When to Use Branded Keywords for Your PPC Campaign

A company’s brand name comprises many things. Aside from the people that make up the company, it can also include the clients or customers it serves, the company’s mission/vision, its message, etc. When a brand wants to effectively market itself, it will need to determine which marketing channels to focus on and when. 

Regarding pay per click marketing, how aggressive do you need to be to get your brand’s name out there? Should you allot a huge portion of your PPC budget on branded terms? The answer is: It depends. 

Granted, people will probably find your brand in organic results, and it’s certainly important to note that branded PPC tends to be fairly inexpensive (they can be as inexpensive as a few pennies), but ask yourself this: Do your competitors bid on YOUR branded terms? If they do, then you should be doing the same. 

 Even if potential customers can find your company in organic searches using search engine results pages (SERPs), if a competitor uses your branded terms, they could reach these customers first and eventually steal away your click – and target market. 

The more SERP real estate you can take up, the better. Even more impressive is if you can line up your message across organic listings and SERPs so that your message gets to your customers twice in and around the same place.

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What Online Reputation Management Can Do For You

It is important to establish your business on all available online platforms to generate a strong online presence. While this helps increase your online reputation, managing all the platforms you are utilizing can be a time-consuming task. Therefore, investing in online reputation management services will provide you with a solid reputation while you focus on other important aspects of your business. 

Online reputation management companies do more than just build your brand and deal with bad feedback. It is a complex process that needs constant monitoring. Checks on your brand name will be done regularly and results will be reviewed carefully. This allows online reputation consultants to find negative content immediately and nip unfavorable issues or content in the bud before it escalates. 

 If an unfavorable content does manage to find its way into a platform you control, it can easily be removed so as not to rank on search sites. An online management consultant also employs several techniques such as publishing high-quality content to push bad reviews out of page one of search engine results. Social media and blogs are also utilized not only to strengthen engagement with online users but also to rank for your brand name. 

Never underestimate what a few unfavorable reviews can do to your online reputation. Keep in mind that online reputation management services from established companies can effectively protect your brand and image.

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Web Design Services: Websites Need to Balance Beauty with Efficiency

This can be done with the help of Responsive Web Design (RWD), which allows websites to remain coherent and readable when viewed from various resolutions. To illustrate: a picture that appears perfect in a 10-inch laptop screen would normally be cropped or cut so that it can fit in a 4-inch smartphone screen. With responsive design, that same picture can simply zoom itself out when viewed on the latter, its shape being relative to the size of the screen.

Companies that offer responsive website design services can create websites that follow best usability practices in order to make the user’s experience as seamless as possible. Websites that follow best usability practices avoid unnecessary clutter, which allows the user to focus on the most important information on the site. In many ways, achieving a balance of beauty and efficiency is the main goal of web design trends this 2014.

http://alignedrightmedia.com/web-design-services-websites-need-to-balance-beauty-with-efficiency/

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How to Build Your Brand with Social Media Marketing

Ways you can Build up Your Brand with Social Media Marketing

Who doesn’t own a social media account? In these modern days, for someone to admit that they don’t have any presence in social media is actually more peculiar than the contrary. For the budding business, this fact represents an excellent opportunity to efficiently reach out to the majority of its target market. Should you hire a reliable social media marketing company, they will likely advice you to promote your brand using these techniques:

Build a stable brand voice

The best way to ensure that you can instill your brand in your prospective customers’ minds would be to form a solid brand voice and stick to it throughout all the products and services that you offer. What does your business stand for? How will it support and advocate the cause that you have chosen?

Persistence pays off

Even the best businesses can easily be lost in memory, what with the amount of information that just about anyone can access nowadays. Battle this by keeping your brand marketing consistent and regular throughout the social media platforms you’re using.

Content is king

Of course, you can do all this by making sure that you manage to develop quality content for your customers to read or see. This can be in the form of articles, photos, videos or other media. Just make sure that the content you’re posting is always relevant to your products and services, though.

Always remember that social media marketing is your portal to reaching out to your customers on an individual level, much more so than any other form of marketing before it. Take this opportunity to accept customer comments or queries, and demonstrate just how “human” your business is by taking the time to reply to them.

