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Introduction to SEO Backlinks written by Bill Rice:. Subscribe to his digital marketing tips.

Your customers are looking for you on the Internet. Why wouldn’t you be there? Convinced? Ready to give it a try?

Here are three critical components every business’ Internet marketing system should include:

1. Careful Research and Clear Goals

Don’t forget that the Internet is not just a marketing channel, but also a very effective research tool. Use searches to find consumer demand and competitive snooping to look for opportunities.

In addition, to searching and browsing websites related to your industry the rise of social media can give you direct insight into the mind of your customer. Researching social media chatter can reveal potential customers, their needs, and how they make buying decisions.

Pay particular attention to how they are using the Internet to find products and services to purchase. With this information, you will know exactly how and where to market your product to maximize your reach.

Once your research is done, use the information to set goals for your marketing campaign. All goals should follow a SMART system: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timetabled.

Finally, take an honest look at your company’s capabilities along with the market information, and make sure your planned marketing campaign is something that you can realistically accomplish in a timely manner. A successful online campaign can always be expanded later.

2. Create an Online Elevator Pitch

First impressions are critical in life—business is no exception.

Unfortunately, the Internet only compresses the time you have to give a positive impression. Your prospective customers are only going to give your email, website, or landing page a few seconds.

Seconds…that’s all the time you have to convey your value proposition and convince them to take action. Crafting an effective elevator pitch is the best strategy to building a compelling message that will ultimately convert that visitor to a customer.

Start with a brief, but informative introduction to your product or service, one that highlights your unique value proposition. The key is to quickly differentiate your business from the competition.

Central to any good elevator pitch is a clear explanation of the problem, need, or want that your product or service addresses. Try to personalize your message(s) to fit your target audience. And in all cases ensure that your message is simple and clear.

Strengthen your claims with statistics, testimonials, and case studies that will quickly draw the attention of potential buyers.

3. Feed Your Campaign with Fresh Content

Now that you’re armed with good research and a strong core value proposition, it’s time to start your Internet marketing program.

Whether you market through a company blog, on a social media site or directly on your company website, the key to building a buying audience is fresh, unique, compelling content. Great content will not only help optimize your website to reach the top search engine ranking, but will also keep you customer tuned into your social media channels for your latest updates.

Granted, adding fresh content requires and investment of time and resources, but it’s one that will be richly rewarded in the future. However, it takes consistency and frequency to get the results you want. This is where hiring professional content creators—writers, designers, and videographers can help accelerate your online marketing plan.

What have you found important in building an Internet marketing for your business?

3 Things Your Internet Marketing System Should Have written by Bill Rice:. Subscribe to his digital marketing tips.

Are you ready to take it up a notch in 2012? I sure am.

January is always an exciting time–fresh beginnings and new challenges. On the flip side it can be a little scary. It’s kind of like an artist staring down a blank canvas hoping to create a masterpiece.

Starting from scratch is always hard. That’s why I like to start a New Year by reviewing the fundamentals. In my business (and probably yours), that means taking a look at how I am doing SEO for each of my websites.

Join me tomorrow (1/4/2012) at 1 pm ET for a FREE webinar to review SEO Fundamentals.

Here’s what we will be reviewing…

1. Keyword research
2. Content architecture
3. Editorial calendars
4. Link building strategies

Bring your notepad and your questions and we’ll get a little search traffic headed your way!

You can’t make this one? Join Bill Rice for one of his other Internet Marketing Courses.

Webinar: SEO Fundamentals written by Bill Rice:. Subscribe to his digital marketing tips.

Our notebooks are filled with possible seeds of greatness. The individual notes are little sparks from our mind (maybe even a higher power) working.

Seeds need to be watered and nurtured. Sparks need to be stoked and fanned.

If you do this, the strongest seed will grow and the most viable sparks will catch fire.

What happens when you gather things in your notebook and then simply close it?

Right? The world suffers.

Here’s the call to action, as we say in the marketing world:

What’s in Your Notebook?

Here’s a few seeds and sparks from mine:

• Why is video such a hot marketing trend?
• When you look over the cows…look for the ones separated from the herd, they’re the ones in trouble. (On the importance of community. Analogy from my pastor, a farm boy.)
• What if we started developing your sales process by learning to be a buyer? Learning a customer’s process to buy something is the fastest way to close a deal.
• Whenever people talk about success they seem to really be talking about making more money. Is that really the only definition of success?
• How can you help your worst sales people?
• Why do all writers say they hate to write?
• Why are so many personal finance and Internet marketing bloggers broke?
• Social media influence is more about sociology than psychology.
• Start writing more Bill Rice! (Sometimes I talk to myself in my notebook)

What’s in your notebook? Feel free to comment below or better yet write your own post and link back here so I can read it…for more inspiration.

What’s in Your Notebook? written by Bill Rice:. Subscribe to his digital marketing tips.

People that I deeply loved reading and always made it worth my while. The problem is…the simplicity of online publishing has now created an explosion of these kind of people. I’m curious who is on your short list of must reads?

Here are a few that are still on that very short list:

• Dave Winer - You’ll love him and hate him at the same time – love should always win that battle – so I let it.
• Chris Brogan - Just a good guy and it all flows from there.
• Michael Hyatt - Leadership, writing, faith; what a great package.
• Jon Swanson - Christianity done good. Social media chaplain.
• Chris Penn – Another great guy. Email, social media, marketing measurement, and WoW (I hear) genius.
• Matt Cutts – I have an affinity for Kentucky folks that make it big. Oh, and he’s kinda important in SEO circles.
• Copyblogger – Great stuff on copywriting and Internet marketing, without the bitter aftertaste.
• Jason Calacanis - Where he writes online bounces around. Another firecracker, like Dave, but lots of goodness at the core.
• Jason Fried and company - What can I say? They get tons of business and software stuff right. I never want to miss that.)

