1-604-288-2938Archive for the ‘Internet Marketing’ Category
« Older Entries Newer Entries »An Exciting Move from Spain to Canada! Job Search Case Study.
Thursday, October 28th, 2010
Using the Internet to Find and Increase Job Opportunities
In September 2009, Ani López moved to Vancouver, BC from Barcelona, Spain. From finding housing, adjusting to culture, to gaining employment, changing residences can present many challenges. For Ani, his priority was finding a SEO and web analytics consultant position that would further excel his career. Before moving, Ani researched over 70 Vancouver marketing firms. Ani gives a compelling look on securing work abroad and online.
Ani’s Initial Job Search – Connecting Across International Boarders
1) Google.ca
To gain a broad snapshot of Vancouver’s Internet marketing environment and what opportunities were present, Ani’s first point of contact were the companies’ websites. Their websites provided key details, such as the type of company, clients, relevancy, services offered, and contact information. Finding and evaluating key leads were essential to solidifying appointments, which proved to be a time-saver.
2) Email
After choosing potential companies, Ani introduced himself and sent his resumes by way of email. To no avail, this approach received very few replies.
Ani’s Second Attempt – A Social Approach to Job Search
1) LinkedIn
Instead of contacting companies at their general email accounts, which have long time lags and may not be directed to the appropriate person, Ani took a more targeted route. LinkedIn provided Ani with contacts of specific individuals and freelancers of the companies he previously targeted. The response was significantly higher, more effective, and personalized.
Yet, some Vancouver professionals expressed apprehension in response to Ani’s LinkedIn Invitations to Connect. However, creating a detailed, reputable, and professional LinkedIn profile minimized this barrier.
2) Twitter
The next step was connecting with Vancouver professionals on Twitter. Twitter provided additional information and evaluation of the companies. Most importantly, it built closer relationships.
3) The Personal Touch – International Marketing Conference 2009
Still, one of the greatest sources of creating relationships and credibility remains in face-to-face meetings. Already knowing much of Vancouver’s market on a macro-level, Ani registered for IMC to meet specific marketing professionals. He soon became known in the market established his career pathway.
Results
Although the Internet, as a medium, is often immediate and viral, Ani’s job search lasted two to three months. However in comparison to the traditional route, Ani gained several advantages: an in-depth look into Vancouver’s Internet marketing industry, strong professional connections, job offers, and all accomplished from across the Atlantic Ocean. What differed in Ani’s second job search attempt was that his approach, facilitated by social media, allowed personalization, customization, and more conversation. He treated each connection as though it was conducted in person:
Social Media is just like plain social with a layer of technology. It must be managed the same way you do with your personal, face-to-face relationships. Sending an unrequested email is like jumping suddenly into a group of people loudly claiming attention to advertise. It does not work in analogical life nor does it in a digital one. If you want to get noticed, introduce yourself politely, know your interlocutors, listen to them first, and opportunities will show up.
Ani now works with his first company of choice and leads the Vancouver SEM MeetUp group.
Future of Social Media On Businesses
Because of Ani’s Mediterranean background and sociable personality, he remains sceptical about using social media and, rather, opts for offline experiences.
The most ironic scene you can see in this city is six people in an elevator all checking their SM applications on a smartphone and nobody is saying ‘hello’ or ‘good morning’. If this is the sad impact of SM and ultramodern devices, do you really think it is going to have a positive one on business?
He does acknowledge social media’s prevalence and long-term impact in the future. Social media is quickly being integrated to many facets of the Internet and Ani aims to harness this medium in his work as an SEO specialist. Social media has proven benefits and Ani continues to use it to grow and connect professionally.
To download this case study: click here
Tags: Case Study, Google, Job Search, Linked In, Social Media, Twitter
Posted in Internet Marketing | No Comments »
Google Instant Thoughts
Friday, September 10th, 2010
Google Instant – Search Results Before You Finish Typing
Google will soon (soon in Canada, now available in US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Russia ) dynamically display search results as you type, suggesting, predicting and ‘helping’ users find what they want faster. 
