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How I Got The Top Two Spots In Google In Under Three Days...
 Last week I attended some advanced "social media optimization" (aka SMO) training just outside of Philly. We dove into how the new "web 2.0" tools like Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter and other "social media" sites can be leveraged from a business perspective to help rankings and gain traffic.
You can visit my blog to read more (and see larger screen shots of the Google pages), but in a nutshell we did an exercise during class Thursday that used a YouTube video and some keyword optimization and that got me to the #1 position in Google for the search phrase "internet marketing for community banks" in about six hours! The next day I posted a blog entry (which you will read if you visit) and by the weekend I had taken over #1 and #2 positions.
Considering that Goolge lists only ten search results per page, taking 20% of the listings on the first page (out of over 500,000 results) was quite an impressive accomplishment. The big "takeaway" from this is that search engines are picking up on "non-website" content like video, blogs, discussion boards, etc. when delivering search results. Something to consider for your business?
So ask yourself, is there a conversation you can have with your customers in this new medium that can get you similar results for your industy? If you're not sure, let's talk and see if this can be a fit for your business. You may be perfect for some "SMO" of your own and can reap the benefits of taking over Google too! Give me a call at (269) 841-5007 and let's get started.
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Social Networking 101: Introduction To LinkedIn - Don't Be Scared!
 I often get asked by clients "what's the best way to get started with social networking?" My answer is always "set up a profile in LinkedIn and start making connections."
What is LinkedIn?
LinkedIn is an online network of more than 30 million
experienced professionals from around the world, representing 150 industries.
When you join, you create a profile that summarizes your professional
accomplishments. Your profile helps you find and be found by former
colleagues, clients, and partners. You can add more connections by
inviting trusted contacts to join LinkedIn and connect to you.
What can you do with LinkedIn?
- Find potential clients, service providers, subject experts, and partners who come recommended
- Be found for business opportunities
- Search for great jobs
- Discover inside connections that can help you land jobs and close deals
- Post and distribute job listings
- Find high-quality passive candidates
- Get introduced to other professionals through the people you know
If you think about it, business has always been about working with people we know and trust. Social networking (and sites like LinkedIn) help allow others to get to know YOU better, making it more likely they will do business with YOU in the future. There is no cost to setting up an account and you can get your profile online in just a few minutes.
Feel free to visit my LinkedIn Profile Page so you can see an example of what you may want to include. Then, when you are done with yours, be sure to invite me to join your network and we can grow together!
So this Halloween, don't be scared of social networking. Sign up with LinkedIn to get started and embrace it and see for yourself how "getting out there" just may be the way to connect with some new customers and expand your business!
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Become a Know-It-All with Google Alerts (again)
I find Google Alerts to be such a helpful tool, I decided to keep this as the "tip" again this month. So, if you haven't taken time to set up your own Google Alerts, now's the time!
With so much information available today, who can keep up? With Google Alerts, you can put the world's largest search engine to work for you.
With a Google Alert, you tell Google what you want to watch out for (like competitor news, monitoring a developing news story or even put in your own name) and when Google indexes information that matches your criteria, you get an e-mail with a link. This is a great way to keep tabs on important items, without having to do all the searching yourself.
Give it a try today and start getting information delivered to YOU. You'll be amazed at just how easy it is to set up and being current on items of importance can really help. Just imagine being notified by Google Alerts when a big customer of yours announces an important event or new product. You can be one of the first to call or offer congratulations. This is just one more way to help differentiate yourself from others by really being "in the know" and aware of what's happening.
>>Sign up for Google Alerts now...
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Happy Halloween