The Internet marketing experts at On Target Web Solutions are proud to announce our new line of Internet marketing classes.  Our classes will be held at the San Pedro Retreat & Conference Center located at 2400 Dike Road in Winter Park, Florida.  We have announced three unique courses and and are now accepting registrations.  You can call 407-830-4550 and speak to Kellie our registrar or register online at http://www.orlandointernetmarketingclasses.com.

Here is a partial list of our courses:

May 20, 2009: Internet Marketing 101
Internet Marketing is constantly changing as new technology emerges. In this class, we will talk about what Internet Marketing is and why its important; latest trends of internet marketing and how it can help your company. Take together with the Blogging and Google class to maximize your marketing efforts.
read more

May 28, 2009: Blogging Basics
What is blogging and why is everyone doing it? Blogging has become a useful resource for company’s on the internet. In this class, you will learn how blogging can help you and when it can hurt; why your blog content is so important and how often you should be blogging.
read more

May 28, 2009: Understanding Google & All Of It’s Tools.
Google is a complex Search Engine that offers many tools for your company. From understanding Google organic searches, pay per click, tracking your visitors to sitemaps, this class will help you to better understand Google and all it has to offer.
read more

We hope to see you at one of our courses!

Do you know what your customers are ready for online? Would your customers rather read about you in a blog or chat room or actively engage you in twitter or facebook?  One of the most important aspects of Internet marketing that is all too often overlooked is defining your customers and understanding who they are and more importantly, what they are ready for on the internet.

What will trigger your customers to take an action online? Take a few moments and check out this customer profile tool from the book Groundswell: If you don’t take the time to define your prospects or customers, you could be spinning your wheels online through your internet marketing efforts.

Are you an expert in your field? Do people come to you for expert advise? Now is the time to tell the world about your expertise.  The Internet is an excellent vehicle for instilling confidence and promoting yourself as the local expert.  Here’s some tips to start positioning yourself to be the local expert:

1.) Call it like it is.  There is no shame in calling yourself an expert, when people land on your web site, let them know you are THE expert.

2.) Back It Up.  Content is king online, the more content that you can contribute to your web site, to press releases, to your blog or even your twitter account, the more authority you have.  Back up your expertise with some expert articles on your chosen field.

3.) Contribute.  Be a contributor to news articles or blog articles online. Not only will your reputation grow, you can help build inbound links to your web site to ultimately help with your web site organic search engine marketing.

A press release can be a tremendous way to help enhance your ongoing SEO efforts.  It is very important to note however, that online press releases need to be NEWSWORTHY and not spam. Think about it this way: the whole goal and / or purpose of your web site is to convert visitors into prospects and / or clients, so to put out garbage in order to attract them to your web site is pointless.  I think many people miss the boat all together and look to attract ‘QUANTITY’ to their web site, not ‘QUALITY’.

Consider telling the world about the following and create a buzz:

1.) Your new products / or services that are innovative and how they will help MY LIFE.
2.) How your products or services will benefit ME, not YOU.
3.) How your company’s new community involvement will benefit ME, not YOU.

Do you see the pattern above? It’s not about you, it’s about the benefits of YOU to your prospects, or ME. A well written press release has the potential of driving quality traffic to your web site and has the potential of being picked up by the media which would translate into greater overall exposure.

Need help telling your story? Trust the internet marketing and online pr experts at On Target Web Solutions of Orlando to help share your story to your target audience. Call 407-830-4550 today.

I seldom review books here, but I have been reading Groundswell: Winning in a world transformed by Social Technologies.  The book is all about utilizing social medias and technologies to help portray your online image. This is essential reading for all companies who are seeking to manage their online identity.

Some Other Reviews:

“Groundswell is jammed with big ideas, useful stories, and quotable stats. This is the new industrial revolution. Are you on board?”

-Seth Godin, author, Meatball Sundae

“This book will rock your world, if social technology hasn’t rocked it already. It’s a tsunami of unstoppable force. Amazon, Procter & Gamble, Facebook, Google, and Dell are profiting from the crest of the wave. Are you? Li and Bernoff are the apostles of the tsunami. This book will be your bible.”

