Marketing Super Power [Decision Tree] from HubSpot

What is your Marketing Super Power?  Use the decision tree below to find out:

• The Blogger:
• The Social Butterfly:
• The Analyst:
• The Optimizer: 

What Is Your Marketing Super Power

From: HubSpot Marketing Software

Read more: http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/34056/Discover-YOUR-Marketing-Super-Power-Decision-Tree.aspx#ixzz2ITojDOLL 

Posted by Manny Sarmiento - President of New Media, New Marketing, Inc.
http://www.nmx2.com

Top Social Sites & Top Networking Sites You Must Have for Business Success

Top Social Sites & Top Networking Sites You Must Have for Business Success

Social Networking and Using the Top 5 Tools

The most common question I'm asked when teaching Social Media is "Which Social Media Sites are the Most Important for My Business".  The answer may surprise you. While many people think that Facebook is a must for business, it is a site you could theoretically do without.

There are three elements to look for when choosing social media sites to engage in.

First, the social networking, social bookmarking, video, or other social media site must have plenty of active users. These are users who visit the site on a daily basis. 

Second, the sites must include the persons in your target market and/or professionals

Third, the sites must be SEO friendly, which means that these social media sites appear on the search engine results pages, such as Google, Bing and Yahoo, often.

These are the Top 5 Social Media Sites that meet the required criteria and you must use to have greater success in your business. Lets count them down:

5. Facebook  AlthoughIt almost didn't make my Top 5. Facebook is intrusive, not very professional, but it has over a billion members. The key to using Facebook for business is creating a Business Page, formerly called a Fan Page, with an interactive and engaging iframe. Other than that, Facebook is a useless tool for business since no one is listening and those are are speaking are speaking nonsense. The tool I find most useful on Facebook is events.

4. Twitter  This Social Networking / Microblog site is growing and becoming more practical. It still lack engagement for most, but it can be a useful tool for business.

3. Foursquare  I'm still waiting for businesses to jump on the Foursquare bandwagon. This is a great tool for business owners because you can proactively engage and attract new customers to your brick and mortar locations by offering check-in specials and mayorship offers.

2. Google+  The fact that Google+ Plus is closely related and interact with the Google Search Engine, and with Google Places, makes it a must-have for all businesses. As business owners realize the importance of being on Google+, this awesome Social Media tool will explode in members.  Be sure to add a +1 button to your website and watch engagement grow.

1. LinkedIn  By far the most important Social Media and Social Networking tool, LinkedIn has enough members to fit out criteria, and these members are, for the most part, the professionals you need to engage with to create more business and increase your sales.

These Top 5 Social Media sites are just a small portion of what a great social media strategy should. Social media network, social media bookmarking, social photo sharing and other social networking sites are opened constantly.

Keep your eyes and ears opened when you are on Google for the next, "big" or "greatest" site. If a site pops up often when you are researching your company, industry or competition, then that is the site you need to create a keyword-rich profile on. And don't forget to add your professional picture or logo to the profile.

Manny Sarmiento - President / CEO
New Media, New Marketing, Inc. http://www.nmx2.com / manny@nmx2.com http://www.linkedin.com/in/mannysarmiento
 

SEO Search Engine Optimization - Even a Caveman Can Do It!

"The New SEO (Search Engine Optimization)  - Even a Cave Man Can Do It!"
by Manny Sarmiento – President / CEO of New Media, New Marketing, Inc.

The New World of SEO means that you can optimize your own website and blog, resulting in high search results rankings at zero or minimal cost. Yes, even a Cave Man can get to the top of Google without extensive experience or expensive investments! Let me show you how....

Old school SEO meant having to pay tons of cash to “SEO Experts” who promised high rankings on Google, Bing and Yahoo. Unfortunately, they didn’t necessarily fulfill these promises. What made it possible for these so-called “SEO Experts” to charge you tons of cash was the ignorance of business owners, CEOs and the like.

This ignorance and lack of knowledge is still widespread. Most business owners are still bombarded by ads for SEO. Some of these SEO firms can get you results by making suggestions and changes to your website. So, don’t discard all those emails you receive.

   Personally, I don’t like paying for SEO, internet marketing services and social media tools. Especially, when there is no need to do so. The following information on SEO will make it possible (with no guarantees – sorry!) to get to the top of the search engines by optimizing your websites on your own.

First, here is the history of SEO in a brief manner. When Al Gore invented the internet (lol) Yahoo dominated the SEO and Search engine universe. For $299 Yahoo would consider looking at your website and indexing it on their search engine. Since then the “SEO Experts” started appearing with all the illustrious promises of Search Engine domination. But recently Google changed, or leveled, the playing field. It is now possible for you to get incredible search engine rankings and appear at the top of the search engines without paying for it. Here’s how.

