What’s Your Brand?

While brand is most definitely one of the latest buzz words, it is important to fully understand what Branding really is?  Simply put, your brand will tell others what it is that makes you an original.  Why are you, your family or your company worth connecting with?  What sets you apart from the rest?  Once you can define that, you are on your way.

What’s Your Plan?

Take some time and think about what your goals are for the coming year and then “Make a Plan”.  Be sure to put your goals down on paper and keep it where you can access it anytime you want or need to.  You should also commit to looking over your plan every day.  Keeping your goals fresh in your mind will help keep you on track the whole year through.

How am I Doing?

A favorite quote of mine, taken from “Star Wars — Clone Wars” is this:   “A plan is only as good as those who see it through.”  – A very true statement indeed.  So keep yourself on track.  There are so many tools available that will allow you to track just about everything you do.  So keep track of your plan, and stay on target and 2013 really can be the year that makes the difference.

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Lydi Mae was born on Wednesday, September 19, 2012 and weighed in at 6lbs, 2oz and was 21 inches long.  Kelli and Justin, who is a pilot for Southwest Airlines, were “flying high” after seeing their little girl.

Mother and father say that Lexi-Belle has adjusted well and is an awesome big sister!  “She adores Lydi Mae and is actually excited to have her “own” real baby to take everywhere!”  Kelli also said that Lexi wakes up every morning and says “good morning Precious”. “It’s just the sweetest thing…most of the time!”

Big Sister Lexi Belle holds tight to her new sister Lydi Mae

Everyone at Newton Design & Marketing extend the warmest of Congratulations to the entire Moore family!

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A few years ago, I met one of the best known ‘sales experts’ in the UK. He had authored several books, and provided motivational training for blue-chip companies in a career spanning decades. If you’ve worked in the sales world for any time, you have almost certainly heard of him. Now in the ‘golden years’ of his career, he could sit back and let the opportunities come to him, couldn’t he? Actually no.

“We never kept a database, Bernadette” he privately confessed to me. So at great expense he had to hire and manage a sales team to set appointments for him. If he had cultivated a list over the years, he would have had prospective clients knocking on his door. “But my business is different!” Ok, so you’re a consultant – and you only work with 3-4 large clients each year. Surely you don’t need a list of 1,000 do you? Maybe not, but any list will give you huge leverage.

If you run a training course, you could offer ‘tips’ to attendees, which you mail, or email after the training. Make sure you keep in touch because even though they may not have buying authority right now, some of those attendees will get promoted, some will move to other departments, some of them will move to different companies, or even different industries.

Several business opportunities have come to me this way over the years. Or you’re a massage therapist – and you can only see 12 clients a week, so you think you don’t need to have a huge list either. No therapist who has been in business for more than 2 years should ever have an empty appointment book. Just this week I heard the sad tale of an experienced complementary therapist who had worked with over 1,000 clients. Business had mainly come her way via word of mouth and referral. But then, for a variety of reasons, she had to stop working with clients for a couple of months and had lost momentum. Now she was struggling to re-establish her client base to its previous levels.

“Well, why not send a mailer to your past clients,” was the advice. “Ah”, she replied, “I didn’t actually keep a list of addresses of my clients”. So she was basically starting from scratch all over again. This sounds so obvious, but you would be surprised just how many people I have seen make this fundamental marketing mistake.

Keep a list of all your past clients, and if you come up to a lean period, you can simply send a mailer to them. It doesn’t have to be a hard sell, just a simple reminder that you’re available, and perhaps a special offer. I guarantee you will get a response from people who have been meaning to call you for weeks or months, but never got around to it – until you contacted them.

Action Steps

1. Commit to collecting names and contact details of every single person who expresses an interest in your business. Look at every current activity you do to market your business and make sure that there is a way of capturing details of people – even if they’re not ready to buy right away.

2. Follow up and stay in touch. Yes, I know you’re really busy and don’t have time to follow up with everyone, but there are ways of following up with people that don’t have to be a huge drain on your time or money. An email newsletter is a cost effective way to stay in touch with thousands of people. Even monthly or quarterly mailers or postcards would be better than nothing at all.

3. Stop trying to be perfect. Some sort of name capture and follow up is better than nothing at all, and you can always tweak and adjust your follow up messages as you go along (that’s what I do).

4. Start measuring success differently. Most people measure their business results in terms of sales and profits. I recommend that you also add ‘size of the list’ to your success measurement – as it can help you plan for future sales and profits too.

5. Commit to building and cultivating a prospect list. Put ‘growing your list’ to the top of your priorities and you’ll be surprised at the results you can achieve.

About the Author
Bernadette Doyle publishes her weekly Client Magnets newsletter for trainers, coaches, consultants, complementary therapists and solo professionals. If you want to get clients calling you instead of you calling them, then get your free tips now at http://www.clientmagnets.com.

