| Foot Prints on the Web

Kickstarter vs. IndieGoGo: Film Funding 101

Allen Resha — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 00:15:30 +0000

Today two young ladies were working excitedly talking about raising money for their film. It inspired me to write this post about the two most popular film fundraising sites on the web. My first venture with film funding was with IndieGoGo and I learned quickly to do my homework! My second campaign that I assisted in was very successful and taught me a lot about the in’s and out’s of crowdsourcing. This has prompted me to write this series on KickStarter vs. IndieGoGo. Today in part 1 we will talk about Film Funding.

What is Film Fundraising?

There are many ways that one can raise funds for a film. They can invest their own money or they can use what most deem as OPM (Other People’s Money)! Now if this was you which one would you prefer? Obviously you would probably choose Other People’s Money! For the aspiring writer and film make OPM is hard to come by. You could go the investment route whether it be angel investments or venture capitalists. The hard part is WHY would somebody invest in your film if you aren’t known? It is very, very hard to find investors if you fall into the “aspiring filmmaker” category. So what options do you have?

Well you could always throw up a website and reach out to everybody you know to donate to your cause on PayPal. Now if you know a lot of rich people who believe in you (or people who would be willing to invest that may not be rich), but do you think you would actually make the money you need? The answer is probably NO!
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The new way that indie film makers are going is this new thing called film funding or crowdsourced funding. The two most popular sites on the web for this are KickStarter and IndieGoGo. The question is which one do you choose? The answer depends on many variable that I will go into length about in later posts.

Why Use Crowdsourced Film Funding?

The advantages of using Film Fundraising go on and on. Now with KickStarter you either make it or you don’t so you better be sure you can raise the money. With IndieGoGo you can choose Flexible Funding which allows you to collect the money no matter if you make it or not.

The Good:

Tax Free: Any funds you collect through crowdsourced film fundraising are 100% tax-free because they are donations (or pledges as they are called).
Builds Audience: Through funding your film through a site like KickStarter or IndieGoGo you are building an audience that loves your project or film.
Pre-Sale of Movie: One of the biggest perks given away is copies of your film through digital download, DVD, or BlueRay. This is very important when it comes to later distribution!
People With $0 Can Make a Full Feature Movie or TV Show: Whether you are an experienced film maker or an aspiring film make this allows you the opportunity that wouldn’t be available. You can make YOUR FILM or TV SHOW without any money (or experience for that matter)!
Respect: Now I know this is something that maybe argued by the “Hollywood” world, but by successfully raising funds and doing the above items you will get MUCH respect from the film community. If you do your campaign correctly then you can even be featured in News outlets which adds a lot of “production value” to your film
Film Festivals/Distribution: The last but maybe not thought about by most is the fact that it allows you great leverage when it comes to distribution of your film. Now some people will want to go straight to distribution while others will want to enter the film into a film festival. The most important thing is you will be able to take a high quality piece of work that ALREADY has an AUDIENCE to the film festival or to distribution. It makes it a lot easier to sell!

The Bad:

Make or Break with KickStater: If you don’t successfully raise the money on KickStarter you will either be made or broken. You must hit your goal when raising funds on KickStarter. It is very important to go for an achievable amount and ensure that you have a very well designed page! Rewards are very important too! (I will go more into detail what it takes later in this series.)
Costly: You really need to have a marketing budget to do a successful campaign. One of the keys to success is a strong PR and Marketing strategy. Now you can do it for free, but I HIGHLY SUGGEST YOU INVEST IN MARKETING! First it gives you money for paid avenues of marketing (PR, Social Media, Etc…). The second key things that is if you won’t invest in your project how do you expect others to as well? INVEST IN YOUR PROJECT! It is worth it.
Time Consuming: Running a campaign and pre-campaign for film funding can be very time-consuming. In fact if you want it to succeed you must put 110% effort into it. If you have a group of people on your film/TV project then I suggest that you pick the one with the most CLOUT to run the campaign. Whoever is the one that is better in the public eye or know more people have them spearhead the campaign. This doesn’t matter if it is your lead actor or producer! Another thing to remember is YOU MUST HAVE THE ENTIRE TEAM on board. From the producer to the smallest actor. Now I know many will argue “this isn’t possible”, but I think the more people you have on your side the better!
YOU MIGHT NOT RAISE THE MONEY: I know this is something that you can’t let be a negative that stops you from trying, but you have to realize that not everybody succeeds. In fact MORE WILL FAIL than will raise the funds needed. You have to be ready to try again and you better not set a production schedule based off the end of the campaign and receiving funds. You haven’t raised the money until it is in the BANK!

