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Showing posts from May, 2017

Google warns about links in large-scale article campaigns

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Lately, we've seen an increase in spammy links contained in articles referred to as contributor posts, guest posts, partner posts, or syndicated posts. These articles are generally written by or in the name of one website, and published on a different one. Google does not discourage these types of articles in the cases when they inform users, educate another site’s audience or bring awareness to your cause or company. However, what does violate Google's guidelines on link schemes is when the main intent is to build links in a large-scale way back to the author’s site. Below are factors that, when taken to an extreme, can indicate when an article is in violation of these guidelines: Stuffing keyword-rich links to your site in your articles Having the articles published across many different sites; alternatively, having a large number of articles on a few large, different sites Using or hiring article writers that aren’t knowledgeable about the topics they

3 Awesome Reasons Why Businesses Need Social Media

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Social media has revolutionized the way people do business, maybe even more so than the telephone did, way back in the day. Every day, we find new and potentially better ways to incorporate social media into our daily lives, and this doesn't go unnoticed by most of the social media networks we use. To keep up with user demands, each of the primary social media platforms (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.), needs to constantly evolve. If they weren't continually developing enhancements and improvements, they would quickly lose their relevance in today's marketing world. And if they lose relevance, their users will lose interest. This all bodes well for businesses that plan to use, or are already using, social media as part of their marketing strategy. Social media for business is growing more popular - just as it has for individuals. Even though some people still consider social media for business to be a passing fad or trend, most of us know better by no

The Top 8 Digital Trends to Watch in 2017

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The  digital world  is dynamic and allows businesses to push the limits and seek continual improvement. The entire industry moves at a breakneck pace, meaning you can't look backward even for a second if you want to keep up. To help you move past your competitors, we’ve curated a list of the top digital transformation insights from 2016 that could shape the world of digital in 2017. eCommerce re-platforming We encounter this often. The survival of an  e-commerce business  requires re-platforming. Essentially, re-platforming is migrating from a current e-commerce platform to another with the objective of creating competitive advantage in an increasingly disrupted and complex digital marketplace. Mobile moments Mobile moments are short-but-frequent instances of need when customers reach for their mobile devices to get what they want as quickly and accurately as possible. It’s these moments that marketers must capitalize on because many of these moments are I-want-to-kno

5 steps for entering the social media jungle

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Let’s face it, social media is a world of its own. From viral videos of animals to brash tweets from celebrities, the social sphere is impossible to escape. But more than that—it’s hard for new brands to make headway in an already overcrowded jungle. Yet whether you are B2B or B2C, a mom and pop shop or a global business, your customers are online. There’s no ignoring the power of social media. Rather than fight it, join it— strategically. If working with an integrated digital marketing agency isn’t in the cards for you, follow these five steps for creating and improving your social media presence. Step 1: Stop, look and listen Before you tweet, post or share anything, become an observer. Survey the social landscape to find your competitors (you know who they are), your allies (like non-competing or complementing brands), and your target audience. For the latter, ask yourself: What channels do they frequent? Do they engage with other brands? How often do they post or

5 Benefits of Social Media for Business

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As of early 2017, there are over 3 billion internet users - and over 2 billion of them have active social media accounts. Popular social platforms have become marketing giants and offer benefits that have made social media mandatory for businesses.  Here are the top 5 benefits of social media for business: 1. Gain valuable customer insights Social media generates a huge amount of data about your customers in real time. Every day there are over 500 million Tweets, 4.5 billion Likes on Facebook, and 95 million photos and videos uploaded to Instagram. Behind these staggering numbers is a wealth of information about your customers—who they are, what they like, and how they feel about your brand. Through daily active engagement and social listening, you can gather relevant customer data and use that information to make smarter business decisions. With Hootsuite Insights, for example, you can gather information across all your social networks in real time—allowing you to gauge cu