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Business

The Benefits Of Using Linkedin To Promote Small Business

December 14, 2012 by basilpuglisi@aol.com Leave a Comment

linkedinLinkedin is a social network designed specifically for professional connections. lf you are a small business contemplating going online, you should add a social network like Linkedin into your marketing mix. Linkedin allows you to connect with other business leaders and professionals in your industry so that you can engage in conversation, make partnerships, enjoy mergers and strike other profitable deals.
Like any marketing avenue, Linkedin offers a unique platform that helps you promote your business and get in touch with people who can influence others and recommend your business.
1. Be smart .. Start as you intend to finish
This means once you join Linkedin, please set up your profile to be as complete as possible. including references, a professional headshot, your company details, links to your company websites and any other vital information in portraying the professionalism you want people to see. Remember, unlike Twitter & Facebook, a lot of the posts you see and discussions are by professionals in your industry. Your ability to join in with those discussions will determine the level of success you can reach.
2. Decide what kinds of people you wish to meet
lt is also important to develop a list of people and companies you want to connect to. Target these people or companies and add them to your connections. Remember for each connection you add, your network will grow and you will have the ability of adding more connections through each original connection you added. Your network and influence can grow into thousands.
3. Get the people you already know onto your Linkedin profile
A great start to networking on Linkedin is to add people who are already your customers. Simply ask your present and past customers to join you and if they liked your services to recommend you. You can gain a lot of positive reviews through campaigning with previous clients.
4. Consider your brand power
By utilizing Linkedin you have a network that you can leverage your branding. lf you have a brand, and you want to showcase it, then simply do this with your connections and groups.
5. Join Groups
The easiest way to start conversations with professionals in your industry is by joining some well respected groups. You can easily add your own voice to the discussions at hand and develop leading connections with people who are in your line of business. You can showcase your knowledge and ask leading questions which can turn into discussions. You can then add the people who reply to your connections.
6. Don’t spam
The easiest thing in the world to do is to deliver emails with sales pitches on Linkedin. This is frowned upon and rarely works. lf you want to touch base with someone,just leave them a welcoming personal note. Don’t attempt to sell your services. Instead build your relationships.
7. Add your other social accounts
You are able to add your Twitter account. Also add your other websites and blogs. This will ensure people can see a snapshot of your profile on various platforms all on one single page.
Once you have completed a company profile and added a few connections, you will begin to grow your network. Don’t be afraid to reach out and show off your credentials.
This is a guest post of Ludwing Hernandez, Young full time web entreprenuer. He like write about business promoting techniques. Follow Ludwing at Zinzz.com.

Filed Under: Blog, Business, General, Guest Bloggers

3 Design Mistakes That Kill Your Business Blog

December 5, 2012 by basilpuglisi@aol.com Leave a Comment

Many businesses are turning to blogs as an extension of their marketing collateral. Blogs are a great way to provide insight to your audience, give them an easy way to get to know you and allow them to build a relationship with you so that you can achieve brand loyalty.
Some companies have very successful blogs. They produce the content their audience wants and they have an aesthetically pleasing design that makes their site easy to navigate.
On the other hand, there are some businesses that cannot find success with their blog. Most businesses assume that the content is to blame, but oftentimes, the problem lies in the design. The following are three common design mistakes that could end up killing your blog.
1. It’s too busy.
Though you may not think that it’s fun, a busy background and busy font can make people turn away the minute they land on your blog. Bright backgrounds with bright fonts can be hard for your audience to look at. Plus, if your background is too busy, they may not be able to focus on the content, which is the most important part of your blog.
Crazy fonts can also be hard for your audience to read. If you use something other than a simple font, your audience may have a hard time figuring out the words on your blog. And along with the font, you also want to make sure that the size of your font is not too small or too big.
2. The navigation is confusing.
You don’t want your readers to simply land on a blog post, read it and leave. You want them to land on a blog post, read it, and stick around for a while perusing past blog posts and possibly even getting back to your website. This is where simple navigation is essential. If your navigation is hard to find or hard to read, your audience is not going to stick around. Don’t be cute with titles for your navigation. If the navigation is leading to a page about your company, use “About Us” as a title. If your audience doesn’t understand where a link will take them, they’ll be hesitant to click on it.
You also want to make sure that your navigation is easy to find, such as along the top or along the left-hand side. This is how most websites are set up, and this is how most Internet users expect to see a site. While placing your navigation somewhere different shows that you’re unique, it can also frustrate your audience trying to find it.
3. Your audience can’t share your posts.
The more your blog content is shared, the more traffic you’ll receive. Thanks to social networks, sharing your blog content is easy, but if you don’t have share features on your blog, you’ll never see the virality that some blogs do. When a reader lands on a blog that interests them, they may be inclined to share it with their fans, friends and followers through social media. If you don’t have a share button, they’re not going to take the time to copy and paste the URL. Instead, they simply won’t share the info, which means that your blog posts aren’t reaching as wide of an audience as you possibly can.
Jacob Smith is a business owner and avid blogger.  He created his own business blog and used the wordpress themes business layouts.

