http://www.websitemarketingplan.com/NewsletArch/newsletter03_25_08.htm

Hello Folks -

This issue is all about attracting the right people for your product or service. Each of today’s articles addresses how to attract customers using a different marketing method.

Currently, the hottest methods involve interacting with potential customers and fans directly through social networking. Approaching this like advertising won’t cut it. People in social networks are looking for genuine interaction and interest in them. 18-year-old Country music star Taylor Swift, for example, is a phenomenal example of how social networks can prove wildly successful. Taylor’s career exposure began on the Internet as she diligently cultivated a growing fan base through her MySpace page. According to CMT News, “She said she closely supervises her MySpace page, even going so far as to personally write her biography in first person for it.” Taylor also says she spends an hour each day personally answering comments and emails. A look at her blog and MySpace page (myspace.com/taylorswift) quickly reveals another aspect of her networking success: the imagery and her writing style appeal to her online fans, predominantly teenage girls like her. “I have beautiful friends. Be one,” she quips. And they all love her ― 661,458 of them. Social networking success will look a little different for each of us ― because each of us appeal to a different type of person ― but the underlying constant is connecting individually with your customers. For more tips about social networking online, take a look at Nancy Marmolejo’s “7 Tips to Build Your Visibility and Credibility with Social Networking.”

As long as there are search engines and Websites, SEO will be a source for new business. For those who benefit from attracting search customers from specific geographic locations, Marsha Yudkin discusses specific on-site methods for improving geographically focused search rankings. If you are thinking about outsourcing local search optimization, read Scott Buresh’s analysis of Sams Club’s local SEO service.

Having your work published in print publications can bring attention to your business as well. In “Why Don’t Magazine Editors Like My Article Ideas?” Marcia explains ten common barriers to becoming published in print and how to overcome them. She discusses magazines specifically, but you can apply the general techniques to publishers in any medium ― print, digital, audio, or visual.

Publicity and press releases are another media-driven source of attention. In her third article this issue Marcia Yudkin explains how media releases can help attract customers when releasing a new product.

Enjoy!

Bobette Kyle

by Marcia Yudkin
http://www.websitemarketingplan.com/SEM/local-rankings.htm

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. By taking the measures recommended in this article, you maximize the chances that people looking for what you sell where you sell it can find you online.

by Scott Buresh
http://www.websitemarketingplan.com/SEM/sams-local.htm

If the buzz is to be believed, Sam’s Club is now a search engine optimization company that is targeting the local search market aggressively. The fact is, this isn’t something new; it’s just recently come to the forefront. Sam’s Club has partnered with an outside company to offer a program that is primarily targeted at small businesses looking to get noticed in the local search results. Here are the pros and cons of hiring them for your
local search engine marketing.

By Marcia Yudkin
http://www.websitemarketingplan.com/pr/new-product.htm

The closeness between the words “new” and “news” provides a telling clue to how easy it can be to get media coverage for something that’s new. By definition, the media are in the business of covering what’s fresh, what’s unprecedented and what has just happened. Follow these simple steps and publicity can make your product launch a significant success.