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Dynamic Social Media Marketing Services: Social Media Trends for 2014

In essence, SMO involves getting in touch with other people through the use of social media—like social networking websites, RSS (rich site summary) feeds, and online blogs. However, what makes SMO unique is that it requires consistent communication with network contacts to remain effective. In other words, it’s not enough for a company to simply open its own Facebook page and send out invites.

The company has to release promos, news stories, and other informative bits of info that will engage the target audience, and transform leads into customers. Such a task may prove too laborious for business owners to carry out—which is why online marketing firms like Aligned Right Media can lend a helping hand. Done correctly, SMO strategies from a reputable social media marketing company can reinforce brand awareness, create a larger customer base, establish a following on social media, and generate favorable web traffic—which in turn leads to increased sales and profitability.

http://alignedrightmedia.com/dynamic-social-media-marketing-services-social-media-trends-for-2014/

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SEO in 2014: The Focus on Content

Search engine optimization or SEO is a vital ingredient to establishing a successful online brand. However, just about any SEO service is not an automatic web traffic and income generator. Changing algorithms and updates have to be accommodated into a business’ internet marketing model, such that the website continually reaps positive reinforcement from search engines. To that end, adapting to new guidelines and practices is recommended for every website that aims to attract visitors and convert them into loyal clients. 

This year, experts forecast that content is going to play an even bigger role in getting indexed by web crawlers, and consequently notching top spots. Page-centric content, in particular, must be a special consideration. This means that every page in the entire website must satisfy search engine crawlers, as well as provide users with a great experience. 

SEO for 2014, as such, should be focused on striking a balance between adhering to technical requirements and imparting a good read to website visitors. Businesses that require help, where that is concerned, can turn to SEO professionals. With the guidance of an expert, businesses will be able to chart a comprehensive plan of action that will address these two elements, as well as guide them toward turning into an industry leader.

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Free Ways to Market Your Business Locally

Internet marketing promises a lot of rewards to any business that is smart enough to harness its full potential – and every entrepreneur is aware of this. What some of them do not know, however, is that it does not even have to be costly all the time. While specialized services require dedicated funds, there are still many platforms that can help you market your offerings to your locality – for free!

• Google Places. Serving as the local listing results of the search engine, Google Places grants businesses the chance to publish their name, website URL, and opening and closing hours – among other information – at no charge. 

• Social media. Creating a social media profile for your products or services is one of the best things that you can do to grow your brand, and without having to spend anything. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and YouTube, in particular, are recommended. 

To step up the advantages offered by these free platforms, having a good local marketing model is necessary. After all, having your target audience find you may not necessarily mean closing a sale. To that end, there are many consultants that you can seek advice from, so that you can successfully build your business name, and steadily boost your profit.

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Timing is Very Important When it Comes to Pay Per Click Marketing Ads

The key to this is planning. A marketing strategy that incorporates PPC might benefit from focusing on a smaller niche of people, preferably a company’s target market, rather than casting a wide net. Next, the demographics and Internet habits of this niche should be observed so that marketers can have a better idea on how to time their ads perfectly. In most cases, multiple PPC ads are created and tested to see which of them will rake in more visitors at certain times or days.

For example, a company that sells chocolates needs to have general ads that are run every day and special ads designed with a Valentine’s Day theme to attract their young female customer base. Because of this versatility, most dynamic pay per click management services use PPC ads in tandem with other marketing tools like search engine optimization and web design.

http://alignedrightmedia.com/timing-is-very-important-when-it-comes-to-pay-per-click-marketing-ads/

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The Importance of Online Brand Management

The Significance of Online Brand Management to a Business

In the past, making a brand known was done through marketing methods such as television commercials, ads published in print, product placement, sponsorships, and more. Suffice to say, it required a lot of time, resources, effort to get the word out on a brand, and whatever products or services were associated with it.

Now, with the continued advancement of technology and communications, there have become plenty of ways to get the word out. The main method, for obvious reasons, is the internet. Apart from having your own website, your business can be present on online directories, have its own social media profiles, and be featured on websites for your industry, among others.

While a complete marketing plan is commonly a combination of both traditional methods and that of online, the use of the internet also requires a certain amount of management. As information is passed around online at what can be considered instantaneous, businesses must also tread carefully when marketing using the medium. One misstep, such as false advertising or a couple bad reviews, and the way a brand is perceived can immediately change.