Filed Under: Blog, Business, General, Guest Bloggers Tagged With: bloggin, blogging, blogs

Startup Hiring Tips: Use Creativity and Technology to Find the Right People

November 24, 2012 by basilpuglisi@aol.com Leave a Comment

Hiring new employees for any startup can be a real challenge. Dipping into the gene pool and trying to pluck out the best and brightest to bring on board can present a problem depending on the size of your company. Smaller companies need people who can fill many roles. Many startups are lean and mean with little or no extra time to spend reviewing resumes, interview countless applicants and come to a consensus as to who is right for the job. Time may be scare but in a world of technology and innovation here are some creative ways to streamline the hiring phase.

Corporate Culture Conveyed Through Craigslist

Craigslist can be a powerful tool to bring potential team members into the company. Unemployment is around 10% making the sheer volume of potential employees hunting Craigslist for a new job very large. The key to getting the right people for your company and not simply getting overly qualified individuals can be done with a creative advertisement. Take a look at what category the listing may appear and pick the best one. One look at the front page of Craigslist and you will see one of the largest categories is for jobs. This may seem simple but it should not be overlooked.
Next create a listing that sells your startup’s culture. One easy way to convey cultural identity is through a few pictures of the office and maybe even the team. You will notice on the job listings pages that almost none of the advertisements have an attached picture. Pictures can set you apart from the rest and may weed out people who might not fit in well with your company.

Use Registration Forms to Screen Applicants

The resume is essentially useless when it comes to making a decision about hiring. It serves as a great way to start a conversation but leaves too much to the imagination when it comes to the true identity of a person. The real test for a potential hire is how effectively they can communicate. Communication skills are magnified 10 fold in a small startup because everyone talks to everyone. There is no room to hide in a small office space filled with “startup minded” people. Using phone interviews can be effective in testing communication skills but unless you record the conversation chances are you will forget the meat of what was said and simply be left with you impression. If you capture the ideas in writing then it may serve you and your team better while making a decision. Try using a online form, like a registration form, that you can customize with a few questions to really test the communication skill and style of your potential talent. This will also prove them in their writing ability. Make no mistake; everyone must be able to communicate both verbally and by the written word to succeed in a startup.

The Bottom Line

A startup should always be in the hiring phase ready to snatch up the best and brightest. If you always have your feelers out then you and your team of highly motivated, work 60+ hours a week at any cost, will find people you need to prosper. Using creative Craigslist ads and simple technology, like customized online forms, finding the right people just might not be so hard.
Jared Jaureguy is a Technology Consultant who has helped many startups implement the best use of technology to achieve their goals. You can follow Jared on Twitter @JaredJaureguy.

Filed Under: Blog, Business, Business Networking, General, Guest Bloggers, Sales & eCommerce Tagged With: business, corporate, HR, human reousces, recruiting, talent

Constant Contact: eMail Marketing [INTERNSHIP]

