Tickets are ON SALE NOW through the Hull New Theatre box office on 01482 300300 and are priced between £ 8 and £ 16

Annie - Hull New Theatre 15th to 19th May 2012

One Off Productions (http://oneoffproductions.synthasite.com/) is to be one of the first amateur companies in the world to present Calendar Girls at Hull New Theatre in September of this year.

Along side the show One Off are producing a calendar featuring the cast and aim to raise £10,000 to be split between the local breast cancer unit and the original Calendar Girls charity.

Do you have or know a company that would sponsor one of the months for only £ 300? This is a great opportunity to raise the profile of your business within the Hull and East Riding region and also support some extremely important charities. Along with half a dozen others I’ve put my business forward so there are not that many slots left.

NOT A PENNY OF THIS GOES TO THE SHOW – its just to produce the calendar and raise money for these amazing causes – any offers????

If so, get in touch we me via info@weststreetdesign.co.uk and I can put you in touch with the organisers.

However the biggest problem which people still have is finding time to do it effectively. Well here are a few tips that I’ve picked up which can help you manage your Social Media presence a little more effectively .

Social Media in 15 minutes a day

First of all the basics:

1. Social Media is quite simply about communicating with other people online. It’s not complicated, it’s just the art of listening and sharing.
2. Not every form of Social Media is suitable for all businesses. For one business Facebook could be completely irrelevant, for another it could be a lifeline to future business growth. The same can be said for Twitter, Blogs, Linedin, YouTube and all other platforms.
3. Choose your platform wisely

Microsoft alleges that Comet created and sold 94,000 counterfeit Windows XP and Vista recovery CDs and that these counterfeits were produced in a factory in Hampshire and then sold them to customers from its retail outlets across the UK.

Only time will tell if there is any truth to this, but it is a stark reminder that in business, things “need to be done the right way”, whether you are a global giant or a small startup.

In the murky world of internet marketing and seo / search engine optimisation, there are many tales of black hat techniques, shortcuts and attempts to gain a fast advantage. This has become a sad by product of the difficult economic climate we live in.

Personally, I believe in doing things the right way and look for long term success rather than short term perceptions. For instance, when building a website, we take time to listen to the client, we try to build sites in the right way, so that they can be easily added to and modified at a future date.

With Search Engine Optimisation, we tell SEO clients that there is NO GUARANTEE they will appear at the top of Google but we put a plan in place to achieve success over the medium to long term. We also try to remind people that going on Twitter will not get you immediate sales and that not everyone needs a Facebook page.

We’re also definitely NOT Gurus and never claim to be – we don’t always get everything 100% right 100% of the time but we will commit to putting things right – we also don’t believe in shortcuts and cutting costs/corners to deliver something which may in the short term look fine, but in due course isn’t.

We’re also happy to recommend other businesses who do things properly and believe me, there are many of them out there. So during this difficult period make sure that you also do things the right way – it can save you a lot of bother in the end ……..

And hey presto! . . . or at least that’s what is advertised.

There’s no doubt that the location and frequency of keywords is still critical. Search engines work by keying in on the word patterns people are looking for and returning relevant content. But that’s not all there is to it. Much of what determines the ranking position of any particular page is due to what happens off the page as well, in the form of links from other sites. Yet that throws up another problem; getting those links naturally has become the hardest part of SEO especially as now Google have stated the importance of RELEVANCE. No longer can people blindly submit links to any directory and sit back comfortably.

Hence, the mainstream emergence of social media marketing as a way to attract links with compelling content.

Put simply: If your content isn’t good enough to attract good, natural links, it doesn’t matter how “optimised” your website is.

That’s why a good SEO copywriter needs to be a writer who has a knack for tuning in to the needs and desires of the target audience. Because links are so important, those needs and desires have to be nailed well before so that content will show up prominently in the search engines.
The same reasons people buy something can also cause other people to link from blogs, and bookmark, vote, and retweet from social media platforms. The context is different, but it’s still a matter of providing compelling benefits in the form of content.

A good copywriter needs to have a flair for writing content that’s inviting to share and to link to. They need to have top-notch skills to optimise the page, so search engines know what it’s about and who might want to read it. Plus they need to know how to write copy that converts readers to buyers.

So next time you’re reviewing your web page, don’t just think keywords and links; think of your audience as well …….. and get someone to help you who knows what they are doing ……..

I would say the ‘Terminator Analogy’ is still far fetched as more satellite technology comes out the privacy and usage laws slowly catch up, so our privacy arguably has never been so closely monitored. So instead of the usual negative look at the technological future of satellite please let me add a more positive view.

