Google has produced some good content to help community coordinators and social media managers better understand custom campaign analytics.  Leveraging these tools will ensure that the client will be able to track which efforts are performing.

When sharing online the community coordinator should take care to ensure that URL’s (links) contain campaign parameters. These campaign parameters will translate inside of Google Analytics by segmenting traffic sources.

Understanding UTM Parameters

This Google Analytics URL tool is available to assist with creation of appropriate URLS:  http://goo.gl/X1mWk

Here is an example of a properly formed URL that contains:

http://www.kayk.ca/?utm_source=DavidAWest&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=social

Translation: website address – source = DavidAWest and medium = social and campaign = social

There is a very good article on Sprout Socials website explaining UTM parameters here:  http://goo.gl/vn1Kd

Shortening URL’s for Social Sharing

Once a URL has been marked up to include UTM parameters it can be shortened. Shortening URLs prior to sharing them on social networks gives two immediate benefits and a possible third benefit that I may address in a future article.

1. Shortened URLs allow for more characters on social networks where there are character limitations such as Twitter, they also look neater.
2. Shortened URLs can provide immediate ‘click through’ data.

Best Practice for Linking to Shared Content using UTM Parameters

The following best practice only applies when sharing resources where the URL links back to the target website:

1)    Append UTM Parameters to the website address that you are sharing. Resource: http://goo.gl/X1mWk

2)    Shorten the URL at http://goo.gl

3)    Share the conent as usual.

CAUTION:  Normalized Data for UTM_ parameters

Create a list of UTM_ parameters and ensure that the community manager uses them consistently or the resulting analytics will become muttled. For example if you were to use UTM_Source = Twitter and then later accidently type UTM_Source=Twiter you would effectively have created two unique “Sources”.  The same issue applies to all UTM Parameters.

Part of my quest now is to find a tool that will combine the URL builder and URL shortener into one step.

Now I am shooting off to finish the Social Media Strategy for our Calgary based client.

If you think you could use an entertaining social media trainer for your next event in Western Canada, call or e-mail the office of David West today to find out about scheduling and details.

By David A. West  Join me on Google+

Here are a few reasons a social media trainer can find “fans” in your audience, leading to a fun, memorable, and impactful session:

Sites like Facebook and LinkedIn offer big business opportunities. Although people tend to think of social networking sites as being “fun” – and they are – there are also big opportunities for marketing, networking, and even learning the best practices in an industry. These business and career growth opportunities are easy to find, if you know where to look.

Social media is changing, and most people don’t understand it as well as they wish they did. We’ve come a long way since the first days of sites like MySpace, and newer social venues like Twitter and Pinterest are changing all the rules. In one simple session, a good social media trainer can show attendees what they need to know, and give them a glimpse into the future of social networking.

A good social strategy can impact other parts of the company. The way you interact with social media sites depends a lot on what you’re trying to accomplish, and for whom. For instance, job seekers should take a much different approach than salespeople. Either way, what one person, or part of a company, does on social media should be in line with the person’s or organization’s bigger goals.

Learning about social media is fun and easy at the same time. It isn’t often that you get to work with something that’s both fun and productive. By teaching your members or attendees about sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, a social media trainer can be informative and entertaining at the same time.

If you think you could use an entertaining social media trainer for your next event in Western Canada, call or e-mail the office of David West today to find out about scheduling and details.

My personal philosophy is that you should never settle, and that a great keynote speaker should have all three. In fact, biased as I might be, I think a fun and entertaining Calgary technology speaker could be just what most audiences need.

Why? Because not only can attendees have fun, but they can learn something they’ll put to use immediately… and new ideas about the Internet and technology that could have long-term results in their businesses and careers.

To see why that’s an important point, consider a few things:

Short-term productivity boosts are usually temporary. Psychologists will tell you that motivational presentations tend to “wear off” within a day or two, and usually a bit faster. If you doubt this, think back to the last truly great motivational speaker you heard, and then ask yourself how many serious and impactful changes you made in your life based on what you heard. Or, just think of how many people are able to stick to their New Year’s resolutions, no matter how serious they are about achieving them.

The same goes for humor. Laughter actually is good medicine in a lot of ways, and a funny presentation can be great for blowing off a little bit of stress and giving your attendees a good time. But, like motivation, that light mood tends to wear off, and the content of a humorous presentation is often quickly forgotten. Have you ever tried to retell a joke you heard at a comedy club? Did it have the same effect later?

Technology as part of our lives and careers. When people have fun listening to a technology speaker, learning how to use the Internet and tools like social media more effectively, they aren’t just having a good time – they are developing a new skill that can lead to more sales, better job prospects, etc. I always enjoy giving keynotes and workshops and seeing how even inexperienced users can quickly take what they’re given and try new things.

If you’re looking for a presentation with a long-term lasting result, then I hope you’ll consider having a technology speaker at your next event. Better yet, why not call or e-mail my office today to find out about my schedule and speaking rates?

It’s fairly rare, but it does happen. In fact, there is even a name for it: “the Google Slap.” So what do you do if it affects your business website unexpectedly?

Here are a handful of quick guidelines to follow:

First, breathe a bit and sit tight. A lot of sudden ranking changes are the result of temporary algorithm shifts, meaning that simply waiting a day or two might bring back the search engine position you used to enjoy. At the very least, you aren’t going to hurt anything by pausing for a couple of days and seeing what happens.

Next, check your inbox. Google and the other search engines rarely actively punish or blacklist a business website. When they do, it’s almost always because you have violated their policies (by blatantly stealing or offering legal products, for example), and they will usually send you an e-mail after the fact. Chances are, if you’re guilty of this kind of violation, you already knew it and didn’t need to read this article.

If you’re still far down the rankings, figure out why. Although things like duplicated content (copied from other sites), repetitive pages, and low-quality links have always been murky in terms of their SEO value, sites with them are now generally finding themselves either completely disregarded or filtered out of the search rankings. Take a look at your site to see where the problems lie (or have a team like ours help you do it) so you can start fixing them in time.
Find other marketing avenues in the meantime. No business should be completely dependent on Google for finding new customers, even if they’re working hard to build the right kind of search profile. Try other forms of Internet advertising, social media marketing, and more to diversify your approach.

Most of the time, a sudden loss of your Google ranking isn’t as big a deal as it seems. If you do find that you suddenly give up ground to your competitors, however, now is the perfect time to start building a more sustainable search engine profile. It takes more time and effort, but it’s always worth it.
By David A. West  Join me on Google+

That’s partially true, but only if you are too busy looking at small details to see the big picture.