November 21, 2012 by basilpuglisi@aol.com Leave a Comment

Constant contact is an online marketing company that allows you to stay connected with your customers all around the world. With the world rapidly moving their marketing towards the web, constant contact is a great way to anticipate new customers. They offer their services primarily to small businesses, membership associations, and nonprofit organizations. Constant contact is known for their dependable email marketing. Their main goal is to help their customers find new customers, drive repeat business, and generate referrals.
Email marketing is basically sending email messages with a purpose of attracting new customers, or enhancing the relationships with current customers. Email marketing through constant contact is a great reliable way for your company to grow. With features that allow you to have a professional look, constant contact’s email marketing is more effective than regular email. No technical skills are required to create a professional looking email because constant contact offers over 400 templates to choose from. Creating newsletters are simple and fast so you can send them much more frequently than paper ones.
In order to effectively get your prospectors to respond, differentiate your data base and create smaller customer lists based on their shared interests. After you’ve done that, send them relevant information that pertains to them. This will get more of a chance for them to actually act upon your emails. The emails you send are easy to forward so if you target your audience and their interested, there’s no doubt they’ll click the forward button. This will get you referrals much more easily and allow your company to grow.
A cool feature constant contact’s email marketing offers is tracking and reporting. After you send an email you are able to see who read, clicked, or forwarded your email. This allows you to understand what the people you’re trying to contact are really interested about. You can then go back and tailor your content the best possible way for your targeted audience.
Besides the email templates constant contact offers, they also offer list management and free coaching. List management is a tool that allows you to organize and grow your contact list by combing multiple lists and segmenting them based on an audience with common interests. This is a much easier way to send out a mass email because the lists are already narrowed down to a targeted audience. If you’re having trouble with email marketing through constant contact, they offer free personal coaching and support at anytime. They present webinars, guides, and podcasts to go further in detail about email marketing and how it can boost your businesses customer service.
Constant contact is the new marketing success formula that helps create and grow customer relationships in today’s socially connected world. It’s an easy reliable way for your business to keep a strong communication line. If you use constant contact’s email marketing the right way, your customers will share your emails with their networks therefore making your business grow.
Sources:
http://www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp
http://landing.constantcontact.com/goog-grow-with-email-marketing-ad?utm_id=GOO-100846&cc=GOO-100846&gclid=CPXIgL3ZybMCFQOf4AodzQMA7A
http://www.constantcontact.com/email-marketing/what-is-email-marketing/index.jsp
http://www.constantcontact.com/about-constant-contact/index.jsp
The content in this article is part of Digital Ethos’s Digital Media Education in the Higher Education Internship Program, the content was created by @KaylaMarzo, a Student at Suffolk County Community college, intern at Digital Ethos.

Filed Under: Authors, Blog, Business, Business Networking, Content Marketing, Digital & Internet Marketing, General, Sales & eCommerce Tagged With: business, content, email marketing, Marketing, Promotions

A Guide To Virtual Services – How They Are Modernising The World

November 13, 2012 by basilpuglisi@aol.com Leave a Comment

When it comes to being successful in the world of business, having the right company image is key. No matter how great a company may be, without looking professional, it won’t get very far. Getting that all important professional image can be a difficult task, especially for smaller businesses.
One of the major elements required to achieve a strong company profile, is having a respectable business address. Entrepreneurs starting a business from their homes aren’t going to impress clients with a standard urban address. This is where virtual services can help transform the way in which people see a company. Here is a breakdown of what virtual services entail, and how they can massively improve company appearance.
Virtual Office
Anyone running a limited company is required to provide a business address. This address is where companies will receive any official correspondence, and of course, the address that clients will see. Renting a virtual office from a virtual service provider is a great way to get a professional and modern-looking address.
With a respectable point of contact, companies will come across as both credible and reliable to their customers. Another benefit of having a virtual address is the added privacy is confers. With all correspondence sent to the virtual address, business owners can protect their homes from unsolicited callers and mail.
The Power of the PO Box
Being able to receive business correspondence via a professional-looking PO Box is a great way to raise a company’s profile. Instead of an endless supply of letters falling through the front door, company mail can be directed straight to the virtual address. Some virtual service providers also offer mail forwarding. This allows business owners to receive their important correspondence at home without needing to visit their PO Box. A virtual mail box can be great for those who want to make a strong first impression, whilst having the ability to prevent a torrent of post in their homes.
Company Growth Made Easy
For companies looking to branch out to a different geographical region, the move can be both expensive and time consuming. Instead of spending large amounts of capital on securing new office space and personnel, companies can instead make use of a virtual office in the area. Simply put, this affords companies the power of a professional business presence, without the looming overheads.
Unlike establishing a physical base of operation, utilising a virtual office is quick and cost effective, meaning company expansion is made a smooth as possible.
More than a Mail Box
As well as the ability to make use of virtual offices, it is also possible to benefit from phone answering services and dedicated business numbers. Some virtual service providers also offer the option to have company calls handled professionally by a receptionist. This service can go a long way to boosting company profile and giving a credible impression to clients. Calls to such business numbers can usually be forwarded to a home number; meaning business calls can be handled from home without losing that professional image.
Calls can be handled professionally with virtual services
Conclusion
For an easy way to get a great company profile, virtual services are an excellent solution. From virtual office space for quick expansion, to dedicated post boxes for important correspondence, there are many ways in which companies can benefit. With so many advantages to virtual services, it is easy to see how they are modernising the world of business.
Image License: Creative Commons image source
This article was provided by Nathan Griffiths on behalf of the Workstation a virtual services provider.

