Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is the blessed way in which Google, Yahoo!, and Bing make their millions. When used correctly, SEM can be the most effective way to market and advertise your business. It is by far the easiest way to get your name out there, and should not be too expensive.

Some of the reluctance regarding creating a SEM is the possibility of being “attacked”. The way search engines charge you is called “Price-Per-Click” and used to charge whenever someone clicks your link, off of that particular search engine. This used to pose a problem for small business with big rivals. Competitors would hire employees to simply click on other businesses links over and over until funds were exhausted! Luckily, the search engines caught on quickly and started using IP addresses to monitor the number of times that address clicks a particular site. Too many clicks from the same user and monitors recognize what is happening and even has the power to ban users from clicking in the future. (I love technology!)

The most important aspect to creating your SEM are the keywords you use for the search. Use a formatting site to gauge which keywords will be most effective, and a keyword finder to figure what they will cost. It is imperative that you use keywords actually found on you site (the marketing Gods don’t like liars). Finally, keep it brief! The more specific you are with your keywords, the more effective the results will be. And the shorter the phrases, the higher the profit!

Search Engine Marketing is the key to success in our technological era. Follow these tips and your links will be blowing up in no time!

Happy searching!

What are the most popular SEM keywords? Do you find SEM to be profitable to your company? Let me know what you think!

We love to report on event happenings around the city, and this one is definitely one we’d like to spread the word about. If you are reading this post it probably means you recognize the importance of social networking for business success.“The Art of Active Networking” brought to you by “The Box SF” will take place every other Monday from October through December, 2010. Here you can participate and learn about some alternative forms of social networking, while increasing your business and online capabilities. Each guest is allowed 30 seconds to give a speech on the discussion at hand or to share new information for others to enjoy. So, put your thinking caps on and get ready to share some of your techniques and expect to learn something in return.

This event brings together an active cross-section of the Bay Area including business owners, entrepreneurs, environmentalists, dancers, artists, sales folks, designers, architects, bankers, wine lovers, marketing folks, media folks, doctors, singers, musicians, trainers and coaches. Their network includes everything from techies to trekkies. This is a great place for small business owners and entrepreneurs to make stronger active connections, and to help each other.

Bring your cards, laptops, i-Toys and smiles and be prepared to meet an interesting, outgoing, cross-section of cool people! Bring your ideas, add new friends on your social networking sites, with their high-speed free Wi-Fi, and build a new kind of network!

Shop. Sip. Listen. Taste. Learn. See. Connect

Cost is $7 online or $10 at the door.

What are some topics that you would like to hear discussed?

With the go-green phase upon us, everyone is looking to do their part. These 5 little changes will give your business an eco-friendly outlook and help decrease your carbon footprint.  While most small companies are environmentally aware, the following tips will surprise even the biggest of tree-huggers!

1. Nitro PDF: An alternative to Adobe PDF, Nitro PDF is about one-third of the cost. This program can easily create and send individual PDF files for clients, limiting the amount of paper used for traditional reports.

2. PDF995 Printer Driver: While the name might sound a little scary, the software is surprisingly simple. The PDF Printer Driver is an excellent way to digitally render invoices, graphic mock-ups, and long text documents, without touching a piece of paper or a scanner.

3. Fax to E-mail Services: While fax machines are becoming a thing of the past, this is a way you can jump ahead. Join a service such as “eFax“, “UnityFax“, or “jConnect” which allows you to set your incoming phone number to an e-mail address, so new faxes will go straight to your inbox.

4. EchoSign Online Contracts: The idea behind EchoSign is to elimminate the amount of paper used for contracts signed with clients, businesses, employees, etc. EchoSign has the same binding powers as a conventional contract while maintaining an ecological position. As with most internet-based programs, EchoSign speeds up the execution process up; an added perk for being nice and saving all those trees!

5. Online Backup and Record Keeping: Archiving your records and files can be a total pain in the bum, and even e-mail can get a little confusing at times. Online record keeping can be an extremely helpful option for businesses looking to save time and money. Here are a few services we recommend: Box.net, DropBox, Mozy, and Backblaze.

What else can you do to decrease your company’s carbon footprint? Have you made any successful ecological changes in your business?

See how one small business implemented some great workplace policies that are all about being green!

Yelp, as many of you know, is a user-generated website that allows people to write both negative or positive reviews for local restaurants, hotels, stores, nightlife scenes, and more. Users rate and leave comments about establishments for other consumers to review.

However, recent websites, like Yelp-Sucks and IHateYelp, have popped up in response to Yelp policies and reviews. These sites are used by angry business owners who have received negative feedback and complaints on Yelp, which has resulted in a loss of business. Many business owners have turned to Yelp for competitive reasons and are now frustrated with the site’s lax comment policies.

One major complaint is over the issue of negative reviews and how businesses can’t get rid of them. Another is that good reviews are often deleted from business pages by Yelp due to infrequent logging in by the owner. The site also allows users to review a business, even if they never used the service. Many business owners feel that they are not getting what they paid for, and that the site ultimately hurts their business.

