Social Media Marketing
Social Media Marketing Tips for Yacht Brokers and Captains
July 20, 2012 | 
Author Word of mouth advertising goes a long way towards boosting your reputation in the yachting community and sending business your way. If you want a continuous flow of customers, though, you need to reach out to potential clients on as many marketing channels as you can. This includes using social media outlets like Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest to highlight your business and get customers saying “Ahoy there!”
Twitter Marketing Tips
At first glance, Twitter may not seem like a bucket of lobsters, but use it correctly and it can generate a steady stream of sales leads.
- Find an angle: Most people use Twitter to connect with friends and family, keep up with what’s going on with their favorite celebrities, or get the latest information about their hobbies. Where do you fit in? Are you offering tips on maintaining a yacht, posting sailing information, or helping followers find a good deal on yachts? Find an angle that appeal to your customers.
- Update regularly: You don’t have to tweet obsessively, but you should update on a regular basis. Even just a few tweets per day will keep you in your potential customers’ mind.
- Form partnerships: Connect with other people in the industry and cross promote each other. For example, yacht brokers can develop relationships with yacht captains and vice versa.
Facebook Marketing Tips
Despite some recent financial troubles and the rise of new challengers, Facebook still dominates the Internet. Take full advantage of the site’s new timeline to create an interactive place for current and future yacht clients to hang out.
- Use images: Use a great cover photo on your timeline that represents your brand, and use images to draw attention to your tabs.
- Pin important content: You now have the ability to pin posts at the top of your Facebook page. Use it to post important or useful information such as the latest yacht deals or weather advisories.
- Encourage participation: Encourage visitors to participate in the conversation by keeping comments open, posting open-ended questions, linking to interesting content, and calling for use-generated content (e.g. themed boating videos and pictures). This is an excellent way to get to know your Facebook fans and foster a sense of community.
Pinterest Marketing Tips
Launched in March 2010, Pinterest is the new kid on the block and has quickly dominated the schoolyard. Looking for female customers? Then Pinterest is the place to be. At last count, approximately 80% of Pinterest’s users were women.
- Images, images, everywhere: Pinterest is an image pin board. Be certain to post images in your blog articles so you can post links to them to your pin boards.
- Focus on lifestyle: Focus on lifestyle boards rather than products. For example, create boards dedicated to sailing around the Caribbean that include beautiful pictures of the sunset on the water.
- Categorize: Place your boards in the appropriate category and use keywords in your description to tap into the search traffic.
Like the Internet, social media is here to stay. Judicious use of these marketing channels can go a long way towards helping you build your customer base.
Posted in Facebook, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Twitter | 
Tags: Online Advertising, online marketing | 
1 Comment »
Optimize Your YouTube Videos with These SEO Strategies
I’ve mentioned this before in previous articles, but it bears repeating. YouTube is the number two search engine in the world. The social video sharing site is only outranked by its owner Google. The site streams over 1.2 billion videos per day, and users upload something like 24 hours worth of video every minute. To say the least, YouTube is a powerful community and if you’re not taking advantage of what the site has to offer then you are missing out on a potent marketing opportunity.
It’s easy to look at all of the content being uploaded to YouTube and think the site is oversaturated. The reality is much of content being posted on YouTube is poor quality (i.e. crap). On top of that, most people don’t take the time to properly optimize their video submissions. With just a few tweaks, your content can easily float to the top of the pond where eager viewers are just waiting to consume it.
Create Great Content
Before you even start thinking about how to get your videos to rank well on YouTube and drive traffic to your business, it is critical that you produce videos worth watching. You can optimize your videos and YouTube account all you want, but you aren’t going to win anyone over if the videos are low quality, highly commercialized, or otherwise unappealing. Take time to create content that people want to consume. It should be useful, entertaining, or both.
Some examples of content that does well on YouTube include entertaining videos that make people laugh, webinars about hot topics in an industry, educational videos that teach people a skill such as how to set up a WordPress blog, and videos that touch on current events in a fun way. Take an afternoon to brainstorm the type of content that your viewers would enjoy.
Tips for Optimizing Your Videos
YouTube’s search engine operates the same way as other search engines. The primary driver of the search results is keywords. When a user enters one or more keywords into the search bar, the site pulls up results that best match the entry. To make sure your profile and videos come up in the search results, it is important to add appropriate keywords.