Filed Under: Blog, Business, General, Guest Bloggers Tagged With: avatar, business, VA, virtual assistants

Five Tips to Engage Your Clients In Your Presentation

October 31, 2012 by basilpuglisi@aol.com Leave a Comment

Presentations are the key to securing clients and funding. The art of public speaker has been discussed for thousands of years, and new books are still being published today. In some cases, however, people can over-think their presentations. In reality, presentations do not have to be too complicated. Here are five tips for engaging clients in a presentation.
 

1. Eye Contact

The psychology of business presentations has been discussed endlessly, and much of this advice deals with engaging those who attend and building connections with them. One of the best ways to start to build this connection is to maintain eye contact throughout the meeting. Staring should be avoided, but eye contact can help make one’s message clear and encourage those in attendance to pay close attention. Eye contact also shows confidence and a willing to engage on an individual basis.

2. Charts, Graphs and Projections

Presenters are often focused on the present, but potential clients think about the future. While it is important to relay why choosing one’s business would be helpful in the short term, long-term projections are useful to encourage clients to make a commitment. Chart and graphs can help provide great material to capture the attention of the audience, and future projections are necessary to captivate them. Presenters may wish to take some time to make these graphical elements as attractive as possible.

3. Modern Ideas

When giving a presentation, it helps to show clients that the business is engaged in modern trends in a productive manner. These days, social media, smart devices and the cloud are all useful topics to capture the attention of prospective clients. Incorporating these ideals into a presentation alleviates clients’ fears that the business will become obsolete or outdated in the future. It is important, however, to ensure that these elements do not come across as contrived; they should seem to be natural parts of what the business provides.

4. Personal Stories

Many books on presentations emphasise addressing numbers, the potential for profit and other hard data as quickly as possible. However, it is also important to connect on a personal level with clients. While telling long stories can come across as pandering, it helps to share inspirational stories when seeking to engage potential clients. In particular, how the business started and what its guiding principles are can help relay what makes the business the best choice for those watching the presentation.

5. Ask Questions

Adaptability is a crucial component that prospective clients look for in businesses. One of the best ways to demonstrate adaptability is to ask clients questions and have answers prepared. These questions give clients a chance to test the presenter, so the presentation team must be equipped to deal with any questions that might arise. By carefully preparing beforehand and thinking of as many potential questions as possible, presenters can be prepared to impress potential clients with their ability to think of effective solutions. If members of the audience do not have questions, it can help to have some demonstration questions prepared.
Brett Kelly is an inspirational figure after attending one of his business presentations. Follow Brett Kelly on twitter @brett_kelly1