This is the reason why online brand management is necessary, to ensure that the information is correct and up to date within a company’s online properties and whatever marketing campaigns they embark in. This also allows the business to control or minimize the damage that is a result of unfavorable reviews from customers or false claims from competitors.

As more and more people choose to review products and services online before they make their purchase, using reliable online reputation management services can help you ensure that the information that reaches your customers about your brand is mostly positive, helping make your company easy to remember and drawing in more customers.

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Saving Face: How Comprehensive Online Reputation Management Helps

While the Internet is an effective way to market a business, it also happens to be terrifyingly efficient in ruining reputations. It takes just one negative online review or a scathing blog post to effectively disseminate libelous content regarding a business. To dispel the negativity and restore a business’ integrity, companies can approach certain firms like Aligned Right Media for online reputation management services.

Contemptuous remarks online can’t be deleted so easily, and could even spread like wildfire over mediums like social networks. Businesses can minimize the damage to their reputation by being transparent with their consumers and offering to correct mistakes. They can also repel negative remarks on the Internet with the aid of a competent online reputation management company.

http://alignedrightmedia.com/saving-face-how-comprehensive-online-reputation-management-helps/

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How to Hire Internet Marketing Consultants

Getting online marketing consultants to oversee your website is a good plan, but the question is, how do you hire a consultant in the first place? Are there certain qualifications he or she must meet? Does the SEO agency you’re turning to for help have a good track record? The ability to come up with creative solutions to draw in customers is just one side of the coin. You have to look for experts who provide surefire ways to promote business growth. There are a few things you need to consider when finding the right SEO team to help with your business endeavors. 

1. Set goals – Before turning to a marketing consultant, be sure to set realistic goals or draw up a clear plan for your business. 

2. Ask for referrals – It always helps to do research before hiring a professional. This can be done by looking into the service yourself, conducting searches or asking fellow business owners about their experiences and suggestions. 

3. Conduct thorough interviews – While interviewing an internet marketing consultant, you must make sure to ask the right questions. It is important to discuss their preferred strategies, previous work, and the benefits they can bring to your company. They must be able to describe their process in detail. 

 After you’ve gathered all the necessary data, you can discuss rates and projects to be carried out. You must seek out companies that are established in the industry.

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An Important Reminder on Online Marketing

“Now, explain it to me like I'm a four-year-old.”

So what does a quote from a 1993 popular movie have to do with online marketing? Answer: it should remind online marketers and companies to explain or use terms that their audience will understand. Not that the audience are four-year olds, but it should be that the information presented to them are easy to comprehend. 

According to a SearchEngineLand article, for example, online marketers know terms such as search engine marketing, SEO, or website marketing. When many people search online, however, they use terms such as search engine rankings, website promotion, and search engine optimization expert. Yet, all these terms are essentially interchangeable. 

The article has another example: used cars. Dealers and some of their commercials use a term such as certified pre-owned car, which Google lists at under 15,000 searches a month. However, people still use the term “used cars” when searching online for replacement vehicles. In fact, the term has approximately 1,000,000 searches every month. 

Thus, the lesson here is to know what words or terminology customers understand. Doing so not only helps online marketers and companies to explain themselves better, but to explain in a way that makes sense to their target market.

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Boost Marketing with a Creative Search Engine Optimization Company

Entrepreneurs can no longer afford to ignore the vital role internet marketing plays in achieving success. They’ll need to maintain an online presence in order to stay competitive and entice local consumers to choose them over the others. To do all this, they’ll need the services of a capable search engine optimization company, like Aligned Right Media.

SEO is key to making a business website more accessible and relevant to both search engines and visitors. To put it in layman’s terms, websites that are replete with informative and fresh content are more likely to draw in large user traffic, and convert site visits into sales. As it takes a lot of web savvy and understanding of how search engines work to create a truly refreshing and informative website, entrepreneurs who have difficulty constructing even a decent website should seek out professional search engine optimization services to bolster their local marketing efforts.

http://alignedrightmedia.com/boost-marketing-with-a-creative-search-engine-optimization-company/

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Internet Marketing for Local Businesses

Internet Marketing Services an Integral Part of Local Business

When it comes to running a successful business owners underestimate of what internet marketing services can do for them. As their target market is in their immediate area, many owners understandably make the assumption that they don’t need internet marketing as they don’t need to reach out too far for customers.

