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Image/ Photo Optimization Tips

April 25, 2013

Photo optimization is a must-have online marketing tool for modern businesses, as images are going on to become the new content. While the impact of text cannot be underestimated when it comes to content, yet the effect that can be achieved with a well-shot image cannot be matched. If you are ready to step into the world of photo optimization for your business, there are a few basic rules that you shall need to bear in mind to be successful at it.

  • The first step is to choose the correct image. A beautiful photo can add a dimension of vibrancy to your text, and is what shall actually sell your page. Remember to stay away from copyright issues by using images that are Creative Common licensed, or even better, sharing and optimizing self-captured shots.
  • The next important thing is how you name the image. Refrain from generic image titles, and instead choose a name that is descriptive yet simple. You might want to observe phrasing patterns that work well for your users and try to incorporate them into image names.
  • Alt tags are an important component of image optimization. Make an effort to fill out all the alt tags for images on your website, using plain English for file names instead of stuffing them with keywords. You can avoid filling alt tags for decorative images, to prevent being flagged for over-optimization by search engines.
  • If you are optimizing multiple shots of a single image, remember to fill out individual alt tags for each of these images. This will help to guide specific searches for these shots to your website, serving as an effective SEO tool. Refrain from using larger images as these shall prolong loading times on your website. Instead, you can provide an option of a pop-up to view larger sizes of smaller images. Several online image editing tools allow you to reduce image file size to the minimum required to maintain the image quality.
  • Be careful while choosing file formats for images. While JPEGs usually work best in most e-commerce platforms, PNGs and GIFs are suitable for decorative images. The trick is to keep the quality of images high while reducing file size as far as possible.
  • Finally, take out time to test your images and see what works best for your customers and your business. Right from product images per page to image angles, testing is the best way to know just what your target audience is looking for.

Utilizing WhatsApp For Business Promotions

April 17, 2013

The use of WhatsApp for business promotion is relatively new, making it a fresh and innovative way to attract customers without coming across as overtly promotional. The great thing about WhatsApp as a promotional tool for businesses is that it is always just a touch away from users, being a mobile application. While the major application of WhatsApp is for text messages, business owners can also make use of the images and videos that can be easily send via WhatsApp. The following tips highlight the top ways in which WhatsApp can be used for business promotions-

  • You can create a list of contacts relevant to your business and send them promotional texts regarding special offers of upcoming events. However, the key is to ensure that these text messages come across as authentic and not spam.
  • The best thing about WhatsApp is that you can send images to contacts all across the world, for free. This feature has immense potential if used correctly. You can send images of your latest products or your best sellers. As they say, an image speaks a thousand words. This stands absolutely true when it comes to business promotion, as users are much more likely to be interested in a product that they have seen.
  • With most users being familiar to the texting format of this application, users can instantly ask any questions that they have regarding a product, offer etc., and even better, you can respond immediately, increasing user satisfaction manifold.
  • Another way in which WhatsApp can be used for business promotion is via the videos feature that is a part of the application. You can make a short catchy video and share it with all your contacts. What’s more, you can use the same video on multiple platforms, further adding to the success of your promotional campaign.
  • Right from the status update on WhatsApp to the unlimited texting allowed, you can share large blocks of content on this platform. With users getting real-time updates of these texts, the chances of them reading them immediately are higher than content uploaded on the web. You can make this content catchy with the help of the wide variety of symbols and emoticons available on the app, which give the content an informal touch.

By just dedicating a few minutes every day to the use of WhatsApp for your business promotion, you can achieve a substantial growth in your customer base.  Call us today @ (855) 375-9654 for Internet Marketing Tips for Your Austin TX Business.

Meetup.Com For Promoting Your Business In Austin TX

April 8th, 2013

If you are a believer in real-life relations and the power of face-to-face interaction, Meetup.com could be a godsend for you. This website provides the perfect merge of the online world and the offline world for businesses, making way for a well-rounded promotion strategy. The website, founded in 2001 following the infamous attacks on the World Trade Center, has ever since become the destination of choice for likeminded people willing to extend their relationships beyond virtual interactions. While Meetup.com is a great website for people seeking to meet people with similar interests in real life, its potential for businesses is also worth tapping.

Most business owners are already well aware of how powerful social media websites can be in putting themselves out there and interacting with existing customers as well as potential clients. Just imagine how fabulous it would be, if you could reach out to these people beyond the barrier of a computer screen, and have a real interaction with them- Meetup lets you do just that! The great thing about this kind of interaction is that not only can you put across your point in a much more efficient and assertive way, but you can also build relationships that are likely to last longer than online interactions.

