Knowing Your Target Audience In Your Store and Online
Hey, Josh here from the Internet Beacon. We are a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) firm located in Maryland. What we do, SEO, is a subcategory of Internet Marketing. Similar to traditional advertising, SEO is all about getting your Brand out there. In this case, we’re working to get your website in front of customers through search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing. For more quick, useful information, check out our SEO Answers page, our SEO Glossary, and our blog posts on SEO.
While we here at Internet Beacon specialize in Internet Marketing, what we don’t specialize in is each individual client’s target market. That it not to say we can’t help you with this area. It does mean that if you already know your target market, working together goes faster and smoother. To this end, here are some tips on how to get to know your target market.
First, see who buys your products. This sounds easier than it is, but it is important. If you have a storefront, keep track of who comes in. Then, note who buys things and who browses. If you have a large amount of teenagers coming in to buy things, then you need to make sure you are reaching that market. If your store specifically caters to a particular crowd, like stay-at-home moms, take steps to ensure they are being targeted by your marketing. This will extend to your presence online as well.
Second, tailor your website to reflect not only your business’ offerings, but also the type of clientele you are trying to reach. If your store sells extreme sports merchandise, your website needs to show this. Don’t use boring colors or plain advertisements. This is an area in which we can assist you. We will meet with you and get your feedback on how you want your website to look. From there, we go to work using your specifications. Remember, getting your target demographic to notice you means getting to know… Read the rest
Tags: internet, Internet Marketing, market, marketing, online, seo, store, target, target audience, target market, website
Posted in Internet Marketing, Marketing Plan, Search Engine Optimization SEO |
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 Hey, Josh here from the Internet Beacon. We are a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) firm located in Maryland. What we do, SEO, is a subcategory of Internet Marketing. Similar to traditional advertising, SEO is all about getting your Brand out there. In this case, we’re working to get your website in front of customers through search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing. For more quick, useful information, check out our SEO Answers page, our SEO Glossary, and our blog posts on SEO.
As we’ve discussed in previous posts, keywords are a big part of SEO. They help to identify your site to search engines, and give them something to associate with the web address. For this reason, they are one of the building blocks of SEO. Here are some tips for choosing the keywords you want to use.
Be Accurate
Accuracy is important here. If you are a florist in Baltimore, pick keywords that match your business. Keywords like “flowers Baltimore”, “Baltimore Florist”, etc will be perfect here. They accurately describe what you do and where you do it. If you chose something like “local business Baltimore”, then you will most likely see negative results. That’s because, while you ARE a local business in Baltimore, so is EVERYONE ELSE in Baltimore. You’ve cast too wide a net, and therefore will get lost among the other companies.
Be Specific, but not TOO Specific
Specificity is your friend when choosing keywords. However, if you over-specify, you will likely get lost I the crowd. A great way to think about this is trying to imagine what your potential customers will search for online. If you a store that specializes in comic books from the 1930s and 1940s, then something specific like “Golden Age comic books” would work well for you since it is a specific niche you are filling. However, that same keyword will not bring in people looking for regular comics. As you can see, this part is tricky.
When choosing keywords, make sure you talk to your SEO professional about how you want to describe your business online. They can often make… Read the rest
Tags: business, choosing, internet, keywords, search, seo
Posted in Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization SEO |
1 Comment »
 Hey everyone, Josh here from the Internet Beacon. The Internet Beacon is a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) firm located in Maryland. What we do, SEO, is a form of Internet Marketing. Much like traditional advertising, SEO is all about getting your name out there. In this case, we’re working to get your website in front of customers through search engines like Google and Yahoo. For more information, check out our SEO Answers page, SEO Glossary, and our blog posts on SEO.
Twitter is a very popular social media platform right now. For those who don’t know, Twitter is a micro-blogging service, freely available, that allows users to upload 140 character lines of text for the world to see. Now that the world can see it, does it mean people are actually reading them? Here are some tips for getting more Twitter followers.
Dive In
Find other popular Twitter users and follow them. Then, retweet (repost another user’s tweets while giving them credit) for others to see. Also, make sure to reply to other user’s tweets. This is similar to leaving a comment on blogs. You may see other people follow you as a result.