Add the keywords in the title and description of the video. YouTube generates meta tags using these items. Not only does this information show up in the site’s search results, but Google and other search engines use that information when listing the videos in their own search result pages. This can help increase the reach of your video, especially if a lot of people like it and link to it. Also, use keywords in the video’s tags.
In addition to writing a keyword-rich description, be certain to include links. Try to place the links at the beginning of the description so they don’t get lost underneath the “more info” portion of the video information section. The links should be relevant to the video and encourage users to take action on what they just watched. You can also use the annotation feature to link to other videos on your account.
Search engines have no way of knowing what is on the video. It would be very helpful to include a transcript of the video, not only for search engines but for people that may want to quote passages from it. Since the video information section may be too small, it’s probably best to place this transcript on your website and link to it from the video’s description box.
Taking time to optimize your YouTube videos will give you an advantage over your competition. You’ll be rewarded with more views and great prospects.
Posted in Internet Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Video | Tags: youtube marketing, youtube videos | No Comments »
3 Ways to Boost Car Sales Using YouTube
With gas prices pushing the $4 ($5 in some areas) mark and unemployment still dogging the heels of Middle America, it’s safe to say that many people aren’t thinking about buying a car. In fact, some are trying to get rid of the cars they already own because they just can’t afford the expense. Needless to say, getting people to buy a car can be a tough sell.
If you are a car salesperson looking for away to move inventory, there is hope. First, not everyone is down on their luck. There are people out there that have money and are willing to spend it on a sweet ride. The challenge is finding these people and getting them into your showroom.
One tool that can help you achieve this goal is YouTube. As the number #2 social networking site (second to Facebook) and #2 search engine (behind Google) in the world, it can be the secret weapon you need to get ahead in a competitive industry. Here are three ways you can use YouTube to increase car sales.
Virtual Car Walkthrough
People are not shopping for cars like they used to. No longer are they coming into the showroom to see what’s available. Today, most people in the market for a new or used car do their research online before they go to a car lot to take a test drive. One way you can get people’s attention and set yourself apart from the competition is to do a virtual car walkthrough.
Grab the video camera and walk around the vehicle, kick the tires, and show the car’s special features. Get the buyer excited about seeing the car in person by telling an interesting story about it. Virtual walkthroughs have the double advantage of helping buyers feel more informed and getting them emotionally invested in the vehicle.
Video Testimonials
The less than ethical shenanigans of a few bad apples have tarnished the car industry quite a bit. You have to put some effort into convincing potential buyers that you are one of the good guys and a great way to do that is to get happy customers to do video testimonials. Written reviews are great, but video tutorials are even better because the fact that a person is willing to put his or her face on camera adds credibility to the testimonial.
You can record the testimonials at your dealership or have customers submit recordings them via an automated process. Be certain to have someone review the content to make sure nothing inappropriate or potentially offensive gets through.
Connect with Popular YouTubers
One way you can get your inventory in front of potential buyers is to partner with popular YouTube channels and have the owners highlight your business. You can invite the YouTuber to your showroom to test drive a new model car or have them cover a notable event at your dealership. This is a win-win situation because the person will obtain content for their channel and other perks and you will get your name in front of their viewership.
When contacting YouTubers about partnering up, make sure what you are offering will be of interest to their viewership. Don’t contact a beauty vlogger unless your event has something to do with hair or makeup. Always be professional and be certain to present an offer that is worth the person’s time and talent.
YouTube can be an excellent source of referrals to your dealership. Use this marketing tool right and you will be rewarded with a constant stream of customers and revenue.
How Real Estate Agents Can Benefit from Mobile Marketing
What is Mobile Marketing?
A very short time ago when someone talked about mobile marketing they were usually referring to the various marketing messages that were often found on the side of cars and trucks. Today, that concept has been reclassified as vehicular marketing and mobile marketing now refers to the use of mobile mediums (e.g. iPads and cell phones) for marketing communications.
Although still in its infancy, mobile marketing is quickly becoming “The Next Big Thing” to use for marketing products and services. This is due to the giant leap forward mobile technology has made in the last decade. Today, cell phones resemble miniature laptops and can perform a variety of amazing tasks including stream movies, play music, take pictures, and send email. All I can say is now is a great time to be a real estate agent.