The SEO “Secret”
The “secret” to SEO domination on Google is… that there is no secret! Google only wants one thing. That you provide a real content, keyword-rich, target market, relevant website! If you provide a website that contains these four elements you will most likely appear high on the search engines, maybe even on the first page, in the first few listings.

As a matter of fact Google provides all the dos and don’ts for SEO on several Google produced resources. Here are a few:
•    Google Search Engine Guidelines
•    Google SEO Starter Guide
•    Google SEO Videos
•    Google Search-based Keyword Tool

These free SEO tools from Google can be found on www.nmx2,com/resources

The most important one of these tools is the Google Search-based Keyword Tool. This tool helps you determine which keywords or keyword phrases your target market searches for to find your type of business. Simply enter the keywords you believe your target market searches for and Google gives you “Keyword Ideas” that are relevant, actual searches per month.

With this Google keyword tool you will create a master list of target market keywords. You will then use these keywords in all of your website content, social media profiles and updates, blog contents, pictures, usernames, and any other online tools.

If your content is real and relevant to the search terms typed into the Google search box, Google will return the most relevant results in the search engine results page (SERP). This is the “secret” to appearing high in a Google search result. Not much of a secret, is it?
But What About the Panda Update?

If you’ve been paying attention to the web, you’ve most likely heard that Google “has a new update”. Google is creative with the names it gives it’s algorithm changes. Algorithm is a fancy name for the mathematical calculations and choices it’s servers use to determine relevant terms. If you are listening to what I am saying in this article, then you know to ignore and stop panicking about these updates. Because as long as you are providing real, keyword-rich, target market, relevant content and the user types in the correct keywords that your website is optimized for, your website will appear on a search result.

Another secret and truth of SEO and Google’s search engine is this: You may appear at the top of Google for one set of keywords and nowhere to be found for another set of keywords. This means that you must make a choice about which keywords you wish to use in order to have your website appear at the top of Google.

Search Engine Optimization SEO Mechanics and Website Structure Requirements
Search Engine Optimization is not just about writing real, keyword-rich, target market relevant content. Although this is the most important thing Google looks for, it is not the only thing. Here is a list of the most important mechanical things your website must have in order to appear high on the search engines. Keep in mind that even if the mechanics are good, Google gives no guarantees.

•    Keyword Rich Title Tag
•    Keyword Rich Description Meta Tag
•    Keyword Meta Tag
•    <H1> & <H2> with Keywords
•    Keyword Image Files Names
•    Keyword Image Alt-Tags
•    Internal Links & External Links with Keywords

Along with the mechanics of the website there are other important, off-website things you must do to improve your website rankings on Google and other search engines.

1.    Acquire backlinks to your website. Google will give your website “Google Love” for links back to your website from other, external websites. The more relevant the site is, the more Google “Love” you will receive and the greater the chance of getting ranked higher on Google. Links from irrelevant sites will not get you Google “Love”.

2.    Create and submit two types of sitemaps, an .html sitemap and an .xml sitemap. Google lets you do this at their Webmaster Tools website.

3.    Submit your website manually to Google, Bing and Yahoo. Yahoo is submitted on the same website as Bing, at the same time.

4.    Get traffic to your website and engage them when they land on your website. Do everything possible, online and offline, to get visitors to your website. You can acquire lots of Google Love by increasing the number of unique visitors and getting them to take actions on your website. The “Call to Action” is one of the most important engagement tools for your site. Ask your visitors to do something, such as, watch a video, fill in a form, visit another page on your site.

Other than optimization, the paradigm I teach my SEO students is that social media is an important tool for getting ranked on Google. Many social media sites, if properly keyword optimized, may appear on a search on the search engines. Below is a list of some of the best sites (currently) for SEO:

1.    Merchant Circle
2.    YouTube
3.    Yelp
4.    YellowPages.com
5.    SuperYellowPages
6.    Foursquare
7.    LinkedIn
8.    Blogger & WordPress
9.    Facebook Business Pages
10.    Google Plus
11.    Twitter
12.    PRLog

I’ve studied Search Engine Optimization extensively. I am also vigilant and research which sites appear on search results. I am confident that when you optimize your pages with the tools that I have given you, your website will appear when specific target market keywords are typed into the search box.

It is easier than ever to appear at the top of Google and the other search engine. A good social media strategy and campaign and play a major role in your Search Engine Marketing SEM results. There is no need to spend tons of money on SEO. Research your target market keywords. Use the master list of keywords you created in all your content and in the elements of your website outlined here. Create and run a strategic social media marketing campaign. The results will amaze you!