What they don’t recognized is that, in this modern age of communications and technology, many potential clients are looking and researching for the products and services they offer online before buying. This is regardless of whether or not the provider of their business is located nearby for these customers’ convenience.

The Basics of Internet Marketing

There are already many proven and creative ways to maximize the use of the internet when it comes to marketing, but for those who are new to it, it is best that they start at establishing an online presence:

1. Establish and Market Your Own Website.

Naturally, a business must establish its own official website to be online. This website will serve many purposes, such as the place where customers can know more about the business, the products and promotions it offers, and make purchases and engage in business. It is recommended that the site’s domain name, and subsequently the content inside it, contains keywords that are relevant to the business to make it easier to find on search engines.

2. Use the Rest of the Internet to Market Your Business

There are many ways to establish an online presence. The most common, and currently most reliable, is to establish a presence on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Digg. By being on these platforms, you can get noticed by millions of users. Another way is to post your company’s profile on online business directories, like those on Google Places, Yahoo Local, Yelp, and more.

Apart from these two basic ways, there are many methods to have an effective online presence and be easily found by local customers. If your business does not have its own marketing team, you can choose to work with online marketing specialists like Aligned Right Media to save yourself time and resources, while have the appropriate online marketing plan for your business.

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Why Small Businesses Need to Focus on Dynamic Local Internet Marketing

It’s no surprise that small businesses are relying on the Internet to market their goods and services since the Web is such a powerful tool for information. However, it’s not enough to emulate the content on the websites and blogs of your more successful peers based on the misconstrued belief that it’ll bring immediate success. Entrepreneurs should implement their own local internet marketing strategies, which have been designed to meet their needs and the needs of their target market.

Websites are the primary means for businesses to market their goods and services online, and they need to be readily accessible to visitors for them to be successful. Adding flair to a website won’t be enough, since it’ll need fresh and informative content to draw in users. Businesses that can’t seem to make an appealing website can always turn to local business marketing firms, such as Aligned Right Media, for web design and local search engine optimization services. This way, businesses can engage the local community more successfully and gain new clients in the process.

http://alignedrightmedia.com/why-small-businesses-need-to-focus-on-dynamic-local-internet-marketing/

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Online Marketing Starter Tips for Small Businesses

One of the best things about online marketing is the fact that the size of your business is nearly inconsequential to achieve it. When armed with the services of a reliable online marketing company and the right strategy, even small or medium businesses could easily rival the marketing schemes of giant corporations. So what exactly makes a good marketing strategy for small businesses? 

Establish a Goal 

 As with any enterprise, goal setting is extremely important. You should first clearly establish what you want out of your marketing campaign – is it to generate website traffic, to connect with your customers, or to protect your online reputation? Setting a goal will help give you a solid direction toward the path of excellent online marketing. 

Content

Major search engines like Google now favor quality content more than anything else. It’s important that your website always has fresh and relevant articles and media, especially if you want to make sure that it will score a high ranking and be placed among the top search engine results. Take note that the key terms here are “fresh” (it should be regularly updated) and “relevant” (it should be aligned to your goal). 

Blog 

How can you put this content requirement stuff to action? Well, one efficient way is to start a blog for your business. Not only is blogging an easy way to ensure “fresh and relevant” content, but it also helps you engage your customers in meaningful discussions.

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What Social Media Marketing Does for You

Since the introduction of social media websites, their applications have been steadily developing into what you know of them today. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and many other social sites are more than just hubs for interaction and entertainment, as they have also become effective tools for businesses to keep their marketing strategies close and relevant to their customers. 

Brand Recognition 

Of the many benefits that social media marketing could provide, brand recognition is perhaps the most important. It’s very rewarding to let people know about your products and services through the ads, photos and content that you post in your social media accounts, giving them more opportunity to see your business as the one to run to whenever they need your products or services. 

Interaction 

The great thing about integrating your marketing strategies to social media sites is that you can connect and interact with your target market just as easily as their friends. Ultimately, this should give them the idea that you are in fact a reliable business that seeks to understand what they need and listen to what they have to say. 