Each time a new recognizable keyword or phrase is perceived, a new set of Google results will be displayed.
E.g. car, career, career builder
What impact will this change have on PPC?
Its early days still, but these are likely:
- Increase in unwanted impressions
- Longer Tail Keywords Emerging is really important
- Quality Score impact due to unwanted impressions (if these are counted by Google)
- Increased importance on strategic negative keyword list
- Increased importance on match types
- Increased potential for branding keyword impressions
What impact will this change have on SEO?
- SEO is not dead, it’s changing, sure, but as long as there is search, there will be SEO
- Need to create relevant content more than ever
- Make sure your website has simple, easy to access structure
- There’s no need to panic, still remember to integrate social media into your SEO strategy
- Monitor keyword trends to ensure you are creating relevant content
- Don’t get distracted by the buzz, the fundamentals are still the same, just keep doing whatever you have been doing (staying on top of industry best practices).
What do you think about Google Instant so far?
Tags: Google, google instant, PPC, SEO
Posted in Internet Marketing | No Comments »
Online Marketing Mistakes – Stay on Track
Tuesday, May 25th, 2010
So, how do you stay on track? What do you need to do in order not to make all those online marketing mistakes that we’ve been talking about this week?
1) Analyze your Online Marketing goals
2) Review your target audience
3) Create an Online Marketing plan
4) Act
5) Measure and analyze your results
6) Start over again
Need help with your Online Marketing plan? Give us a shout and we’ll be happy to create an Online Domination plan for YOUR business. :)
Tags: Strategy
Posted in Internet Marketing | No Comments »
Online Marketing Mistake #3
Friday, May 21st, 2010
Online Marketing Mistake #3 – Not Knowing Your Numbers.
1) Know your numbers and know what to do with them.
2) Do you use Google Analytics or any other tracking software on your website?
3) Do you set up goals and conversions in Google Analytics?
4) Do you track your conversions on your third-party shopping cart?
5) Do you monitor your site’s statistics on a regular basis?
Watch Online Marketing Mistake #1
Watch Online Marketing Mistake #2
Need help setting up your Google Analytics and decoding your numbers? Give us a shout!
Tags: Strategy
Posted in Internet Marketing | No Comments »
Online Marketing Mistake #2
Wednesday, May 19th, 2010
Online Marketing Mistake #2 – Not knowing your competitors.
1) Know who your competitors are.
2) Offline and Online competitors might be slightly different.
Search your primary keywords in Google and see who comes up in top 5 results.
3) Learn what they are doing Online, and how they promote their business.
Do your competitors have well-optimized websites (SEO)? Do they use Social Media? Do they have blogs?
Watch Online Marketing mistake #1
Stay tuned for mistake #3…
Need help with your competition analysis? Give us a shout!
Tags: Strategy
Posted in Internet Marketing | No Comments »
Online Marketing Mistake #1
Tuesday, May 18th, 2010
Ta-da! Our first video clip from ByzHub is up! Sandra Garcia (Middle Child Marketing) and Helen Stepchuk (Cucumber Marketing Inc) revealed top Online and Offline (PR) marketing mistakes.
Online Marketing Mistake #1 – Not Having an Integrated Marketing Strategy.
We see this one all the time. :( It’s very easy to get carried away and get lost in the Social Media tools…
Stay on track!
1) Review/set your goals
2) Drill down your target audience
3) Come up with a plan (Online AND Offline)
4) Act
5) Measure
6) Do it again…
Stay tuned for mistake #2…
Tags: Strategy
Posted in Internet Marketing | 3 Comments »
Search Engine Optimization vs Pay Per Click Advertising
Saturday, January 2nd, 2010
Our clients often ask us if Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising compliments Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and vice versa. One of our clients had a theory that their PPC contributed to their high organic ranking. Some clients want to dominate the page, and think it is important to appear in both organic and paid search results. So, what are the basic key points you need to know about SEO and PPC and how they diffe
r.