DIY-SEO Checklist
• Relevant, Keyword-rich Content
• Unique Visitors
• Relevant Backlinks
• Keyword Rich Title
• Keyword Rich Description
• Keyword Meta Tag
• <H1> <H2>
• Keyword Image Files Names
• Keyword Image Alt-Tags
• Internal Links / External Links
• Submit .htm & .xml Sitemaps
• Submit to DMOZ
• Submit to Google, Bing (Yahoo)

Manny Sarmiento – President / CEO
New Media, New Marketing, Inc.
www.nmx2.com 

Manny Sarmiento is President / CEO of New Media, New Marketing, Inc. 
Manny has taught over 500 Social Media, SEO, Internet Marketing courses and Social Media University.

Contact Information:
Carmen Lopez
New Media, New Marketing, Inc.
www.LinkedIn.com/in/mannysarmiento
www.nmx2.com / carmen@nmx2.com
(305) 450-4344 – Cell

Key Success Factors in Business and Life

Small Business Success Factors

Author Michael Jeffreys personally interviewed 15 top motivational gurus for his then upcoming book.  After talking to gurus from Brian Tracy to Dr. Wayne Dyer, he distilled 8 Secrets to Success they all agreed upon.  These secrets are still good today.

These are critical success factors for life, business and entrepreneurship:

1.      Take 100% Responsibility for Your Life – In a society where people blame everything from their parents to the government for failure, those who don’t buy into this mentality or succumb to the “victim” thinking succeed. To blame something or somebody outside yourself is saying they have control of your life and not you. Someone else’s opinion of you doesn’t have to become your reality.

2.      Live Your Life On Purpose -  What separates motivational thinkers from the unsuccessful is that they believe they’re doing what they were put her to do. The difference between this and just living, is that the latter is just getting through the week with the least problems.  But when you live your life on purpose, your main concern is doing the job right.  For the entrepreneur this means finding a cause you believe in and building your business around it.

3.      Be Willing to Pay the Price - Be willing to pay the price for your dreams.  Wanting a big house, a luxury car, and a million dollars in the bank is all very nice, and everyone wants these things – but are you willing to pay the price to get them?  This is one of the major differences between the successful and unsuccessful.

4.      Stay Focused – Every day we’re bombarded with hundreds of tasks, phone calls, messages, and everyone competing for our time.  Focusing requires giving up something in the present because you are investing your time in something that will pay off big-time down the road.  Jack Canfield and Mark Hanson were turned by 30 publishers when they submitted the first “Chicken Soup for the Soul” book. 

Instead of giving up, they stayed focused on their goal and did four or five interviews per day for radio, TV, and newspapers, for five days a week for a whole year.  Eventually, a small publisher decided to take a chance, and of course now it’s a best-seller that spawned an entire series that have sold more than 10 million copies.

5.      Become An Expert in Your Field  One striking factor all successful people have in common is how seriously they take their profession.  They strive to be the best at what they do, and do almost anything to improve.  If someone followed you around all day with a video camera at your business, would it be a tape you’d be proud of or embarrassed about?  Make the decision today to work at being the best in your field.  How? By finding out what the “best” in your field are doing, and do what they do.

6.      Write Out a Plan for Achieving Your Goals -  Write out an action plan/map for how you’re going to achieve your goals.  Trying to reach your goals without a plan is like trying to drive from Los Angeles to Chicago without a map.  A goal that isn’t written down is merely a wish or fantasy.

7.      Never Give Up -  Never, never, never give up. When you’re fully committed to achieving your goal, giving up is not an option. You must be willing do whatever it takes to make it happen.  The power of perseverance is an awesome force.  As someone once said, “inch by inch it’s a cinch”.  Think of the lowly inchworm – if it pondered the length of the trip from start to finish before it started, it probably would never move. To a worm’s point-of-view,  the garden path must look like a trip to Mars. Never give up! Keep on going like the Eveready battery bunny, and pretty soon you’re there.

8.      Don’t Delay -  Nobody knows how much time they have left to accomplish their dreams, and we must remember that we don’t have forever. The clock is ticking, and sooner or later your number comes up and you’re gone.  Successful achievers know this too, but they don’t view it as a “negative”.  Achievers use it to “spur them on”.  They go after what they want as energetically and as passionately as possible, for as long as they have.

I had a friend who used to say, “Today is a check – cash it!  Yesterday is an I.O.U. – forget it! Tomorrow is a promissory note, don’t bank on it!”  I think that’s a pretty good summation of life, so go out there and cash in on that “today” check.

Manny Sarmiento

http://www.nmx2.com 



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