The goal of any search engine – Google and its competitors included – is to help searchers to find what they’re looking for as quickly and efficiently as possible. If they are able to do this effectively, more and more people choose to use their search engine. The more people who use a particular search engine, the more advertisers it attracts. So, you see, it’s always in the best interest of Google and the other engines to get better at refining results.

Once you remember that, it’s easy to understand that search engines aren’t doing things differently; they’re just getting better at doing the things they’ve always aimed to do. By looking more closely at repetitive content, downlinks, and other common “search engine optimization tools,” they are able to give searchers what they want.

How happy are you to find a junk article stuffed with keywords when you’re looking for a real-world answer to an important problem? Why would you want to find 15 different results with the same exact text? Think about those questions, and you have just gotten to the heart of the “Panda” and “Penguin” updates. They’re simply a matter of Google giving people what they’ve always asked for.

If you build an informative website that accurately describes what you do, gives lots of great tips and tools to your customers, and is constantly growing and improving, then you already know everything you need to in order to succeed in search engine optimization. And since search engines aren’t changing, only getting better, it will be just a matter of time before they put you at the top.

By David A. West  Join me on Google+

A handful of people, like this guy in his post, have even wondered if Google has “jumped the shark” and gone overboard in its formulations. But while each of these people might be understandably upset, the fact is that the designers at Google haven’t lost their minds, and neither are they punishing people for trying to make a few dollars.

All they keep trying to do is make a point –they don’t want to see business owners and web designers trying to improve their search engine rankings using cheap tricks.

When it comes down to it, that is the reason Google and the other search engines don’t want to see keyword densities that are too high, linking text that is overly repetitive, or links being traded between low-value sites, or those that don’t have much of a topical relationship to one another.

While each of these could conceivably make your website more visible to search engine spiders, it also makes it less valuable (or at least not any more valuable) to the actual people who use Google to find the information products they’re looking for. The better job Google can do of pleasing them, the more people who will keep coming back, and the greater market share and advertising revenue they will enjoy.

Actual humans don’t like websites that are over-optimized, so the search engines are going to find ways to penalize and filter them out as well. That’s not a hard point to understand, but it’s one that Google seems to have to make again and again for those who don’t seem to be getting it.
By David A. West  Join me on Google+

One thing that can’t be disputed, however, is that they represent an enormous marketing opportunity if they are handled correctly. That’s why Google’s own introduction to the field – in the form of “Google Offers” – is making such big waves in the business community. Are daily deals different when the world’s largest search engine, and one of the most dynamic companies around, decides to get involved? And is it something you should consider trying for your company?

Here are a few things you should know to help you make the right decision:

1. Google Offers is expanding. Although it began in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S., Google Offers has quickly spread to new cities and locales throughout North America. And it’s not just about new geography, either. As more and more businesses are discovering the service, the range of daily deals to be found has grown, too.

That might seem like a bad thing for marketers, since it brings more competition, but we don’t see it that way. By opening up the scope of their business, Google is also attracting more customers than ever, making Google Offers more potentially lucrative than it’s ever been before.

2. It’s best to test something small first. Unless you are very familiar with daily deal sites already (and possibly not even then), you should probably start out by testing a smaller offer. What’s a smaller offer? Basically one that won’t bankrupt you whether five people sign up for it or five hundred.

As great as the potential for huge numbers of quick sales can be, your goal should be to get to know the service and build new customer relationships. In fact, many companies think that this increased exposure is a lot more valuable than any revenue bump they see, especially over the long term.

3. Google Offers work best when combined with other tools. As powerful as Google’s network is, it’s still best when combined with other tools and marketing avenues. Try sharing information about your daily deals on Twitter and Facebook as well, and you’ll likely generate more interest.

The bottom line is this: If you’re a Calgary business owner who hasn’t tried Google Offers yet, you might not even know what you’re missing. Customers love daily deal sites, which means you should too, and Google has a bigger reach than almost any other company in the world. What do you have to lose by giving a shot?

If you need help putting together a common-sense Internet marketing plan, why not work with the best? Contact us today, and we’ll be happy to sit down, explain our work, and answer any questions you might have.

By David A. West  Join me on Google+

The cutting-edge developers at Google are starting to make us all think about that question in a more practical sense. That’s because, earlier this year, they teased us with a short commercial for a product that seems to be in development: Google’s own augmented reality glasses, which would feed users continuously updated data in real time.

If you haven’t seen the clip for yourself, you can view it by looking here. Aside from the obvious fact that it’s a really cool idea, it also could conceivably lead to all kinds of cutting-edge features. For instance, with a working set of Google’s augmented reality glasses, you might be able to instantly:

Get directions. This potential feature is highlighted in the commercial, where the user is re-rerouted from one type of transportation to another. Imagine that idea combined with real-time updates on traffic, bus and subway schedules, weather, and personal calendars.

Read reviews. Looking down the street for a place to have dinner? Choosing a movie at the local Cineplex? With Google’s glasses, you could have the reviews you’re looking for directly in your field of vision – without even having to look down at your smart phone.

Communication with smart phones. Speaking of smart phones, Google’s already closely tying a number of new programs and ideas to its popular Droid platform. It’s too early to tell how glasses and smart phones might work together (possibly through voice recognition), but you can be sure they’d like to come up with something spectacular.

Meet other people. Imagine seeing that cute person across the room and having instant access to their relationship status, interests, and social profiles. Or, picture using your augmented reality glasses to find others in your area who are watching your favorite sports team, discussing a subject you care about, or taking up a hobby that you love. The instant, field-of-vision way that these glasses would work could change the way people meet each other forever.

As interesting as these ideas are common, the truly exciting thing is that we just don’t know where technology like this could take us. If they are to become a reality – and include even a handful of the features and functionalities that have been suggested – then they could redefine the way we interact with the Internet, data, and those around us.

Of course, according to most experts (and Google’s own predictions), we’ll have to wait at least until the end of 2012 to find out. But, if these augmented reality glasses really do come to the market, it’s going to be an exciting time!

David is a speaker and consultant concerned with the future of the Internet. You can find out more about him, his online marketing company, and his speaking schedule by clicking here.

By David A. West  Join me on Google+

Regardless of those opinions, however, Google remarketing carries some especially heavy implications for e-commerce sites and online retailers. If things work well, it could have the potential to double sales of a lot of products simply by giving buyers another look. And if they don’t… well, let’s just say that all of those ads could easily get expensive very quickly.
For that reason, here are three strong Google remarketing tips for e-commerce retailers:

1. Think long and hard about your takeaway message. Most owners of online stores are already seasoned pros when it comes to writing pay-per-click ads. Remarketing offers are a little bit different, however, since you’re trying to get customers to come back to your site, not just click through the first time. So, instead of stressing low price or fast service, you might try emphasizing the benefits that differentiate you from your competitors, or things (like a one-time sale) that build urgency into the customer’s mind.

