Keyword Research – part 1

SEO tips, marketing strategies No Responses »
Feb 092011

This is the first part in a series where I’m going to be exploring how to do Keyword Research and generate good leads – particularly for anyone with a new or planned website. It’s true that keyword phrases can make or break a business that relies to some extent on search engine leads.

Why Pay for a Research Tool?

Since I’ve been using Market Samurai tool for nearly a year now, I’ve realised the information that is missing from the free Google Keyword Tool (albeit Samurai still relies on this tool for some search data)… that is both handy and vital to have.

One is ‘OCI’ commerciality – this variable measures the likelihood that searchers could be buyers. (Don’t fret, we’ll cover this later). Two is the ability to see Competition levels, Trends, and Adwords prices all in one screen.

Learn How to Use Professional Keyword Research Tools

Click to see helpful videos about the 1st Golden Rule – How to Find Relevant Keywords with Market Samurai. It’s really good for beginners. I like how they compare it to panning for gold. So true!

After this, go straight onto: 2nd Golden Rule – How to Find High Traffic Keywords

You will then be able to distinguish what defines a high traffic keyword – so you can cherry pick the niche markets/words for you to work on. You won’t believe what you will find out about Google searches!

If you’re running an online business, you’ll need either the correct SEO copywriter or this Market Samurai tool to be in the top 2% of all websites.

Other Relevant Posts:

Building Links for Better SEO

Search Visibility 2: Building a Theme with Keywords

Posted by Jennifer at 1:02 pm Tagged with: , ,

Blogging for Business

Small Business Brisbane, marketing strategies No Responses »
Nov 302010

It may be time to think about blogging for your small or online business. Brisbane-based business owners are naturally skeptical about the need, time, and return on investment that blogging will have.

Having a blog manager and writer can at least remove the concern of time. However, one of our friends in business – Landscapers Greenscene Gardenscope – have managed to write their own geographic-focussed blog (albeit with a landscaper’s English), build their backlinks, and move up the rankings purely through “doing a little bit quite often”.

Others simply cannot afford the time or headspace for blogging, and can’t get their head around social media. Never fear, there are a hundred reasons why a professional blogger can save you time and increase your blog’s profit potential. One of the best reasons is… they keep going when you simply cannot, because their livelihood depends upon it.

Profit potential is the hidden potential that blog traffic will turn into attuned, happy to pay customers – i.e. the best kind.

Today I’ve written up “So You’ve Got a Blog – What Now?”. This two page PDF will walk you through the marketing to-dos, gives you some topic starters, and also includes what your Blog Writer does, if you’re lucky enough to have me on your outsourced team. Call Jen on 07 31030238 for a blog writing quote.

So You’ve Got a Blog – What Now

Posted by Gino Lancaster at 2:28 pm Tagged with: ,

Referrals, Speeches and Sales Pitches

Small Business Brisbane, marketing strategies No Responses »
Nov 052010

We’ve all seen the graphs and heard people say “word-of-mouth is the most powerful marketing”. Why then, do we still risk cold mailouts to bought lists, persist with cold calling and hit-and-miss newspaper/print advertising? It seems like madness.

Last night I attended “How to Get a River of Referrals”, a workshop by Lindsay Adams of the Referral Institute. I was actually impressed with how many benefits there are from having referral partners (frees your time, costs little, more visibility, more credibility/trust with prospect)… just as I was impressed with the obvious experience, helpfulness and jovial spirit of the man himself.

No sooner did I walk in than I was greeted with a handshake/intro and asked what I did, and 5 seconds later he offered my first referral for an alliance partner.

Not only did he ignite interest in what I do for everyone (thanks), but he used most of the attendees or their careers as living referral examples. Sidenote: when you feel welcomed, heard, and entertained, you don’t mind at all hearing about what the other person has to say about their programs and offerings.

Compare this with many other talks you might have been to where the speaker tried to appear ‘the expert’ and throw out big numbers or use industry jargon without trying to relate it back to you. One speaker recently lost me because he was talking to a room full of solo professionals (apart from 3-4), talking about HR management issues.

Whether presenting to one or 100, if you want to really help people, ask pertinent questions. The answer/s will help you frame your talk. Using their name makes them pay attention, and using their business as an example enables them to see the possibilities. You probably won’t have to ‘pitch’ in the standard way, more explain than sell.

And for Referral Partners of Red Planet Design: 10% commissions on project or commission exchanged for copywriting/blogging – does that sound like a good choice?

Posted by Jennifer at 9:27 am

Finding the Right Niche to Ensure Ongoing Demand

Small Business Brisbane, marketing strategies No Responses »
Oct 292010

Recently I’ve been meeting people who describe themselves as “internet marketers” or someone who is launching an “online business/portal”. It seems practically everyone has a web project they’re working on for the long term goal of… making passive income! (Except for my 5 year old – her website really is for fun).

And why not, I say! Passive income is so 21st century.
Let’s look at what you can offer, why offer it, and what it may bring you.

Specialise Narrowly
You probably know your niche already – it’s what you do for people everyday. But hey, if you’re sick of what you do professionally you need to find another passion – and supply information that many people are in need of.

Hook into a Demand Area
Obviously there has to be a demand, with limited supply. You can even create a demand by being the pre-eminent authority in your field. Do your keyword research, trend research (Google Trends), and you will find ideas as well as help narrow your niche even further.