Check back soon as I will continue this series through out this week and next.

Let me know what you think. Leave me a comment below! Let me know if you have run a campaign and succeeded. If you failed at a campaign I am interested in your thoughts as well. If you need help running a campaign feel free to reach out and ask questions!

My Blog Sucked

Allen Resha — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 04:26:24 +0000

I am embarrassed to admit that I made every mistake a blogger could make on my business blog (worst place ever right?)! So after months of shame and only showcasing the fact I was “Front Page Google”, I decided to fix it!

Why Did My Blog Suck?

My blog was ugly first of all. I set it up then I got busy with clients and let it go to the way side. I made excuses and eventually after months of procrastination today I made major movement in fixing my blog. The first thing I did was fix it so it wasn’t so UGLY!

Now the other main reason my blog sucked was that it didn’t have the correct type of content. I was writing for Google and NOT FOR YOU!

MAJOR MISTAKE! Write for people first, then for Google. If people find your blog and they don’t like what you write then they are going to bounce! (Click Away, Go Watch a funny YouTube Video, etc…)

What I Have to Do to Make My Blog Never Suck Again

The first thing is I have to treat my blog like my BABY! I have to feed it. I have to burb it. I even have to change it’s diaper sometimes!

Simply put I have to keep updating and making it better daily. I have to add GREAT CONTENT that YOU want and NEED to read!

My Apologies!

For those of you who have read my blog and have came back to check it later to see it was dead in the water I owe you my sincerest apologies. Tomorrow I am going to do what needed to be done a long time ago!

I am going to complete a blog blueprint and have content flowing! Not crappy content. Fun, Engaging, and stuff you want to share with your friends!

If you content sucks why would anybody want to share it! Don’t have sucky content!

I NEED YOUR HELP!

As a creative marketing agent I need to know what you want. What is challenging you? What questions do you have about marketing? What can I do to help you out? I seriously care and I want your opinion. So please go below and comment! Send me and email, text, write me a letter. Whatever you got to do to get me what you need I WANT IT!

What Is Your Business Reputation?

Allen Resha — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 23:56:24 +0000

Have you ever stopped to think of what people think of your business? What are people saying about your business? If you haven’t don’t worry you are probably aren’t the only person.

Your Business Reputation

Your business reputation has a big part in if people decide to do business with you. Either you have NO REPUTATION, A GOOD REPUTATION, or A BAD REPUTATION. Most people don’t want to have the first or last so what do you do?

The easiest thing is to get yourself listed on the popular directories so that people can rate your business. The great thing about getting yourself listed in business directories, besides the fact that you can build your reputation, is that it helps you get found by people and also is very good for search engine optimization.

Directories and Your Business Reputation

So now that you see that it is important to be listed in business directories you have to decide what directories are worth getting listed in. Well don’t worry because I have done the hard part for you. I am going to give you a list of the top directories you need to be listed in. The good thing is that most directories are free.

The first directory that you need to list your self in is Google Places. Google places will allow you to have a listing in one of the top directories on the web while letting people be able to find the location of your business. This not only helps you to rank in the search engines, but also helps you to be found as far as your physical store location. It will help you to get more customers and also help people to be able to see that you are a reputable business.

Google Places

You also want to get listed on Bing’s Local. As well as Bing you need to get listed on Yahoo!’s Business Directory.

Bing Local
Yahoo!’s Local

What Other Listings are Important to Building a Strong Reputation for my Business?

One of the other top directories is Yelp. Yelp is one of the most used directories by consumers when looking for places to eat, places to buy things, and when traveling. Many people use it via their mobile phone when making a decision of where to go. You should ensure that you take the time to setup your profile on Yelp.

Yelp

The next listing you should be concerned with getting listed in is Merchant Circle. Once you have yourself listed then it is all about ensuring you customers know that you are listed and getting the to tell you how they feel about the services and products that you are providing.

Merchant Circle

This works for two reasons. It helps you to learn how your customers feel about you and to improve your business. The other thing that being listed helps you do is to help build the reputation of your business.

If you need help figuring out what is your business’s reputation or you want helping setting up the profiles on the important sites feel free to contact me. I will gladly help you out.