Filed Under: Blog, Business, General, Guest Bloggers

6 Tips for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

October 30, 2012 by basilpuglisi@aol.com Leave a Comment

Starting a business can be a hugely challenging and rewarding at the same time. You’ll be your own boss and the effort you put in will be the determining factor in the success or (hopefully not) failure of your business. That’s really what it comes down to – Are you willing to put the time and effort in that it takes to run a business? Running a business becomes more than just a 9 – 5 job and will require plenty of work after hours.
On the plus side, you’ll be able to enjoy the flexibility that running your own business carries. While the work you put into getting things rolling initially may outweigh the benefits, it’s important to remember that the extra effort will pay off later on a personal level (sense of accomplishment) as well as financially.
If you’ve decided that entrepreneurship is for you, here a few tips to turn help turn the dream of owning your own business into a reality:
1.) Choose the right business. You’re going to be devoting a sizeable chunk of your time to running this business, so it’s a good idea to choose an area that you find interesting. It’s important that you also choose an area that you’re skilled in. For example, if you’re interested in the world of finance but useless at maths, starting a business in this area is probably not a good idea. The added advantage is that if you choose an area of business that you’re both skilled and interested in, it will be that much easier to put extra effort in because you enjoy it.
2.) Decide on a business entity. There are a few to choose from including: sole proprietorships, partnerships and companies (Public or private). It’s definitely worth taking some time making this decision as each option has its own set of rules and regulations including, registration fees and annual tax. In some countries the business entity known as a “close corporation” has been discontinued. The main advantages of forming a CC were cheaper start-up costs and a lower company tax bracket. It is possible to change your business entity (from say private to public) at a later stage but it’s a fairly complicated process, with plenty of paperwork. Best choose wisely then….
3.) Draw up a business plan. Not only will a business plan make it easier to obtain funding, the information gathered while compiling the report will help you establish any potential problem areas. Conversely, you may decide to enter a different industry altogether based on your findings.
A full business plan usually includes eight sections and will outline to investors what your idea is and how you plan to get there. Areas covered include competitor analysis, company description, market analysis, financial analysis and more.
More information on business plans can be found here.
4.) Don’t quit your day job first. Start your business while you’re still employed. It can sometimes be a while before a new business starts to turn any profits. You may have to burn the candle at both ends but the advantage is that you’ll still have money coming in if things move more slowly than you expect.
5.) Start small in the beginning. One of the best things about starting your own business is that you’re able to control how fast it grows. Taking risks is fine, just try and make sure that they’re controlled risks. Try any new ideas you get on a smaller scale first and if they show promise, expand on them.
6.) No matter how small your business is, always be professional. Business cards, phone numbers and email address are a must and will make your business look more credible. When you can, try to go the extra mile for clients and always respond as promptly as possible if an issue arises. Your clients will appreciate it and it will help with referring business.
When it comes to deciding on which industry to enter, many prospective entrepreneurs opt to start their own business in the same field. For example a legal consultant who has built up years of experience working for a cost consulting firm, may decide to leave and start his own company because he has the expertise to do so.
License: Creative Commons image source
This article was written by Stephanie Zecca who is an avid social envagalist and loves the outdoors. She writes on a range of topics but has preference for business and finance related matters. Follow her at @StephanieZecca

Filed Under: Blog, Business, General, Guest Bloggers

5 Ways Windows 8 Will Benefit Businesses

October 22, 2012 by basilpuglisi@aol.com Leave a Comment

The brand new Windows 8 is finally here after being released back in October 2012, and it will soon be the default operating system on all new laptops and PCs, as well as on Microsoft tablets such as the upcoming Surface tablet.
The changes to this new Windows OS and the differences compared to the most recent Windows operating systems have already been commented upon. However, it is the benefits that Windows 8 will bring to business users that has become one of the software’s biggest talking points.
So, what will Windows 8 bring to businesses? The following are 5 of the biggest advantages for companies of all sizes:
1.Better, faster booting.
New PCs installed with Windows 8 will be using Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI), a brand new boot solution. UEFI, used instead of BIOS, promises to improve booting up and make it far faster, as well as requiring fewer restarts. This can save time for the IT department and significantly increase office productivity.
2.Support for tablets and desktops.
As well as having a classic desktop interface, Winsows 8 will also have an interface that has been optimised for touch screen tablets. Users can choose their preferred interface depending on their needs.
3.Windows To Go.
The new Windows to Go feature in Windows 8 allows you to install the software on a portable drive, so that you can take it away with you and boot it up on another PC. As well as being convenient and versatile, this new Windows to Go feature can also act as a good backup for corrupt or infected PCs.
4.Compatibility with existing hardware.
Windows 8 will apparently run on existing hardware, so that businesses don’t have to shell out to replace all their Windows 7-era hardware to use the new software. Microsoft has even suggested that the software may even run on some pre-Windows 7 machines.
5.New Windows 8 app store.
Microsoft is reportedly planning to make an app store available for Windows 8 when it is launched on general release, so that downloading and installing new applications is easier, especially for smaller businesses.
Whenever a new operating system is released by Windows, there is always a sense of excitement on what updates and new features have been introduced so many businesses will be taking an interest in this new operating system and if you’re not, you should be!
Christine Elderidge works for Cartridge Monkey Ltd, the UK’s leading supplier of cheap ink cartridges. Follow them on twitter @CartridgeMonkey