Meetup.com has a very user-friendly interface, which is powered by an intuitive layout, making it easy to get started and operate the website. It is as simple as signing up on the website and searching for groups and meet-ups related to your business in your area. Once you find a group of your interest, you can join it as a member, after which you shall be notified of all the meet ups of that particular group. As a business owner, it is important to remember to have an effective plan in mind of how to promote your business at these meet ups.

The key to efficiently promoting your business on Meetup.com is by keeping it as genuine as possible, and avoiding indulging in over-promotion. The entire purpose of meet ups is to share ideas and knowledge, and that should be kept as the prime focus at all times. Business promotion must be done subtly, ensuring that you do not come across as too pushy at any point. It is always a great idea to  conduct follow-ups with any links established through these meet ups.

Need Of Online Reputation Management

March 30, 2013

In the modern age where information about everything, right from an individual to a company is available in just a single click, online reputation management has a huge role to play. As the owner of a company, it is immensely important to regulate and control the information that appears in search engine results for your company when existing or prospective clients. Right from customer reviews on high-ranking sites like Yelp to “companynamesucks” domains, there is a lot that needs to be considered while devising an online reputation management strategy for your company.
The following tips guide you on the dos and don’ts of online reputation management-

  • Social media communication- Just creating profiles on all the leading social media networks is not enough. What is really important is paying attention to what people are saying about you on these sites, and showing your concern by responding and engaging in active communication.
  • Company policy- While having a team of employees dedicated to your company’s online reputation management is a great idea, it can backfire in the absence of a well-defined company policy. If every employee deals with social media complaints and feedbacks individually, the inconsistency of these responses can work against the company’s reputation.
  • SEO for your company’s name- The best way to make sure that people see what you want them to see when they search for your company’s name online, is to dominate your company’s name in search results. This can be done by simple strategies such as using your company’s name in HTML tags, title tags, your about us page, your website’s URL, etc. It is also a good idea to refer to your company in the third person whenever possible- for example, instead of “we are dedicated to providing” use “XYZ is dedicated to providing”.
  • Diversify your online presence- When it comes to online reputation management, a key aspect is building your online presence. Right from blogging to being active on all major social media sites and getting listed in local directories, there is no end to the number of things that can be done to have a diverse online presence.
  • Monitor your search results– The most important part of online reputation management is keeping an eye open for all that’s being said about your company, and having a strategy in place for dealing with negative comments. The best way to do this is usually to contact the creator of this content personally, and either find a way to change their opinion, or leave a comment describing how you plan to deal with the feedback.

We at Centex Technologies provide online reputation management in Austin TX, Dallas and Killeen areas.

Benefits Of Using Austin TX SEO Consultant

March 24, 2013

With SEO being an integral part of the online marketing of any business, it is imperative for businesses to have a well-defined strategy to meet the SEO goals of the business. Many small and medium business owners in Austin TX question the need to hire an SEO consultant for this purpose. While this might seem as an unnecessary expense at first sight, the reality is that the benefits of hiring an SEO consultant by far outweigh its costs. Enlisted below are the major ones of these benefits-

  • Expertise- The most evident benefit of hiring an SEO consultant for your Texas-based business is that you get to benefit from their expertise in the field. With all the technicalities and techniques involved in SEO, it makes a huge difference to have an expert working for you.
  • White hat techniques- Relying on hearsay methods of SEO can have a dire consequence on your business, since most of these methods are black-hat ones. By adopting such methods, you run the risk of being de-indexed, and in some cases even completely banned by websites. Hiring an expert ensures that only white-hat techniques are applied to your website.
  • All-rounded strategy- Hiring an SEO consultant for your business puts you at the advantage of having an all-rounded strategy designed for you. This means that the SEO techniques are applied in all aspects of the website, including the content and design, hence strengthening the very framework of your website, from an SEO perspective.
  • Industry trends- Using an SEO consultant for your Austin TX business offers the benefit of having the latest SEO trends for your industry applied to your website. This is made possible by the persistent efforts of these experts to keep up with industry trends and to keep an eye on the strategies being adopted by your competitors.
  • Time to focus on business- From an entrepreneur’s point of view, SEO consultation offers a major benefit of leaving you with sufficient time to focus on the core functionalities of your business. This is because SEO can be a particularly time-consuming effort, and hiring an SEO consultant helps to save this time.
  • Higher Return on Investment- As a businessman, the biggest advantage that hiring an SEO expert offers, is that you have a better bottom line for your business. This is because the loss involved in going through a learning curve is eliminated, as tried-and-tested SEO methods with proven efficiency are applied in your business.

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