-Scott Cook, Founder and Chairman of the Executive Committee, Intuit

Groundswell provides practical advice on how to stay nimble and flexible in an ever-morphing digital world. Enabling your company to respond to change quickly especially when talking to and supporting your consumers is essential for business success.

-Cathie Black, President, Hearst Magazines

“The first phase of the Internet was about getting everyone connected. In this next phase, which changes the way we work, live, play, and learn, we re starting to realize the value of those connections as well as the new communications and experiences those interactions lead to the human network. Groundswell effectively documents this shift and underscores the opportunities available to all from this major market transition.”

-John T. Chambers, Chairman and CEO, Cisco

“Heed the Groundswell! It’s critical reading and helped us master the new dynamics of social media.”

-Christina Norman, President, MTV

“Groundswell is a comprehensive look at the tidal wave of change engulfing marketers. Nobody should attempt to engage the newly empowered and emboldened consumer without first hearing what Li and Bernoff have to say on the subject.”

-Clark Kokich, CEO, Avenue A | Razorfish

“Social technologies and the groundswell impact every business and organization worldwide. Li and Bernoff have written an insightful book that takes a refreshing research-driven approach to helping businesses transform themselves and successfully navigate this new dynamic landscape.”

-Steve Rubel, Senior Vice President, Edelman Digital, and columnist for Advertising Age

Here’s a link to the book on Amazon.

You may not realize it, but by blogging a few times a week, you are feeding Google, MSN, Yahoo and other search engines with rich content.  Search engines crave content and are seeking to provide it’s searchers with relevancy and unique new ’stuff’.

As you are blogging, be sure to utilize some relevant keywords and key phrases in your copy, there is NO NEED to go overboard here, but try to imagine what a prospect and or client would type in to find your products or services.

Another good tip, anchor your keywords into the relevant section on your web site…. For example: Orlando Internet Marketing.  Note the keyword phrase is linked to the relevant keywords.

Happy blogging!

Internet marketing is evolving rapidly: each day that goes by is a missed opportunity to tell your company’s story online.  Is your company doing something remarkable? Did you just introduce a new product? Is your company generating compelling news? 

The rules are changing.  You are in charge of the ‘news’ that your company is generating.  Take that news and get it disseminated online.  Online press releases are a tremendous way to improve your web site’s overall inbound links which can help your web site climb in the organic search engine rankings.  The important thing: Online press releases still need to be as compelling as offline releases, consider hiring a professional to generate your online story. Consider On Target Web Solutions Of Orlando, your Internet Marketing experts.

When it comes to organic search engine marketing or (SEO), your domain name can play a role in how well your web site is indexed in the search engines for a particular keyword.  Here are a few pointers when choosing your domain name:

• Try to get a keyword in the domain if at all possible
• Don’t choose extra long domains
• Try and register the domain for a few years, not just one.  Search engines want to know that your domain will be around and won’t be ‘fly by night’.
• Try your best to stick with .com and then .net. (If both are available, I recommend buying both)  Don’t buy a .org unless you are a non-profit organization.

We know that choosing a domain can be quite a chore, but if you put some thought into it from the beginning, you will truly be better off in the search engine rankings down the road.

The Will It Blend series from Blendtec has to be one of my favorite prime examples of how a well executed marketing piece can be disseminated around the world and improve overall brand recognition.  Since the onset of the Blendtec blender “Will It Blend” series, the company has reported a 700% sustainable growth. 

One thing I keep asking myself: can you actually set out as a company to ‘create’ a viral marketing piece? I think that the piece should be remarkable, I think the piece should be unique, short and sweet, but I think that if marketers over think the viral component, they try to hard and may not achieve the desired ‘viral’ result. There has to be some natural type of NATURAL uniqueness that compels EVERYONE to want to share the piece.

Watch BlendTec’s Marketing VP, George Wright explain the success of the campaign in this short video.

It’s not about you or your company online. 

The Internet is all about the individual, the rugged individualism of our society shines for all to see online.  Why do people watch you tube videos? Because it’s funny to THEM.  When you are marketing yourself online, it’s never about YOU.  It has to be 100% all about THEM : Them being your prospects, your customers, the people who pay your paycheck.

Watch this quick video from Seth Godin on internet marketing before you run out to publish your next video of yourself talking on your web site: