Increasing Your Online Visibility
Pacific Studios was built specifically to help those building or maintaining websites and the associated photography and video that are so common online now thanks to the proliferation of related online services, broadband internet access, cheap and easy-to-use digital cameras and video cameras, and hosting solutions that are easier now than ever before.
Increasing online visibility is the goal of most online business owners. After all, without visibility, you have no traffic and thus no business. However, when you start to research how to improve your online visibility, you discover many options, but find that there is little time for research and implementation. Where does an online entrepreneur turn first to get the visibility (and traffic) to promote an online venture?
New tricks and gimmicks come out every day, but unfortunately, most of them are like so many recording artists and become one-hit wonders. In my business, I've discovered that there are a handful that are able to stand the test of time. Some have been around for as long as websites have been around, while others are newer kids on the block. Here are my 10 most effective strategies to massively boost your visibility online:
1. Press releases. Press releases are a well-known marketing strategy that have worked for years with print and broadcast media. In recent years they have found new life as an online visibility tool. Just like in the old days, your release should carry some newsworthy angle that has been optimized with a select few keywords by which you want your business to be found. Don't waste your time submitting your release to the free press release sites -- the release simply sits on the site and goes no where else. Instead, invest in a fee-based service (I prefer PRWeb.com), which will ensure your release gets the recognition it deserves.
2. Social Networking. A "johnny come lately" to the online visibility scene, social networking now ranks near the top in terms of attracting visibility to your business for a very low cost. If you don't yet have accounts on the two most popular social networking platforms, Facebook and Twitter, today is the day to hop on board and begin to network. Choose 1-2 social networking platforms where your target market hangs out, and then begin to work it by making connections, joining groups or networks, sharing resources, and asking questions. Dedicate 15-30 minutes each day to your effort to begin to see results.
3. Article Marketing. Writing and submittíng articles to major article directories has definitely stood the test of time for online visibility. Article marketing will drive traffic to your site, establish you as an expert in your target market's eyes, and give you valuable content to repurpose into information products. For maximum effectiveness, your article needs to contain a strong resource box (author's bio) that drives traffic back to your site, needs to contain useful content that solves a problem of your target market, and be written in a tips-based fashion, like this one, since it is the easiest format for a website visitor to read and digest.
4. Blogging. Business blogs (a web log or journal), have gained popularity over the last few years as an online visibility tool. Blogs use RSS feed technology to immediately get new posts and updates out to your blog subscribers through a feed reader. Unlike ezines or traditional websites, search engines index blog posts almost immediately, which help you generate traffic to your website. To use effectively as an online visibility tool, you need to post 2-3 times per week to keep your readers interested and coming back.
5. Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Optimizing your site or your blog for organic (naturally-occurring) searches has been around from the beginning of Internet marketing. Use a keyword research tool and create a listing of keywords applicable to your business. Don't forget to add things like "how to", "tips", or short descriptions of your target market's problems to your research. Then, take a look at your page titles, page descriptions, page headlines, and formatted text on a page (bolding, italicizing, underlining) and include your keywords in those areas, as well as sprinkling 1-2 keywords throughout the content of your page. Make the SEO appear to be natural, not forced, and the search engines as well as your visitors will love you.
6. Email Newsletter (Ezine). Regular publication of an email newsletter (weekly is most effective) will enable your prospects to get to know, like and trust you and have you be top of mind when they are ready to solve the pressing problems that fall within your line of expertise. If you make opting into your ezine the primary call to action on your website, you continually build your list with prospective customers. Best of all, if they like what you write, they are more likely to pass along the issue to their contacts, thus increasing your visibility yet again.
7. Signature Teleseminar/Speech. Have you created your signature speech or teleseminar that you can present whenever you're asked to speak to any type of group (face-to-face or virtual)? If not, design a signature speech or teleseminar that demonstrates your knowledge and expertise without giving away the store (focus on the what and the why but not the how) that compels your listeners to visit your website or request your client attraction device and get on your líst.
Then, begin to research groups that contain your target market both in your geographic area and online. Once you've landed a speaking gig, strategize your best call to action for the group -- do you want participants to sign up for your ezine, purchase a product, or book a consultation? Add that call to action to your presentation.
8. Videos. With the popularity of broadband Internet connections, it's much easier for almost anyone to view online video these days. And, with high-quality yet low-cost web cams, video cameras, and screen capture software readily available, anyone can make a video today. You might record a live Q&A session on UStream.com and post it on your site. Or, perhaps you want to record a "how to" tutorial using screenshots from your computer and upload that to your YouTube.com channel. Remember to include your call to action in your video so that you drive traffic back to your site. Just think -- your video may cause you to become the next YouTube star!