Social Media Equals Conversation Plus Value

Allen Resha — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 14:01:26 +0000

Social Media Equals Conversation Plus Value

I have recently started to get back into social media. As an online marketing agency it is not just a choice, but now a requirement that has came with the changes that have taken place across the web. The busy life of a marketing and web design have caused me to neglect not only my blogging, but my social media presence which is NO GOOD!

I figure that I will start my day today fresh with both some GREAT CONTENT and some SOCIAL MEDIA! So where do we begin? Well let’s talk about what is going on in the Social Media and Search Engine Optimization World!

What Is Happening With Social Media and Search Engine Optimization?

Google has made many changes in it’s search algorithm and the effects of the feared Panda and Penguin are being felt across the web. With these changes Google has launched it’s own social media platform Google Plus. Google (and all search engines for that matter) are now taking into affect social media in it’s search algorithm. The more buzz you are getting in social media then the more likely you are to rank for keywords. Social Media Optimization and Search Engine Optimization have collided.

If you have been logged into Google lately you will notice a lot of the search results have items that have been Plus One’d in Google’s social platform. If you log out (or change your search settings) you will find that the search results are altered. With many people using Google’s email platform GMail you must take this into effect. Although you can’t see it right on the search pages im the background Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and the new player Pinterest are playing a large role in positioning in the search engines.

Why am I telling you this? If you aren’t using social media optimization properly then your search engine optimization efforts will be less effective! Why spend hours doing your research and using the correct search engine optimization practices to get ranked when you will lose out by NOT using social media optimization?

Where Do I Begin in Social Media?

I have found myself asking the same question this morning as I begin this quest to reconquer a beast that I once loved! What is the beast? Social Media! My conclusion after some reading and long hours of thinking is Facebook!

Facebook currently as of April 23, 2012 hit 901 Million Users, according to Mashable.com. So the best place to get started is where the people are! The next question that many will ask is WHERE do I start on Facebook?

I have a very simple answer that I give to anybody (funny thing is I have been so busy that I haven’t been taking my own advice!) and that is to start a conversation. I am writing this from a local coffee shop. Pretend that somebody just sat across from you with their favorite beverage. Your eyes meet and they smile at you. You already have something in common because you are drinking coffee at the same place. What would you do? What would you say?

Simply just start a conversation! Start with a “Hello, how is your day?” or whatever you would normally say!

Now let us go back to Facebook. It works the same way. Your probably have a Facebook account and you probably have friends on your Facebook account. Simply look at the chat bar on your right and pick somebody you haven’t talked to in a while and ask how they are doing and see what happens! To put my money where my mouth is I am going to do it now and give you a report on what happens!

6:22 Me: Good Morning. How is your day going?
6:22 Friend: good
6:22 Me: Great to hear! I was just doing some work and figured I would reach out and say hello to you and see if there was anything I could do for you today?
Typing…
6:23 Friend: Response Omitted for Privacy Reasons

The thing is you get the point. In a matter of 60 seconds or less I started up a conversation and am still engaged with the person! So what I showed you does work! I proved it right here while doing this post!

Social Media Equals Conversation Plus Value

So let’s analyze the conversation I just had. I started with a simple, “Good Morning. How is your day?” and from there I started a conversation that is still going on. I provided value by asking if there was anything I could do for them today. And it is moving from there. The conversation is still going!

The point is that you just be you and have a natural conversation. People get lost when they see the cursor blinking in front of them and the feeds scrolling across the screen. I will admit I have been there and still get there. With in 5 minutes and a blog post I have turned my social media around!

Call To Action!

So now that you have seen how simple it is I am going to ask you to do something. Well I am actually going to ask you to do 2 things! Can you do 2 things? I promise it will help you out!

Reach Out to Somebody on Facebook! Start a conversation and provide value in your own way! Then see what happens! If the first person doesn’t respond keep in mind they may have stepped away! Try another friend!
Leave me a comment and let me know what happens! I want to share in your success! If you get stuck leave me a question and I will try to help out! (You can always follow me on Facebook! ===> Click Here!)
I look forward to your response and also updating you on some more social media tips soon!

Also…

I am a full service marketing/web design agency located in the Hollywood are of Southern California. If you need help with social media optimization in the Hollywood are please feel free to contact me!