To be sure, the economy is still struggling to overcome the Crash of ‘08 and potential buyers are busy Occupying Wall Street rather than touring neighborhoods with you. However, if you have been looking for a way to reach customers with your sales message even when they are busy chanting slogans in Bryant Park, then mobile marketing is your new best friend. Here are a few ways you can amp up your real estate marketing using various mobile marketing technologies.
How To Use Mobile Marketing With Your Real Estate Business
* Create an App – Apps, or applications, are the hot new thing. The smartphone market has exploded in recent years, and developers are creating applications that increase the functionality of these high-end phones. You could create a mobile app that lets users search for homes, find an agent, or calculate their monthly mortgage while strolling down the street they want to live on.
* SMS Marketing – Also called text messages, you could use SMS to alert potential homebuyers when a house that fits their needs becomes available. This is an unobtrusive way to notify buyers of developments in the market.
* Mobilize Your Website – Smartphone screens are much smaller than computer screens and sometimes the content on regular websites gets lost in translation. Create a mobile-friendly website with a direct call button in place that allows users to contact you with one touch.
* Enhance Listings with QR Codes – Quick Response (QR) codes are two-dimensional barcodes that have the capacity to store large amounts of information. Mobile users scan these codes to activate the information embedded in them. Use QR codes on your For Sale signs to instantly provide customers info about a home they may be standing in front of.
* Location-based Services – Some mobile companies offer a service that will allow you to send mobile users targeted sales messages when they enter a certain area.
Because mobile marketing is still young, there are only a few companies right now who offer one or all of these services. However, the benefits of using mobile technology to promote your real estate business is well worth the time and effort it will take to find a company that can help you get started.
Add Blogging to your Mobile Marketing Presence
Blogging is also an excellent way to reach potential homebuyers. My Branding System is a complete article and personal branding system that can help you get that first page on Google. To check out additional information on how real estate agents can effectively use a blog read my article, “Compelling Blog Topics for Realtors That Create Your Brand”.
Posted in Internet Marketing, Real Estate Branding, Social Media Marketing | Tags: Mobile Marketing, real estate marketing | 1 Comment »
Top 10 First Page Google Secrets
First Page Google is Golden
No one knows the exact formula that the search engines use to reward websites with high placement. However, one thing that most experts agree upon is that the web pages which are highly relevant and well optimized tend to rank the best. While these are not the only factors to consider for achieving a first page Google rank, these are my TOP 10 favorites.
Top 10 Ways To Get First Page Google Exposure
10. Keyword research – Keyword research is important to ensure that you optimize your pages properly and that you are targeting the keywords which have the best probability of being profitable. You can use the free Google Adwords Keyword Tool to help you determine the number of searches performed each month for a particular keyword phrase. In addition, this tool displays variations of your keyword as well the amount of competition you’ll face.
9. Meta tags optimized properly – You want to make sure that you include your keywords in your title tag, description tag, and keyword tags. It’s also a good idea to include your keyword phrase in your image ALT tags. Since search engines can’t see, these tags provide a description of the images.
8. Domain name – Domain names that contain your keyword phrase tend to rank higher than those that don’t, assuming that your site is properly optimized and you have a good number of high quality backlinks.
7. Keyword density – Keyword density refers to the percentage of time that your keyword phrase appears on a page in relation to the total amount of words on the page. A good rule of thumb is to have a keyword density between 1-5%. Any higher and you run the risk of keyword stuffing which is considered spam by the search engines.
6. Backlinks – Backlinks are links that come from another website and point to your site. These are also known as “inbound links” as these links come “in” to your site.
There are many ways to get backlinks from your content creation such as article marketing, video marketing, social bookmarking, and social media. Another great way to get backlinks is by making comments on blogs and forums. The key is to contribute to the conversation and provide valuable information to the community.
5. Anchor Text – Anytime you get backlinks coming in to your site you want to use anchor text. For instance, if I was targeting the keyword phrase “get on Google maps” I would want that text to be displayed when linking back to my site, instead of my URL. You do this by using HTML or Hyper Text Markup Language. The HTML is structured as follows: Link text. The portion in between the tags will appear highlighted and will be a clickabel link.
4. Social Media – These are sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. You can share information with the people that are your friends and followers. When you include a link to your site and if others find valuable they may wish to share it with their circle of friends.
3. Article Marketing – You do this by writing articles pertaining to your topic and submitting them to article submission directories like ezine articles, go articles, article alley and several others. There is a space at the bottom of the article for you to include a brief bio along with a link to your site.
