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An Introduction to the Online World for Business

An Introduction to the Online World for Business. Presented by Karen Porter Department of Marketing School of Business Administration The University of Montana. About You. 7 5% of you currently have Facebook profiles All of you have cell phones; almost ½ are “smart”

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An Introduction to the Online World for Business

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  1. An Introduction to the Online World for Business Presented by Karen Porter Department of Marketing School of Business Administration The University of Montana

  2. About You • 75% of you currently have Facebook profiles • All of you have cell phones; almost ½ are “smart” • 95% of you have access to wi-fi • Several of you use Twitter What You Asked For • Websites – how to build, how to get found • Blogs – how, why, where to blog • Facebook for business • Social media use for business • Other miscellaneous requests – video, pdf files, etc

  3. What I’ll Cover • Relationship of world wide web and sites/blogs • Different types of websites and blogs • Website / blog platform recommendations • Basics of how search engines work • Importance of keywords / keyword research • Facebook for businesses & organizations • Twitter for business • Linked In for professionals • Recommendations for all kinds of online tools

  4. The World Wide Web Everything Starts Here More than 1 Trillion Web Pages Currently Online

  5. Understanding Google • Google gets 70% of search in U.S. / 80% worldwide • “Google it” has become a generic term • Google ranking algorithm has over 200 components

  6. Sources of Web Pages • Websites • Information sites – Wikipedia, directories, WebMD, etc. • E-commerce sites – Amazon.com, eBay, shopping online • Business & organization sites – who we are / what we do • Social sites – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, etc. • Other sites – niche topic sites, membership sites, etc. • Blogs Each blog post becomes a new “page” in Google’s system • Blogs as part of a website vs. blogs as standalone sites • Commercially hosted (Blogger.com, WordPress.com) • Privately hosted (your own domain name & hosting)

  7. WordPress.org: a Highly Popular Website & Blogging Platform Why WordPress.org is a recommended platform: • 25% of new sites / blogs built on this platform • Lots of expertise available to support • Content management system – anyone can update • WYSIWYG platform that is relatively easy to learn • Highly customizable • Theme options for different looks in design & layout • Ability to easy add features to your site for specific needs

  8. Building a Website – Part 1(Before you start building) • Determine your objectives – what is the site to do? • Conduct keyword research so you know: • which search terms consumers are using to search • how much competition for those keywords you’ll face • Free keyword search tool: • Search in Google: google keyword tool • Be sure to use “Exact Match” when doing your keyword research • Plan your site navigation – pages, subpages, etc. • Emphasize ONE keyword per page

  9. Building a Website – Part 2(Building, Promoting, Monitoring) • Develop site design – look, feel, user-friendliness • No more than three main colors plus black and white • No more than three fonts / typestyles • Example: http://TheHASPC.com • Example: http://CozyCurtains.com • Build inbound links into the site • Promote the site • Social marketing (Facebook Likes, Google +1s, etc.) • Press releases, guest blogging, article marketing, etc. • Track performance with Google Analytics • Consider adding a mobile website • In late 2013 more sites will be viewed on mobile devices than on desktop computers and laptops combined • Less than 5% of sites are currently mobile-friendly

  10. Facebook for Business • Facebook is the largest social site in the world • Just hit 1 Billion users internationally • Profiles vs. Pages • Profiles are personal – request “friends” • “Fan” pages are professional – request “Likes” • Using a profile as a business is against Facebook terms • Set up a Facebook Page • Login to your personal Facebook account • Go to Facebook.com/pages • Select appropriate category • (do NOT select Cause or Community) • Follow prompts • Facebook Timeline went into effect March 30, 2012

  11. Facebook for Business (cont.) • Facebook Pages Do’s and Don’ts • Do take advantage of top banner space for branding • Do not use top banner promote (no “click here,” “go to our website,” “special sale,” “25% off,” etc.) • Do use “app” fields to get people into your interior Facebook pages • Do post “regularly” (but don’t overdo it!) • Do post useful and helpful messages most of the time • Do engage with those who “Like” your page • Do not over-promote – it’s seen as “spamming” • Do plan your FB posts – average 1 promotional message to every 3 – 4 helpful / informational

  12. Twitter for Business • Twitter is like a mini-blog • Based on “following” others and getting “followers” • Do not follow anyone and everyone – search those who have something in common • You can automatically accept new followers or you can manually approve / disapprove • Posting frequently is acceptable in Twitter • Being overly promotional is not acceptable • As with any social media, provide useful information and share helpful ideas, inspiration, facts, etc. • Coordinate and pre-plan Twitter and Facebook post with a helpful tool like Hootsuite

  13. LinkedIn for Business • LinkedIn is a professional site for business owners, managers, entrepreneurs, and professionals • Ability to showcase your expertise / qualifications / credentials (similar to a mini-resume) • Connect with others you know through current or past work, school, friendship, or others • Can request introductions through others • Groups available to connect with those with like occupations, interests, etc. • Ability to showcase expertise in Q & A forums • As with any social media, provide useful information and share helpful ideas, inspiration, and facts vs. focusing on promotion only

  14. Educating & Sharing Online • Sharing documents • Convert files to PDF to ensure that virtually anyone can open and read by using Adobe Reader or similar software • Free conversion software – use with Word, Excel, PP http://www.freepdfcreator.org/ • Free screen capture software – Jing • Download free at TechSmith.com • Tutorials: http://www.techsmith.com/tutorial-jing-interactive-windows.html • Excellent screen / video capture – Snagit (TechSmith) • Cost is just $49.95 – makes great videos from Powerpoint with voice recording & editing capabilities • Videos upload easily to YouTube & other video sharing sites • Tutorials: http://video.techsmith.com/snagit/7/edu/tutorials/enu/sng_tutorials.html • Webinars: http://www.GotoMeeting.com/Webinar

  15. Other Recomendations • Visit my Online & Social Media Marketing website: http://osmm.net Also my personal site: http://impactonlinemarketing.com • Click the Resources tab on the navigation bar to find: • My personal recommendations on online resources for: • Domain names • Web hosting • Keyword research tools • “Must have” WordPress plugins • Email & auto-responder systems • Sources of royalty free photos for use online • Step-by-step instructions for setting up a simple WordPress site • Click the Whitepaper tab on the nav bar to find: • Free PDF reports you can download related to: • Facebook for business • Twitter for business • LinkedIn for business • Blogging for business

  16. Best of Luck to You! Karen Porter karen.porter@business.umt.edu -or- karen@ImpactOnlineMarketing.com (406) 529-8931

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