Website Design and Marketing Company in Hollywood

Allen Resha — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 06:22:34 +0000

Are you in need of a high quality website? Are you searching for answers, but left confused by all the options available? Foot Prints on the Web is a website design and marketing company in Hollywood. We work with clients from individuals, actors/actresses, producers, small businesses, medium sized businesses, and anybody for that matter. We work to provide a high quality website that meets your needs at an affordable price.

Website Design and Marketing Company in Hollywood

There are a few factors that you need to consider when choosing a website design and marketing company. There are many options available out there. It can be rather confusing when you start looking at the options available. The most important thing is that you find a company that will work with you to make your Vision a reality. You want to find a reliable and creative firm to help you. When choosing a website design and marketing company you want to look for a company with both knowledge in web design and also in marketing. Marketing has many aspects to it to include Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Optimization, Search Engine Marketing, Social Media Marketing, and many other ways to market your site. Depending on your needs and vision will determine what you will need.

Web Design: When looking for a web design company you need to find a company that will create a unique website that will best represent your brand. There are a lot of companies and individuals out there. You need to find the one that will work with you to create a site that is professional, functional, and that you can use to get a ROI on your web presence.
Marketing: You need to find a company that will not only build you a high quality representation of your brand, but also that has knowledge on how to market your website.

Why Foot Prints on the Web is THE BEST CHOICE for Website Design and Marketing Company in Hollywood?

Not only will we build you a unique website that represents your brand, but we will also create a marketing plan to help you and your business get found. We will work with you on your budget to develop a plan to build a website that represents your brand and creates a solid presence for you on the web.

We also will implement proven search engine optimization and social media optimization that will help grow your online presence. This will be done by creating a plan and also showing you, the client, how to help us in the process of sharing YOU and/or YOUR BUSINESS with others. We will build a solid client base that is engaged and helps you to grow your business. Conversion is of the highest priority.

So if you are ready to begin contact us today to get you started! We work with local people in the Hollywood area and also world wide. When looking for a website design and marketing company you need to not look any further!

What Is A Blog and Why You Need A Blog

Allen Resha — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 07:24:21 +0000

If you read this whole post I have something awesome to offer you! But don’t cheat and scroll to the bottom!

When I first stepped into the social media realm I noticed people were sharing links to their blogs on Twitter. First of all I had no IDEA what social media really was and I had no clue what a blog was. I knew what a website was because I took a class in high school, but I didn’t know what a blog was. Social media grew on me and I realized that anybody that was anybody online had a blog. I first started out with one blog and then another. It got to a point where I had a bunch of blogs and had NO IDEA how I was going to keep creating content for all of them.

The thing that got me most excited was my Xynga blog. I was blogging about anything and everything. The site had a cool feature that allowed you to see how much traffic was coming in. I was getting 1000′s of views per week. I could post something on my blog and within minutes to an hour I would have hundreds of views. It really didn’t matter what I posted people would come.

So What Is A Blog?

A blog is simply a website that you post articles on. The easiest way to look at it is a magazine. Each time you post an article you put a page in your magazine. Now where a magazine is limited to pictures and text a blog opens the doors to all sorts of things! You can post links, pictures, videos, and virtually anything! There are so many multimedia items that you can embed on a website now that I could write a whole post on content for a blog.

Now there are two types of blogs. The first type of blog is a free blog that is hosted on another site. The most popular are WordPress, Blogger, Tubmlr, Posterous, and the list goes on. The second type of blog is a self hosted blog. To have a self hosted blog you have to have your own domain, hosting, and then a platform to host your blog. I suggest WordPress. I have tried every blog platform there is and WordPress has proven to be the best. It is an open source platform that has so many features and themes that the possibilities and integration are endless.

So back to the question what is a blog…

The great thing about a blog is that you can make it anything you want! You can sell things, you can tell a story, you can show people what your business has to offer, or you can even promote YOU! The possibilities are endless! The main thing is that you have to set it up properly and you have to put out content that people will read. As I mentioned previously my first blog got 1000′s of hits per week, but I later learned that it didn’t matter HOW many people came. What mattered most is that you get new traffic, keep people coming back, and you get them to stay on your site and check out your AWESOME CONTENT!

So Why Do You Need A Blog?

