Increaseing Traffic to your Website – Ways to do so
February 21, 2012 by admin
Filed under Blog, Search Engine Marketing
Ways to Increase Traffic to your Website 
One goal of every business owner/website owner is to increase the amount of traffic to your website. In most cases more traffic means more prospects and more prospects mean more clients and more sales.
In this segment we will cover a handful of ways you can begin to increase the amount of traffic to your website. The traffic increase won’t happen overnight, but if you implement some of these tactics your traffic will begin to increase over time.
Here are a handful of ways that you can increase the traffic to your website:
- Guest Blog
- Comment on Other Blogs related to your industry
- Write and Submit Articles to Article Directories
- Participate in Q & A Sites
- Participate in Forums Related to your industry
- Connect your Blog to your Social Media Profiles
- Submit Content to Document Sharing Sites
- Publish Pages on Web 2.0 Properties
Over the next few posts we will elaborate more on these techniques that you can use to drive more traffic to your website.
Online Tools – Twitter Tools – Managing Your Twitter Network
February 17, 2012 by admin
Filed under Blog, tools, Uncategorized
Online Tools – Twitter Tools – Managing Your Twitter Network 
Twitter is a great tool, but sometimes it is a bit difficult to manage your network. Manage Filter is a handy tool that allows you to filter your Twitter Network on many levels.
This tool will allow you to find those in your network that aren’t following you back, haven’t tweeted in a while, who are inactive and you can also search on keywords in your network’s bio and other information.
We suggest periodically checking out your network and cleaning up those that are no longer active on Twitter.
You can find this tool at the link below:
Online Tools – Content Cu ration – Paper.li
Online Tools – Content Curation – Paper.li
In today’s fast paced world one challenge that many people encounter is how to find information and sort through what is important and relevant to them. There are several tools available to us now that will help with this. These tools are called Content Curation Tools and they do exactly that, curate content for you to read and review and report on in some cases.
One Content Cu ration tool that we really like and often use is called Paper.li . This is a very handy tool because it allows you to add many sources to check for your information. These sources can include RSS feeds, keywords being talked about on Facebook and Twitter, particular Twitter users, Particular Google Users and much more.
One other feature of this tool is you can browse other papers created by others that may have information you are interested in. It is a great way to find out what is being talked about right now and allows you to share and comment on this information.
Here is the link to this great tool: Paper.li
Online Tools – Your Own Research Assistant – Google Alerts
Online Tools – Your Own Research Assistant – Google Alerts
One online tool that I feel every business owner should have in place is Google Alerts. Google Alerts is a tool from Google that will search the web for you and when new content is found with the search term/keyword you are looking for Google will let you know. This tool can save you a lot of time. No longer do you need to perform searches on your own, Google will find the information and let you know when it is there.
This can allow you to stay on top of your field/niche because when new information is available you know!
There are many options available with Google Alerts that will allow you to set the time you search for information as well as how you receive it. Below you will find links to the Google Alert Tool and links to the Help and Getting Started Section for Google Alerts:
Google Alerts Help and Getting Started
Online Tools – Gain More Time and Productivity
Online Tools – Gain More Time and Productivity
One wonderful benefit that we have today as business owners is that there are several tools available to us to help us manage our business and become more productive. A lot of these tools have been developed to work with the Social Networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Many of these tools have been developed to help us find information and even organize our time better.
In the next several posts we will be covering a handful of tools that we have found useful in managing day to day tasks and think you will to.
If you have tools that you use daily in your business we would love to hear from you what they are and why you like them.
Facebook Fan Spotlight – Michelle Thorsen
February 13, 2012 by admin
Filed under Blog, Facebook Fan Spotlight
This week’s Fan Spotlight is Michelle Thorsen
Michelle Thorsen is an independent Representitive with LifeVantage whose Flagship product is Protandim.
Michelle has a wonderful story of how she got involved with LifeVantage and Protandim that I would like to share with you here:
Like many whose lives have been touched by cancer, I experienced this unwelcome event when my aunt was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer in 2005. I will get in to those details more below. Just know that this is where the story begins…it is a bit long and I apologize for that but I believe an important one.