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Conventional wisdom was right

To examine the long-term return from advertising, researchers analyzed the performance of nearly 2,700 companies – and grouped them by type (consumer, industrial and service). They then compared returns from advertising in recessions and upturns. They found advertising was an asset that contributed to a company’s financial performance for up to three years. And increased spending during a recession produced greater benefits than increased spending when the economy was doing well.

One reason for this outcome: Advertising sends a positive signal about future performance to investors. It works in much the same way that exhibiting at a trade show during hard times may inspire confidence in customers and sales partners.

What this means

If increasing advertising pays during a recession, what’s the impact of budget cuts? You may lose momentum, but it’s not fatal, finds the researchers. Here’s why. Past advertising has a cumulative effect that can help you maintain your position for three years. But to get the biggest bang for your buck, they urge companies to maintain spending at a steady pace.

The researchers also found that not all companies are equal. Advertising spending had a bigger impact on consumer and industrial products than it did on service companies.

Source: “Should Firms Increase Advertising Expenditures During Recessions?” MSI Report, No. 03-115.
Online advertising agency

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By working with literally hundreds of small and medium sized websites, I have found that top ranked sites have a number of factors in common. What are they? I’m about to share these factors with you and explain what separates those in the top Google positions and those that are never found on page one of search results.

The first search engine ranking factor has to do with the anchor text of all inbound links to your website. Google and other search engines use the anchor text from other sites linking in to determine what your site is about and what it should rank well for. If websites link in only using a URL, and not your keywords in the anchor text, email them and ask them to update your link. The link should always appear with your most important keywords.

The second most important ranking factor is using keywords in your title tag and other meta tags. Meta tags still have an impact on your search rankings. Although the weight of meta tags may be minimal, they are effective in categorizing your page and identifying what search engines should expect to find when they spider web site pages. Make sure your tags are constructed properly and include you keywords.

The third ranking factor to consider for your web site is link popularity. This phrase has been talked about in search engine circles for a while but can be equated with Page Rank. The concept of Page rank or link popularity for that matter take a number of factors into consideration to identify the quality of web pages from an external perspective. The largest factor that influences search engine rankings is the number and quality of links that are pointing to a web site or web page.

The fourth ranking factor is the diversity of domains that link to your web site. For many search engines, it’s not only what links you have to your site but making sure they are from different domains. This represents more popularity associated with you web site and therefore is judged to be a better search result. When link building, try to focus on generating inbound links from different websites.

The final ranking factor is keyword use in root domain. Although it’s possible to use subdomain or dedicated pages to get your keywords in a URL, nothing beats having them in your root domain.

All of these factors are important for top search rankings. Don’t overlook any of them if trying to improve your search rankings for particular keywords or keyword phrases.

Also, be sure to continually read up on the subject or consider any one of a number of SEO training programs, or even San Diego advertising agencies, that can show you how to have more impact with your optimization efforts.

Michael Fleischner is an SEO consultant and author of SEO Made Simple, revealing strategies guaranteed to improve search engine rankings. Learn more SEO at the Internet Marketing Forum, and learn about SEO training at MarketingScoop.com or contact him via the Marketing Blog at http://marketing-expert.blogspot.com.

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After you’ve selected the keywords you want to optimize your website for, you need to focus on what is called on-page optimization. On page optimization is what you do on your website pages to improve organic rankings. The good news is that through years of research and experimentation I have identified the most important on page factors for improving organic rankings.

There are variety of optimization factors to consider when optimizing your web pages. I have found three factors in particular to have more of an impact than others when correlating them to search engine rankings. In particular, meta tags, URL structure, and page load speed all have a direct impact on search engine rankings for particular keywords or keyword phrases.

Meta tags are important to web site rankings because they provide some basic information to search engine spiders. Meta tags need to be formatted correctly to enhance search engine rankings. My research as shows that meta tags by themselves cannot radically improve rankings. It is my belief that meta tags may be used to verify other aspects of your website and are important for getting users to click through from search engine results.

The best formatted meta tags should include a title tag that includes the keywords that you are trying to optimize for. It is recommended that the size of the title tag is sixty or fewer characters as this is the limit shown on Google search results. The second meta tag is the description tag which should be limited to fewer than one hundred and fifty characters and repeat your keyword phrase no more than two times.

The last meta tag worthy of description is the keyword tag. I see this tag misused all too often and it may actually be hurting your search engine rankings. When using a keyword tag, focus on only a dozen of your most important and highly trafficked keywords. Search engines should know that you are an authority site and worthy of top rankings. Do your research and only include the keywords that truly matter. You can also evaluate the sites in the top positions and model their keywords as long as they are included on your web site or blog.