Be A Trendsetter
Trending topics are a way for users to have conversations with the world about specific ideas. Using a # sign, called a hashtag, followed by a word or phrase, marks your tweet with a topic. For example, if you want to talk about dog training tips, you might tweet “Getting my dog to jump through hoops is really hard. #dogtrainingtips” Then, people who use the dogtrainingtips hashtag will see your tweet.
Look Around You
Putting your location into Twitter will make it possible for other people in your area to find you. Also, with the advent of GPS in phones and Twitter on cell phones, you can search for Twitter users within a specific radius. This is great if you want to get involved in local affairs, but be careful; this will be a search with every local user. Specifying whom you want to track will be a bit more difficult.
That’s all for this week. We’ll see you back next week.
-Josh
Internet Beacon
SEO Baltimore
Tags: Growing Online, Social Media, Tweets, Twitter
Posted in Internet Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Twitter |
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 Hey everyone, Josh here from the Internet Beacon. The Internet Beacon is a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) firm located in Maryland. What we do, SEO, is a form of Internet Marketing. Much like traditional advertising, SEO is all about getting your name out there. In this case, we’re working to get your website in front of customers through search engines like Google and Yahoo. For more information, check out our SEO Answers page, SEO Glossary, and our blog posts on SEO. This week we’re going to talk about popular social news site, Digg.
If you’re not familiar with Digg.com, allow me to give you a quick overview. In essence, Digg is like an improved version of Delicious, a bookmark sharing website. However, Digg is much more interactive than Delicious and much more popular. Users submit news articles, video, pictures, and more to Digg and those items are then posted on the main website. When a user thinks something is worth sharing, they simply “Digg It” and add a vote for it. The higher the votes, the more likely the link ends up on the main page.
The way this can benefit you is simple. First, you need to add valuable content to your website. This sounds more difficult than it is. For example, rather than doing a newsletter to clients, have a blog. Then, you can link your blog, if it fits in an appropriate Digg category. You’ll need a Digg.com account, which is free. Once you submit the link, distribute it around the Internet to your contacts and have them vote it up. Other random users might also see it and chime in.
Once you’ve submitted the article to Digg and have begun spreading the word, there is not much more to do on your end. Every vote you receive will likely translate to one or more page views for your website. Therefore, it is important that what you are providing is quality stuff. The danger of the Internet is that if something is of shoddy design, people are quick to criticize. Bear this in mind when sharing your content with the world.
That’s all for this week. We’ll see you back next week.
-Josh
Internet Beacon
seo Baltimore
Tags: Blogging, Digg, Internet Marketing, News
Posted in Internet Marketing |
1 Comment »
 Hey everyone, Josh here from the Internet Beacon. The Internet Beacon is a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) firm located in Maryland. What we do, SEO, is a form of Internet Marketing. Much like traditional advertising, SEO is all about getting your name out there. In this case, we’re working to get your website in front of customers through search engines like Google and Yahoo. For more information, check out our SEO Answers page, SEO Glossary, and our blog posts on SEO. Welcome back! I promised five more ways to make your business grow using the Internet last week and here we are. Let’s jump right in, shall we?
Stay Plugged Into the News
These days it isn’t enough to read the paper or watch your local newscaster every night if you want to stay up to date on current events. The fact of the matter is that everything that happens these days can be reported instantly via Twitter, Digg.com. etc. Make sure you stay up to date on what is happening in your field. If not, you may be left holding the bag later when one of your business functions goes contrary to current standards/public demand.
Open Up Your Payment Options
Remember when everyone paid cash for everything? How about when debit cards were just coming on the scene? Over time, people’s methods for handing their wealth change and evolve. Because of this, it is necessary to consider how you receive payments. I recommend checking out alternative payment methods, like PayPal for handling some of your financial transactions with customers. This is especially important if you offer services that are a “one-time fee” or a good that can be purchased online.
