Follow these search engine optimzation tips to help your content take off on Google.

A couple of readers have asked for search engine optimization tips, so here they are. Since you’ve probably heard that cramming an article with keywords is bad for search engine ranking, you might wonder how many keywords to use.

Some say 2.5 to 4 percent keyword density.

However, I have used a different method with great results – when I do my keyword homework My husband’s blog posts consistently rank on the first page of Google, and he swears by this method. I touched on it briefly, in “Profitable Blogging,” my interview with Jane Hinchey for Ace Insiders Club.

Search Engine Optimzation tips

• Use your primary keyword phrase in the title of your post. Google places more importance on the first three words of a post title, so write your keyword phrase at the beginning.
• Write the same keyword phrase in the first paragraph.
• Write your primary keyword phrase as a subheading, like I did with “search engine optimization tips” above these bullet points.
• Finally, write the keyword phrase into the last paragraph of your post.
• Feel free to sprinkle in a couple of other keywords you’d like to rank for extra measure.

These aren’t the only details you need to know about SEO. Keyword research is important, too. Check back next Monday to learn my husband’s method, which gets him to the front page of Google in two weeks flat.

Hello? Is anyone out there listening to your Twitter marketing messages? Photo credit.

Guest post by Brandon Williams

Social media marketing is on the rise, and having a successful campaign on the Twitter network can do wonders for any business. However, you can’t just send out any kind of tweet and expect that to bring in a plethora of business. The tweets for your marketing campaign have to be perfect, targeting specific groups and using all that Twitter has to offer businesses.

Four Marketing Tweet Tips

Marketing tweets can be broken down into four tips to help make sure that your message (and your brand) gets noticed in the best possible way.

Show your personality – One of the best features of Twitter is the fact that you (as a business and person) get to interact with the people who you want to become your customers. Anybody can send out a random tweet to simply promote their business or a deal that they are having. Catching the attention of potential customers on a social media network can come down to being who you are and showing that personality.

Be witty with your tweets and use them to interact. If you’re simply posting deals and not answering any questions or talking with your target market, there is a chance that most of them won’t convert into buyers. Let them know the real you and exactly how much you appreciate them.

Hashtag it – Keeping your keywords hashtagged so people can easily see what the tweet is promoting can be a huge deal. Using the hashtag on certain words makes it easier for people to find through search or to see your past tweets involving the subject. This is a key part to any tweet, as it will narrow down the target market, because it is highlighted a different color in the tweet and that’s what will catch the attention of viewers.

Exclusives – Using a Twitter marketing campaign can have all sorts of advantages by giving exclusives for those people that follow you on Twitter. Giving out deals or codes to Twitter users for specific deals only will help increase your following and bring more attention to your site. Deals will also get people talking about your brand, and one of the most powerful marketing tools can be word of mouth from customer to potential customer.

Link, Link, Link – This is the most important part of your marketing tweet, because the final destination for all of your marketing campaigns should be back to your website in order to convert viewers into buyers. Links to all kinds of products will not only show the viewers what your tweet is about, but it will also allow them to see the other products that your company has to offer. Giving a broader view of what you can offer will bring customers back after their initial buy, because they’ll know you have something they may need in the future.

Perfecting marketing is definitely not an easy task, but following these tips could help you get the most out of at least one campaign in the social media world.

Brandon Williams writes for AdMedia.com covering Internet Marketing, Remarketing, PPC and much more.

First, watch the video reveal.

Then, read the text below the video to learn more about your surprise.

Didn’t win?

If you didn’t win, you won’t go away empty handed. I’ve decided to do something extra special as a token of my appreciation. Be on the lookout for my second e-mail to you later today.

The winner will get …

… an e-mail from me later today with simple instructions on how to proceed.

Here’s a tip. It might not be the content on your site that’s the problem. You might not have enough visitors. If you don’t already use Google Analytics, I highly recommend that you do. This will help you track how many people visit your site, what they are clicking on and how long they stick around to read your content.

What’s the ideal number of visitors that will allow you to test the effectiveness of your web content and marketing messages? Find out here.

In short, to test your content’s impact, make more sales and grow your list, you must grow your website traffic. If you want to learn four powerful ways to attract leads to your website, sign up to immediately receive my free, 14 page report, “Content is Cash: Four Powerful Ways to Get More Leads for Your Business.”

