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!

Naked Pizza, a pizza company based in New Orleans, has recently decided to expand their markets and open up locations all over the world, from Miami to Dubai! Only 10 months after their franchise operations were launched, 300 Naked Pizza stores are now under development. What is the secret behind their success? Co-founders  Randy Crochet and Jeff Leach frequently claim that Naked Pizza is a “social media company that sells pizza.” In fact, they say that their entire business plan is to use social media to promote a healthier alternative to fast food.

And, they didn’t stop there. Naked Pizza has used Twitter to raise awareness for global problems with obesity while marketing their health-inspired pizza. The company then rented out a New Orleans billboard and posted their twitter handle on it. They started tweeting more about diet and health, and as they gained fans they created a facebook page and gave out promotions and coupons. Naked Pizza also has several YouTube videos that introduce viewers to store and the pizza that will hopefully help change the world.

It’s great to see a small business growing and becoming a bigger name with the help of social media, and pizza companies aren’t the only ones that can use this technique. Any industry, including event planners, can broadcast their business and grow with the use of social media.

What can you learn from Naked Pizza to support your business?

What: Supper Club will host an event with keynote speaker David Meerman Scott, to showcase his new book The New Rules of Marketing & PR. Learn new strategies about marketing, PR, Blogs and more, while you enjoy great food, music and company!

Who: David Meerman Scott is a Marketing Strategist, seminar leader and author of the number-one bestseller The New Rules of Marketing and PR.

Where:
The Supper Club,  637 Harrison Street, San Francisco, CA.

When:
Wednesday August 18, 6:00pm – 8:30pm.

For more informatiton, check out the Facebook event page.

Have you read the book? If so, how can these new strategies be useful?

While most events share common planning essentials, the basics of planning a small event require a more personal touch. Organizing a small business event to promote a topic or share information about your services is a great way to develop and maintain relationships through a community-oriented social exchange. These tips will help you design, organize and execute an event tailored to achieve individual or business goals.

Host/Hostess Greeting
To put a name with a face, authorize a staff member as a business brand ambassador and make sure to warmly greet each and every guest. Whatever you do, greet the guests you may have missed in the beginning.

Audio Visual Support
For presentations or when using a projector, AV equipment is your best friend. Remember to re-check and then triple check that everything needed is in place and ready to go. Also secure all cables and cords out of guests’ reach and to prevent tripping hazards.

Event Speaker
If you are planning on a speaker at your event be sure to extend an invitation at least four weeks in advance. Also provide the event speaker with a timed-out agenda to make sure their presentation is an appropriate length. When searching for an event speaker try to find an experienced individual who will enhance your event goals.

Icebreakers
For any event icebreaker activities are a great way for guests to connect, network and socialize in a controlled environment. A good way to encourage guest conversation, especially within intimate settings, is to have a business card exchange.

Do you have any other tips to make a small event great? What are some fun icebreakers that have worked for you?

#luxurychat is a new live chat on Twitter hosted and organized by seven tech-savvy women. The site was launched in June 2010 and addresses the connection between social media and luxury. On the third Wednesday of every month followers can discuss how luxury brands can and have effectively used social media in marketing strategies and campaigns. Last month #luxurychat featured Mr. Simon F. Cooper who is not only the president of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, but a social media pioneer and travel industry expert. The site plans to feature more high-profile industry experts in the coming months, so search #luxurychat and get ready for the next live discussion on August 18.

Are you going to tune into the discussion? Who do you think they should feature next?

On October 25, FailCon will host over 400 entrepreneurs, investors, service providers, developers, marketers and more, at this year’s conference on start-up failures and how to prepare and recover from them. Learn how to maintain a positive attitude with facing the challenges of failure and recovery; financially, emotionally and practically.

Listen to prominent figures in the industry, like keynote speaker David Pogue, discuss their experience with failure and grow from it. This year’s conference will also feature lessons on how to: deal with online privacy; create a successful and efficient startup; prepare for legal, fiscal and team failure; and recover from failed marketing campaigns and business ventures.

Among the event producers is Cassie Phillips who has been planning startup-themed events and conferences for nearly three years. She recently launched Webwallflower events, an event production company for startup, tech summits and meetings.

Register today if you are in startup mode, about to launch a startup, in the process of recovery or failure, or if you just want to hang out and listen to some interesting speakers.

Who’s already signed up? What do you hope to gain from this conference?

For some organizations, creating an online brand presence can seem daunting. However, many managers have realized the affect of their employees and are now actively looking for ways they can use social media both personally and professionally to generate hype.  While this is both cost-effective and clever marketing, there are a few simple rules needed to ensure a positive brand reputation.

1. Don’t Force It

In its early stages professional social media use created mixed signals and communication, resulting in cautionary policies within companies. These days, most employees have a clear understanding of what is considered professional and or inappropriate when interacting online.  Encourage your employees to mention the company on social media platforms but don’t create a formal policy outlining the do’s and don’ts.

2. Show Them How

While this might contradict the rule above, not every employee engages in social media. Make sure you demonstrate how to use each platform and provide resources that explain the best and most interesting ways to interact online. If you provide good tools for your employees, you will receive good feedback.

3. Identify Your Internal Brand

This basically means that if customers are supposed to identify with your brand shouldn’t those marketing your brand also be connected? Social media use under the company name will engage employees, creating advocates who understand and promote the brand in a relatable manner.

What other ways can employees generate brand recognition through social media platforms? Which platform do you think is the most useful?

A popular blog is like a popular person. When you think of the “it-crowd” in high school, what was it about them that made them popular? Well, for one thing they were well-liked. To put is simply, people like to spend time with people they like, just as people read blogs that they like. While your success depends on content and accuracy, what’s more important is your likeability. How you present yourself, the vibe you put out and the personality you convey are all a part of gaining the coveted popular kid status. Dean Rieck of copyblogger offers a few secrets on how to attract readers and make your blog popular.

Be Conversational
Instead of lecturing and talking down to your readers; write your posts as if you were engaging in a conversation with a friend. Keep posts informal and easy to read and you’ll avoid the boring teacher reference.

Keep It Light
The goal here is to entertain readers and leave them feeling just a little bit happier after reading your blog, so they’ll keep coming back for more. Don’t be afraid to crack a joke here or there, or show your sense of humor!

Share Yourself
While people read your blog to find information, they visit to learn about you. This means you need to share a little about yourself, with the occasional photo or note, to keep readers connected to you.

Don’t Be A Diva
Whoever said the nice guy never wins was wrong. In the world of blogging, the polite response is usually the best course of action. Make sure you answer your e-mails and respond to comments, and don’t let the rude people get to you. Simply delete inappropriate comments or feedback and move on.

Help People
Helpful people are popular people. Why? Because they’re willing to help when everyone else turns you down. Therefore, helpful blogs are popular blogs. Blogs are a great tool for readers because they offer lots of information, without expecting too much in return.

Love Your Blog
No matter what you should enjoy writing your blog. When you stop writing a little bit for yourself, you lose the connection needed to affect your readers. Don’t stress about how successful you are or need to be, and just concentrate on the blog. Popularity comes to those who relax!

What are some other secrets on how to create a popular blog? How have you applied these tricks?