2. Be more selective with the keywords you choose. It’s one thing to waste a handful of clicks appealing to the wrong kinds of buyers, and another thing to burn through thousands of impressions that weren’t ever going to generate any revenue for you. Pay close attention to the keywords you’re choosing, and especially which ones are ultimately converting. Because the costs associated with Google remarketing could be higher, you’ll want to be more targeted and specific in your ads.

3. Watch the bottom line closely. Speaking of high costs, they are only worth it if you are also making higher numbers of sales through your online store. While it’s true that it’s incredibly easy to waste money on online advertising anyway, that’s especially true with Google remarketing. Keep a close eye on those impressions and costs, and make sure that things aren’t taking an unprofitable turn. Or better yet, start out with a small percentage of your budget to test the program and make tweaks before you go all-in. You don’t need more places to spend money, unless they’re leading to better opportunities.
Want help making the most of Google remarketing and other online advertising opportunities? Contact our team today for a free consultation.

By David A. West  Join me on Google+

Keep the Junk Content Away From Your Site: There are a lot of reasons not to rely on junk content to promote your site, of course, not the least of which being that it no longer works. Google and the other major search engines long ago added details to their algorithms to essentially screen out (and sometimes even ban) websites that seem to be trying to game the system. It’s essentially the same thing as trying to spam the search engine spiders, and so now that kind of content is simply ignored.

Even if it weren’t, customers don’t like pages that are mechanical and repetitive, or those that sound like they were written by someone who has a very loose grasp on the English language. Your customers just don’t have the time to slog through page after page of junk to find what you are trying to offer, and so stuffing low-quality content on your pages simply annoys them as well.

One More Reason to Use High-Quality Content: If those reasons weren’t enough to deter you, however, we would like to add one more important (and ever-increasing) reason to skip the junk articles: Like a tattoo, they may permanently mark your business website forever. Pages on the web are being indexed, scanned, and recorded at an amazing rate. Just as many are finding with their social media accounts, there isn’t really such a thing as posting content to the Internet and then removing it later… the more you try to take it off of your site or profile, the more you practically guarantee that someone’s going to hold on to it and bring it up later.

This matters a great deal because you don’t want to have content on your site that can be used against you in the future. It’s bad enough if what you have is lacking grammatically, or doesn’t express your point of view very well. If it’s downright incorrect, fraudulent, or stolen from another site, however, you could have problems that are going to stick with you for a very long time.

There was a time when having a lot of poorly written content on your site that held the right keywords could help you get more traffic… at least in the short term. Take care to avoid such tactics these days, though, because they could come back to haunt you for years to come.

By David A. West  Join me on Google+

Despite these differences in strategy and approach, however, there are some general rules we can point to for social media marketing success. In fact, we can pick out tips and ideas that have worked for all kinds of businesses across different industries and areas, and then see where they apply. There is still some room for variation, of course, but it only makes sense to plan and execute your campaigns based on proven and trusted ideas.

With that in mind, here are three rules for social media marketing success in 2012:

1. Pick core messages and themes to center on. While your social profiles are never going to read like a book, going from start to finish, there should be some central themes and ideas that come up time and time again. That doesn’t just help customers to know what to expect from you on sites like Facebook and Twitter, but also to get a sense of where your competitive strengths lie. Spend some time brainstorming themes that are important to you and your customers, and then make sure they pop up regularly in your updates and content.

2. Put yourself on a social media marketing diet. That means following some strict rules about the amount of time you spend on social networking sites. Too much time probably means you aren’t paying enough attention to the rest of your business, and could be missing out on other, more profitable opportunities. Spending too little time on social media, conversely, might be a sign that you’re missing out on this important marketing trend.

3. Pay more attention to responses. It’s great to broadcast information and ideas, but make sure you aren’t so busy sending updates out that you lose track of the feedback you’re getting from customers. By paying attention to the topics, themes, and ideas that start the most discussions, or generate the highest numbers of responses, you can tap into the things that your buyers are thinking about. That’s valuable insight, on social media or elsewhere.

Follow these three rules, and you’ll have a lot easier time keying in on the social media marketing strategy that’s right for your company. Or better yet, why not schedule a free consultation with us and get started on putting together a social media marketing plan that gives your bottom line a boost?

By David A. West  Join me on Google+

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRLog (Press Release) - Jan 24, 2012 – Think Local Market – an Alberta online store where northwestern Alberta businesses showcase and sell their products and services locally and around the world – has announced that it will repeat its popular “Byte Sized” seminars on Internet marketing on January 31st and February 1st. The sessions will once again be led by Calgary entrepreneur, web designer, and online marketing expert David West, and are available for immediate registration at: http://svy.mk/thinklocallab

According to Think Local Market Project Manager Brad Rabiey, the decision to have David West back as the featured speaker and presenter was an easy one. “The response we got from our attendees about the November sessions has been overwhelmingly positive. People really seem to appreciate getting practical advice on things like social media, and finding customers over the Internet, and they also like that David gives it in a fun and easy style.”

He also adds that the upcoming sessions will be structured differently than they have before: “Instead of working in half or full-day sessions, we have decided to break things into one hour, forty-five minute blocks this time. That way, attendees can choose the exact programs they want to hear, and can stay for more advanced sessions if they choose to. ”

West, who has previously spoken for companies, business associations, and even government audiences throughout Alberta, says that the Think Local Market events are amongst his favorite. “There’s nothing quite like getting to work with these types of audiences, hearing their questions, and seeing how the information we give can help them to grow their businesses. Whether you have one employee or hundreds, taking advantage of opportunities on the Internet is usually one of the fastest ways to become more profitable.”

Attendees to the event will have the option of attending a number of sessions, ranging from basic web design and online marketing tips, to advanced presentations that build upon earlier lessons. Topics to be covered in these “Byte Sized” seminars include:

Search Engine Optimization Basics: Reaching the First Page of Google and Beyond

As the world’s leading search engine, Google registers more than 2 billion hits on a daily basis. That already makes it – along with the other major search engines – a marketing tool with nearly unmatched power. With the recent growth of local searches, it’s becoming even more important, whether your potential customers are just down the street, or halfway across the globe.