Web Traffic 

Where else could you generate more website traffic than through social media sites? Just post a nice article, an interesting infographic, or even a video or creative photo with links that could bring them back to your website for a closer look. This helps lead your prospective customers to your site so they could get a glimpse of the services that you can offer them.

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How Businesses Can Benefit from Hiring Internet Marketing Consultants

For one, SEO is not merely about knowing the right keywords to use and creating informative and relevant content. Certain rules also apply, and the world of SEO is not a free-for-all. For instance, a business owner who can write well may turn in an interesting piece to read, but when he or she over-saturates this piece with keywords, the site or webpage will likely be flagged by search engines.

Another downside to DIY marketing is that a business owner or his staff can hardly be objective in presenting the features of their products and services, unlike an experienced online marketing consultant. An in-house “techie” employee might also be nominated the ad hoc website designer and might develop what looks like an award-worthy site—but one that doesn’t have the capacity to attract and retain customers, or translate visits to sales.

http://alignedrightmedia.com/how-businesses-can-benefit-from-hiring-internet-marketing-consultants/

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Start Small, Dream Big: Tips on Online Marketing for Local Business

One way to create a successful local SEO campaign is to produce keyword-rich content with geographical references—such as an event or a festival exclusive to an area. With those references incorporated into a website or web page, locals are bound to pay attention, as well as relate to the products or services being offered. Another way to increase visibility within a local market is to create profiles on location-based sites like Foursquare and Facebook Places, and be listed on local directories.

However, it’s important to ensure that the profiles on these sites are updated regularly. Business owners can rely on experienced online marketing firms, like Aligned Right Media, to create and manage their profiles on such sites. With effective internet marketing for local business, businesses can reach out to leads in a specific geographical location and transform them into clients, which of course leads to profit gain.

http://alignedrightmedia.com/start-small-dream-big-tips-on-online-marketing-for-local-business/

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Web Design Elements: What You Hire the Pros For

These days it’s foolhardy to build a website using the basic programming knowledge (if any) you have learned at school. It’s almost impossible to find a reputable website that was made entirely using HTML, now that nearly every other site uses Flash, Java, and other programming languages. However, the choice of code is just one element of a good website design, which you may have assumed as nothing more than layout and presentation. 

User-friendliness is one of the biggest factors that make a good website because a site that is easy to use is always worth visiting again. Tabs and buttons need to be simple yet recognizable. If possible, a user should only click one or two of them to reach his or her desired page. On that note, the website should also have an efficient layout to make navigation as easy as possible. One way to accomplish this is to create a sitemap (i.e. a page containing all of the website’s links arranged in a framework of sorts). 

Despite these things, presentation is still important because a boring-looking website can dissuade visitors. Alternatively, a website that heavily invests on visuals too much may prove to be overwhelming to Internet users. Finding a balance between these two requires the expertise of website design services.

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Social Media: Ideal Marketing Tools

It’s practically inconceivable for your company to not have some sort of presence on the Internet or on social media these days. The latter is even more apparent, now that sites like Twitter and Facebook have been adopted by nearly every major enterprise. It only follows that you too should use social media as a marketing medium. 

If you aren’t inclined to do so, the benefits are sure to wash away your apprehensions. For one thing, social media allows you to get in touch with your customers on a more personal level. This can also be used to complement your customer service functions since you can receive and sort out complaints, suggestions, and comments firsthand. 

Aside from that, social media not only allows you post useful articles and news stories to keep your customers updated, but also encourages other people to share these same articles to their friends and loved ones; thus expanding your reach. 

More importantly, social media are simply what’s “in” these days. People spend more time shuffling around messaging boards, social networking sites, and forums than they used to, which means that it’s only logical for you to reach out to them through the same channels. Any comments or feedback you receive are also in real time, which can give you a better sense of what the rest of the world thinks about your company.

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Make Your Business Heard with Value Added Marketing

More and more businesses are getting in on internet marketingservices. They each have a message to convey and the resulting online din is deafening. How can you make your business heard? Step back from it all.

Consumers have become desensitized from overexposure to hard sell tactics. They are beginning to resent being interrupted from their daily activities just to be subjected to yet another advertisement. The time has come to stop talking at your customers and start talking with them.