The company I work for Simplytrak (UK) Limited have been at the forefront of Vehicle Tracking technology in recent years so I can see first hand how the technology of satellite tracking can transform a companies carbon footprint by maximising time and energy for vehicles on the road. The maximisation of time, cost and carbon footprint on the road are the major aims and instructions for all Fleet Management teams in the world.

Many businesses have a first class record of custom manufacturing technology that helps companies as big as UPS and Shell Oil minimise their carbon footprint and maximise profits on ‘vehicle use activities’. Satellite Technology has transformed the police and security services who are now able to track criminals and their vehicles anywhere on the globe. Satellite technology, more specifically Geo Satellite technology. can monitor a whole geographical location as big as a town or a city, which means products and people can be monitored.

I’ve read so many article recently of Search Engine Optimisation that I thought I’d jot down a few thoughts myself on things to consider when looking at SEO:

1. Understand your target audience

Keyword research has rightly been described the cornerstone of any SEO campaign. However many people seem to forget that different words mean different things to different people. Therefore it’s vital to understand what you target audience is searching for, rather than what you would type into google. For instance, are “trainers” “pumps” and “gym shoes” the same thing? For some consumers those three words are the same thing. But in the case of the first 2 especially there can be such varied results. I would also expect to see “gym shoes leeds” deliver completely different results than “leeds gym shoes”.

It’s important to remember that it really doesn’t matter how you would search for your brand/products, it only matters how your target audience searches and that’s the important thing to figure out.

2. Content is King

Some of the best optimised sites I’ve seen are also some of the ugliest. At the end of the day, what’s the point in being number 1 on Google if no-one buys off you? Content should always be written for the end user, not for the search engines. You have to remember that the search engines are not going to be the ones purchasing your products or services, people are. Yes you have to consider the search engines but content should read in a natural flowing way, that way you’re satisfying both requirements.

3. Be Strategic

This is especially important in regards to social media marketing and social SEO. Many people try to flood the marketplace with multiple Twitter accounts etc and feel they have to address every facet of SEO at once. In my opinion it’s much better to do one or two things properly and then move onto other things than start off with the scattergun approach. It all comes back to the organic progress that Google loves and to be honest there isn’t enough time in the day to do everything at once.

4. Link Building should be Organic

We’ve all seen companies appear at the top of Google from nowhere only for them to fall away just as suddenly. That’s because the guys at Google are very aware that they are playing a game with spammers and black hat SEO users, and they don’t plan on losing. That’s why link building should not be rushed; it should grow organically over a period of several months, years even especially if you plan on staying around. A blended approach demonstrates your commitment to white hat link building and building your online presence naturally. Even good quality links (if built to fast) could result in you being penalised.

5. SEO is Long Term

Lots of people have a problem getting to grips with this and presume it’s just a trick by SEO companies to get more money out of them. However getting progress (if you’re doing it the right way) does take time and even if your web designer has built the site to the highest of W3C standards and is fully prepared for optimisation, it will take time to creep up the rankings. SEO is not a quick fix to your online marketing. No, you won’t be ranking on the first page of Google for all your keywords by tomorrow, next week, or even next month. This is especially true if you recently launched your site. It takes a long time to build up your trust factor with the search engines.

SEO builds upon itself over time but yet the internet is changing on a daily basis, therefore what’s right one month can change a few months later and if you are lucky enough to reach the top, there’s no guarantee that you will stay there.

 6. Search Engines are actually on your side

Yes I know many of you see Google as the evil one who should be destroyed but all the major search engines actually want you to do well with your SEO because it helps clean up their search results. It also makes things a lot easier for them. Search engines are in the business of pleasing the customer, just like everyone else therefore if someone is searching for a product or service that you can provide, it’s in their interests to actually deliver the right search result. If your site can’t help them do that, you won’t ever rank well. Therefore read the guidelines they provide and spend time doing research (or engage a reputable SEO company to do this on your behalf) and  If they call something black hat, then treat it as such and avoid it. Even if you see your competition doing it, avoid going down the same route – they will get found out eventually.

7. Don’t set SEO to one side

SEO isn’t something to be done as an add-on. It should be part of your whole overall marketing strategy; Website / Videos / Social Media / Printed Literature / Sales / Marketing / PR / SEO all working together complementing each other. If you can find someone who can do all of this then great, but if not get as many providers (whether internal or external) talking to each other about driving your brand and business forward.

It’s not complicated really …..