Filed Under: Blog, Business, General, Guest Bloggers, Mobile & Technology Tagged With: business, PC, software, technology, Windows

10 Ways to Use Foursquare for Business

October 13, 2012 by basilpuglisi@aol.com 2 Comments

Foursquare is a location-based smartphone application which offers check-in service to customers, marketers and businesses alike. You can use this mobile application to check-in to venues and share with your friends where you are, and obtain info about those places.  Based on your updates, the application might assign you merit badges. It’s an interesting social concept for consumers and at the same time, a strong business tool that can be potentially used for creating brand awareness and profits. Hence if you want to leverage your business, this platform platform is worth looking at for several reasons. To do this, you’ll have to understand how it works. There are 10 ways to use Foursquare for business. To help you get an idea about promoting your own business through this platform, there are a few tips discussed below.
How to use foursquare for business
To begin with, check your business on Foursquare. If your business is not there, add it and then, claim it on the listing. Connect your Twitter account with the listing. This process is quite simple. Once this is done, you can proceed further to use Foursquare for business promotion. In this endeavor, following things can be done:

  1. Create interesting deals to draw in customers. Deals can easily be created if you have claimed your business on this platform. You can give special discounts to those users who checks in to your business, for instance – announce to give 10% off on one’s next merchandise shopping. However, just ensure that your deals are special and creative so that new customers get attracted and keep coming back to you.
  2. Design reward-based programs on Foursquare for loyal customers to retain them. If deals help you draw new customers, rewarding those who are regular visitors to your business is useful in winning their loyalty. It can create a bond between your customers and the business and entice them to come back to you. Your reward-based programs should be smart and intelligently devised, for instance – a program asking one to check in 5 times in 15 days and win a surprise gift.
  3. Use Foursquare to collect demographic details of your customers. Through this platform, you can know the average check-in rate of a customer, his/ her age and gender, check-in timings and where he or she is sharing the check-in details – on Facebook or Twitter.
  4. Another interesting way to use Foursquare for business promotion is to get feedback from your customers about your business. Customers can leave their comments or tips about a particular venue they visit. You can use their feedback to bring improvisation in your business.
  5. Foursquare is a powerful medium to advertize your business for free. When you claim your business and optimize the listing by adding authentic contact details and website, you increase the chances of promoting your business across various social networking sites which are used by millions.
  6. If your business doesn’t have a physical presence, you can use Foursquare to set up a page instead of claiming a venue. Foursquare page is not much different from a Twitter page. Those who follow your business on Foursquare can obtain information about you from there.
  7. You can enter a partnership with other brands which are physically present to derive optimum benefit. For instance if you are a book publisher, join hands with a local bookstore to increase the reach of your business.
  8. Design Foursquare event at your venue to boost massive check-ins and brand consciousness.
  9. You can encourage your staff to join Foursquare and check-in at your venue there whenever they report to work. This will also help spread awareness about your business among their friends and followers.
  10. You can also share useful tips on Foursquare to engage with your customers and thereby, attract their attention to your business.

These are few ways to use Foursquare for business. You can use these and other innovative techniques as well to make success out of your business.
Edoardo Piccolotto, is an Internet Marketing and Strategic Consultant that provides specific strategy advices to business that want to use internet to generate new business opportunities. Follow him on twitter @epiccolotto.

Filed Under: Blog, Business, General, Guest Bloggers, Sales & eCommerce, Social Brand Visibility, Social Media, Social Media Topics Tagged With: advertising, business, Marketing, mobile, Mobile & Technology, Visibility

Why use Google AdWords? – Part 1- [Internship]