Now I’d like to know your thoughts. Is it content or traffic where you run into problems? And what have you done to bring more traffic to your site? Please leave your comments below.

By Monica Crowe

Now, let’s get to it.

The best an brightest entrepreneurs know the key to making their businesses thrive. It’s not getting an MBA from a fancy school, being smarter than everyone else or having the best looking website ever. It’s marketing.

Hold on now! If you put up a wall as soon as I mentioned marketing, it’s time to set the record straight. I’m not talking about scammy, spammy tactics, hypey bull crap and flashing arrows. I’m talking about true-blue, straight talk (from the heart) about your business and how it can help your customers.

Why Marketing is Philanthropic

If you have an awesome product or service, and you’re not shouting it from the rooftops, you are doing people everywhere a disservice. If you had the key to ending world hunger, would you hold back before telling everyone, everywhere about it? Hell no! Well, it’s the same for your business.

In order to effectively sell your helpful products and services, you have to know how to talk to the people who can benefit most from them. In order to do that, you must know how to write an amazing headline that catches attention, and then you have to KEEP that attention by writing content that speaks to them.

Four Marketing Options

No. 1 – Hire a copywriter who knows how to write in a way that will speak to your target customer’s needs, desires, fears and “buy now” triggers. Don’t know a copywriter? You’ve got one right here, holding your attention as you read. Yep! I can help you.

No. 2 – Educate yourself about content marketing. Learn how to write attention grabbing headlines. Research your customer’s needs, desires, fears and “buy now” triggers by simply asking them what they are. For example, you might ask “What is holding you back from purchasing my services?” “What is your biggest problem/fear about … ”

No. 3 – Do both. Hire a copywriter, and educate yourself about what your customers want and need. Provide your copywriter with the information you’ve uncovered, and let her work her magic.

No. 4 – Special offer! Sign up for my FREE copywriting services contest! It’s super easy to enter. The winner gets 500 words of free, targeted marketing content for the web or print. Also, you’ll get a one-on-one phone consultation that will help me craft a masterpiece geared toward your target customer. Hurry! The contest ends Monday, May 7.

By Monica Crowe

Do you have trouble writing about your product or service in a way that gets people excited and ready to purchase from you? Ever considered hiring a professional writer to pen your web and print marketing content?

Now is your chance to get professional writing services for free. And it couldn’t be easier to enter this contest.

Watch the video below. You’ll learn exactly what’s included in my copywriting services giveaway.

This giveaway is valued at between $327 to $400!
You do not want to miss out on this.

The contest ends Monday, May 7. Enter today.

Contest Rules & How it Works

To enter this contest, and win an amazing service that primes your target market to become super fans who purchase from you, join your newsletter list and spread the word, do the following:

1. Leave a comment below, telling me what problems you face when writing content for your business website or print marketing materials. The more detail you give the better.
2. Enter your name and e-mail address in this contest entry  form.
3. Go “like” my Facebook page for double entry into the contest.

A winner will be chosen in a random drawing and announced via e-mail. The winner’s “grand prize” e-mail will contain information about how to proceed. The whole process is super simple, and I dare say … fun.

Sign Up Now or Weep Later

Again, this contest ends Monday, May 7 – so enter right now. You’ll kick yourself if you miss out on this amazing opportunity to win high-value, quality marketing content for your business.

Remember to enter your contact information to be notified who won on Monday, May 7.

What’s the difference between an impression and a click through rate?

Impression – When a person sees your ad, sales page, newsletter opt in offer, etc.

Click Through Rate (CTR) – The number of clicks on an ad or link, indicating a level of interest in your product or service.

Are Your Marketing Messages Effective?

Here’s the juicy tidbit I promised. To determine the effectiveness of your marketing campaign – be it a newsletter opt in offer, link bait or ad – take a sampling of the number of impressions vs. the CTR. To temper your enthusiasm, note that the national click through rate average is a low .8 percent.

In regards to PPC, Steve says the ideal sample size is 5,000 to 10,000 impressions. If your CTR isn’t meeting the .8 percent national average, it’s time to tweak your marketing. Then it’s back to the drawing board to gather more data from your next sample group.