Then all they do is choose a keyword and with a very slight “twist” ……. HEY Presto – you’re in the top three.

Indulge me whilst I demonstrate ……… As I mentioned previously Simplytrak are in a highly competitive market place and keyword phrases such as VEHICLE TRACKING and GPS IPHONE APPS require a lot of hard work to be successful at. However if you make a slight twist to the search terms you unscrupulous SEO companies can claim to be highly successful:

For instance, in this highly competitive market-place my client scores remarkably well with the following phrases:

“Shell Oil Vehicle Tracking” (no.1) and “UPS vehicle tracking” (no.1 and no.2). Go on, click on the images for proof

The point just emphasises how many seo companies justify claiming “we guarantee to get you to the top of google” and then manipulate the search term etc. Although you as a company may not fall for it, many do; hoodwinked into accepting certain phrases are important and ‘guided’ down that route into believing that those are the keywords to target.

Then, hey presto you are number one, give me your money and thanks for the business. That’s not the proper way of doing business in my opinion; a real Internet Marketeer looks for the highly competitive Market, accepting the challenge like a knight about to joust knowing that nothing is guaranteed but that the ultimate prize is worth the dangers ……

So when you are choosing someone to market your business online choose carefully, ensure that YOU are in control, take an interest in what they are doing and above all else, know that No-One, absolutely No-One can guarantee you to be no.1 in Google all the time.

Well apart from me of course, especially as I know your target audience are all typing Shell Oil Vehicle Tracking / UPS vehicle tracking into Google as we speak and I know how to get you to no.1 !!!!

Neal Edlin

Internet Marketing & SEO Made Simple

Their initial response to SEO companies they have come across in the past has been to consider them ‘shady’ to say the least (and I’m being polite here).

My client took the view that they were in the wrong business when many SEO companies can charge £ 1000 a month for ‘no-guarantees’ service. Especially considering that ‘you will need to give Google a good few months to recognise the changes and take them on board’.

Anyone can claim to be good at search engine optimisation, similar to the way politicians can also find a statistic to back up their argument. Yet in my opinion good SEO is more than just picking a keyword and getting the site to number 1 on Google or increasing the number of hits. It’s all about how it fits in with a company’s overall marketing strategy and whether goals are being set and ultimately converted.

Recently the whole game has also changed. All of the main search providers recognised that social media coverage was crucial and keywords and backlinks became less important on their own. They still matter but just not as much. Twitter matters more. As does your Facebook presence.

Whether you think it is relevant to your business or not, Google does.

As it does about HTML5 and W3C standards.

Your mobile phone presence is another area you have to be aware of now. People use search in a different way; instant results are important, especially when you are on the move. It doesn’t matter where in the world you are as far as SEO or Social Media is concerned, as long as the world can find you.

That’s why we’re taking a completely different approach to SEO and Social Media; by combining them together and working on both aspects in tandem, we’re developing a new kind of service “All Media Optimisation” (AMO) which by addressing both SEO and Social Media at their root level delivers a far more streamlined service with a reasonable price and measurable results.

It’s not complicated – it’s just getting as many people in the world as possible talking about your and your business.

Yet still so many people in business don’t quite see how Facebook can help them. It still has the association with Holiday Photos and keeping in touch with Friends. Yet some businesses are extremely active, whether large or small so it must work somehow.

The problem as I see it, is that we still see Social Media (whether it be Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook, You Tube et al) as a separate entity aside from more traditional forms of Marketing, the task often being given to “someone in the office” rather than being discussed at the appropriate level.

Social Media should form part of an overall Marketing Strategy for a business; a strategy that should include Print, Viral, Video, Website and other Online/Offline Marketing rather than being locked away, being considered a “fad”. Another problem is that people make a half-hearted attempt at using Social Media but give up rather quickly citing a “lack of sales”.

Let’s get this straight …… USING SOCIAL MEDIA WILL NOT GET YOU SALES …… however done the right way, it will RAISE YOUR PROFILE …… INCREASE YOUR ONLINE PRESENCE …….. COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR CLIENTS/POTENTIAL CLIENTS …… and also be an EFFECTIVE TOOL TO HELP YOU MOVE YOUR BUSINESS FORWARD.

During the social media workshops that I run I make the comparison to the invention of the telephone back in the 1870′s by Alexander Graham Bell. Those companies who invested in a telephone system did not get sales just because of their investment but invested in a tool that enabled them to communicate to more people than ever before.

Social Media for business is the same – it’s more of a case of whether you can afford not to invest?