2. Video Marketing – This is my second favorite way to get to the top of Google in a hurry. You do this by making short videos about your topic and you submit them to YouTube, Vimeo, Revver, and other video sharing sites. Google loves videos, which is evidenced by the fact that you’ll usually find at least one video on the first page of a given search.
1. Google Maps Listing – The Google Maps Listing is the fastest and best way to get first page Google exposure. When you get on Google maps, if you’re lucky enough to be in one of the top 7 spots (aka the Google 7 Pack), your listing appears on the first page just above the organic listings. Not only does this put you in a prime spot on the first page, but your prospects can also see at a glance where you’re located.
Another cool feature when you get on Google maps is that you get a Google Places page. This page allows you to provide all kinds of details about your business, along with photos, videos, reviews, and you can even offer printable coupons to your new found customers!
Debby Wier is an internet marketing specialist who focuses on small business online marketing. She is passionate about helping small businesses get more customers by achieving first page Google exposure. When you get on Google maps in the Top 7 Google Maps listings, you get more customers and that’s what First Page Google Rank is all about.
You can visit her site at http://www.FirstPageGoogleRank.com
Blogging to reach your page on Google
A WordPress blog with SEO plugins can provide additional tools to improve your ranking process. My Branding System is a complete article and personal branding system that can help you get that first page on Google.
Posted in Social Media Marketing | Tags: Google ranking, My Branding System, seo tools | 2 Comments »
Can Content Marketing Really Drive Sales?
Content marketing is an online marketing tactic that is growing in popularity with businesses and salespeople. Content marketing employs Social Media as the tool to spread their message to potential buyers. It is an integration of Search, Social Media and Content.
Traditional Marketing vs. Content Marketing
Traditional marketing relies on very familiar outlets for advertising:
- TV or Magazine Ads
- Event Flyers
- Sales Brochures
- Press Releases
- Newsletters
- Door to door mailers
For years, consumers have put up with this type of advertising even though they have felt it invasive. It has reached a point where consumers have simply “tuned out” the message. Companies spend a lot of money on this type of marketing because that is the only way they have known. This type of marketing focused on the Features and Benefits of their products and services. Consumers have gotten savvy and know that any company can make a claim or promise on anything, but can they deliver?
Through social media people have figured out that a much better way to connect with customers is through content marketing. This approach actually gives you permission to interact with them. Content marketing is appealing to the needs of your customer during the decision making process.
Examples of Content Marketing:
photo credit: Rightsource Marketing
- Social Media excluding blogs
- Article Posting
- Blogs
- Electronic Newsletters
- Webinars
- How to Videos
- Case Studies
- Detailed FAQs
- Ebooks
The way that people buy has changed and more often than not, they go to the Internet and do a search. They are seeking information that solves a problem or fulfill a need. And, they are looking for reasons to trust the source. Content marketing is about positioning a person or a company as a Trusted Advisor, not pitching a product or service. The content marketing should educate and inform – selling through informing is the formula. The content must be useful and could be also entertaining. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Blogging, Social Media Marketing | Tags: blog marketing, Blogging system, Content Marketing, social media marketing tools | 4 Comments »
Tools to Include in Your Social Media Marketing Strategy
Create a Buzz with Your Social Media Marketing
You own your own business and you offer products and services. How do you get people to buy what you are selling? That’s easy. You create a buzz about your offerings and you communicate through your social media marketing strategy.
Accomplishing this has absolutely nothing to do with magic. There is no fairy dust that you can sprinkle to cause the members of your target market to automatically start coming in droves to your website. In fact, what works well for one business may not necessarily work for another business. Creating a buzz involves social media and marketing that is spread by word of mouth.
When you first start designing your social media marketing strategy, there are several tools that you should include to make the strategy successful. In our article Developing Your Social Media Marketing Strategy, we discussed the importance of a strategy and how it is key to the success of your business. In this article, we are discussing the tools that you should consider using to implement the strategy.
Social Media Marketing Tools:
Social media networks: Social networks are an excellent way to offer and share your knowledge as well as to build and maintain relationships. There are many popular social media sites that you can take advantage of and at List of Social Networking Websites, you will find a list of some of the most popular.
Photos: Sharing photos as part of your social media marketing campaign has a similar, positive effect as videos with regard to the visual aspect of it. People like to be able to connect the name with the face. Some great photo sharing websites are Flickr, Memeo and Photobucket. Read the rest of this entry »
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