NaNoWriMo 2009
What is that mess of letters in the title?
NaNoWriMo = National Novel Writing Month
It starts in a couple of weeks. I have thrown my hat in the ring. I’m not sure why. I have never written a novel and I don’t have an outline.
However, I do love to write and do a lot of it. Mind you, most of my writing is copywriting–getting customers passionate about buying. Can it be that much different? Yes.
I also love to read and Stephen King says that is the key in his book, “On Writing.”
So, I am going to give it a try. It is a 30 day race to 50,000 words and hopefully my first finished novel.
If you are participating it would be great to connect–add me as a writing buddy.
Helping More Internet Customers Find You
Do you even know what your Web URL is? Do your customers? Probably not, but that’s okay–assuming Google knows where it is.
Here is a quick test to see if we should be talking.
- Go to Google
- Be a customer looking for your products or services
- Type in a search to find what you are looking for
- No luck? Try again
- …and again
Did any of those searches show your website? If you are like 95% of business I talk to, “No” is the answer.
Search Engine Marketing
Search engines are the number one way people find what they buy on the Internet. If you do not have a consistent strategy to market you products and services through these popular search engines you website is anonymous.
Without a search engine strategy your website is just another zombie, adding little value and invisible to consumers that want to buy.
A good Internet marketing campaign is one that consistently produces and distributes relevant, valuable, customer targeted content to the major search engines.
Improving Search Engine Rankings
Getting your business to show up in the search engines more frequently and higher in the search results is a steady process. Here are a few important elements to get you started:
- Make sure your website has customer relevant content
- Register with the search engines and local directories
- Regularly update or generate news feeds on your website
- Encourage other websites to link to yours for relevant topics
These kinds of activities tell Google, Bing, and Yahoo that your business website is a good, relevant, and current source of information about your products and services.
RICEinteractive SEO Services
Our SEO experts can help you move your business website into a leadership position. We can help you get the search results you want and attract the customers you need.
Call us at 734.775.4487 and help more customers find you.
The Power of Words to Generate Sales Leads
Chances are you are like most businesses these days and have a website. But, what does it do for you?
Probably nothing!
95% of business websites do absolutely nothing for their businesses–no phone calls and no revenue. Fortunately, the solution is relatively simple, but few web design firms know the secret.
It’s about words…
Search Engine Marketing
Here is a simple test to prove my point. Think about your own behavior on the Internet. What do you do when you need something or want to buy something on the Web? You go to Google, right?
So does everyone else. They go to Google and they type in…that’s right words. In Internet marketing we call these keywords.
Your website needs to be more than pictures of your office and employees. Your website needs to be filed with relevant words, keywords that help customers find you.
RICEinteractive can help you build the right keywords and content to attract more customers to your website. Our search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) services will have your website booming with new consumer visits quickly.
Copywriting
Of course, getting customers to the site is only half the battle. You need those visitor to call or email you. You want buyers not shoppers.
This is the job of good copywriting. The art of selling with words.
Simply having a website that lists you address and phone number is not going to generate revenue. You need to give your Web visitors a reason to call.
Good copywriting can help generate the need and desire to solve their problem, and solve it right now. We call this the “threshold of resistance.” It is a retail term coined by Taubman, a famous retail architect. Like more traditional retail stores your Web storefront can create resistance–allowing consumers to wait on their purchase.
RICEinteractive specializes in writing content and copy for your website that sells. We will break down that resistance and communicate your value proposition in a way that makes waiting to buy impossible.
What are you waiting for?
Why are you waiting to give us a call?
You know…
- You already invested in your website
- It isn’t attracting consumers
- It isn’t generating any sales inquiries
- It might even be creating resistance to sales
Let’s fix that today! You call and initial consultation is free. We will review your website and tell you the exact steps we will take to increase your sales.
Call me 734-775-4487.
This is one call that will make YOU money.
Article Marketing-5 Secrets to Better Back Links
One of the chief benefits of any article marketing campaign is the inducement of a large volume of high quality one-way back links. However, links do not just magically appear by posting your article to a article directory or blog. It needs to two important elements: 1) inherent content value and 2) well thought-out link strategy.
Here are my 5 secrets to increase back links from your next article marketing campaign:
1. Keyword Rich Headlines: Back links to your website, blog, micro-sites, or landing pages are entirely contingent on the effective distribution and syndication of your article. That means your article has to attract attention and communicate value.
Publishers must believe in a fraction of a second, while scanning an article directory or article search, that your article will deliver value to their readers, traffic to their site, and revenue through their advertisers. This belief has to be communicated in your article’s headline.
Write your headline with a specific keyword in mind, a call to action, and long tail value. Every article headline should not only be emotionally compelling, but engineered for search optimization.
2. Keyword Rich Copy: Now that you have made it past the initial cut and a publisher is reading your article you need to pop with inherent value.
To a serious publisher that means high-value, high-returning keywords. Most publishers are syndicating your articles for search engine optimization, text link revenue, or affiliate ad revenue. That means your article need to be packed with keywords that sell.
The easiest way to fill your head and writing with valuable keywords is to spend a little time in a keyword analysis tool like WordTracker or Google’s Keyword Analysis Tool. Search your niche and find suggested terms that are paying the highest eCPM. These are the glasses that your publisher (article client) is looking through when reviewing your articles.
3. Call to Action Resource Box: Most resource boxes look like journalistic bylines. These “golden” little boxes are not designed to when you Pulitzer Prizes or even attribution. They are to pitch and sell your product or service.
No publisher or even reader cares who wrote the article. They want to know where to get more advice or (hopefully) buy the secret potion.
