Traffic PRM

A Handy Guide to QR Codes and Mobile Barcodes (Infographic)

2011-12-15T13:33:59Z

2011 has been a breakout year for QR codes and mobile barcodes in general. Magazines, movie posters and consumer packaging, not to mention just about any flier you might encounter in a store or a bar, comes affixed with that dot-matrixey looking black square. While not quite yet a household name - an October survey by marketing firm Russell Herder indicate 72 percent of consumers say they have seen a QR code but almost 30 percent do not know what it is - mobile barcodes codes have arisen as a serious part of the marketer's arsenal.

Doing SEO Right: The Search Audit and Four Questions It Should Answer

2011-10-31T19:26:51Z

Doing SEO right means beginning at the beginning. For too many organizations and marketers, SEO is an afterthought, approached only after the website is built and the copy written. All of that makes it much harder to develop a content strategy truly geared to SEO and achieving search rank. Another common SEO mistake is engaging in keyword research and optimizing a site without understanding whether the keywords are legitimate targets for acquisition. SEO is a discipline and a process. It requires research and analysis. That’s why in all of our client engagements we place special emphasis on the search audit. A search audit helps to answer four questions vital to a company’s long-term marketing strategy.

Search Marketing School: Sharpening Your SEO and Social Media Knowledge

2011-10-07T15:22:55Z

Fall is here, and for marketers, that means planning is just around the corner. What better way to get ready for 2012 marketing planning than by sharpening your knowledge base and skill set? MarketingProfs, that venerable institution of learning for marketers everywhere, is offering Search Marketing School, a comprehensive top-to-bottom run down of everything new and useful in search marketing. The 15-class course covers a lot of ground, including strategies and best practices in organic SEO, pay-per-click search, content marketing, analytics and, of course, how and why social media is impacting the search game.

How Social Media Impacts Search: 4 Important Tips

2011-09-27T19:14:40Z

We recently spoke with a home healthcare client who was miffed that she had her staff spend so much time getting their Facebook page and Twitter feed up to snuff. She thought it was a waste of time as it didn’t drive any obvious inbound leads. As we explained why we begged to differ, it occurred to us that it would be a good idea to share the main points of our advice. Given the advent of Google+, saying that “social is the new search” is almost getting to be passé. But the impact of social networks and social media content on Googlethe search world is such an important development that we thought it would be a good idea to offer up some practical info about why social is the new search, and how social media activity has benefits for SEO beyond building a loyal follower base. Here are four important developments on the increasing overlap.

Guidelines for Successful Facebook Advertising

2011-09-17T03:45:01Z

In our previous post, we talked about why Facebook ads can be a powerful part of the marketing mix. That was philosophy. Now, we get into the science. When you’re ready to get your campaign off the ground, here’s how to get the most of Facebook advertising. Focus on best practices that include developing your existing Facebook page, ad targeting, calls to action, images and monitoring.

The Power of Facebook Ads: What You Need to Know

2011-09-13T15:40:01Z

Any conversation about making social media part of your marketing mix needs to include social media advertising. And right now, there is no more powerful platform than Facebook advertising. Facebook ads have not only revived the once-moribund display ad market, they are dominating. In the first quarter of 2011, Facebook accounted for almost a third of the entire online display ad market with 346 billion impressions, over three times the number of its nearest competitor, Yahoo. By the end of 2011, Facebook is expected to be the largest online display advertising company by revenue. These numbers show how important it is for marketers to understand the ins and outs of Facebook ads, which got to where they are by offering powerful features for marketers. Here are five of the most important.

Is Groupon Worth It?

2011-09-13T15:38:05Z

There are tales of overwhelming success, but also failures so complete they should be accompanied by a sad trombone. Groupon has captured the imagination of the media, and with media attention comes the backlash. But let’s forget the hype and the hate for now. If you are deciding whether to use Groupon, the questions to ask is what do you want to get out of it. Are you trying to get the word out about your business, i.e. brand building? Do you want to make a profit? Do you want to increase your base of loyal customers? Here’s a look at what we know.

5 Things You Must Do to Make Your Blog an SEO Asset

2011-09-13T15:42:37Z

So you’ve got your content ideas down and a plan for your blog. You’ve got yourself a nice little hub for organic SEO, right? Not just yet. This is where the nitty-gritty details come in to play, and you have to do a bit of technical legwork. Using a blog as an asset in your search arsenal requires a Goldilocks approach – doing too much or too little of one thing can impact your search ranking. Here are five things to keep in mind.

5 Ways to Get Started Blogging

2011-06-16T15:24:33Z

Blogging is the golden goose of digital marketing. It helps you establish a more immediate connection with readers and potential clients and customers. It keeps you churning out valuable content – both for informational and SEO purposes. But the hardest thing about blogging is starting a blog, by which we mean really starting a blog, by which we mean planning and developing a long term strategy that will stick. A blog that is infrequently updated or constituted entirely of aggregated content will not get you very far. With that in mind, here’s a checklist.

There’s More to Search Than Google: 3 Important Developments

2011-05-19T14:55:59Z

While Google is still the king of the search game, it is worth noting that other dominions in the inbound marketing landscape are growing. Google is not about to go the way of Geocities (for one, its layout is somewhat nicer), but more and more people are searching without Google as the intermediary. Just this week, comScore reported that Google's share of the search market slightly dipped from March to April. Social media is playing a role, as is one other significant search engine. Here are three trends to keep in mind as you formulate your search and online marketing strategy.