Design, E-Commerce, SEO, Web Hosting, Social Media, Flash, 3-D Animation, Web Application Development, and Internet Marketing and Promotion Strategies in Goshen, Elkhart County, Northern Indiana and throughout the country. They can be contacted at 1-888-537-0703 or www.digitalhill.com.

It was a privilege to present on Social Media for business to the CB Richard Ellis Bradley team in South Bend today.  The Summit Club was a great location with the wonderful view of South Bend from the 25th floor.

I believe there is opportunity for commercial realtors to use social media to boost their presence online and to build their credibility through the sharing of the expertise via Social Media tools.

Below is a Slideshare presentation of what I shared in the Social Media presentation.

Social Media for Business - Commercial Real Estate Focused

View more presentations from Mike Gingerich.
For more information on these slides or on the potential of having me speak at your event, please contact me at 888.537.0703.
By Chad H. Pollitt
Internet Marketing Manager
Internet Marketing Expert
Digital Hill Multimedia, Inc.

Why SEO is Like Golf

1.  Miniature golf, Par 3 courses, 18 hole golf courses - The keyword phrase you're going after determines what type of course you're playing on.  Coming up number one on Google for the phrase "New York" would be like playing in the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club and winning.  However, going after the phrase "Ligonier grocery stores 24 hours" is like playing on your favorite miniature golf course, quick and easy.

2.  A perfect game is impossible - Nobody can hit 18 hole-in-ones in a row.  But, just like golf, in SEO you just have to play better than the your competitors to win.  In SEO, your competitors are the organic links on the first page of Google.

Click here to see the rest of the post

Posted via email from Mike Gingerich Blog

Press Release 
By Mike Gingerich
Internet Marketing Consultant
Serving Elkhart & broader Elkhart County
Digital Hill Multimedia, Inc.

Digital Hill was invited by the Elkhart Morning Rotary Club to present on Social Media for Business on January 14, 2010.  As an experienced Elkhart Web Design company with over 12 years of experience developing websites and conducting Internet Marketing for firms in Elkhart County, Digital Hill continues to expand their services using insights gained helping more than 400 clients have an effective website presence.

With the advent of Social Media Marketing, Digital Hill has kept at the forefront of ways that Social Media platforms and Social Media Marketing can be used by businesses to expand their online "footprint."  The Elkhart Rotary presentation will be a concise overview of some of the more powerful social media tools, and will include specifics on social media marketing that businesses can engage in.

In addition to Elkhart Web Design, Digital Hill is available to Elkhart County and national clients needing assistance with Web Design, Websites, and Internet Marketing.  Digital Hill offers Internet Marketing including microsite website marketing, see Elkhart Website Design, and PPC (Pay-Per-Click) campaign strategy and management.

If you are in Elkhart County, stay tuned for more Internet Marketing Seminar opportunities for your business coming later in January 2010.

Serving Elkhart & Elkhart County, we are ready to be your Elkhart Web Design team!

 

Posted via email from Mike Gingerich Blog

 

Here's a good post from Small Biz Trends outlining 10 Useful Apps for the Small Biz iPhone user.

 

Have a look at the details of each here: 10 Useful Apps 

 

Small Business iPhone Apps

  1. Track your expenses with the Shoeboxed app. 
  • Keep track of time you work on projects withMinibooks. 
  • Plan your taxes ahead of time with Contracter, Freelancer, Small Business Tax Calculator. 
  • Manage your taxes with Opcenter.view- Quickbooks Desktop Data on the GO. 
  • Manage your business contacts with the LinkedIn app.
  • Organize tasks with EasyTask Manager.
  • Keep track of your customers via Salesforce Mobile.
  • Keep track of payroll through SurePayroll.
  • Create visualizations of your business data with Roambi-Visualizer.
  • Get hundreds of top business book synopses with Top Business Summaries.
  • Posted via email from Mike Gingerich Blog

     

    Digital Hill Multimedia, Inc. Logo

    Digital Hill Multimedia will be presenting a FREE lunch hour seminar Wednesday, January 27, 11:45 a.m. at the Middlebury Chamber of Commerce, Middlebury, IN. The seminar will be an informative and interactive seminar geared to businesses.