A vast majority of consumers do research about a product or service online before making the final purchase. This presents the perfect opportunity to engage with them. They are already willing to listen: all they need is someone to listen to. That could very well be you.

In the good old days of the neighborhood store, the shopkeeper would know everyone who came in. He'd gladly give recommendations on which products would serve the customers better. The sale, though important, was secondary to addressing the customer's need. This is what value added marketing is all about.

What many online marketing services overlook is the importance of meaningful marketing. More than simply selling, it should also be about engaging, educating and entertaining your market. In the diving gear business? Why not talk about the most beautiful dive sites in the country? In the electronic gadgets business? You could talk about gadgets first seen on movies now being brought into reality.

You can't go wrong when you talk about your fields of interest. Chances are, your customers share your views or, more importantly, value your perspective. By presenting yourself as an authority, as someone worth listening to, you stay above the fray of rabid advertising. By truly connecting with your market, you set your business apart and make your voice heard.

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How Dynamic Online Marketing Services Help Businesses Race to the Top

Search engine optimization, or SEO, is another effective internet marketing strategy. Internet marketing companies that offer dynamic online marketing services will prepare relevant and informative content optimized with frequently searched keyword phrases. Successful SEO campaigns can propel business websites to the top of SERPs on Google, Yahoo!, and similar search engines.

While print advertising still has its place in the marketing and publishing worlds, internet marketing has definitely taken over the lead. Business owners that rely upon the services of reputable internet marketing companies can improve their online visibility, engage leads and customers, and increase their profits.

http://alignedrightmedia.com/how-dynamic-online-marketing-services-help-businesses-race-to-the-top/

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Ads That Count: On Pay-per-Click Marketing

While the Internet is a very useful and powerful tool for marketing, it can be oversaturated at times. A lot of businesses are vying for customers’ attentions online, and the fight often boils down to whoever can churn out as much online marketing material as possible. Yet nobody wants to surf the Web while their screens are being bombarded by advertisements left and right; if anything, these marketing gimmicks can even discourage consumer interest. 

Efficient online marketing means that an advertisement can find its way to its intended customers and successfully encourage them to purchase. Putting up as much online ads as you can won’t be an efficient way of reaching out to core consumers, nor would it be an economical method. For a more focused and affordable promotion, businesses should try pay-per-click marketing. 

Pay-per-click marketing essentially means creating an ad that interested customers are willing to check. Of course, the online advertisement needs to be hosted, so advertisers have to bid on what they’re willing to pay for every time a potential customer clicks their link. The right price can convince services such as search engines to place the ads in convenient spots on websites, allowing genuinely interested visitors to check the links while charging advertisers only for the number of times their link was clicked.

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Best Foot Forward: Online Reputation Management

One of the most important aspects of any business is a strong and reliable reputation. A well-known and trusted company name or brand can sometimes be all the marketing a business needs to make sales. However, it’s a lot harder to defend a business’ name now that customers have the freedom to post their thoughts and reviews regarding a business’ products or services. 

Nothing can be more detrimental to a business’ image than website links to negative reviews of the company. Other customers searching for the business on the Web can run into these adverse opinions and it can turn away sales. Companies suffering from scathing remarks can opt to use online reputation management (ORM) services to salvage their repute and help the business start anew. 

The key to online reputation management is to put a business’ best foot forward. Since many Internet users use search engines to find what they’re looking for, they could possibly run into negative reviews during their searches. ORM aims to dampen the effects of these hurtful responses by generating online content that showcases the best traits and features of a business. Companies can hire the services of specialized Web marketing firms to benefit from ORM.

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Grow Your Business with PPC

Traffic is the lifeblood of online marketing. For local businesses, especially startups, this is especially true. When you're trying to break into the market with limited resources available, you have to opt for the online marketing services that would yield more favorable results.

This is the main reason why PPC or Pay-per-click marketing has seen continued growth as a preferred advertising channel. It instantly catapults your website to the top of search results that include any of your identified keywords. It specifically targets people who are already interested in what your business has to offer. This increases the traffic being directed to your site as well as the rate of conversions.

