ionadas local LLC

Guest Post: My Top 5 Action Items from Innotech’s eMarketing Track

As the founder of a national technology training company, I was definitely looking forward to attending Austin’s Innotech conference last week. Since relocating the company from Dallas to Austin this summer, the name ‘Innotech’ was mentioned to me at least once a week as a premier event to interact with leaders who are driving the IT industry in Central Texas. I chose to attend the eMarketing Summit because I was specifically interested in social media, which proved to be an excellent decision. After reviewing my notes, here are my personal top five, very manageable and high impact follow up items:

Action #1: Find Hoover’s D&B landing page used as the example in the “Lessons Learned from Five Internet Marketing Experts”

One of the five panelists in this session, Peter Poulin, Executive Vice President of Marketing at Hoover’s Inc. shared with the audience the various iterations of their strategy as they tested design elements, layouts and calls to action on their site. One interesting discovery was that there was a higher conversion rate when they used an image of a blonde woman versus a brunette. It was easy to tell that this stirred up some debate at the various tables because it received a lot of buzz on Twitter. It certainly gives new meaning to “blondes have more fun.”

I intend to find the example landing page he used during his presentation to see the design they ultimately settled on. If I can get a copy of the presentation, that would be a bonus!

Action #2: Download Brian Masey’s presentation “Killing Brad Pitt: Why Buyers Fail to Take Action on Your Web site”

Brian Masey with Conversion Sciences, delivered one of my favorite presentations of the day focusing on the various personas that come to your site. He categorized four different types of buyers:

• Competitive (highly logical but quick to make decisions) – respond well to Ratings, Guarantees, Newness, Brand, Appeal to Others
• Methodical (also highly logical but take time to make decisions) – respond to Case Studies, Process, Samples, Standards, Competing Solutions
• Spontaneous (highly emotional and quick to make decisions) – respond to Color, Ease-of-use, Size, Price, Return Policy, Delivery, Discounts
• Humanist (also highly emotional but take time to make decisions) – respond to Testimonials, Credibility, Company, Reviews, Trustworthiness

A copy of his presentation can be found on Slideshare and I will spend more time gleaning information from it.

Action #3: Another action for us from Brian Masey’s ‘Killing Brad Pitt’ presentation is to incorporate additional calls to action on our site. Here are some examples he gave:

• Add to cart
• Checkout
• Subscribe
• Trial signup
• Sample request
• Contact form
• Download
• Tell a friend
• Read an article
• View the video

I’d like to incorporate four to five of these appropriately throughout our site.

Action #4: Implement landing pages for our events and partner pages.

At the end of their presentations, a handful of the speakers provided links to a specific landing page on their sits. I actually viewed every single one of them and I think I even signed up for anything and everything on their sites, which made me instantly aware of the effectiveness of these pages. This is exactly what I want visitors to our site to do. What a valuable lesson. Check out a couple of examples:

• Brian Massey’s (Conversion Scientist) landing page for Innotech attendees
• Giovanni Gallucci’s (Social Media Ninja) landing page for his speaker evaluation

We’ve already started in this and we’re launching personalized landing pages for key partners this week.

Action #5: Devote 15 minutes, 3 times a day to social media such as Twitter, FaceBook and LinkedIn and use the tools to streamline and automate what I can.

From his presentation “Top 10 Extreme Social Media Promotion Hacks”, Giovanni Gallucci the, ‘Social Media Ninja’ suggested not 10 but 40 social media tips including using the following tools to streamline your social media activities:

• Twitterfeed
• Tweetadder
• Ping.fm
• Twitter Mutality (Google it)

Although we have Twitter and Facebook pages, I am formalizing social media activities as part of my daily schedule and marketing routine.

For EXTRA CREDIT and a chance to be inspired to build social media policies for our company, download and review Intel’s Social Media Guidelines.

Bryan G. Rhoads, Sr. Digital Strategist, Intel Social Media Center of Excellence delivered “Tying it all together: integrating your business and brand into social conversations” about his experience being part of the team that developed, and continues to develop, a social media strategy at Intel. The Social Media Center they created is remarkable but with me being a trainer, I was most excited about the educational programs they built to provide “Digital IQ” training for their employees. Very impressive.

Overall, this was a day well spent at Innotech’s eMarketing Summit. There was a great deal of valuable and actionable information presented, which made it clearer than ever that you should have your website working for you. It is absolutely critical that it not only provide information, it should be optimized to draw traffic, capture information and when possible bring customers or clients into the sales process. Then it makes sense to use social media to extend the reach and capabilities of the site.

Looking forward to next year and of course, seeing the results of what I learned from last week.