Well to be honest with you a blog is a big responsibility! It tells people who you are, what you do, and what you have to offer. When you register a domain and start a blog you must realize that it can’t be a short term thing. If you don’t have a plan in mind you are going to do things that will be detrimental to you. First you will waist money. Then you have to look at the fact that you will be telling people that you don’t care about your work. Your blog is your online business card and tells people a lot about you! Now if you are in a business this can be even more devastating to your brand. The thing that most don’t realize is that you don’t have to put out content every day. My suggestion is that you put out content at least every other day. This will help you build an audience and it also helps out greatly with Search Engine Optimization, which will help you get long term sustainable traffic.

So you don’t own a business. You don’t have a product you are selling. You are just an average person. So Why Do You Need a Blog? Well the question is something that you have to answer yourself. The thing is a blog will help you out in life. You can use it to tell your story. You can use it to be an outlet where you escape your day to day life. You can also use it to share something you are passionate about. Blogging for me started out to be therapeutic. I am starting to get back into regular blogging and it is helping me a lot!

So now if you read all of this and you didn’t cheat I am offering something for a limited time. In order for me to build my portfolio and to help people get started in the world of blogging I am offering (1) free self hosted blog to the first 25 people who ASK for one. There are some requirements, but I will tell you all about it when you ask! Just drop me a comment below with your REAL NAME, REAL EMAIL ADDRESS, and WHAT YOU WANT THE BLOG FOR I will email you within 24 hours. Look forward to hearing from you!

High Quality Websites that are Affordable

Allen Resha — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 04:00:45 +0000

I have been super busy lately and have not been blogging like I would like to. My life and my business has caused me to have to work on things one task at a time. Good thing is my time is opening up and this is allowing me to work harder to reach my goals in web design and marketing. I have set a high goal, but I know that I will achieve it and that in doing so it will help others! My goal is to create 30 websites (and get 30 clients) in 30 days. Now don’t let my high goal fool you for a minute! These websites will be high quality websites that are affordable. I am doing this to build my portfolio. My biggest challenge I am facing in my business is not having a diverse portfolio to show people my talents.

High Quality Websites That Are Affordable!

So this goal of mine creates a great opportunity for you! Whether you are in the entertainment industry, a freelancer, a small or medium sized business, or any kind of entity that needs a new website or redesign this will benefit you greatly! I am working with people on a low budget to create a high quality website to add to my portfolio. I have a system in place that allows me to create these websites for my clients within a timely manner and the end result be a high quality marketable website.

So do you need a website? Do you need a blog? Do you need help redesigning your website? Do you need marketing? Well if the answer is YES or MAYBE to any of those questions you need to get in contact with me. I can meet you if you are local or I can work remotely.

The first thing I do is find out your vision for your website. Then I find out what websites you like and why you like them. Next comes my favorite part! I take all of that and I make your Vision come to life and be live on the web! Depending on the size of the project I have a quick turnaround time. If you have the content available I can have the website up, SEO Optimized, Social Media Optimized, and ready to show people who you or your business are in 24 to 48 hours (sometimes in less time)!

The Other Guys

You could go with the other guys. There are many people that will provide you with high quality services and will create high quality websites for you. The question you need to ask yourself is this. “Why should I choose this person/company to create my website?”

Once you have asked yourself that you need to look at what they offer. Are they available to help you out after the website is done? Do they ensure you are 200% satisfied? Do they treat your website as if it was their own personal website? Another thing question that most won’t answer or think of is this. “WHY DO THEY DO WHAT THEY DO?”

I am available pretty much anytime to help you. I resolve all issues in a timely manner and ensure you are 300% satisfied! The product I create is a High Quality Website that is affordable. Now for the last question of WHY, it is simple for me. I do it because I love it! Of course it is income for me and I have bills like everybody else, but I do it mainly because I love to take somebody’s vision and dreams and make it a reality. I like to create Foot Prints on the Web for my clients! I create something that is unique, user friendly, and something that will help that person have a good web presence and make their VISION come to life!

Well if you are ready to begin and want to contact me I am here! Shoot me an email here ===> High Quality Websites Now!

Why Should Foot Prints on the Web Be Your SEO Firm in Hollywood?

Allen Resha — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 10:41:33 +0000

In forming a marketing firm I have realized that I have a lot of competition. I have competition both locally and all over the world. Many people create websites, many people can run social media campaigns, and many people can do Search Engine Optimization. So the question that you must ask your self when looking at Foot Prints on the Web is, “Why Should Foot Prints on the Web be your SEO Firm in Hollywood?” Well I want to explain, but the answer is not so simple.