Once you have your meta tags within your web page code it’s time to focus on the next on page optimization factor. The load time of your web pages matter a great deal to Google and other search engines. Not only does your web page need to be formatted correctly but it needs to load quickly. Fast loading web sites mean a better user experience. Search engines like Google reward you for providing the right information quickly to web site browsers. Keep load times to a minimum and continually work to improve the speed at which your site loads.

The third and certainly one of the most important factors is URL structure. It is true that having your keyword in the URL helps but it is not the only or the most heavily weighed optimization factor by Google. There are plenty of examples of sites that include the keyword in the URL being outranked by other web sites. If you can purchase a URL that has your keyword in it though, consider it advantageous. If you are unable to do so, consider adding a folder or page to your site that includes the keyword you want to optimize your site for. A good example would be www.sample.com/keyword. By doing so you are placing your keyword close to the root and giving it more value. Also consider a sub domain strategy.

Before you begin any search engine optimization effort, evaluate your web site, landing page, or blog from the perspective of meta tags, load speed, and URLs. There are additional on page factors we’ll discuss in the next lesson, but the three mentioned herein are vitally important to your search engine optimization success.

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In addition to focusing on a keyword phrase that doesn’t have strong competition, you need to find terms that are frequently searched on. I recently finished a consulting assignment for a foundation trying to optimize their website. They had top rankings for a keyword term that seemed to be somewhat desirable. However, keyword research proved that the term received less than 100 searches per month. As a result, top rankings for this keyword phrase were nearly meaningless.

Once you have found a keyword phrase that isn’t too competitive and receives an adequate number of monthly searches, the next step is to thoroughly check out your competition. Google the keyword phrases you want to optimize for a run a back link check on the top three ranked web sites. This indicates the strength of those web sites relative to their search engine ranking. The more links, the more difficult it will be to rank higher than they do without some type of sustained link building campaign.

After doing your keyword research and confirming your choice of keywords and keyword phrases, it’s time to focus on improving your web pages around the keywords you’ve selected. Enhance your meta tags, titles, and web copy to include your keyword phrases. This helps to tell the search engines what your web site is about so it can rank your site appropriately. In addition to the on page factors, Google weighs off page factors to determine web site ranking.

Off page optimization requires a sustained effort that uses new content and additional links from third party websites. The most effective strategies are the most basic. Begin with a link building plan. Focus on article directories, web site directories, blogs, social bookmarking sites, and other resources where you can establish in bound links.

Your plan should include daily, weekly and monthly tasks that can attract links from authority websites consistently over time. Your goal should not be to generate thousands of inbound links quickly because Google will penalize your website. Rather, focus on steady link building.

If you want to improve your organic search engine ranking, begin with keyword research. By selecting the right keywords, you’ll be able to optimize your website more quickly than your competitors. After choosing the right keywords, focus on integrating your chosen keywords into your web site. Then you’re ready for link building and other off page optimization tactics that significantly improve rankings.

Newton Design and Marketing can help your company grow with keyword research, SEO, social media, web design, print, and mobile apps. Contact us today for a free consultation and see why Newton is Strategically Creative. Creatively Strategic.

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By now, you may have heard that Exact Keyword Match Domains Are Losing Page Rank. There used to be a time when having the exact match domain meant a lot. In many cases, you could use this to move your site to the top of the search engines – without all the need for great off page SEO. However, things have changed and Google is no longer valuing these sites with the same authority.

If you find yourself with an exact match domain, there is a good chance that it has lost some or all of its page rank. As unfair as it may be, this is the case both with sites that are “thin” as well as those that have been built out with quality in mind. In other words, it appears that Google has slapped these sites – in some instances – even if they offered high quality content and an above average user experience.

What can I do? Many people with an exact match domain are worried about what the future holds. As they know, Google is in charge of their business and what happens next. While losing page rank and search engine rankings is never a good thing, this is no time to panic. Instead, you should focus your time and energy on both on page and off page SEO.

Tip: now is not the time to stop building your site, especially if it is high quality to start. Instead, you should continue with your plan in hopes that things will turnaround in the future.

Why did Google make this change? While nobody knows what goes on at Google, one thing is for sure: they are always looking to make changes that will improve search engine results.

The problem with some of these changes is that they penalize high quality sites, while often times letting those of lower quality slip through the cracks.

With this update, Google is hoping to get rid of lower quality sites that are ranking highly for a keyword simply because they have an exact match domain. Is this fair? It is good to see that they are taking steps to weed out sites that are not worthy of their rankings. That being said, if quality sites are “dinged” at the same time there are sure to be people who are upset.

If you are fortunate, you will not have to deal with this “exact match domain penalty.” However, many people find themselves in this situation right now. Their site lost page rank along with search engine rankings.