In 2010 while working in Corporate America, Aunt Teri (who’s like a sister) completed a second round of chemo. Her body was much weaker this time and treatments were delayed a few times due to this. Evidently, if you’re not healthy enough the Docs won’t administer the chemo that nearly kills you. Later, Teri told me “You know, if the cancer doesn’t kill me, the chemo will.” I knew she was right, I heard it in her voice. Her life was slipping away and I couldn’t do a thing about it. With the experience of this chemo series she decided that if the cancer returned, she wouldn’t seek further chemotherapy. I respected that, but now what?
At this time I was introduced to a product called Protandim. I learned that researchers at Louisiana State University conducted a skin cancer study with subjects taking Protandim. Findings indicated that tumor incidence and multiplicity were reduced 33% and 57%. Yet, I wasn’t convinced.
My career had primarily been in the procurement arena. For 25+ years I analyzed hundreds of businesses, products and services to approve them for company use. Most recently this work took place in the restaurant chain industry. These corporations included several different concepts with the number of units ranging from one hundred to eight hundred nationwide.
The world of purchasing gets very interesting when thousands of dollars of business are at stake. Each corporation has policies for how purchasing transactions take place and everyone who plays a part in the equation, buyers and sellers alike understand this. Unfortunately with the down economy, it’s been all about the bottom line and in my humble opinion, at the expense of quality, ethics, solid business relationships, great employees and well, truth.
Simultaneously Teri finished chemo and was on a very slow road to recovering her strength. She was 54 years old when diagnosed and a very strong vibrant woman, so not a frail little old lady here. This was when I decided to take a closer look at Protandim. If the study about reducing tumors was true, I needed to know more.
In hindsight it seems absurd that I felt the need to examine the study by LSU’s Health Sciences Center. But I in fact read each of the then seven studies. Ultimately, I applied the same due diligence to Protandim and LifeVantage that I would have applied to a potential vendor. I researched the ingredients and benefits, the U.S. Patents, the doctors, leadership, financials and yes, the code of ethics. I couldn’t find any red flags.
Fast forward to the present, I’m happy to report that Teri has been taking Protandim for over a year and so far all of her tests have come back normal and some improved. Of course no one knows what the future holds but for now Protandim has given us HOPE, which by the way is where the idea for my website came from, www.Where-Hope-Begins.com.
You can find out more about Michelle at her website www.where-hope-begins.com or her Facebook Page
If you are interested in being included in our Facebook Fan Spotlight and having information on you and your business shared all you have to do is connect with us on Facebook and be sure to stop by and say hi and share relevant information we share with those that you know. We select a Fan of the week every week and then feature that fan the following week in the Facebook Fan Spotlight
Using LinkedIn – Building a Great Profile
February 8, 2012 by admin
Filed under Blog, Social Media
LinkedIn is a great tool and one that should be utilized by all professionals. Using LinkedIn can help you increase and expand your sphere of influenced and connections and begin generating leads for your business.
One key to using LinkedIn is to ensure you have the best possible profile. Your profile will help showcase who you are and why people should connect with you and do business with you.
This post will provide a few tips to ensuring your LinkedIn Profile is helping you put your best image forward.
Keep Your Profile Public
When you set up your LinkedIn profile make sure it is set to public. This will ensure that people can find you when they search by your name or business or keywords that highlight what you do.
Your Profile Picture
LinkedIn is much different than Facebook, so please don’t use a photo of you and your family or you out having fun. Use a professional photo on your LinkedIn Profile. It may be a good idea to find a photographer that can take a few professional headshots with you putting your best image forward. Remember your photo will be one of the first things a new connection may see.
Make Your LinkedIn Profile SEO Friendly
Search Engine Optimization or SEO is a term that refers to using the right content and keywords to be found when someone performs a search. LinkedIn utilizes its own proprietary search algorithm that produces results based on the keywords listed in your profiles. If you are a Realtor be sure to include this in your profile and the title of your profile so that if someone is searching for Realtors in your location they have a good chance of finding you.
Don’t Ignore the Skills Section
It is very important that you add all of your relevant skills in the skills section of your profile. You can add up to 50 so there should be no reason to miss your key skills that highlight who you are and what you can do. To add skills, in the Edit Profile area, scroll down below your experience until you find the skills area. Click on add skill and add away!