Should your prospective customer click away from your page without any interaction, PPC also provides the solution. Being keyword-based as it is, PPC will deliver targeted ads to the people who have already shown interest in your services. By being unobtrusively persistent, you're given another shot at winning over your prospective customer.

With immediate and quantifiable results, it is easy to see why PPC is an effective marketing strategy. But what makes it even more appealing, especially for small to medium businesses, is that you truly get your money's worth. For pay-per-click services, you only pay for every click received by the ad you're running.

However, PPC is not enough to provide consistent traffic to your website. While PPC is good for attaining instant results, generating sustained traffic requires a more in-depth and long-term approach. Implementing PPC alongside search engine optimization services will give your business the best chance to dominate search results and with it your market.

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The Power of Staying Online and Local

There's no place like home. For most people, there's comfort in living conveniently in their locale, where only short distances must be traveled to meet their needs. That fact serves as the backbone for local listings. Even with the increasing number of people relying on this search engine section, it is surprising to find out that only few businesses have realized the power of staying online and local. 

In the world of search engine optimization, keywords are the tools of the trade. Lately, however, less customers are finding businesses through keyword search. The trending form of search optimization is now happening locally: that is, through local listings in search engines and sites like Google Places and Bing Places. In a comScore Local Search Study released in 2012, Local Search is reported to have grown exponentially from the years 2007 to 2011. 

This strategy of affecting visibility in local listings is called local search engine optimization. Like SEO, it aims to boost businesses' online presence with the more focused intention to place their websites on top of the page to become the top local businesses the search engine endorses to potential customers. 

Specialized search engine optimization companies like AlignedRightMedia.com offer services that can help in your business's online local presence. They can also aid in creating visually appealing profiles, review designed-content, and publicize your promotions, all for your success.

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Tips on Basic Local Small Business Marketing

Unlike huge corporations, small businesses depend on a local target market to gain profitability. When it comes to promoting one's business, it is best to have your own local small business marketing strategies in order to maximize your resources. To know more about marketing, here are 4 basic things to help you with your promotions: 

1. Identify the demographic of your target market and from there focus on efforts how to approach them. 

2. If you are a new business, make sure you are all set up before promoting your company. For those who have their companies already set up, try to re-brand your business and invest in professionals like graphic designers or web developers to do your materials. 

3. Create a blog or a website for online marketing. People nowadays use the internet to look for things they need. Make sure you place important details like an about page, services and products, contact information and directions to your business. If you have a website, create a blog part as well where you can update what's going on in your company. Place attractive photographs and videos and share some tips so that people will read the blog more. You may also put online promotions there. 

4. Do your own free online marketing. Use Social Media like LocalTabs, Foursquare, Facebook, and twitter to promote your business and blog articles. Be consistent in updating them so that it will produce more traffic.

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Hitting the Marketing Bullseye

In order to make effective use of internet marketing services for your business, it is important to identify who your market is. Not having a clearly defined market for your online strategy would be like shooting in the dark: you'll never know if you'll score a hit or not.

Defining your target market is all about knowing who your customers are and understanding what makes them tick. This allows you to better focus your resources by coming up with an approach that is most likely to yield positive results.

Identify your current customer base

Who are buying from you? Find out what interests and qualities they have in common. This will give you an idea on which demographic to zero in on, but don't limit your market just yet. Pinpointing the reasons for their patronage can help you possibly expand your market.

Scope out the competition

This isn't about one-upping your competition. Knowing who your competition is targeting should clue you in on which demographic to not focus on. You wouldn't want to work in an overcrowded client pool. Try and find a niche market they are overlooking.

Assess your products/services

What you set out to provide may not be exactly what your customers need. In that case, it is best to identify which of your products and services sell the best. From there, you can work out who will best benefit from them.

Create a customer profile

Be as specific as you can when creating your customer profile. Being conscientious at this point will pay off later on so dig deep. Include anything that could affect their purchasing behavior such as educational background and marital status.

Find out where your customers are

It isn't enough to simply know who your customers are. You also need to know where they are, otherwise you won't be able to get your message across. Are they mostly professionals who are more active on LinkedIn? Or perhaps they're the younger generation who are more active on Twitter and Instagram?

Identifying your core target market doesn't mean that you're limiting your sales prospects. What it does is it focuses the online marketing services at the demographic that would provide the more favorable returns over time.

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