     

    Social Media Marketing Seminar

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    PR Log (Press Release)Dec 30, 2009 – Digital Hill Multimedia will be presenting a FREE lunch hour seminar Wednesday, January 27, 11:45 a.m. 1:00 p.m. for the Middlebury Chamber of Commerce. The seminar entitled, “Social Media for Business: Cost Effective Marketing Using Social Media on the Web”, will be an informative and interactive seminar. Attendees can expect to have these questions and more answered:
    •   I thought Social Media was just for my kids or to connect with friends; can it really help my business?
    •   Can Social Media Marketing work for my type of business?
    •   I don’t know much about Facebook or other Social Media; so is this something I’d have to learn and would require lots of time and money? Social Media Marketing Seminar You will learn about new, cost effective and measureable marketing techniques including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Blogging, and YouTube, and how these social media platforms can be used by many diverse businesses and organizations in a cost effective way to market their business and products / services.

    Plan now to attend this event and learn:
    •   How to create a presence for your business on Facebook
    •   Why YouTube is important to your business
    •   Why you should consider “tweeting” on Twitter

    This is an overview seminar that will introduce various types of social media options and how they can be used for business. There will be a question and answer time at the end. Feel free to bring your lunch and eat while the seminar is being presented. This is not a “how to” seminar that goes into all the details of setup of each social media platform but is an idea –generating broad introduction to each social media option and ways you can use them for marketing. Presenters will include Internet Marketing Consultant Mike Gingerich, Digital Hill President Troy Rumfelt, and Internet Marketing Expert Chad Pollitt

    No Cost to Attend!

    # # #

    For over 12 years, Digital Hill Multimedia, Inc. has specialized in Web Design, E-Commerce, SEO, Web Hosting, Flash, 3-D Animation, and Internet Marketing and Promotion Strategies throughout the Country. Contact us at 888-537-0703 or http://digitalhill.com.

    Posted via email from Mike Gingerich Blog

    Businesses like Adidas are getting Social Media right! It's a way to connect to people, engage them in something fun and memorable, built loyalty, and generate viral buzz.

    Read here the Mashable report on what Adidas has done with their new Star Wars line...

    Mike Gingerich
    Sent from my iPhone

    http://twitter.com/Mike_Gingerich/status/6858371122

    Posted via email from Mike Gingerich Blog

    I found this good read today:

    Social media is the new face of the Web. Just as the Internet revolutionized information sharing during the 1990s, social media is radically altering how people communicate and share information today. If you want to succeed on the Web, a solid social network presence is required. Search engines like Bing and Google have recognized the power of social media, opting to include updates from Facebook, Twitter, and other social sites in their search results. Optimizing your business for social media is quickly becoming a must to gain top SEO ranking.pamorama.net, 6 Ways Social Media Can Enhance Your Business, Nov 2009

    You should read the whole article.

    This is a very good read from Brian Solis.  I recommend it to you.

    The Future of Interactive Marketing >>

    Brian SolisBy Brian Solis - Forrester recently released a new report tracking the future of US interactive marketing through 2014. Authored by Shar VanBoskirk, with Christine Spivey Overby, Niki Scevak, and Angie Polanco, Forrester predicts that interactive marketing is poised to grow at a 16% compound annual growth rate (CAGR). Even though interactive marketing will approach $55 billion by 2014, the report also observes that not all industries will keep pace with this growth. 
    READ NOW »

    Posted via email from Mike Gingerich Blog

    I'm excited to announce the launch of a new website for Chicago consulting firm, Balanced Growth, LLC.

    Balanced Growth Website - Chicago Website DesignAfter months of work and fine-tuning the new Balanced Growth website was launched earlier today. Boasting a wide range of web tools enabling the firm to communicate updates, easily expand areas of the site, and communicate news via a traditional news area as well as their blog, this site reflects the innovative nature of Balanced Growth.

    To see the before and after picture, go here: http://twitpic.com/tykea

    To read the full Press Release click here, http://prlog.org/10456979

    I am proud to have been the Project Manager for this site and look forward to coordinating their Internet Marketing Strategies as well.

    It was time for a fresh face. As an Internet Marketing Consultant it is imperative to keep up with the latest tools and trends as a means of testing them and troubleshooting so one can apply them strategically for clients.

    I've recently launched a Facebook Fan Page for myself as well to enable clients and others to keep up-to-date with the latest and greatest in Internet Marketing. Search and find me on Facebook by searching "Mike Gingerich - Internet Marketing Consultant", then become a fan to stay up to date!

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