9. Expert question sites. Most people conduct online searches to find free information that answers their questions. Many online entrepreneurs are registering as experts on an expert or answers site, like Yahoo Answers or AllExperts.com, in an effort to get visibility online. To be an effective expert on these sites, you need to seek out questions that you can knowledgeably answer as an expert. Your answer needs to be very detailed and as specific as possible. The more thorough your answer, the better chance you'll have of getting chosen as the "favorite" answer, which is the one rated highest on the site and in the search engines.
10. Viral marketing. Viral marketing involves creating a marketing piece (ebook, video, software) that gets passed along free of charge from person to person. Publicity Hound Joan Stewart does this quite effectively each year when she compiles the best tips she's written about in the previous year in a "best of" ebook compilation that she gives away free of charge on her site. She also encourages her líst and website visitors to "regift" it.
You've got two options when you try to get online visibility: the "steady and effective over time" method or the "quick and short and probably get banned" method. I prefer to use methods that have stood the test of time and won't result in my site being removed from the search engines. Use one or more of these time-honored strategies to get you the visibility you deserve online.
Building Websites
Building a website is often a painful experience. It can be expensive in terms of both time and money. Many put it off after becoming overwhelmed with the jargon like domains, ftp, SSL, ASP, javascript, flash, jpg, gif, SEO, etc. The truth is that you need a team to create and then run a successful website. What exactly is a "successful" website? A site that helps you achieve your business goals is one answer and probably the most important one. A site that helps visitors achieve their goals is one I like better and if done properly coincides with your business goals.
In this section I will share what I know about building websites from deciding to building one, picking a domain name, deciding on emails, creating the site structure, planning content creation, generating photos and video, testing and optimizing it all, and launching it on the Web as well as ways to generate traffic. Once your site is live, the work then really begins. I'll share what I've learned to help you keep your site fresh and proactive in terms of responding to visitors feedback, statistics, error logs, reviews, etc. Once a site is live it's in the public realm and if you let them, they will help guide you to even further success. Let's get started...
Online Photography/Videography
In this section I'll explore first taking great photographs and video. "Garbage in Garbage out" is a saying I like, which means simply that if you start with bad photos or video there's little you can do to make them great and you might as well not even bother trying. I have wasted untold days trying to "fix" bad photos and video and the results are almost always the same, the delete key. Taking great photos or video or paying the experts for their skills is the way to go and today it is cheaper than ever to find great photos and videos online for reasonable prices.
Knowing ahead of time what you plan to use your photos and videos for helps in numerous ways as well. Using them exclusively for online purposes greatly reduces your requirements for camera gear and computer hardware to convert them to multiple formats. Most of the classic rules for taking photos and video apply for online media and we'll explore them as we learn about what's needed to produce world-class online photography and videography. This way to the studios...
Hardware & Software
Computers, cpus, RAM, video cards, firewire, scanners, monitors, flash media, etc. What's required, what's recommended, and what's new? I'll share where I go, who I ask, and what I use to produce what I need for marinebio.org and the other sites I manage. Hardware can be expensive, a real pain to work with, and even dangerous when it fails. I'll start with the basics that I've learned to help you keep your data safe and your black boxes of hardware happy. It starts with an understanding that there are no ghosts in the machine.... Bring your tea, you'll need it...
Software... hmmmm. The good thing is that software is now better than it's ever been and only getting better, for the most part. I'll share what software I use, how I use it, and most importantly why I chose what I have. We'll explore alternatives and the deep resources online that are simply priceless to everyone using software. Software central, next stop...
Articles & Resources
This site will always be a work in progress, as are all good sites. I'll add articles by myself and others as time goes on to help you (and me) keep abreast of the latest developments and news concerning building successful websites and working with photos and video online.
I have used many of the same resources online for years and will share all I have and then keep an eye out for new ones. Most of what I've learned concerning building websites and working with photos and video online came from online sources and books and people I've met while working in the industry. One of the most beautiful things about the Web is that it is our collective mind and so many freely share what they know for no other reason than to share in the hopes to make the Web, and therefore our world, a better place. I hope, in some small way, that I can also contribute my knowledge to help make our world a better place too.
If you have suggestions, comments or would like to contribute to this website, feel free to contact me.
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