How it works:
SEO: Search engine optimization’s goal is to bring organic (not paid) traffic to your website. If your site is well optimized it will appear in the left-hand side/middle of the search results page.
PPC: When running a Pay Per Click advertising campaign you will pay each time when users click on your ad. You do not pay for displaying the ads, just for the clicks. Your ads will appear in the right-hand side column of the search results page or at the top of the page (if certain bidding requirements are met).
Some Performance Statistics:
SEO: The statistics show that organic results have a much higher click through rate (CTR) verses paid search placements (in case of comparable position placement). This means that users are more likely to click on the free, organic results, rather than on the paid ads.
PPC: Your click through rate must be monitored closely for each of your PPC campaigns. You can improve your CTR, by adjusting your keywords and ad text.
Timeline:
SEO: A long-term commitment is required if you wish to improve your site’s ranking position.
By improving your SEO you are essentially improving your website’s online reputation. The more effort you put into it, the stronger your reputation (hence your ranking position) will be.
PPC: It is easier to get a higher position (when appropriate bidding requirements are met) and attract instant traffic with Pay Per Click campaigns. In this case, you do not contribute to your overall site’s web score, and once you stop running your ads, your site will have to rely on your organic rankings only. So, technically your PPC ranking does not affect your SEO in any way.
In order to decide which option is right for your business you need to determine your goals, your budget and your audience and go from there.
Need a little help figuring it all out? Contact us today to design your own search engine marketing strategy.
Tags: Strategy
Posted in Internet Marketing | No Comments »
2010 Internet Marketing Checklist for Small Business Owners
Wednesday, December 30th, 2009
Yet another year comes to an end and it’s the time to re-evaluate our personal and business performance. This is the time when we all make a promise to do better next year. I thought I would take you up on this promise and make a mini checklist to ease your job in the Internet Marketing field. 
Even if you were a good student in 2009, and you already know about these social media marketing tools, here you are again. It’s never a bad idea to review and revise after all:
1) Get Intimate
Needless to say, social media simply exploded in 2009. Facebook reached over 300 million users, and Twitter’s projected growth in the next year is 50 percent. This is just the tip of the social media iceberg! From one hand it might be scary and intimidating to a social media virgin; for a small business owner to make the plunge and not drown! I would say, take it easy and do not over-do it. Get started with the basics and once you conquer the fundamentals, then you will feel more comfortable with the rest of it.
Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn – three essentials for your business for 2010. These social networking sites will help you to stay connected to your clients and to get the word about your company, your new products or general business happenings out there. They are free (in most cases) and fun to play with. Check them out, if you have not already.
2) Blogging Shmogging
What is blogging? It is the easiest way to tell the masses about yourself and your business. Blogs are easy to set up and manage, and they keep your brain on the creative wave when you write often. Yes, everyone is blogging nowadays, so you will have to make sure you know your audience and you write something useful for them.
When you create a blog for your business make sure you reap all the benefits from it. Your blog name should be www.yourdomain.com/blog, and not blogspot.domain.com or something of that sort. Feel the difference? When your blog is set up on your own domain; 1) it looks more professional, 2) it helps your Search Engine Optimization (if you post often).
Having a company blog is an excellent way to show your expertise and engage with the clients by answering their questions, giving your general advice or sharing your knowledge.
3) Email and Marketing
Although some people might think that Email Marketing is slowly dying, in reality this is not the case. Email Marketing is still one of the most cost-effective ways to communicate your marketing message to your clients, and it is a great customer retention tool as well. Newsletters, white papers and email blasts are your chance to stay connected with your clients and to remind them about your awesome services and products. Make sure you do not become too annoying, by sending out too many emails. Once a month for a company newsletter, or occasional business news email blast is a good amount. If you have more news than you can fit in one newsletter, then make sure it’s not more often than once a week (tops!)