Social Media Marketing: From Facebook to Twitter and Other Social Sites

There are tens of thousands of business owners and managers throughout Alberta who have found that they greatly enjoy using social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, but have no idea how to use them as marketing tools. As more and more business – both online and off – is driven by personal relationships and recommendations, it’s important that every company know how to take advantage of social sites as part of their overall strategy.

Using YouTube and Video Marketing to Get New Customers to Tune in

Because of the extraordinarily high volume of traffic it receives, and the fact that the site plays more than 1 billion clips each and every day, YouTube is sometimes referred to as “the world’s second-largest search engine.” While that’s not its biggest role, technically speaking, it can help Alberta businesses to find more customers if they know how to use the site as a marketing medium.

Blogging as a Bottom Line Business Tool

Even though there are literally millions of blogs in existence, many business owners and managers discount their value as marketing and promotional tools. Few online marketing avenues require so little in terms of investment, and offer so much in customer retention, market positioning, and search engine benefits as business blogs do… but only if you know how to put them to their best uses.

Registration Now Open

Due to high demand for the sessions, talks have already started to bring David back again later in 2012. Business owners, managers, and their employees who are interested in attending the January 31 sessions should register online at http://svy.mk/thinklocallab, or visit http://bit.ly/yLoDHA for more information.

Public Seminar Series in Calgary

Continuus has also updated it’s public seminar series and registration is now open to the public for 11 Byte Sized Seminars in Calgary, Alberta. Visit the public registration site here – http://bit.ly/continuuspc

For more information, including interview and photo requests, contact David West at Continuus Internet Consulting

— end —

By David A. West  Join me on Google+

The quick answer is “anything you don’t have time to manage yourself.” Typically, that involves things like writing posts and updates, researching keywords and links, and responding to routine inquiries from clients and colleagues. In truth, you can probably outsource as much or as little of your social media marketing campaign as you would like, so long as you keep these three rules in
mind:

It’s still about your voice and brand. Although another person may be writing your posts or looking after your updates, they should be familiar enough with you and your organization to stick to a theme and voice that is similar to the one you would use. In other words, they should be working under your direction, not simply generating content.

You should still be involved. In addition to helping your social media consultant or community manager to come up with topics and ideas, you may want to step in and personally post updates and tweets from time to time. That will help your social media marketing be more authentic, and also keep you in closer touch with your customers.

Make it clear that you’re getting help. There’s no reason to shy away from the fact that you have others involved in your social media marketing accounts. That’s especially true in this day and age, where your customers and colleagues are going to expect that you have a team working for you. Be upfront about these relationships. In our organization, we designate our tweets with initials, for example, so it’s easy to tell who is posting a particular comment or responding to a question.

Social media marketing can be easy or difficult, highly effective or a waste of time, depending on what sort of professional help you have on your side. Keep these tips in mind and outsource the parts of your social networking plan that you would rather not handle or don’t have time for.

Do you need a professional online marketing and social media team on your side? Contact us today for a free meeting.

By David A. West  Join me on Google+

What do they know that you might not? What can a social media consultant do for you?

Also referred to as a “community manager,” a full- or part-time social media consultant can help you grow your business online in a number of ways. Here are just a few of the most important ones:

Social media marketing content creation. Most managers and business owners don’t enjoy writing things like posts. Having someone else handle it for you can save a lot of time and take a great deal of stress out of the process.

Respond to inquiries and requests. From colleagues wanting to link with you to customers tweeting questions about your products, a social media marketing consultant can ensure that inquiries are answered quickly and completely.

Issue press releases and other statements. Are your customers getting the good news about your products, awards, and testimonials? If not, then it might be time to make sure that someone else is staying on top of these activities.

Looking after your online reputation. Internet reputation management is a quickly growing field, and there’s a great reason for it: What your customers are saying about you on sites like Facebook and Twitter – whether it’s good or bad – can have an enormous impact on your ability to increase your sales online. A community manager can keep an eye out for feedback to see what kinds of impressions are being shared, and make sure they’re accurate.

New positions for social media marketing are popping up all the time, because social networking sites have turned into big business. Who’s looking out for you and your company?

If you’re looking for a social media consultant you can trust, or a speaker who can explain the process of finding customers over Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to your audience, then don’t hesitate to contact us today.

Google Insights. This is an interesting tool that lets you use the world’s largest search engine not just to find information, but also to see what others have been finding lately, too. Want to know which celebrities, music clips, or travel destinations are “hot” right now? Google Insights puts the raw data at your fingertips.

Google Music. Interested in having up to 20,000 songs in the cloud, download them, stream them to play instantly, or sharing them between smart phones and other devices? If so, then this ultra-cool service is built just for you. Google Music is currently only available in the USA, but if you take a trip down South you can activate your account while you are away from your Canadian home. Songs sell for as low as 0.49 each and you can get full albums for as low as $4.99 (US Dollars of course).

Google Chromebook. Want to know what some of the smartest engineers on the planet could do with the concept of a netbook? Not only do these devices – which are coming to big-box stores everywhere this winter – add all kinds of functionality the market, but they also have amazing group-leasing rates for organizations. This one was definitely on my Christmas list… and guess what? Santa had to order it from Amazon.com (not .ca) and delivered it to our Arizona address. You guessed it… not quite available in Canada just yet, but watch for it soon.

If you aren’t already familiar with these new  toys and tools, then I encourage you to take a few minutes to check them out. Not only are they lots of fun, but they could turn out to be incredibly useful, or at the very least, give you a sense of where the Internet is headed.

If there’s one thing you can count on, it’s that Google will likely keep releasing new gadgets, platforms, and pieces of software in 2012. And why not? Although not all of them pan out to be the way the company might envision (does anyone remember Google Wave, which was supposed to revolutionize e-mail?), those same technologies and ideas tend to pop up again later. In other words, Google doesn’t limit their ideas strictly to the products that have been launched… they hold onto the best ones and keep building on them through successive products.

Are you looking for a Canadian speaker who can help your audience to get the most out of today’s technology? Contact me today to find have a look at my speaking schedule and availability. I’ll look forward to chatting. Cheers.

You certainly could, and lots of professionals do. In the long run, though, it usually doesn’t make much sense. You might not want to handle your own social media marketing for the same reasons that it doesn’t really make a lot of sense to do your own taxes, represent yourself in legal proceedings, or cut your own hair: You probably don’t have the time to learn to do any of these things, and someone else can do a better job of them, anyway.