Number 1 Reason Foot Prints on the Web Should Be Your SEO Firm in Hollywood

The number one reason you should choose Foot Prints on the Web to be your SEO Firm in Hollywood is the methods implemented. There are so many ways that people approach SEO. Search Engine Optimization is at best a beast that can’t be tamed. But just like riding a bull people do it. Our approach is very complex but objective so that even if the parameters of the search algorithm change we can quickly adapt. I know that to the average reader that sounds confusing so let me break it down a bit.

Search Engine Optimization is simply the optimization of your website (and business for that matter) so that you can be found by people when they search. In today’s technology driven world a business or even individual must be able to be found. Whether you are an actor and trying to book gigs or a small business trying to build a larger client base YOU MUST BE FOUND. As consumers we have changed the way we think. We research and we look at the cost versus quality of the product or service. We also look at factors like customer service. Now many look at SEO as stand alone. I look at it in conjunction with social media optimization because the two are quickly becoming intertwined. Now to keep this simple and so that anybody can understand I will give you an easy example.

I am looking to buy an Apple laptop. I need one to create mobile applications. Now in the past people would look at ads in the Sunday paper or just go to the store and talk to a sales person. They would look at the information provided and make a decision. Now there are so many options. I can buy a used on EBay. I could order one from an online store. The possibilities are endless. So I already know I want an Apple laptop. Now which one do I need to do what I want? Well I have an idea so I will first will go to Apple’s website and look at laptops. I will narrow it down to the model I want and the features it has. I will then Google Apple and the laptop I am looking to purchase. Now as I write this I am going through these steps. When I Google MacBook Pro Reviews I get the following results on the first page:

Now I stopped at 5 and skipped to 10 for a very important reason. Many people will look for reviews on YouTube. Face it in today’s society people want to find the information quick and watching a video is a quick way to find out what you need to know. Now more than likely I (or anybody for that matter) won’t go further than the top 5 results. The top 3 results are the most clicked on links in the search engines. In the search for information and in the decision making process people will utilize this information to make a decision. Now the next step in the process will be price research and then to check out what others are saying about the company they are thinking of buying from. It is then that a decision is made. This is when the person makes the purchase. If you are not found then your business will miss out on sales that your competition will capitalize on.

Our calculations revealed an 18.2% CTR for a No. 1 rank and 10.05% for No. 2. CTR for each position below the fold (Positions 5 and beyond) is below 4%. An interesting implication of our CTR curve is that for any given SERP, the percentage of users who click on an organic result in the top 10 is 52.32%. This makes sense and seems to be typical user behavior, as many Google users will window shop the SERP results and search again before clicking on a domain. – source SEOMoz

I put my focus on Localized Search Engine Optimization and also long tail keywords that will get you in the top results quickly and with work you will stay there. That is the MOST important thing in SEO. Getting ranked and then to stay there. (Kind of my inspiration of naming it Foot Prints on the Web because I create foot prints on the web to help people get found!) Now I am versed in the other areas of SEO and am capable of doing them, but why spend a lot of time and money for that matter on trying to beat big sites. You will get much more target traffic that converts from localized SEO and long tail keywords.

I know I went off on a tangent, but I wanted to show you WHAT WE DO and WHY. it is a big reason that you should take a serious look at hiring us to take care of your SEO needs.

The Other Reasons Why You Should Choose Foot Prints on the Web as Your SEO Firm in Hollywood

I will keep this brief since I went into a lot of detail in the previous part of this article. I think that if you have read this far you are seriously looking for somebody to help you have a better web presence. You are looking to utilize Search Engine Optimization to get growing Organic Traffic to your website. We utilize ethical SEO practices to help you get that traffic to your website. We don’t pay for backlinks and we don’t utilize unethical means of getting traffic. While many firms will guarantee instant front page Google, most of them employ techniques that may get you results but will have devastating effects on you long term.

In order to continually offer you the best results we stay on top of the last updates to Search Engine Optimization. We follow the top blogs and firms along with the search engine blogs to ensure that the practices we are utilizing are the best possible way to get you traffic and ranking in the search engines.

If you have any questions or want to get started please feel free to contact us. You can leave a comment below or contact me directly.