Offer Live Chat with Customers
One thing that is certain in today’s Information Age is that communication is king. Because of this, a great idea for your business may be offering an online chat function to prospective clients. This could be as simple as using AOL Instant Messenger or as complicated as Adobe Connect Pro. The point is to establish a tangible online… Read the rest
Tags: Business Growth, Customer Management, seo, Tips
Posted in Internet Marketing, Marketing Plan |
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 Hey everyone, Josh here from the Internet Beacon. The Internet Beacon is a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) firm located in Maryland. What we do, SEO, is a form of Internet Marketing. Much like traditional advertising, SEO is all about getting your name out there. In this case, we’re working to get your website in front of customers through search engines like Google and Yahoo. For more information, check out our SEO Answers page, SEO Glossary, and our blog posts on SEO. This week I’d like to give you five tips for growing your business using the Internet.
Perception is Everything
This is true in all walks of life, but especially on the Internet. People don’t get to see the person running the website. All they see is the site itself. If it looks like it was made using a basic text editor by someone’s cousin, that is the impression they get. They don’t notice the actual business as much. For this reason, it is important to have your website designed by a professional. My advice is to start small, and then branch out as necessary. Not every site needs a flashy intro, but they all need to look professional.
Preserve and Optimize your Advertising Budget
Getting your name out there can be challenging on the World Wide Web. It may seem like you are up against anyone and everyone. In some sense, you are. You are up against them for people’s time. So make sure you are taking the right steps to ensure that potential customers see your website before others. To this end, make sure a portion of your advertising budget goes towards Internet Marketing. This is a more and more important part of today’s economy, and you don’t want to miss it.
Build Relationships
While it’s true that your goal is to succeed as a business, few, if any, people can do it alone. This is why it is important to get to know the competition. They may not be as bad as you think. Many might be just… Read the rest
Tags: business, internet, Internet Marketing, marketing, seo, website
Posted in Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization SEO |
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 Hey everyone, Josh here from the Internet Beacon.
The Internet Beacon is a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) firm located in Maryland. What we do, SEO, is a form of Internet Marketing. Much like traditional advertising, SEO is all about getting your name out there. In this case, we’re working to get your website in front of customers through search engines like Google and Yahoo. For more information, check out our SEO Answers page, SEO Glossary, and our blog posts on SEO.
Internet Media
Getting to media online is a bit of a tricky matter. Sure, you can find it anywhere, but that isn’t the problem. The problem is the legality of the source. Today, I’m going to give you some links to websites that offer access to your favorite television programs and music that are 100% legal and mostly free.
LaLa
LaLa is a music service that offers cloud (Internet only) storage of music from your favorite artists. They have a large online selection. You can stream the music to your computer, so that means no hard drive space taken up. All you need is a solid internet connection. You can purchase songs for about $0.10 each, provided you can’t download them. MP3 versions costs a bit more, between $0.80 and $1.30. I’ve used this service for about two months now and am very pleased with it.
Hulu
Lots of people are getting to know about Hulu. Hulu is similar to Lala in that you can stream media to your computer over an Internet connection. In this case, Hulu offers television programs and some movies. All of this is free. This may not be true in a year, but for now, just about every TV show from the major networks is on offer. You can use their service without making a free account, but if you choose to register, you can sign up for notifications about shows you like and when new episodes are available. I’ve used this for over 2 years now and am quite pleased with the service. I wholeheartedly recommend it
That’s all for this week! Now you know a little more about where to get your favorite entertainment WITHIN the bounds of the law.
-Josh
Internet Beacon
Tags: internet, media, music, television programs
Posted in Web Tips |
1 Comment »
 Hey everyone, Josh here from the Internet Beacon. We’re a Search Engine Optimization(SEO) firm located in Finksburg, MD. What we do, SEO, is a form of Internet Marketing. Much like traditional advertising, SEO is all about getting your name out there. In this case, we’re working to get your website in front of customers through search engines like Google and Yahoo. For more information, check out our SEO Answers page and our blog post on SEO.
This week, I’d like to talk about making your website SEO friendly.
Avoid the Photo Album
Unless, of course, you’re hosting a photo album. What I mean here is that while graphics and picture can add a lot to your website, be careful when using them in place of text. Search engines like Google don’t pick up what is inside the image. If it is an important piece of information for your site (i.e. a keyword, area of focus), try using text to represent it. This way you don’t miss out on getting noticed.