In the first case, consider that finding new customers through sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn doesn’t cost a lot, but is time-intensive. It might seem like nothing to dash off a quick note or update, but you can easily spend an hour a day keeping on top of your social profiles. That’s an hour you could have spent running your business. Even more importantly, what happens on a day when you don’t have that hour to spend? Your online marketing plan comes to a halt. String too many of those days together, and you’ve got a social media marketing campaign that’s going nowhere.

But even if you can stay on top of your social profiles on your own, would you really want to? As personable and articulate as you might be, you’ll probably get better results from having a professional edit your posts, keep an eye on recurring themes and ideas, and otherwise ensure that you are creating content that’s interesting, unique, and relevant.

In other words, by setting the tone yourself, turning the day-to-day details of your social media marketing plan to someone else, and supplementing them with your own tweets and updates, you are much more likely to end up with the result you’re looking for: more leads and customers coming to you through social networking sites.

You might not need a social media consultant in the same way that you need a doctor or a dentist, but if you’re serious about taking advantage of one of the most important Internet marketing trends to come along recently, then hiring one is a no-brainer decision.

Having said all of this, it is critical that you remain involved in your social strategy. Need some help growing your organization or social media sites? Get in touch with us today to find out how easy it is to get started.

And so, it’s not surprising that one of the things they want to know is how often I’m actually on the Internet. My usual answer is: “Always.” I say it with a bit of a smirk, of course, and I’m obviously exaggerating… but probably not as much as you might think.

Why am I connected to the Internet on a nearly round-the-clock basis? Obviously, part of the reason is that web design, online marketing, and social media management are a big part of my career. I have to be connected to keep up with my work. Even if I were in a different industry, however, there would still be plenty for me to do just to keep up with a “normal” online marketing plan – from search engine optimization content to tweets, Facebook updates, and more.

Really, that’s what the audience members who ask these questions want to know: How can they even attempt to keep up with at all?

The realistic answer is that they can’t. There’s just too much out there. The benefits of a well-designed, continuously updated online marketing plan are too huge to ignore, and yet the to do list is more than any otherwise-busy professional can handle. That’s why outsourcing some of your online work isn’t just preferable, but practically a necessity.

Having another person or team who can look after your accounts, generate content from your direction, and otherwise keep your website and social profiles moving step-in-step with your business goals keeps the machine running. It certainly doesn’t exclude you from having any participation and input, but it takes a process that would be otherwise unfeasible and unrealistic and puts you back in control.

If you are looking for the magic formula that’s going to let you grow your business or organization over the Internet in just half an hour a day with no outside expenses, then there isn’t one. But if what you want to find is a realistic way to meet your online and off-line business goals, then the answer is to call in outside help for the activities that matter most.

To get help putting your Internet marketing plan into action, or to find out about David’s availability for a speaking event, contact us by phone or e-mail today.

I think back to those songs at times, especially when I’m explaining the Internet, social media, and online marketing. In fact, I like to bring up Bob in my speeches and presentations. I have two good reasons for doing this. For one thing, whether I’m speaking to authorities in the Alberta provincial government or a group of entrepreneurs in Edmonton, almost everyone seems to remember Bob and what it’s like to meet “a person in your neighborhood.” And on the other hand, it’s a great analogy for the way the Internet has grown.

In its earliest days, the World Wide Web was mostly populated with a handful of young geeks who understood the basics of HTML code. In a relatively short amount of time, however, programmers started to appear as well, and then web designers who made pages more visually appealing, followed by coders who came up with custom apps and languages. The Internet just kept growing and growing – more and more people moved into the neighborhood – until we reach the point where we have search engine optimization specialists, social media advisers, online marketing gurus, community managers, and a lot more.

As the neighborhood has gotten bigger it has become more important than ever for the owners and managers of Canadian companies to know how these different types of professionals can help them grow their organizations and compete online. Just as we have reached a point where we realize the value that comes with having the right accountant, lawyer, or IT professional, having the right online marketing team on your side isn’t a luxury… it’s just good business.

The Internet has grown in complexity to the point where it’s difficult for any business owner, manager, or executive to know everything they need to master the subject. Luckily, you don’t have to – you just have to know who the right people in your neighborhood are.

Want to learn more about Internet marketing professionals, or have David come speak to your group? Get in touch with us today to talk about your event or business situation.

Within the medical industry, these other good things that happen are called “legacy effects.” They are great if you or someone you know takes Lipitor… but what does it have to do with online marketing?

Probably more than you realize. That’s because anything you do online – from search engine optimization to social media marketing and online newsletters – tends to help everything else you do as well. In other words, if you do something that helps you attract visitors or convert customers well enough in one area, it’s likely to help you in another, too.

Here are a few quick examples, and how you can put them to use in your business:

A good SEO plan can make PPC advertising cheaper. That’s because the major search engines like Google place “quality scores” on your pages. So, the higher they rank naturally, the less you are likely to pay for sponsored traffic to your site.

Social media marketing helps SEO. With the return of real-time search results, Google and the other engines are factoring social content more heavily into their search results. So, the more you post to Facebook and Twitter, the more traffic you can receive from other sources.

Maintaining a high-quality online newsletter makes the rest of your site more profitable. That’s because you don’t just get traffic from people clicking through from your newsletter; you also get exposure from others who have been forwarded your articles, or search engines that have indexed some of your content.

The point is that a good online marketing plan is like a strong medicine. Even if you’ve instituted it to achieve one specific goal, if you handle things well enough, you’re likely to get other side benefits, as well. So, the sooner you get started, the sooner you can watch the rest of your website and company grow.

Of course, duplicate content has been an issue for some time, but the world’s largest search engine has never had an automated system that allows business owners and webmasters to point out violators on their own. This is a great step forward for honest online marketers, and just one more reminder that it’s never, ever a good idea to copy content from a competitor.

Here are three quick implications from Google’s new scraper policy:

Don’t try to copy content. Yes, we said this already, but it’s worth mentioning again. Even if you copy content from someone else’s site and change it slightly, you are likely to be caught. And if you are, there is a better than decent chance that you will be banned from Google, which could do damage to your online business that can never be undone.

And besides, who wants to copy content anyway? Your company isn’t just like anyone else’s, so the text and images on your pages should show what’s unique about your business, and why customers want to do business with you.

Protect your own content. The crux of this issue, from Google’s standpoint, has been that certain marketing websites with “scraped” content were ranking higher than the sites that had originally created it. While that’s likely to decrease now, the fact of the matter remains that there are companies out there that would like to steal what you have, so make sure you are working with a business web designer who can protect what’s on your pages.