Video Marketing 101

Allen Resha — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 01:10:36 +0000

Video marketing is one of the best ways to market your business. With the increase of views on sites like YouTube and Vimeo it is important that you implement video marketing into your marketing strategy. YouTube is positioning to have more searches than Google in the up coming years. The growth in views and searches on YouTube is large and growing!

What is Video Marketing?

Video marketing is simply the use of sites like YouTube and Vimeo to upload videos to promote your business or website. Videos are a great way to connect with customers and readers. With the growth in popularity of media usage on websites it is very important that you understand exactly what video marketing is. You can utilize videos that tell about the products and services you offer. You can also utilize the videos to have customers give testimonials from your current customers.

The first thing that important is that you setup a YouTube channel. Utilize the name of your company or website and also ensure that you upload your logo to the channel. Also make sure that you give information about your website, company, products, services, and you can also give links to your social media channels.

What Should You Do To Get Started with Video Marketing?

To get started with video marketing you should create some videos that tell about your business. Also you can record customer testimonials which will prove powerful. They will act as social proof that your business and products/services have value. Once you have created the videos you want to upload them to the video sites. The most popular video sites are YouTube and Vimeo. It is easy to setup accounts with these sites. For YouTube you can use your Google login to setup the account. As stated above make sure you put as much information about your business, products, services, website, and social media sties on the profile. You also want to upload a logo of your business/website and setup a custom background.

Once you have setup the profiles and recorded some videos then you can upload them to the sites. The sites will allow you to upload via the net and you can do it pretty quickly. Once uploaded make sure that you utilize good keywords so that people can find your YouTube channel and videos. The same process of keyword research that is used for Search Engine Optimization is applied for videos as well. Utilize words that will get you traffic to your site. It is also a good practice to embed the videos on your website. You can simply copy and paste the embed code from the YouTube. The paste it into your website. This will allow you to be able to share your videos on your site. Another good practice is to utilize Annotations to put a link to your website.

Once you have setup an account with YouTube you can do the same with Vimeo as well. Most of the same processes apply to Vimeo as with YouTube.

This will get your video campaign started. You want to share you videos on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites. This will drive traffic to your videos and also will drive traffic to your website as well. It will give you valuable exposure to your business and what you have to offer.

If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave them below. This should give you a good start at video marketing.

Mobile Marketing 101

Allen Resha — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 03:24:27 +0000

Mobile Marketing is one of the most effective ways to engage potential clients and existing ones. With the rise in use of smart phones mobile marketing will only increase in the coming years. If you are not already engaging in mobile marketing campaigns then you need to read this article closely.

What is Mobile Marketing?

When you first look at mobile marketing you will see that they are many different options available to reach people through their mobile devices. The first method is to ensure that your website is mobile friendly. Go ahead and take out your smart phone or your IPad now. Plugin the address to your website and look at how it appears on the mobile device. Can users read the text? Is it easy to navigate. This is the first place to start in mobile marketing, your own website.

Mobile marketing is very simple, but on the same token can look complex from the outside. It is simple utilizing strategies to reach potiential and existing clients (customers) on their mobile devices. Whether it be Android, IPhone, IPad, or any host of other devices that exist today you need to have a strategy in place to connect with them. As stated earlier the first step is to have a website that is able to be viewed on mobile devices. You want to ensure that your site is easy to view and navigate from the mobile device. This will begin you mobile marketing strategy.

So Where Do I Begin?

The first thing you need to do is to look at your target market. If you are a local pizza place then you need to do a few simple things to have your business mobile friendly. It is a rather simple strategy but will prove effective. Start off by ensure that you are listed on all the top location and directory sites. Begin with Google Places, Bing Business Portal, Yelp!, FourSquare, and Facebook (Your Facebook Fanpage will be part of this process).

The next step is to look for niche specific sites to where you can list your business. The best way to get started is to do a simple Google search to find directories and sites. You want to find high ranking sites and ones that people are using. This will help you because these sites rank high with in the search engine and are places people go when they are trying to find information about a business. The next step is to inform your existing customers about your listings. Let them know to write reviews to tell you what they like about your business and ways you can improve. This is a great feedback forum and also way for others to see your customer loyalty. Make sure you respond and reward your customers for their feedback.

In conclusion mobile marketing is here and it will only grow. You can either utilize it to leverage the reach to your target audience or your competitor will. Later on in future posts I will go over more in depth forms of mobile marketing. For now I just wanted to keep it simple. If you have questions or comments please leave them below. I will be glad to help you out.