Is Your Website Content Working?

To take a web page or opt-in CTR sampling, and thus determine how effective your marketing is, track your page views and click through rate with Google Analytics. If you’re unsure how to do this, read this article.

When you’re not doing PPC ads, but want to test the marketing messages on your website, your sample size might not be as high as  5,000 to 10,000 impressions. If your site is new, and you have low traffic, you can track lower segments. In this case, begin with a sampling of 400 page views. Note that such a small sample size will give you just under a 5 percent margin of error, meaning, your next sample might not have the exact same results, but close.

If you’re tired of tweaking your website’s marketing content and still aren’t getting results, read my article “The Secret Reason Your Products & Services Aren’t Selling.”

By Monica Crowe

If I asked you who you write blog posts for, would you tell me for women in their 30s? If I asked who your target clients are, would you tell me “everyone?” These answers aren’t specific enough to tailor an effective marketing message.

If you aren’t clear on who your web copywriting is appealing to, it’s time to consider. Suppose you do want to serve women in their 30s, or men in their 50s. That’s a start. But what are these people’s personalities? For example, what is most important to your clients/customers: family, friends, winning, being seen as successful, freedom, fun, spirituality, etc.?

Knowing what makes your customers tick is the difference between crafting mediocre and effective marketing.

This is only a tidbit about how to tailor your web copywriting and print ads to appeal to the customers you want to work with. Check back for more posts on this topic, and to never miss a blog post, subscribe to my newsletter for a weekly update. Your e-mail is safe with me. Pinkie swear!

By Monica Crowe

These writing tips are based on knowledge I gained as a newspaper reporter. As we laid out the next day’s newspaper pages, my fellow reporters and I often discussed “The Elements of Style,” what worked and what didn’t in others’ writing. The following are a few tips from the newsroom:

ONE

Eliminate unnecessary words and sentences. In Example 1, below, “you are going to” is unnecessary. Example 2 is a better sentence.

• Ex. 1 – Today, you are going to learn to make your blog content writing more powerful, and in fewer words.
• Ex. 2 – Today, you will learn to make your blog content writing more powerful, and in fewer words.

TWO

More is not better. Avoid waxing poetic, using too many adjectives or flowery prose. Example 1, below, uses six adjectives, compared to Example 2 with only four. The second sentence delivers the same message, but with fewer adjectives.

• Ex. 1 – The bright, warm, sunny day instantly turned bitter, cold and rainy.
• Ex. 2 – The warm sunny day instantly turned cold and rainy.

THREE

Write in active tense instead of with passive voice. The latter is usually the offender in most bad writing. Learn to spot and eliminate passive voice in your writing, and you will be at least twice as good at writing as your were before.

• Ex. 1 – Sarah e-mailed Sam on Tuesday. (Active)
• Ex. 2 – The e-mail to Sam was sent by Sarah on Tuesday. (Passive)

By Monica Crowe

Working With a Freelance Writer

If you’ve never worked with a freelance writer, you probably have a few questions. The following are a few answers to the  basic quandaries:

1. How do I find a freelance writer? The Internet makes it easy these days to find a wide pool of talent to choose from. Do a search using the keywords “freelance writer” and you’ll come up with many pages of options. Plus, if you didn’t notice, Monica Crowe Media — that’s me — offers freelance article writing services. To learn more about these services, click here.
2. How do I know if a freelance writer will do a good job? Look for a professional who has online writing clips available, as well as testimonials. Review these carefully. Is the writer’s style what you’re looking for? Has the individual demonstrated knowledge of your industry? If not, that’s OK. Many writers, especially those with a background in journalism, have excellent research skills. What traits have past clients commented about in testimonials?
3. How do I pay a freelance writer? Writers typically have their own payment terms. Preferences might include check, money order, PayPal or some other online payment portal. Often, a freelance article writer will expect 50 percent of the project fee, or payment in full, upfront.
4. How do I assign tasks to a freelance writer? This depends on your original agreement. If you’re working long term with a freelancer, you might agree to have a weekly discussion via Skype or phone. Otherwise, assignments can be given by e-mail or sent in a shared Google document. For the best results, clearly communicate what talk points you would like addressed in your article(s), and send pertinent reference links or documents.

By Monica Crowe