Make your email communications fun and informative. Life it too short to be subscribed to a boring newsletter!
Speaking of which, please feel free to subscribe to our super awesome newsletter that will be sent to you not more than once a month.
4) Talk and Be Heard
My guess is that you already read your industry forums and blogs on a regular basis. Why not to take the full advantage of them? Participate and leave comments. Make sure to put your real name or your company name and link it to your website. Once your comment goes live your name will become a link to your site, attracting more traffic. If you are a regular in forums, make sure your signature includes your primary keywords and that it is linked back to your site. For example my signature would say “Internet Marketing Vancouver.” ;)
5) Be In The Know
Everything happens so quickly in this world. A mom dragged her kid into a supermarket and a video of her is on You Tube and TV in a matter of minutes. Know what people are saying about you and your business, and gain the edge. Set up Google Alerts for your name, your company name, and receive instant notifications once someone mentions it on the Web. You can also set up an alert for your competition to see what they are up to.
It is happening; social media is changing the marketing landscape as we know it by providing business owners with new tools and endless opportunities. Take advantage of them today and you will see the results tomorrow.
Let us know if we can be of any help on your Internet Marketing journey!
Tags: Blogging
Posted in Internet Marketing | 2 Comments »
Facebook Groups vs Pages
Thursday, November 26th, 2009
I finally updated our Facebook Fan Page yesterday! Yay! So, now we have a Facebook Group and a Page dedicated to all fun Cucumber Marketing Inc. I thought it would be good timing to write a quick post about the differences between Groups and Pages.
Facebook Groups 
Facebook Groups were introduced way before Pages and they *can* outrank Pages when a Facebook search is performed. That being said, Facebook is heavily promoting and favouring Pages over Groups right now, so it’s highly recommended that you start a Facebook Fan Page over a Facebook Group.
Facebook Fan Pages
My personal favorite! You simply can do more stuff with Pages vs Groups. You can customize the page using FBML (Facebook Markup Language), create new boxes (Contact us, Our Services, etc.) and link them to your main site. It’s easier to stay in touch with your fans because every time you update your Fan Page, your fans will get an update in their Live Feed.
There’s nothing wrong with creating both a Fan Page and a Group. If you already have a Group, invite your members to become your fans. Play with both of them and see which one is right for you.
Both Groups and Pages determine their popularity in search results by their size. It’s important not to just create a Group or a Page, but also to maintain it, promote it and grow the membership base.
My conclusion:
My personal feeling is that Groups are good for a specific cause or an event. It’s great for people that share similar interests to create a presence on Facebook. For example a University Group or a high school reunion Group, or a Santa Clause is coming to town Group, etc.
Fan Pages are great for businesses, artists, famous personas, etc. to get their fans together and keep them updated.
Need a little more help figuring it all out? Contact us and one of our Facebook junkies will help you to get started!
Tags: Strategy
Posted in Internet Marketing | 1 Comment »
Three Reasons Why Small Businesses Should Start Blogging
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009
#1 Show Your Expertise
A blog is the easiest way to show your prospective clients that you are the master of your domain. Demonstrate knowledge of your field by writing useful “how to” posts. Blog about the latest news in your industry, and be sure to answer people’s questions in your comments.
#2 Get The Word Out There
Launching a new product? Blog about it! Get the word out there about your offerings by bookmarking your blog posts in popular social media sites like Digg, Reddit, StumbleUpon, etc. If people like your product they will talk about it on twitter, link to your blog from their site, or recommend it on popular local listings sites like Yelp, HotFrog, etc.
#3 Attract Visitors and Improve SEO
Blogs are fantastic for attracting new traffic. Search engines index new posts very fast, especially if you write often.
Consolidate your blog with your main business site and direct visitors to your product pages with a strong call-to-action.
Need a hand setting up your blog? Give us a call and we’ll be happy to get you started! Contact us!
Tags: Blogging
Posted in Internet Marketing | No Comments »