October 8, 2012 by basilpuglisi@aol.com 2 Comments

Google logo
Ever search something on Google and wonder what makes the first search result better than the next? With a little help from AdWords it can help you achieve a higher rank in the search results. AdWords bid on keywords that will help trigger their sponsored ads. How much they bid is one of the things that determines their position on the page of search results. The more their ads are clicked, the less they have to pay for each click.
Google AdWords is Google’s pay per click (PPC) advertising platform. This tool is used to direct traffic to your website. Every time your ad is clicked in the PPC option, the advertiser pays the website owner on the terms that the agreed on. The budget can determine how often ads can appear on Google. PPC’s content usually takes form in advertisements such as sponsored links or ads. They appear either above your search results or along the side.
There are many beneficial factors when taking using the AdWords tool. When someone clicks on your ad, this will take them to your website where they can learn more about your business and make a purchase.  Advertising on Google can direct more traffic to your website as you are using the most widely used search engine in the world.
When you first come across Google AdWords, you’ll want to narrow down your audience and attempt to target just your customers. Google AdWords allows you to narrow down your audience by choosing from hundreds of languages, and specific cities and regions. For example, if you own a furniture store in New York City, you don’t want your ads to be seen in Colorado. Set your campaign ads to be read in English throughout the New York City area. Making your ads visible within a ten miles radius of the city or using the zip code targeting can’t hurt either.
After you targeted your audience, you then want to create your ad that will appeal to them. You want your ad to stick out like a sore thumb. In a world full of furniture stores, you want someone to click on your website instead of your competitors. In order for the searcher to click your ad, you want to be able to provide them with the one they think provides the most beneficial information or drives the highest value. In order to make an ad the most effective for your website, you want to choose keywords that are relevant. Choose keywords that relate the most to your site, service or offer. For example, if you are a business that sells furniture, your keywords might include couch, futon, or recliner. You’ll also find it useful to create long tail keywords, like NYC furniture store, or park slope furniture store. The long tail keywords use more terms to narrow your target and often have less competition.
There are a couple of types of keywords, one being negative keywords. A negative keyword is a phrase or word that prevents ads from appearing when a searcher types it in. For example, if your business sells furniture, but doesn’t sell bed frames, you would add the negative keyword but put a hyphen before it like so –bed frames. This eliminates your ads from appearing on irrelevant searches. Another type of keywords include exact match. You want to use exact match when you are using keywords that are exactly what a customer would be looking for when searching on Google. Exact match means that the ad shows for searches only when the search query is exactly the same as your keyword. When using exact match, chose your keyword and put it in square brackets. When someone is looking to buy a love seat, and you own a furniture company, you may want to use [love seat] as an exact match.
After you created your ad, you want to set a pricing. Set your daily budget and cost per click up. You can spend to as much or as little as you want. The average cost per click with Google AdWords is around $3.50 per click but in some cases skyrockets to $20. A useful feature on AdWords lets you change your budget at any time. When you are finally all done with setting up your ad, you want to launch the campaign.
Signing up for Google AdWords can be a good move for your business. It can direct traffic straight to your website which can mean more purchases. Google AdWords generates more visitors, followers, and customers. When you have an effective ad on Google’s search results page, your website will see a whole new world. The tool is one of the best advertising options when you want to track ROI and be able to reduce or grow on the fly. While there is still a lot of other options, using the PPC campaigns in Google AdWords can be a great source for new business.
Coming In Part 2 – Google AdWords, Advanced Options, CPM, Newsletter, Calls, DisplayNetwork
Sources:

  • http://www.googleadwordsgrader.com/?src=AdWords&kw=google%20adwords%20tips&fromppc=yes&ref=GGLGraderCampaign&gclid=CM_OsJzc2LICFUmd4AodOCwAbw
  • http://www.amazon.com/AdWords-For-Dummies-Lifestyles-Paperback/dp/0470152524/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348850958&sr=1-2-fkmr1&keywords=adwords+basics+for+dummies
  • http://www.wordstream.com/how-to-use-google-adwords
  • https://www.google.com/intl/en_us/adwords/select/steps.html
  • http://www.optimum7.com/internet-marketing/search-engine-marketing/average-adwords-pay-per-click-ppc-costs.html

The content in this article is part of Digital Ethos’s Digital Media Education in the Higher Education Internship Program, the content was created by @KaylaMarzo, a Student at Suffolk County Community college, intern at Digital Ethos.

Filed Under: Authors, Blog, Business, Business Networking, General, Sales & eCommerce, Search Engines, SEO Search Engine Optimization Tagged With: advertising, adwords, google, Marketing and Advertising

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