Keep fresh content coming on to your business site. In a larger sense, this policy reflects the growing importance that Google and the other major search engines are putting on fresh content and articles. They’ve always mattered, but going forward they will likely influence search engine rankings even more. So, if you can squeeze out one blog post a week, and regular social updates – or get social media done for you – the time to get started is now.

As a result, a lot of people are deciding to jump in headfirst or avoid it altogether. Those might both be mistakes.

Here’s why: There is definitely an opportunity to grow your company by advertising on Facebook. But, until some of the more prevalent strategies have been tried and tested, it’s probably better to start slowly and build up your Facebook advertising campaign from there. And besides, there might be a more efficient use that lots of people are overlooking – using Facebook ads to test markets and messages.

The one thing Facebook advertising is great for, and the one true advantage it has over the pay per click systems offered by Google, Yahoo, and Bing, is that it allows you to locate a market not just by the keywords they have entered into a search box, but demographic information they have supplied about themselves.

That means you can target a specific offer to a specific group of people in a way that simply isn’t possible elsewhere. Want to know how men in their 20s respond to a special price? Put up an ad and you’ll know within a couple of weeks. Need to see whether the language you’re using resonates with seniors? Put it on a Facebook ad and find out.

The real value of this kind of testing isn’t just that it could be profitable, but also that the lessons you learn could help you tighten up your marketing and advertising in other areas, like print ads, the landing page copy on your product pages, or even your other pay per click ads. In other words, using your Facebook marketing in the right way could help make every other dollar you spend on marketing – online or off – earn a higher return.
Online marketing via Facebook advertising is still growing and taking shape, but if you are looking for a great way to use it, why not try testing different markets and messages and seeing where they take you?

Given that this part of the Internet marketing industry was growing so quickly only a year ago, what happened? And what does it mean for your business?
Here are three quick insights you can take from the current problems daily deal sites are having:

Going cheap hurts you in the long run. Slashing prices is a great way to attract customers… but only for a little while. After that, one of two things typically tends to happen: Either buyers are drawn away by an even lower-priced vendor, or you find that you are slowly losing money on each transaction. Building a website for customers that want a combination of quality and value is a better – and more profitable – long-term strategy.

Too much competition ruins almost any business. When you have a small group of local specialty retailers, such as nail salons, for example, fighting over the same group of bargain-hunting customers, the inevitable result is that at least a few of them will lose out. Think carefully before launching a new business, or jumping into a new market, without analyzing the competition. The pool of buyers might be too shallow to support everyone.

People don’t like to be bombarded with messages. One of the biggest reasons cited for declining interest in daily deal sites is that too many people already get more e-mails than they can handle. The last thing they wanted was another item cluttering up their inbox, so once the novelty of a daily deal wore off, they stopped receiving the specials.

No matter how much money you can save them, people only want to hear from you so often. Remember that, and you’ll have a lot easier time remaining profitable in the future.

Let me explain: There are lots of men and women who can give a great presentation – one that’s fun and entertaining – but if you want real value for your money, and your audience’s time, then it pays to look for someone who is an expert in some area and has worked on their presentation skills, rather than the other way around. Why? Because to put it in the simplest and most unrefined terms, it’s fun to listen to a lot of great stories, jokes, and motivational material, but at the end of the day a keynote presentation that’s made entirely of “fluff” doesn’t do much for you or your audience.

Likewise, there are thousands of experts across Canada who are filled with fascinating, insightful information. But, if they can’t present it in a way that’s interesting and compelling to your audience, then what have you really gained beyond a couple of hours of nodding off?

Since the long-term return on investment for vague happy feelings and naptime sessions is pretty close to nil, the key to finding an effective speaker is locating a man or woman who has a defined expertise in a particular area – like Internet marketing, or personnel management, for example – and has taken the time to make it relevant and interesting. Go without either of those ingredients, and especially the first one, and your speaking dollars will have ended up being wasted.

The question of whether you want a professional speaker or a speaking professional might seem trivial, but it’s probably the most important one when it comes to getting the presentation your group really wants and needs.

If you’re looking for a speaker that’s fun, humorous, and informative, look no further. David West speaks across Canada on business and technology topics. Contact us today to find out about his rates and availability.

For that reason, I’m going to offer you an insider’s trick – a can’t-miss way to separate the really great Canadian professional speakers from the ones that will leave you wishing you had never heard of them: Find a professional speaker who has been hired multiple times by the same group.

On the surface, this could seem like a small detail, but it isn’t. Here’s why: For someone to have been brought in again by the same organization (regardless of whether it was for the same audience, or if it was months or years apart) says something about their work, and the reception they received. No one would pay to hear somebody twice unless they hit the mark, and they certainly wouldn’t shell out extra dollars to have them speak to a second audience if they didn’t work great with the first.

A lot of people won’t tell you what they really thought of a professional speaker, if only because they don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings or get caught expressing something negative when there’s a chance it can get back to them. But, as with all parts of life, if you follow the money you’ll get a definite answer. People vote with their purchases, and that’s a great way to find out what they really think about any product or service. So, if you’re looking for a Canadian professional speaker who is a cut above the rest, just go and find one who has been brought back multiple times by the same client.

Looking for a great speaker in Canada, and an expert on technology, the Internet, and online marketing? Call David West today – he could be the perfect presenter for your next industry event or trade association meeting!

On this blog, you’ll find plenty of articles that should help you find the best Canadian professional speaker for your industry event or trade association meeting. Today, however, I would like to do something a little bit different and offer a few tips to help you get more value out of any speaker you book.

Here are four ways to turn the speaker for your next event into a better investment:

Choose a relevant topic and expert. It goes without saying that choosing the right speaker gives you better value, but it’s easy for meeting planners to go with the topic or personality that’s “hot” instead of one that has the right message for their group. Think carefully about the long-term message you want your audience to receive, and then find the person to best deliver it.

Do your homework. The more you know about the speaker’s presentation, the more you can ask them to tailor it to your audience. You might not want your speaker to completely rewrite or rearrange his or her talk, but by asking him or her to stress the right details, you can make their presentation more relevant to your group.

Give your speaker the right info ahead of time. In the same way, your speaker will very likely ask you for information about the audience, your industry, other speakers you’ve heard in the past, and so on well in advance of their speech. If you wait until the last minute to supply these details, then you’re allowing them much less time to be prepared – and lowering the chances that they’ll give an impactful session.

Make space in the schedule for a breakout session or Q&A period. Regardless of how well your speaker covers his or her topic, your attendees are likely to have questions, or want personal attention. Leave some room in the schedule for this to happen; the more loose ends your speaker can tie up directly with the audience, the more value they will have received for the time they spent listening.