Boris Levitt, owner of Renaissance Furniture Restoration, has actually sued Yelp for its “unfair and unethical conduct in promoting, marketing and advertising its website as maintaining unbiased reviews.” Levitt argues that the site is unlawful, and believes that Yelp has hurt his business. Yelp has had previous claims for similar issues in the past.

Do you think Yelp maintains its mission to promote companies in an unbiased fashion? How could Yelp change its policies to best serve business owners while providing consumers with truthful and relevant information?

Apple Lovers Unite! Get ready as Apple is holding an invitation only event for reporters, bloggers, and analysts here in SF on September 1st at the Yerba Buena Center. If you were not among the elite chosen ones, you can tune in with the rest of us to hear about some of their exciting new products. This event is expected to be geared around Apple’s devices such as the iPod/Pad, Apple TV, and iPhone. There is also a small chance that we finally see the Verizon iPhone get announced. The rumor mill is running like crazy on this one, but it could be a bit too close to the Apple iPhone 4 launch to really see this product.

This is what we’re hoping to hear about:

• New iPod touch: With a back-facing camera for still images and videos and a front facing video camera for FaceTime video calls.
• Lower-cost iOS-based Apple TV – possibly at $99
• 99-cent TV show rentals
• 7 inch Ipad
  
• Cloud-based iTunes service

Which of these products will you be purchasing? And, more importantly can someone get us on the list?!

Two stellar companies, Girls in Tech and Ubergizmo are teaming up tonight to present: Digital Summer! This event will bring together the most international, professional, and glamourous crowd in San Francisco to celebrate photography, fashion, art, and technology. Among the unique features of this one-of-a kind event is a live runway fashion show. Invitees will also have a chance to enjoy a professional photo-shoot and lots of time to socialize.

Ubergizmo has become one of the top consumer electronic websites, and is distributed in six languages and read in 212 countries. They have been recognized as a leading high-tech website and is ranked as a Top 100 Blog by PC Magazine. Girls in Tech is one of our favorite female run social network enterprises that is focused on the engagement, education, and empowerment of like-minded, professional, intelligent, and influential women in technology. They have made it their personal desire and passion to create and sustain an organization that focuses on the collaboration, promotion, growth and success of women in the tech sector.

Media partners include Yanko Design,Cult of Mac, Techie Diva, Tech Mamas, Mashable, Burdastyle, FashionablyMarketing.me, Thread, and We Blog the World! Sponsors for the eve include Intel and Vorizon. That said, there are some great people behind this and it should be a fun one!  Will you be joining us?!

Get your tickets here on eventbrite, or get your $10 ticket at the door!

Follow the event on Twitter @ #DS2010

When planning an event, last-minute purchases come up all the time. Well, Paypal and iPhone have teamed up the create a bump app that allows users to make purchases quickly and easily.  Over the past few years Paypal has made financial transactions via the internet a simple process. The recent bump iPhone app is just another way the company is creating a worry free shopping environment. The new bump app lets users literally bump their phones together and send money to each other.

Another cool feature of this app is that you can donate money to great causes and charitable organizations. Currently, PayPal has partnered with various organizations, including Save the Children and Autism Speaks, to make donating to charities an  easy process. The iPhone app will also allow users to deposit checks straight from their phone. Instead of going to an ATM or bank, just take a picture of both sides of the check and PayPal will deposit the money into your online account.

How do you think you will use this app? Can you see any potential problems with the technology?

Rumor has it that Apple has hired an expert to develop credit card payment technology as an app for the iPhone. This app would use near-field comms (NFC) implementations, like used in subway/bus ticket systems to process data transmitted from transportation cards. The simple technology recognizes the amount you’ve paid according to each journey you’ve taken, but the process for a  smartphone is far more complicated and has endless possibilities! This technology could add a whole new dimension to online shopping. All you have to do is set your iPhone onto a small pad and it will process your request the same way a machine in a grocery store works- simply confirm your PIN number or provide a signature.

Some might be skeptical of the new application, wondering if it’s necessary when one could simply shop online the old fashioned way, but the new iPhone app would allow users to input information faster, give access to stores where one can shop and receive free apps, discounts, loyalty card points, or games. For event planning, this is great news because you could buy all of your supplies quickly and easily from home, or on the go.

Do you think more people will prefer this method to regular in-store shopping? How do you think it will change the shopping experience in general?

The video from the Apple Developers Conference (WWDC) that took place a few months ago is finally here! ABCey Events was hired to produce and manage the event on June 9th at Mezzanine here in SF. The BoxTone event showcased a history of Apple Tech including the original working Apple 1 & 2 computers from 1976. We created a mod style museum filled with first generation computers and Apple’s current technology, such as the ipad and new Apple “fan-based” iPhone/iPad application. Over 300 people were at the event and a few lucky attendees won gift certificates for the iphone 4G and the iPad!

Below is the video taken during the event.

What do you think about the video?