[caption id="" align="alignright" width="203" caption="Image via CrunchBase"] [/caption]

What do you do to see how your website is doing? I have read about Google Analytics, various ROI statistics and Alexa numbers. I don’t remember who suggested using Alexa numbers, but I liked the idea of simplicity. So without too much research I got an Alexa toolbar where the Alexa number of any website shows up and I began collecting data for five websites.

Topics: Alexa Internet, Alexa Toolbar, WWW, Internet Explorer, Google Analytics, Toolbar, website, clients, Marketing Plan, Social Media, Marketing Principles, Blogging

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Story Time"] [/caption]

Are you still worried about spending too much time writing your blog and not enough time doing your work? Not to worry, there are still some more good ideas around.

Let’s take a quick look at why you need some good ideas. First, there is the fact that you want to be consistent about publishing.  Your readers will quit coming to your site if you don’t put up work in a timely fashion. Whether you write three times a week or once a month, you need to be there when they come. People get very put out when they look up information and are sent to sites that haven’t been active for years.

Topics: WordPress, Arts, blog, Marketing Plan, Facebook, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, Marketing Principles, LinkedIn, Business Owner, Business, Blogging, Twitter

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="216" caption="Jewelry Shop"] [/caption]

Do you think that content is more important than the headline? Many people would agree with you or at least agree that both are of equal importance. Since this is so and this blog has explored writing good headlines, it’s time to give content attention.

Sometimes it seems like writing content is actually harder than just running your business. At least with your business you understand what your clients want because they will tell you loud and clear. In blogging you cannot even be sure that anyone is reading. In your shop you understand cash flow, both in and out. When you blog you get all sorts of analytics, except the one that tells you the number of people who came into the shop because of what you wrote.

Topics: Writing, Pet store, blog, Marketing Plan, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, Marketing Principles, Business Owner, Business, Blogging

Tips for Letting Facebook Tell You What to Do

Guest Blogger - Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

Many times in our lives we’re faced with situations where we have trouble making a decision.  We noodle it over in our heads but never seem to achieve a conclusion.  Or sometimes we quickly reach an answer but have a nagging doubt as to whether it’s correct or not.

There’s an easy way to resolve these situations: ask Facebook!

Topics: Social Media, Marketing Principles

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Image by Getty Images via @daylife"] [/caption]

No doubt you are using Facebook as part of your business’ social media marketing strategy. You have a possibility of reaching some of the 750 million members. That’s a goodly number of people. Chances are your customers and potential customers are among them and are checking you out.

Is your strategy a correct one? Have you dropped into some bad Facebook marketing practices? I have a list of some of these. If you find that you are doing some of these you want to get them out of your strategy now.

Where is your business page? If you have a profile, it is for a person, not a business. You need to create a Facebook Page. You can even do it from your profile if you want to. A page is made for companies, brands, groups, organizations and is the right place to generate fans.

Topics: Social Media, Marketing Principles

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Image by HRC via Flickr"] [/caption]

What is your Facebook marketing strategy? Do you have one? You need a good strategy in order to make sure that you continue to grow and increase your page’s engagement activity.

When do you practice patience and when do you decide that you need to make some changes because you are not having the success you were expecting? Was your goal really realistic? Did you set a length of time that you were going to wait to get those good results?

Topics: Using Different Media, Google, YouTube, Fansite, Google Calendar, Marketing Plan, Facebook, Social Media, Marketing Principles, LinkedIn, Twitter, Marketing strategy

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="266" caption="Facebook logo"] [/caption]

I admit that analytics can be daunting. Are you one of the many that finds that the case? Facebook has made seeking your activity easy to find and understand.

If you have put off this part of your business plan because of fear, Facebook can turn you into a believer as you track some simple metrics weekly. Here are some questions Facebook can answer for you:

Topics: Social Media, Marketing Principles

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="245" caption="Facebook logo"] [/caption]

Does Facebook overwhelm you? Do you have a daily schedule of what to do on Facebook to help you get results from Facebook?

Facebook marketing, when you know what you are doing, is a powerful business tool that can get you more leads, attract prospects that are highly targeted and put you in a position as an industrial expert.

Topics: Using Different Media, Online Communities, Fans, Social Networking, Facebook, Social Media, Marketing Principles, Business, Twitter

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Facebook website"] [/caption]

Do you want your Facebook fans visiting your website?

While Facebook is a great way to keep up with friends and family, it is also a great way to drive traffic to your business website.

Facebook is a good place to communicate with your fans, but for most businesses your website is where potential clients become actual ones. So how do you get your fans from Facebook over to your website?

Topics: Marketing Plan, Facebook, Marketing Principles

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Not everyone who reads the blogs I've been writing is an expert yet. If you are a newbie, do you know if you are writing a blog that is used for a website? What does it become then?

Mike Clough in his post of June 28, 2010 ( http://bestbizpractices.org/2010/06/28/is-your-blog-really-a-blog/) clarified the question by saying, “When a blog is used for website functions, it loses its value as a blog and in fact becomes just another website.”

Topics: Using Different Media, Small business, information, Web content, blog, website, Facebook, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media, Marketing Principles, LinkedIn, Blogging