Want to book one of Canada’s best technology speakers? Get in touch with David West today to find out about his speaking fees and availability.

Before I answer that question, let me point out two very important things. The first is that, in web design and almost any other business, you are highly likely to get what you pay for. And secondly, especially in business web design, what you pay for your project isn’t nearly as important as what you get out of it. In other words, a site that seems a bit more expensive now is a steal later if it ends up doubling your profits.

With that being said, the one thing to pay close attention to in any suspiciously low business web design quote is what’s not being listed.

In other words, are you really getting a great deal, or is it that they’re just taking away the “extras” that are most important to your site?

Here are at least five things that should definitely be included in any business web design quote:

A search engine optimization and marketing plan. It doesn’t matter what your site looks like, or what it does, if no one can find it. Make sure it will be accessible on Google, Yahoo, and Bing at a minimum.

Ongoing service and minor updates. What happens if you need to change a page, or find that you left a typo on your homepage? It’s important to pick a business web design team that will still be there when you need them.

Web hosting. Hosting might seem like a minor detail, but it affects your site speed, performance, stability, and even search engine positioning. Make sure you’re getting a competitive rate for high-quality hosting.

Social media links and profiles. Sites like Facebook and Twitter are more important than ever, and your company is going to suffer if you don’t have a presence on each of them.

An ongoing plan to grow your company online. Remember, your website shouldn’t just be an online brochure, but an important part of your marketing and promotion plan. What is your new business web design company doing to help you make it more successful?

We all like to save money, and it’s tempting to go with the rock-bottom business web design quote. Before you do, however, make sure that you aren’t spending less at the expense of your company’s future.

If you want some of the best Calgary web design and online marketing, contact eKzact Solutions for a free consultation today!

Believe it or not, however, the unfolding drama holds a few important lessons for small business owners and online marketers everywhere. Here are three things your company should definitely learn from the scandal taking place across the front pages:

It’s a good idea to update your web security frequently. Granted, most of the story in question revolves around stolen texts and the like, but the point remains: There are people out there who would love to know things they don’t have a legal right to know. Make sure that your data – and your customers – are protected online.

Better yet, you should have someone who knows what they’re doing handle it for you. From experience, we have learned that most businesses tend to put off updating their websites, and especially hosting software and security packages, far longer than they should. If you’re serious about protecting what you have online, not to mention the future of your company, then get some expert help with the job.

The public won’t forgive you for doing the wrong thing. The biggest lesson for businesses to come out of this whole thing is that if you do something terrible you will eventually be caught, and the public will be anxious to punish you for it. This applies to high crimes, of course, but also minor annoyances like selling e-mail addresses, lying to your customers, and engaging in other shady tactics. In the long run, the men and women who buy from you are your most valuable asset; remember that and treat them appropriately.

Want help avoiding the biggest blunders in Internet marketing? Then contact eKzact Solutions – One of Calgary’s best web design and online marketing team – for a free consultation today.

Here are a few things you should look for in presentation titles and descriptions that can help you narrow in on the right fit:

Overall topics and focus. Obviously, if you’re looking for a speaker on Internet marketing, for example, then the speaker who specializes in human resources isn’t going to be a great match. Likewise, someone who speaks on dozens of unrelated topics isn’t as likely to have as much knowledge or background in any of them as a subject expert is, so think carefully about the type of personality you want to hire.

Energy and enthusiasm. You can tell a lot about a speaker’s personality from the couple of short paragraphs in their presentation descriptions. If they’re filled with energy and excitement, then there’s a good chance their keynote or breakout session will, too. Likewise, a lack of enthusiasm should be a big red flag that their session might let attendees down.

Short, succinct points. Unless you have hours and hours for your speaker to talk, they’re going to need to sum up what they know into bite-sized chunks. If they can’t describe what they’re going to talk about in less than a couple of pages, then don’t be surprised when they ramble on stage, too. Giving a solid, professional presentation is as much about brevity as it is detail, so look for the right mix.

Details and content. Sometimes, you’ll see a presentation that’s perfect for your group, if it can only be tweaked slightly. Assuming your speaker knows his or her material well, this isn’t normally a problem if they’ve been given enough time to prepare. Still, make sure to ask any questions you have about their content and focus beforehand, so that you can have them make any necessary adjustments.

In some ways, it’s the same with your small Calgary business website. Even if you invest in a high-quality design that fits your company perfectly, impresses visitors, loads correctly across all kinds of browsers, and helps your company to make more money, it’s probably going to need to be tweaked or updated eventually.

The good news is that great websites don’t have to be completely replaced very often. In fact, it’s often a matter of just making a few small changes when you need them. Here are a few things you should definitely add or review on your business website, even if you aren’t ready for a major redesign:

Social media links and integration. If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you already know that social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are big business. It’s important that you have links to your profiles and content on these sites, since they can make it easier for people to find you outside of your business website, and vice versa.

Search engine optimized pages and content. Moving onto the first or second page of the results for your most important keywords on Google, Yahoo, and Bing can be an enormous boost to your business, but it’s getting harder to improve your search engine rankings all the time. For that reason, it makes sense to review your pages from time to time, to ensure that they’re optimized, and that you are still emphasizing the right keywords and phrases.

Product descriptions and prices. It goes without saying that accuracy, especially in product descriptions and prices, is an important part of the upkeep on your business website. Still, there are a surprising number of companies that regularly fail to keep this kind of data current. Whether you’re using a content management system or not, be sure that your site is up to date.

FAQs, contact information, privacy policies, and other details. More and more, people are basing their online buying decisions on how certain they feel that you’re going to do what you say you will, how quickly they can expect their order, and what they think you’ll do with their personal information. Make it easier for them to buy with clear, customer-friendly details on your business website.

For that reason, a lot of men and women I talk to about keynote presentations and breakout sessions want to find someone who’s informative and dynamic… but also want to play it a little bit safe and be sure they don’t choose the wrong person. That’s completely understandable, and I can promise you that it is entirely possible to do both.

To make it easier, here are three things to look for in a Canadian professional speaker, no matter what kind of event you’re planning for:

The right topic. All the charisma in the world won’t help you if you choose someone who doesn’t have a topic that’s interesting to your audience. When in doubt, try to stick with universal themes, like better business management, or cutting-edge marketing techniques. These are topics that almost everyone is interested in, meaning that your speaker will have wide appeal.