Who is on yours? Why are they there?

A Short List of People You Should Read written by Bill Rice:. Subscribe to his digital marketing tips.

Doing my morning read of my favorite sages and I came across this great one by Chris Brogan: I Am Not Authentic.

Here’s a little snippet that got my mind cranks whirring…

Be Helpful

There’s a lot that goes with true authenticity that isn’t helpful. Instead, the people we connect with would be much better served if we chose to be helpful instead. “Helpful” is a far more useful frame of reference than authentic. But there’s more.

This really struck me because, like Chris so often does, he didn’t try to make a tired concept like authenticity understandable–he changed your perspective on the concept.

After many years of “being” online I still struggle with having the “right” filter. Do I put pictures of my kids up? Do I list my cell phone number? Do I accept business and social media “friends” into my personal Facebook account? Do I talk about my vacation? On and on…

This article changes the perspective on that struggle for balance in being authentic. It switches the filter from ME (What’s safe or appropriate to share online?) to YOU (What will be useful, motivational, beneficial to you?).

Sometimes that might be showing our team at work…

(Creative meeting at Kaleidico)

Or, how we smashed revenue records for a client with a killer email campaign…

• Subject Line: We Did Something Radical
  • (Short, intriguing, non-segmenting = Big open rate)
• Short copy about working hard to create a unique and beneficial thing, without ending the suspense
  • (Keep them intrigued without giving a spoiler to get the click-through)
• Make every image should count!
  • (Kill the stock photos and switch to infographic style images – everything with a purpose)

Or, just a simple snippet of motivation for where you can go with success…

(A recent little jaunt I took to Rome, Italy)

Try switching your authentic filter from ME (you) to YOU (them) and see if it gets you better results. I’m going to.

What do you think? Do you have other thoughts on “being authentic?”

Changing the Filter on Authenticity written by Bill Rice:. Subscribe to his digital marketing tips.

I write daily. My job is marketing. The two fit nicely together.

Marketing is all about delivering a compelling, unique, value proposition. That very simply means: convincing people, very quickly, that you can help.

As you all know that can be very hard. We know a lot about our products and services—tons, too much.

Condensing all that knowledge and all we think may be important to tell customers into a few words or a few moments is tough. Add to that people’s increasingly short attention span and you double the challenge.

Writing is the answer and here’s why:

•Writing helps you organize your thoughts

•Writing helps you refine and sharpen your argument

•Writing creates a database of thoughtful marketing approaches

•Writing creates an endless supply of marketing collateral

I like to write for marketing because it gives me the short and the long pitches I need to sell. Most prospects want the short version upfront. If it captures their attention or imagination they will want more. If you make writing a part of your daily routine you’ll have a library (or swipe file) full of marketing materials and angles.

Do you write for marketing or sales? Do you write daily?

Why Marketers Should Write, Daily written by Bill Rice:. Subscribe to his digital marketing tips.

Inspiration from Chris Brogan’s Blog Topics. You should get your copy for endless blog topics.

Arguing is in our nature. So is our self-centeredness.

Children tussling over a toy and exclaiming “mine” is a very early shared experience.

However, arguing can yield benefits. It helps us investigate, analyze, learn, and grow.

Unfortunately, if we lead an argument with our selfish nature we tear down relationships.

Quite to the contrary, an argument that leads with curiosity, consideration for counterpoints, and not without the intent to win grows us and our relationships.

How do you argue?

Relationships: How to Argue Better written by Bill Rice:. Subscribe to his digital marketing tips.

Happy Independence Day!

Although an American holiday, it’s one most can identify with–a celebration of gaining a unique identity.

Sometimes that’s identity is intensely national, political, cultural, or even religious, but always one of pride.

That’s why articles like this one in US News (and the referenced study) make me sad. It turns pride in our great Nation, pride in the remarkable vision of our forefathers, pride in the ultimate sacrifices so many have made into simple partisan drivel.

Maybe I’m just more sensitive as a temporary expatriate living in Italy.

Happy 4th of July America! Ciao!

Happy 4th of July from Italy written by Bill Rice:. Subscribe to his digital marketing tips.

Most marketers are soft.

• We’re afraid to sell to customers
• We’re afraid to ask customers to buy
• We’re afraid to tell customers what’s good for them

How egotistical and self-centered can we be?

What? You say…

That’s right…you’re fear of feedback, failure, or flat out rejection is a HUGE disservice to customers.

Most of you are still reeling in confusion or already stopped reading. However, the smart ones in the crowd are starting to get where I am driving.

Here’s the problem with soft marketers: They forget the customer came looking for help.

Whether an existing client or a new prospect they’re on your website or subscribed to your email list because they are looking for help.

They assume the customer knows what they do. We’re the experts. We understand mortgages, insurance, credit, networks, software, accounting, legal matters, or whatever else we might be service. Customers only know they need an expert.

If you don’t tell them how to buy the product or contract the service they need then you are letting them down. Worse than that they will go to someone else–possibly that is less qualified to help them.

They don’t get how revenue allows you to give more. I can’t emphasize this enough:

The More Profitable You are The More You Can Give!

If you want to be a charitable, caring, giving person then sell more! There is a reason Bill Gates can give $1 billion to charity. He is one of the richest people in the world. What’s more he has made millions and millions of people’s lives better by selling to them.

Get it? Ultimately, the customer loses.

This is the real bottom line. If you don’t sell you products and services. If you don’t guide your customers to a successful solution then they will certainly walk-away disappointed.

Now you have a decision to make.

Do you want to help your customers? Of course you do.

Then please, please start selling to them!

Helping Customers Requires Selling to Customers written by Bill Rice:. Subscribe to his digital marketing tips.