4. High Quality Anchor Text: Getting the most out of your anchor text is your prime objective in article marketing. Think about what you are trying to achieve, your perfect customer, and what they are looking for–then capture it.
Your anchor text is like a flashing, neon arrow pointing you site. Make it compelling and accurate.
Do not squander your precious link text on: your name, your website URL, company name or other non-descriptive text. Every anchor text should be a keyword or action you are going to deliver with every customer’s click. This approach will guide search results and consumers into your product or service for the buy.
5. Deep Links Too: Neglecting the development of deep link backs is the number one mistake I see in site development and article marketing. Don’t forget to develop the whole site–not just the home page.
In your resource box, on every article be sure to include not only the home URL, but also a relevant deep link to your site. This can be a landing page, resources page, or the original article.
Most article directories have a quality reputation and credibility with Google, Yahoo!, and MSN leverage this to expand the indexing of your entire site. The more you index the more likely you are to return in organic search and the more credible your site becomes.
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Bill Rice is an expert at Internet marketing and copywriting. His interactive marketing agency, RICEinteractive helps businesses increase their online sales lead generation.
Social Media Marketing Takes Creativity and Three Dimensional Thinking
Social media marketing is a good old fashioned off shoot of offline networking. However, we often forget those skills and tricks in our online social media strategies. Your goal should be to create remarkable, extraordinary, and memorable engagements that drives interest in you and your product or service.
Masterful Execution
I witnessed a masterful execution of social media strategy at BlogWorld 08. Coordinated by at least two of panelist on the Making Money Online with a Blog session, Shoemoney instantly increased his Twitter followers by 200+ and piled in the links to his site.
Social Media Setup
This aptly named panel on making money online, was packed with the heavy-hitters in the affiliate marketing space: John Chow, Brian Clark, Zac Johnson, Jim Kukral, Darren Rowse, Jeremy Schoemaker.
As the panel begins the social media campaign creative kicks in. Jim Kukral, the moderator, draws attention to his frustrated wait for the late panelist–Jeremy Schoemaker (aka Shoemoney). Despite his frustration he launches the session.
Call to Action
Now, as the session proceeds, Jim seems to again become agitated at the empty panelist seat. He turns to the audience of 200+ and tells them to use Twitter and tweet, “@shoemoney you suck #bwe08.” Of course everyone obliges. Instantly 100s of “@shoemoney you suck #bwe08″ tweets light up Twitter clients and Twitter search feeds for #bwe08.
This simple call to action instantly reached thousands both at and monitoring the BlogWorld conference. Bingo! Hundreds of follows and links.
The Social Media Play
Come to find out…it was all a staged social media campaign:
Brilliance! John Chow is infamous for clever social media and audacious social media campaigns. Anyone remember the “John Chow is Full of Shit” viral video test? That broad search returns 45,500 results–not a bad link building strategy.
Social Media Takeaway
So, what is my point to clients? Obviously, I am not advocating that you upstage your next conference panel opportunity or produce viral videos about your bowel movements. However, I am strongly suggesting you follow the key elements of these social media scoundrels:
- be creative
- think 3D (online and offline)
- be interesting
- take a few carefree risks
Have you witnessed any clever social media campaigns?
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Bill Rice is the founder of RICEinteractive. We help clients design, execute, and make money with content and social media. Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/billrice. I would love to help you succeed.
Copywriting-How to Attract Venture Capital with Your Writing
Venture capital is the fuel, and often the igniting spark, of many young ventures. Unfortunately, new entrepreneurs find it difficult to connect to venture capital firms and many firms never see bright opportunities that flame out before attracting funding. Effective copywriting can be the key to solving these missed opportunities
Target Venture Capital
Finely written Web copy and experienced keyword research famously attracts search engines, motivates customers, and compels action. If you are an entrepreneur with a hot idea, but not quite enough capital to take it to its full potential angels and venture capitalist should be part of your target market in your marketing plan.
Keyword Research
Start with good keyword research and analysis an zero in on what venture capitalist are looking for–markets, benefits, ideas, and trends. Then create an SEO plan to bring vector in interest to your project or company.
Highlight Synergies
No one will know companies and technologies that are natural components of your value chain. These become powerful synergies when two or more of these opportunities are in one investor’s portfolio. Make sure your Web copy and marketing materials clearly demonstrate these connections and potentials.
Focus on Benefits
Like customers they are looking for benefits and need to be emotionally inspired to action. A professional copywriter can help you achieve this result on your website, in your emails, on your business card, and even in your pitch.
Get Emotional
Remember what drives venture capitalist to action: large markets, smart teams, and a passionate inferno. These are all qualities that a good copywriter can bring to vivid life your marketing.
Target Bright Entrepreneurs
This difficulty in connecting is not limited to entrepreneurs trying to raise capital. In fact, the problem of investors trying to locate the right ideas, quality teams, and attractive deals to meet their goals may be more acute.
Venture capital websites typically highlight past successes, current portfolios, and partner profiles, yet do little to attract targeted new opportunity.
A top copywriter can design a search engine strategy and experience that will efficiently attract, segment, and engage the types of entrepreneurs and ideas you want to fund.
Write for the Sale
Like any marketing or copywriting project, don’t forget to write for the sale. Hope and opportunity will still pass in the wind if you don’t ask for a conversation.
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Bill Rice is the Principle at RICE interactive, a leader in lead generating copywriting and social media. He is a frequent writer, speaker, and consultant on marketing and sales. He is passionate about helping organizations execute more profitable marketing and lead generation strategies.
If you have any questions–contact me: http://twitter.com/billrice