Membership in the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers (CAPS). While booking someone with CAPS membership doesn’t guarantee that you’ll find the exact right fit, it does allow you to have confidence that you aren’t going with someone who hasn’t given lots of presentations before, or will struggle to make their point effectively. Because CAPS has some fairly rigorous standards in place, you can feel comfortable knowing you’re going to get a professional presentation.

Humor and energy. Depending on what kind of time you have your speaker slotted for, your attendees may be tired, distracted, jet-lagged, excited to see colleagues for the first time in several months, or all of the above. It takes a special kind of stage presence to overcome these factors, meaning that your speaker’s style is as important as their topics are. Remember that, and choose wisely.

In other words, they often aren’t sure exactly how new a new business web design actually has to be in order to be an effective marketing tool.

Even though it might run contrary to a lot of thinking within the industry, we’re going to go out on a limb and say for the record that having the latest and greatest features on your business site isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be. Don’t get us wrong, there are definitely some fairly-standard features – like a good content management system, social media integration, search engine optimization, etc. – that can make your company more profitable in a hurry. But there are also a lot of things that just add to time and expense of your business site, make it more complicated for people to use, and generally get in the way of good usability.

Good design is classic. The way we code websites might change, but the basic ideas and information that most customers are looking for has remained fairly constant for thousands of years. In other words, you might use an online video to tell a potential buyer what you would have explained in a brochure 10 years ago, but the focus still needs to be on the right message, rather than on any one specific web design tool.

A good, high-quality business web design can easily last 3 to 5 years before it needs any major changes. If you find that you’re needing to redesign your business website a lot more often than not, it could be that you aren’t investing in quality layouts to start with, or are being too distracted by small changes, rather than concentrating on your most important business goals.

Having a new website for your company can be very exciting, but having one that helps you make more money month after month is usually a lot more rewarding.

Do these folks really need to worry so much about finding customers online?

Believe it or not, they do – and in fact, the competition on the web within these industries, and most others, is getting fiercer than ever. This isn’t necessarily because the professionals and business owners in question are groundbreaking, but that they’re doing the smart thing and following their customers.

With the Yellow Pages and other forms of print advertising in a steep decline, there is a seemingly a reversible trend towards consumers looking for products and vendors online… even within their own local geographic areas. That means that businesses of all types and sizes have to be familiar with the basics of Internet marketing. Otherwise, they’re just going to have to sit back and watch their competitors quickly pull away.

Luckily, most people can learn the basics of Internet marketing in an hour or two; it doesn’t have to be a massive marathon effort. And so, for a meeting planner who would like to get a presentation that is impactful, the trick is to choose a web marketing speaker who is experienced and knows all the right concepts, but also can make it accessible by emphasizing the big picture and adding a little bit of humor.

Obviously, if you’re looking for a speaker for an upcoming industry or business event in Alberta or beyond, I would love to be that person. Regardless of whether you consider booking me, however, I encourage you to find a great technology speaker for your event – it can be a fun topic, and it’s a great thing for your attendees and the future of their businesses.

Let’s face it: If the Commander-in-Chief of the United States can find time to send 140 characters now and again – or at least delegate it to someone else – then can you really claim you don’t have the time to do the same? After all, he’s got state dinners, economic crises, military strategies, and even a reelection campaign to contend with… and he’s doing it all on a government salary. Most of us aren’t having to make time for Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn under those kinds of constraints.

Of course, we are being a little bit silly with this idea, but the point is that saying you don’t have time for social media marketing is similar to saying you can’t spare a few minutes to send out invoices, or have time to talk your best customer. It’s very likely that you are incredibly busy, but you make time in your day’s activities because they’re the ones that will keep money coming into your business every month, not to mention growing and successful for years to come.

With more than 700 million people regularly logging into Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, social networking sites represent a market that no business that’s bigger than a man and a donkey selling fruit on the side of the road can afford to ignore. They don’t just allow you to reach more people, but also to forge better relationships with the customers you already have, and encourage them to send referrals your way. How could anyone be too busy for that?

Take our advice, and the President’s example, and get started with social media marketing if you haven’t already. It is another habit you’ll have to add to your daily routine, but one that could ultimately pay you back several times over.

But, if you’re looking for something that will be valuable to your attendees and make you look like a hero at the same time, then your best option might be to go with the technology speaker. Here are four quick reasons why:

It’s something different. Let’s face it, unless it’s one of their first few meetings or conferences, your attendees have already heard enough motivational and management presentations to fill a lifetime. I’m constantly amazed, though, at how many different groups have never had someone come and speak about the Internet, online marketing, and so on.

The Internet is a hot topic. The web has been a popular presentation topic for more than a decade, and it’s only getting stronger. Why? Because it’s still becoming a more and more important part of the business landscape. If your attendees aren’t getting online marketing right, then they are probably seeing parts of their business become less profitable than they used to be.

Your attendees probably have technology questions. In the same way, few managers or business owners understand concepts like search engine optimization, pay per click advertising, or social media marketing nearly as well as they would like. Having the opportunity to ask an expert specific questions about these parts of their business can be invaluable.

A technology presentation could have the biggest bottom-line impact. Even the best motivational speaker is unlikely to inspire lasting change in most people’s behavior, but attendees of a technology presentation can leave with a set of notes or a tip sheet that they can use right away to make more money. The more profitable your group can be as a result of the speaker you booked, the more highly they’re going to think of you and your decision.

You might think this wouldn’t have anything to do with Internet marketing, but the reality is that it does. Why? Because, just like the area around and between galaxies, the Internet is massively huge – billions and billions of pages huge – and getting bigger all the time.

Even if you aren’t a physicist or web designer, this knowledge has important implications for your business. Why? Because as interesting as a growing Internet is from an academic perspective, it also means that it’s getting harder and harder to stand out and get the attention you need from potential customers.

Astronomers like to talk about how looking up into the sky can make us feel small and insignificant, in a good way, but there are few positives to having your small business website blend into a cluster of information. In order to have your pages and content stand out and attract buyers, they have to be more than tiny points of light, and more like the comets and shooting stars that streak across the horizon.

How do you accomplish this? By getting closer to your customers and narrowing in on topics, products, and services that appeal to a very specific kind of buyer, rather than anyone who has enough change in their pocket to make a purchase from your site. That means knowing as much as you can about the men and women who visit your pages, where they’re coming from, what they’re looking for, and why they should choose to do business with you, rather than one of your competitors.

The Internet is too huge for any one business to try to compete with everyone, even within a lot of niche markets and industries. That means that you have to narrow down in order to stand out among buyers. Once you accomplish that, though, it doesn’t matter how big the Internet gets – you’ll always be the brightest star in your system.