Browsing Category: "resource"
Become a Mentor
marketing, miscellaneous, resource, writing February 2nd, 2009
I always wanted a mentor. I never had one.
Even now, when I hear someone say, “My mentor …” I get a little wistful.
Sure, there were people in my career path who could’ve mentored me, but 20 years ago, it was the age of being a climber. Sorry to say, but the career women in my life were tight-lipped about their success.
In fact, I remember accompanying an editor of mine to a fancy BPW meeting. I was so excited to have been asked to go and it was clear that I was an ankle-biter in a sea of well-coiffed, impeccably dressed (replete with fancy floppy scarf ties) seniors. As I was standing there soaking it all in, a topic came up about finding a young, aspiring writer for a project. My editor-boss she said she didn’t know one.
Hello?!
I was standing right there.
Other people even commented that I might perhaps be a fit and they looked at me with sad eyes that said, “Sorry, she’s being an idiot.”
The editor-boss poo-pooed the idea. (BTW, she’s now a highly acclaimed editor at her state’s largest newspaper.)
So, instead of being bitter (wistful’s not the same as bitter), I’ve decided to give what I couldn’t get. I’ve signed up to be a mentor on www.thecreativecareer.com.
If you’re in the marketing communications field, I urge you to sign up to be a mentor, too. If you’re not, be a mentor anyway. It’ll do you and the world some good.
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Can your web site visitors find you?
content, effective communication, resource, web copy January 28th, 2009
For many, many reasons, I’m an unabashed fan of publicity guru Marcia Yudkin. And, because I’m an affiliate of hers, I have access to some of her resources to share with my readers.
So, today, I’m making Marcia Yudkin my guest blogger and reprinting (with permission, of course) this article. (Be sure to check out the link at the bottom of the article for information about a very special report.)
Location, Location: Geography in Web Marketing and SEO
by Marcia Yudkin
When you’re hunting online for a roofer, bicycle repair shop or optometrist, one of the first screening criteria you use when looking at web sites is “Are they nearby?” You want that question answered in the first five seconds after landing on a company’s site.
Sounds obvious, right? Yet during my judging of sites for the Webby Awards this year (my eighth time), failing to state clearly and prominently where the business operates is a common error, made by architectural firms, real estate developers, a one-state restaurant directory, a regional chain of hospitals, environmental engineers and others.
If you work nationally or internationally, web visitors might not realize that unless you say something like “From our headquarters in St. Cloud, Minnesota, we work with clients throughout North America and Europe.” Or, “Thanks to telephone conference calls and web-based collaboration tools, we can serve you regardless of where you live.”
Specifying your location and service area also helps you rank higher when shoppers search for a provider via geographical words. When you have a location-relevant business, don’t use only one geographical phrase, use many of them.
For instance, let’s suppose you have a pest-control business in Milford, Connecticut and serve customers within a 20-mile radius of your headquarters. One option that would help you come up in web searches would be to list all the towns you service. You could place such a list in a sidebar column and introduce it with “Getting rid of bugs and rodents in…”
Besides naming towns where you operate, you should think of general terms for your area, including the name of the county, the nearest big city, town neighborhoods and any local nicknames for your surroundings, so that you incorporate phrases like “Greater New Haven,” “New Haven area,” “New Haven suburbs” and “Naugatuck Valley.”
Where should you insert your location terms when location is central to your business? Always insert your most important location term in at least these four places: 1)Your graphical top banner. This is the picture that appears not only on top of your home page but also on top of major every page of your site. 2) Your page title. This is the wording that shows up in the upper left corner of your visitor’s browser. 3) Along the bottom of every page (designers call this the “footer”) along with your telephone number. 4) On the Contact page.
In addition, search engine optimization experts recommend you include location words: 5) In the alt-tag for the site’s top banner. The alt-tag is the little label that shows up when a user puts their mouse over an image. 6) In alt-tags for other graphics and photos included in the site. 7) Wherever appropriate, in photo captions. A caption is the line or two below a photo that identifies what’s in it.
Finally, try to include at least your most important geographical term in page headlines and subheads. These should be coded with the html command “h1” and “h2,” respectively.
By taking these measures, you maximize the chances that people looking for what you sell where you sell it can find you online. You also maximize the chances that when they reach your site, they realize quickly that you operate in the area they’re searching for. You then have the opportunity to turn your web site visitor into a customer.
Marcia Yudkin is the author of 11 books and publisher of the popular newsletter, The Marketing Minute. Ideas and techniques for getting found in geographical searches are part of her report, “Do-It-Yourself SEO: 16 Simple Tweaks That Increase Search Engine Traffic to Your Site.” It’s easy to follow and just $29.95: http://www.1automationwiz.com/app/?Clk=2705549
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Buzzword got your tongue?
miscellaneous, resource December 19th, 2008
Years ago when I first heard the word masstige, I could barely contain a small snicker over what I thought was a ridiculous, made-up word.
I’m so glad I kept my composure because though it is a made-up word per Merriam-Webster, it’s very much a part of the lexicon of cosmetic to car marketers.
Thanks to BuzzWhack you, too, can privately learn (and perhaps laugh) over today’s super-hot buzzwords.
Now if only I could get them to add my personal favorite buzzword … Jantastic!
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What’s your big, bad, ugly?
content, effective communication, resource, writing October 21st, 2008
What’s your biggest, baddest, ugliest communication/copy challenge?
What, specifically, would you like to know about getting great copy or communicating more effectively?
What can’t you seem to accomplish with your communication/copy?
Post a comment here and I’ll answer the best questions in future issues of my Get Great Copy e-newsletter.