Be Descriptive When Adding Links to Your Website
LinkedIn allows you to add your website and blog and a couple other links, which is great, but this is often an overlooked opportunity. Instead of labeling this as my website be sure to use your keywords and pick a descriptive keyword rich phrase, like: Homes for Sale in Denver (if you are a Real Estate Agent).
Now, take a little bit of time and make sure your LinkedIn Profile is up to date and be sure to make any needed adjustments to make you stand out.
LinkedIn – What is LinkedIn
February 6, 2012 by admin
Filed under Blog, Internet Marketing, Social Media
LinkedIn – What is LinkedIn
In this series we are focusing on the LinkedIn Social Network. LinkedIn is a great tool and over the next several posts we will highlight some key information on LinkedIn and why and how you should use it to gain exposure and grow your online presence and professional network.
We will begin with What is LinkedIn ?
According to LinkedIn’s Learning Center,
LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 120 million members and growing rapidly. LinkedIn connects you to your trusted contacts and helps you exchange knowledge, ideas, and opportunities with a broader network of professionals.
Here is a great video that provides a quick overview of LinkedIn
How to Blog – How to Find Topics to Blog About
February 2, 2012 by admin
Filed under Blog, Blogging, Internet Marketing
How to Blog – How to Find Topics to Blog About
One struggle that many bloggers experience is deciding what to blog about. Unfortunately this often is the number one thing that causes a blog to fail. This post will hopefully help you with some ideas on what to blog about and how to find topics to blog about.
One thing that we suggest is that you sit down and make a list topics that are relevant to your market and that you feel your prospects and clients would be interested in. This list will help you greatly as you begin to formulate blog posts.
Once you have your list of topics we suggest that you do a little bit of keyword research to determine how popular your topic is with people that are searching for information. You can use tools like Word Tracker or Google Adwords Tool for this. This will help you determine if there is a large enough audience for the topics you are writing on. We suggest that you look for a minimum of 2,000 searches a month.
The next step is to take your list of topics and come up with some blog posts around them. The following is a list of potential blog post topics you can use around your list:
- How to or Tutorial Posts
- Top 10 Lists
- Resources
- FAQ Posts
- Announcements and Events
- Review current news on your topic
Once you have your list and know that you are working with viable key words you can begin to formulate some ideas for blog posts. If you get stuck on finding ideas you can also visit some great resources for finding content:
Niche Specific Forums – If there are forums that your prospects and clients visit these are great places to look for popular discussions and questions and write a blog post on it.
Question and Answer Sites – There are several sites online that are set up for people to ask and answer questions – these are great places to get ideas. LinkedIn has LinkedIn Answers and then there is also Yahoo Answers.
Digg – Digg is a great resource to see what people are talking about and then formulate a blog idea from that
AllTop – AllTop does a great job of gathering some of the top news stories and information on several topics.
This information should give you a start on determining what to write on your blog.
Facebook Fan Spotlight- Brent Jones
February 1, 2012 by admin
Filed under Blog, Facebook Fan Spotlight
This week’s Fan Spotlight is Brent Jones
Brent Jones is a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker with a very specific niche in the market. Brent specializes in Mid Century Modern properties and has a ton of knowledge in this area, both regarding the real estate and the furniture of this era.
If you are looking for great information on Mid Century Modern properties, architecture and more along with information on Art Deco, International and Usonian styles as well as the current top of the line LEED constructed Modern Contemporary Architecture that has been built in recent years you can visit Brent’s Blog ( Mid Century Modern Blog ) or his website to see some of the great properties listed ( Mid Century Modern Real Estate )
You can also get tons of updates and notices of some great cultural events on MODCOHO’s Facebook Fan Page for Mid Century Modern Homes
Thank you Brent for being a previous fan of the week!!
If you are interested in being included in our Facebook Fan Spotlight and having information on you and your business shared all you have to do is connect with us on Facebook and be sure to stop by and say hi and share relevant information we share with those that you know. We select a Fan of the week every week and then feature that fan the following week in the Facebook Fan Spotlight