Make Sense
I’ve talked about this before, but making sure your content makes sense goes a long way towards successful SEO. A part of our work involves making sure things like keyword density are where they should be. If instead of three solid paragraphs of information, say company history, you have ten two sentence groupings, it will be harder to work with your site. This could involve a large amount of proposed rewrites, which takes more time.
Know Your Site
Using keywords is an important part of SEO. However, you must use the right keywords. If your site is about selling your organic fruit directly to customers, then words like “banana” and “kiwi” will likely come up a lot. However, if you sell bulldog themed neckties, odds are these do not fit. This is important. Part of how your site is ranked is based on the text, so make sure it is relevant.
That’s all for this week. Thanks for stopping by! We’ll see you next week.
-Josh
Internet Beacon
SEO Baltimore
SEO Maryland
Tags: Blog Hints, friendly, seo
Posted in Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization SEO |
No Comments »
 Hey everyone, Josh here from the Internet Beacon. We’re a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) firm located in Finksburg, MD. What we do, SEO, is a form of Internet Marketing. Much like traditional advertising, SEO is all about getting your name out there. In this case, we’re working to get your website in front of customers through search engines like Google and Yahoo. For more information, check out our SEO Answers page and our blog post on SEO. This week, I’d like to talk about creating a buzz in social networking.
Everybody Likes Free Stuff
This is universally true. Whether it’s pens, hats, or coffee mugs, people love getting things for free. Check your desk, odds are you have a pen from a business you’ve visited recently. Promotions on the Internet are similar. You want to give customers something of yours for free so that they come back for more and, at the same time, tell their friends to visit your site. Twitter is great for this. It requires very little interaction on the part of the user, as they simply follow your company name (i.e. @IBeacon) and receive updates from you. Many businesses have used this to attract traffic. They give away free software, consultations, etc. Find what works for you and give it a shot.
People Want the Inside Scoop
Along the lines of giving away free stuff, many people want to know what is going on before others do. You should reward people for their interest in your company. For example, the website Penny Arcade has a mailing list that only sends out a message occasionally, but they always include coupon codes and links that are not publicly broadcast. This is a great way to treat loyal online customers. Try posting a coupon code with limited use on a company Facebook page and see what happens. Remember to plan for a large amount of people taking advantage of these savings. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Make Friends and Influence People
For sites like LinkedIn and Facebook, grouping options exist for people and… Read the rest
Tags: Blog Hints, company, create, customers, Facebook, internet, marketing, people, rss, seo, website
Posted in Blog Hints, Search Engine Optimization SEO |
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 Hey, everyone. Welcome to the Internet Beacon’s blog. My name is Josh. We’re an internet marketing firm located in Finksburg, MD. We specialize in Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO means that we work with you and your website to increase its popularity online with search engines like Google and Yahoo. For more information, please check out our SEO Answers page and our previous blog post on SEO. This week, I’d like to talk about increasing traffic to your blog.
Putting Down Roots
A blog is essentially a journal that’s posted online for everyone to see. Blogs are often a part of a community of other bloggers. To this end, informal communities tend to spring up around blogs that associate with a common theme or idea. Use this to your advantage. Leave intelligent comments on blogs with similar topics to your own. However, exercise caution here. You don’t want to go around spamming other people with links to your site. You will quickly become ignored. Rather, simply join into the online conversation. Most sites will offer you a chance to leave a name and website, so use that as your point of contact.
Stick to the Plan
Anyone who has ever worked on a project will tell you that one of the most dangerous things is Scope Creep. Scope creep means that, in addition to the original goal of the project, there are now more things added to the “to do” list. This is a danger to blogs as well. What started as a great way to share your ideas on kangaroo raising has now branched out into stock tips and personal rants. It can happen to anyone, so make sure that you keep your posts on task.
Meeting the Neighbors
Along the lines of getting involved in a community, get to know the people running the other blogs in your area of expertise. Most people relish friendly competition, and this can turn into a pleasant business relationship. For example, there are many SEO Blogs online. Some of the authors of these blogs get together to exchange information, swap stories,… Read the rest
Tags: Blog Hints, blogs, list, www
Posted in Blog Hints, Internet Marketing |
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