Vickie S. Evans is a former New York personal assistant turned applications instructor with twelve years of classroom training experience and six years experience working as a professional assistant. She is a Microsoft Certified Trainer and holds two additional certifications as a Microsoft Office Specialist Master Instructor (Office 2003) and Microsoft Certified Application Specialist (Office 2007). Through her company RedCape, Vickie and her staff provide superhero professionals with just-in-time, desk side technology coaching and solutions through virtual collaboration.

All opinions expressed in guest blog postings are those of the specific post’s author, and may or may not reflect those of Brian Combs or ionadas local.

Brian Combs at PubCon Vegas 2009

Brian Combs, principal of ionadas local, will be speaking at PubCon Vegas again this year, with a pair of sessions on the first day, November 10, 2009:

Interactive Site Reviews: Focus on Organic
11:30am-12:45pm
Live critiques of attendee websites, with actionable advice on how to improve the sites’ search engine optimization.

How Do You Optimize For Universal and Personal Search?
2:55pm-4:10pm
Brian’s third time on a PubCon Universal and Personal Searc panel, he will be speaking on how the search engines blend local results with the traditional SERPs.

Guest Post: How Article Marketing Can Help You Even If You Own a Local Business

Getting global exposure for your website and reaching customers all over the world are two perks of Article Marketing, but what if global domination is not your thing?

One of my long-time newsletter subscribers recently emailed me and asked:

What if you own a dry cleaning business in Madison, Wisconsin?

Or you’re a real estate agent in Ontario, Canada?

Or you operate a bakery in Marrakech, Morocco?

If you own a local business and you want to attract customers who are in your neighborhood or city, can article marketing still work for you?

My answer = Yes!

Many of my article marketing clients at IWantMoreProspects.com own businesses that have local clients and customers. They use article marketing to increase their web presence, bolster their website rankings in the search engines, establish themselves as an expert in their niche, and also to generate more targeted traffic to their website.

So, although you may not be looking for national or international attention, you can still benefit from a targeted article submission campaign. Now, when I say “targeted traffic”, I mean that the people who are visiting your website are the type of prospects who might be truly interested in your business. They are not just random passers-by.

How can you get targeted traffic for your local business using article marketing?

To be sure that the traffic you receive is targeted, write about your area of expertise and in your resource box (that’s the author bio that sits below your article) specify the location of your business. This would tell the reader that you only work with people in that location.

Also, if appropriate you could write some articles that specifically deal with your industry in your location. For example, if you are a Real Estate agent in Ontario, Canada, there may be some unique aspects of buying or selling a house that are specific to Ontario.

Here’s one article idea: “10 Upcoming Neighborhoods in Ontario, Canada That You Should Consider Buying a House In”

Then the article would have to deliver on the promise that the title makes. Please resist the urge to mention your location in the title and then write an article that offers generalized info. If you mention your location in the title, you need to provide specific info about that location.

What You Must Remember When You Are Trying to Get Local Attention Using Article Marketing

The main thing to remember is that while we talk about a “global audience”, every one of us who is doing article marketing wants to attract a certain type of person–the type of person who is most likely to be interested in our business.

I don’t know of any website owner who wants every Tom, Dick and Harriet coming to his or her site.

Whether you have a local business or an Internet business that operates worldwide, you still have a target market, and you need to write your articles with that specific group in mind.

So, don’t let the “global exposure” idea intimidate or mislead you. When done correctly, article marketing generates targeted traffic.

You can get traffic that is targeted to your specific location (if that is what you’re going for).

You can get traffic that is targeted to your industry.

You can get traffic that is targeted to people with very specific needs.

You can get traffic that is targeted to people with specific interests.

So start writing articles for your local business. If you’re stuck, grab my Instant Article Writing Templates at StartWritingArticlesFaster.com

Article Marketing Expert Eric Gruber uses the power of articles to create online opportunities for small business owners who want more publicity, prospects and profits. Now, you can get his instant article writing templates that will help you write your articles in 30 minutes or less. Get 3 of his favorite article writing templates for free at TryMyFreeArticleTemplates.com.

All opinions expressed in guest blog postings are those of the specific post’s author, and may or may not reflect those of Brian Combs or ionadas local.

Guest Post: Using the Internet to Tell Your Customers About Special Offers

Thanks to the Internet, there’s no longer any need to spend money on mailing postcards to your customers to announce sales and special offers.

If you have set up your web marketing capabilities, you can simply tweet on Twitter and send an email blast through your email marketing service.