What you want is a demand that’s not temporary (like iPhone manuals), but something that’s evergreen, like kids party decorating.

Case Study – Productive Gardens
Our case study shows a clever, practical person hooking into a growing ‘evergreen’ trend.

David Borthwick, a keen gardener, started Productive Gardens to share that anyone can grow herbs and vegetables at home in minimal space. He’s grown his little empire, with both physical products and eBooks called Vegetable Garden Doctor, Raised Garden Beds, Natural Pest Control, Stacking Gardens, and more.

He has a blog, a follow-up email system, video tips, newsletters etc. By the look of his very cute custom website, he’s doing very well. See www.productivegardens.com.au/blogs/news.

When I talked to David at a food show, he clearly talked about what value you get from this garden within a short time. As well, he picked up email details from passersby by offering a tiered garden system as a prize.

So you can see how the alignment of your values, your passion, and a popular trend is the right niche to fulfill your passive income dreams.

Posted by Jennifer at 2:16 pm Tagged with: , ,

Business Networking in Brisbane

Small Business Brisbane, marketing strategies No Responses »
Sep 062010

Many service businesses and consultants would realise the power of meeting business people at a business networking or luncheon event. Before I give you some more local places to meet professionals, here are three quick tips for making your networking useful:

1.  Don’t thrust a business card out when you are introduced. Save it to the end of a delightful conversation.

2.   Listen and ask questions about the other person’s business. When they tell you about their troubles or specialty, respond with genuine interest e.g. “I didnt know that”, “I can see that”, or “so that’s what a patent lawyer does”.

3.  Open the door to the future. When it comes to your turn to talk, try not to overwhelm them with your industry knowledge, instead speak about what results you have achieved for clients quite like themselves. (This lets the other person connect the dots and ask for your card or appointment).

Local Networking Events – Northside and Redcliffe

Meetup.com provides numerous local interest groups run by individuals, sometimes sponsored by businesses.  The idea is to introduce yourself, see if you and the group is aligned, and then go to a meetup – or suggest your own meetup in the local area.

Families in Business.  Families in Business organiser is presently out of town, but I am trying to organise a meeting at Woody Point monthly (Saturday 18th Sept), particularly for parents in business, who find it impossible to go to morning breakfast meetings. Marketing focus. Please show your interest now!

New! Business 2 Business Brisbane meetup will meet at Chermside South.

For those more centrally located:

http://www.meetup.com/Home-Business-Ideas-Brisbane/ Entrepreneurs unite

http://www.meetup.com/WordPress-Brisbane/ Introduction to WordPress and all it can do.

Other Independent Networking Events

Ray White host a North Lakes networking monthly meeting with no cost or obligation. Next one has a speaker (Renee of Zestee Concepts) but also allows for networking discussion. It’s on Tuesday 7th September 2010, 10 am at Nessies, Evergreen Centre, North Lakes. For more information, call Lem 0404 859 426.

Business Connector hold regular monthly meetings at North Lakes, and Angie is holding a special event for small businesses – a free 3-hour marketing expo at Kallangur. To discuss websites, what is SEO, marketing solutions, etc.

When: Monday 13th September
Time: 6pm – 9pm
Where: Norths Leagues Club, Kallangur

Book with angie@garnish.com.au.

Posted by Jennifer at 10:40 am Tagged with: , ,

Search Visibility Part 2: Building a Theme with Keywords

SEO tips, marketing strategies No Responses »
Jul 142010

Building a Theme with Niche Keywords

Many people have a simplistic view of keywords. Just putting two word phrases commonly searched for onto your website isn’t enough. You need to attract the right visitors from the right selection of keywords.  Search engines are actually quite clever at working out themes through indexing methods, saving you the job of over-thinking keywords.

Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) is an indexing method that identifies patterns in the relationships between terms and concepts. Words used within the same context (i.e. ‘new computers’ and ‘MacBook Pro’) have a relationship. With this relationship in mind, you can organise a keyword list into themes of related keywords. It’s pretty much how our mind likes to work anyway.

From those themes, your site’s best structure and content will start to emerge.

Tools to Help You

If you don’t have the benefit of your own consumer research, there are tools to help derive keyword relationships, like Google’s Wonderwheel. Wonderwheel, listed on the left side of Google.com search results, shows related keyword phrases that can be used to build subpages within each of your categories. (Just click to show the wheel’s results).

Chris Anderson’s 2006 book ‘The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More’ explains the theory that its best to concentrate on the smaller, more focused end of the customer movements/sales chart (i.e. the long thin tail). Since this book come out, every Internet guru has been talking about how to apply this methodology to internet search (keyword research).

As you assign related keywords based on their relationships, it may be you end up with several long-tail keyword phrases. This is a good thing. Achieving rankings for one or two-word queries (e.g. ‘web design, ‘landscape gardeners’, ‘car sales’) are important, but most experienced marketers have found they  generate the MOST targeted clicks and BEST sales conversions from three- to five-word queries (web design Brisbane, landscape design Sydney).

What I do is use the Market Samurai tool to investigate more three-word or longer keyword phrases. If you’ve got money on the line, then I suggest spending some time to research current market trends and keyword searches… it’s better than fumbling in the Internet darkness.

Posted by Jennifer at 1:54 pm Tagged with: , ,
Older Entries
© 2012 Red Planet Design Blog - Small Business Marketing Suffusion WordPress theme by Sayontan Sinha