1. Networking in the
Cloud
Website and SMO Strategies for the Small to Medium
Sized Business

2. Every Business Owner Wants . . .
 More Profit
 More Customers
 More Contacts
 More Orders
 Modern Up-to-Date Marketing
 More Satisfied Customers
 More Business
 Bigger Market Share

3. Push or Pull?
 Push Marketing = Going to the
Customer
 Sales Force
 Direct Mail
 Email
 Pull Marketing = Getting the Customer
to Come to You
 Website
 Phone Book
 Social Media Networking

4. Why Do I Need a Website?
85% of people agreed the quality of
a website is an important factor in
earning the consumer’s trust.*
Why do you need a website?
Obtain new customers
Stay ahead of your competition
Over 77% of people said they were Build awareness of your business
more likely to make a purchase from
an unfamiliar business with a quality Serve your existing customers
website than a poor website from a Maintain a professional online appearance
known business.*
Keep connected with your customers 24/7

5. Why Do I Need a Website?
 In 2007, as much as $500 billion in offline purchases
were influenced by online research (eMarketer)
 89% of consumers making in store purchases in key
categories have conducted research online
(BIGResearch)
 82% of people using local search sites followed up
with an offline action like an in-store visit or phone
call (TMP Directional Marketing)

7. What Does My Website Need?
 Calls to Action: Buy Now!; Register
Today; Call Us Today; For a Short
Time Only.
 Customer Incentives
 Clear and Concise Text
 Links to/from Other Websites
 Simple Format
 Feedback

8. I Have a Website.
Now What?
SEO vs PPC for your Website

9. SEO vs PPC
 PPC – Pay-per-Click Advertising
Internet advertising in which advertisers pay a fee for every visitor that
clicks on their ad. PPC is often used to refer to keyword advertising on
search engines and other websites.

10. SEO vs PPC
 SEO – Search Engine Optimization
The process of fine-tuning a website to reflect specific
keywords and phrases that are relevant to your business for
which you want to attract visitors to your site who are
searching for those words/phrases.
Several Elements Factored: Meta tags, links, page content, etc.
Are you Registered on Google Maps?

11. Where Online and
Offline Collide
Social Media Networking

12. What is SMO?
 Social media optimization (SMO) is a set of methods for
generating publicity through social media, online
communities and community websites. Methods of SMO
include adding RSS feeds, social news buttons, blogging,
and incorporating third-party community functionalities
like images and videos.
 Social media optimization is in many ways connected as a
technique to viral marketing where word of mouth is
created not through friends or family but through the use
of networking in social bookmarking, video and photo
sharing websites. In a similar way the engagement with
blogs achieves the same by sharing content through the
use of RSS in the blogosphere and special blog search
engines.
 Social Media optimization is considered an integral part of
an online reputation management (ORM) or Search Engine
Reputation Management (SERM) strategy for organizations
or individuals who care about their online presence.

13. Why Use Social Marketing
 No Cost or Low Cost For Most Services.
 Variety of Service Providers and Resources
Make It Relevant for Every Business.
 The Impact Potential is Very High.
 http://tweetrush.com/
 http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?st
atistics#
 It is Easily Matched to Other New Media
Marketing Activities (web site (se0), email)

14. Forms of Social Marketing
 Networking and Connecting (LinkedIn, Naymz,
Plaxo, Merchant Circle, Facebook, etc.)
 Blogging (Blogger, Wordpress, etc.)
 Micro-Blogging (twitter, Pownce, Tumblr., Jaiku,
identi.ca, Flickr, etc.)
 Resource Sharing (Del.icio.us, SlideShare,
FriendFeed, StumbleUpon, Etc)
 Others (Technorati , Alterthingy.com, Skype,
Etc.)

15. SMO Rules
 Know Who You Want to Know – Suspect
Marketing
 Be Original and Creative
 Provide Value Before You Expect Value
 Give People a Reason to Link to You
 Be Active and Participate in Networking
Regularly
 Make Connecting With You Easy – RSS,
public profiles, links, links, links.

16. Executing Your SMO Strategy
 Decide On Your Message – Who Cares?
 A Long Term Strategy – Plan on 3 to 6
months of consistency to produce lasting
results.
 Stay focused – Don’t get caught hanging
out with your friends and family.
 Use an integrated approach – networking,
blogging, micro-blogging, resource
sharing.

17. Content and Design
 Make Your Message Work
 10 Second rule
 Titled with care
 Focus on Value before Sales
 Establish Great Design Rules
 Spend the Extra to Have Your Own Domain (no gmail, no yahoo, no
msn, etc.)
 Use a .Com domain Name
 No Hyphens or Numbers in the Domain Name
 Avoid Direct Sales or Advertizing on the Social Sites
 Keep the Content Fresh and Valuable

18. Being a Community Member
 Share with Your Community
 Post often, but post meaningfully
 Groups, Groups, Groups
 No Spam – EVER
 Share Freely and Openly
 Don’t Share Just to Be “Out There.”