Let’s look at an example:

Imagine you own a local fabric store and you have just received a much larger shipment of cotton plaids than you expected. Where will you store the inventory? (And we’re not even talking inventory carrying costs.)

Instead you tweet in 97 characters (leaving you 140 more characters to add your website URL, etc.):

Large shipment of cotton plaids with no place to store. Come in today for 50% off these fabrics.

Then you send out a somewhat longer email message explaining your predicament with the same offer. And how have you gotten the email addresses to which to send out this message?

You’ve gotten the email addresses through an email opt-in system on your website in which you offer, for example, a 10% off coupon if the person gives you his/her email address. And the email marketing software system you use stores the addresses in a database, helps you format your email message so that it more easily gets through spam filters, sends out the message for you, and keeps track of open rates.

Of course, if you’re lucky enough to have a website for which you can easily make changes, you’ll also post the announcement in large type on your home page. Anyone clicking through to your website after seeing the tweet or getting the email message will be reminded of why he or she is visiting the site.

By using your website and email marketing system and by sending tweets on Twitter, you can easily make special offers that help you out and make your customers happy.

Phyllis Zimbler Miller (@ZimblerMiller on Twitter) has an M.B.A. from The Wharton School and is an Internet business consultant whose company website is www.MillerMosaicLLC.com. If you liked this article, you’re going to love her free report on “The Top 3 Internet Marketing Elements” – download the report now from www.WeTeachWebMarketing.com.

All opinions expressed in guest blog postings are those of the specific post’s author, and may or may not reflect those of Brian Combs or ionadas local.

Part-time Social Media Specialist Needed

Note: This position has been filled, although the blog post will remain here for historical purposes.

A Client of ionadas local is looking for a Social Media Specialist. This is a part-time position expected to require approximately ten hours per week, although additional hours are likely needed the first few weeks. This position is ideal for a current student looking for real-world experience in using social media commercially. It also might be of interest to a college graduate looking to break into the social media industry.

The Client is a producer and marketer of premium tequilas that is in the midst of a rollout to the U.S. market. The job is located in Austin, Texas. The Client is not interested in telecommuters at this time.

Initial screenings for the position will be provided by ionadas local staff. Final interviews and the hiring decision will be made by the Client. Training in the proper use of social media for commercial purposes will be provided to the one hired.

To apply for this position, please send your resume via email to info@ionadas.com with the Subject Line “Social Media Specialist, August 2009”. No calls please.

The job description is as follows:

Social Media Specialist

Do you tweet and use Facebook all day, everyday? Is building social community so influential to your life that you just can’t stop? Do you understand why blogging and feeds are important? This job seeks a highly a motivated individual with experience and fanatical passion for blogging, micro-blogging and community participation as well as leadership.

The Social Media Specialist is focused on implementing, managing and expanding the Client’s Social Media Strategy and advocating Client’s Products to external communities. He or she will identify influential opportunities and engage regularly with the Client’s audiences online. This person will work with the Client’s Marketing Assistant to ensure that all Web 2.0 communications match the Client’s established tone, philosophy and strategy. He or she will monitor discussions across a number of blogs, forums and Web 2.0 sites, engaging as the Client’s public representative when appropriate.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Coordinate social media outreach and viral campaigns to promote Client messages that increase awareness and/or drive traffic to the Client’s site.
• Establish and cultivate positive relationships with key/targeted bloggers.
• Develop and manage pages on popular consumer social networking sites as specified in the social media strategy; such as Facebook, Twitter, etc.
• Engage in regular participation within the Client’s customer community, including the review of blogs, forums, wikis and other communities.
• Track and monitor the success of online initiatives (i.e. impressions, reach, influence and other metrics) and provide regular reports to the Client’s marketing team.
• Educate staff on the implementation and use of new technologies.
• Promote and evangelize social media activities internally.
• Serve as the eyes and ears of the Client’s brand as if his or her own reputation depended upon it.

Skills and Qualifications

• Strong familiarity and efficiency with Twitter, Facebook, and other such social media outlets.
• Upper classman or graduate. Business, communications, or liberal arts majors/degrees preferred.
• At least twenty-one years of age.
• Knowledge of/experience in the distilled spirits industry is desired.
• Fluency in both English and Spanish is a plus.
• Flexible communication skills. Strong editorial writer.
• Able to present needs and plans internally and has a distinct, personable voice for external engagement.
• Eagerness to exceed objectives and take on more responsibility than may be issued.
• Outstanding organizational skills and the ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously while meeting tight deadlines.
• Proven ability to manage negative situations toward positive outcomes.
• Willingness to experiment and ability to deal with uncertainty.
• Professional attitude and demeanor.