Newton Design & Marketing is a partner that can help you navigate the SEO twists and turns. Contact us today for a free consultation on how we can help you plan today for tomorrow’s success.

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You need to practice patience in SEO. It is only natural to want to see immediate results for all of your hard work. However, building a web presence takes time and dedication. Consistently using SEO will allow you to benefit in the long run. The search engines don’t change their rankings every day, so getting to the top can take time.

You can make your site more visible to search engines by getting local listings on Google and Yahoo. You get more visibility and visitors with this service. Always take advantage of free publicity.

Design an easy to use site map that also includes your target keywords. The purpose of the site map is to index the pages on your site, making it easier for search engine spiders, and viewers alike, to find important information. Search engines also use these to place websites higher on their search lists, because ease of access is important to their ratings.

The higher the ranking you want to achieve, the more content that you need to provide. Make sure your topic range is broad, but still relevant to your product or service. If, for instance, you are blogging on a topic such as golf, include content dealing with the professional tour, course design and various types of golfing gear. A user has a better chance of finding your site if it has a lot of content.

Search engine optimization, which is also called SEO in the tech world, is a form of marketing. SEO involves placing keywords in your website’s content and building backlinks in order to increase your website’s search engine results page ranking for certain search terms. This increases the visibility of your website on search engines so that potential buyers will find your website when they search for a particular item or service.

Instead of writing AP styles for SEO, try writing SEO. To do this, simply use your keywords throughout your writing, as much as you can, and still make it flow. Doing this will help to improve your rankings because of keyphrase density.

You need to have patience to get better SEO. Large changes in traffic volume will not immediately happen. Do not be surprised if it takes several months for noticeable changes to occur if you are starting with a fairly new site. You need to build your good name, and that takes time.

Include relevant RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds on your website. Regular feeds are considered new content. If you are unable to locate an appropriate existing feed to include on your site, try developing your own. You can use the feed to supply your website with a steady stream of information relevant to your industry or product. Ensure that you get the most out of your RSS feed by interesting other people in signing up for a subscription.

Search engines can be quite useful in increasing the amount of visitors to your website. Be sure your website is spider friendly for the best in search engine ratings. Putting a tag on your images will increase the possibility that spiders will pick up on it. Each description should include generous use of keywords.

There’s a lot to search engine optimization, but as was stated earlier in the article, it’s absolutely essential to make sure your website gets the business it deserves. Make sure to apply these techniques to your website, as soon as possible, so that you can start getting more customers and more profits.

About the Author

Hi everyone i just wanted to talk about how SEO really is something you really need for your websites so things likesearch engine optimisation companies can be hard. I hope I can help you out with all your needs and please if you have any questions contact us.

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1) add value

2) build relationships

3) share your solutions and offers

Use a variety of messages.

For this post, I’m going to talk specifically about Twitter, but the same idea applies to all social media platforms. You want to send out a mix of tweets to make things more interesting. This list is just some of the types to consider:

- A famous quote to inspire

- A quote from your own book

- A quote from something that you’ve been reading

- Something funny

- A YouTube video you liked

- A contrarian statement to stir people up and get them talking

- A blog post or article you wrote

- Something personal – what you had for dinner or a fun place you visited

- An upcoming program or a product

Varying the messages ensures that you won’t turn people off when you do promote your materials. Think about it this way – if you were in a relationship with somebody you met and they were constantly trying to get you to buy something, it would be a huge turnoff right? Social media is also like reading a magazine. If it’s all ads, you wouldn’t want to read it right? There has to be enough value that relates to who you are, so when the ads show up, you don’t mind.

Social Media Attracts New Clients.

Once, at meeting, I asked everyone in the room who had found me on Facebook or Twitter to raise their hand. About 10% of the hands went up! Those people would never have found me if they hadn’t seen me on social media.

Build Relationships.

The key is to build a relationship and to not look at it like you are selling. You are actually being of service. If you believe in your products and programs and created them to help people, then it is your divine duty to not be stingy with this resource. Get well known so you can share your solutions with as many people as possible who are up at 3:00 am struggling with what to do.

Your Client Attraction Assignment.

Prepare some of your social media in advance to make things easier. Create a spread sheet for your upcoming posts with a day-by-day calendar. As you find quotes to share, save them on the sheet. Write posts to announce your programs in advance as well. Plan what days to share each item. Then supplement with spur of the moment posts like something personal, videos or articles you find, or retweet or “Like” someone else’s message on Facebook.

About the Author

Fabienne Fredrickson, The Client Attraction Mentor, is founder of the Client Attraction System, the proven step-by-step program that shows you exactly how to attract more clients, in record time…guaranteed. To get your F.R.E.E. Audio CD by mail and receive her weekly marketing & success mindset articles on attracting more high-paying clients and dramatically increasing your income, visit http://www.ClientAttraction.com.

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