I caught today’s Jump of the Week (JOTW) on ESPN’s Top Ten highlight reel. I think it deserved #1! Good thing this kid rotated as far as he did…
[On Wednesday's LotusJump highlights a Jump of the Week (JOTW). It can be any kind of jump (over tall things, in search engine rankings, through hoops of fire, whatever). Submit your favorite Jump via comment and we'll consider it for future Wednesday JOTW's!]
After doing a little research on OnlineChineseAstrology.com I discovered that LotusJump, launched in 2008, was “born” in the year of the Earth Rat. The Earth Rat you say? This is what Online Chinese Astrology has to say about the Earth Rat, “The combination of Earth and Rat is extremely positive when it comes to achieving results. The Rat tends to take a lot of risks, while Earth is associated with practicality and stability. This creates balance and can lead to good profits, increased productivity and all sorts of accomplishments.”
So, here’s to LotusJump, the year of the Earth Rat, and our LotusJump spotlight of the week OnlineChineseAstrology.com:
We asked Online Chinese Astrology what the inspiration was behind their company, this is what they had to say:
My father, Bill Hajdu, began learning about Chinese Astrology 20 years ago on a trip to Korea. Since then he has devoted a lot of time studying the practice. As the internet came about, he registered as an expert on AllExperts.com where he is currently the top rated astrology expert. When I started looking at what he was doing by hand in creating and calculating charts I realized I could help him a lot by building some computer applications. We built our first site, www.firepig.com and then subsequently, www.onlinechineseastrology.com.
When asked what achievement they were most proud of, Online Chinese Astrology said:
Two years ago we signed a deal with www.ivillage.com and now provide reports and horoscopes to ivillage, astrology.com, yahoo, and friendster China.We asked Online Chinese Astrology why Internet marketing is so important for their company, this is what they had to say:
We are purely internet based so getting found by curious internet browsers is critical to us continuing to grow our own traffic and sales. We have a mix of internet marketing and affiliate marketing where we sell through other companies.
We gave Online Chinese Astrology a chance to give a “Creative Marketing Tip of the Day”, this is what they said:
Avoid too much creativity! It’s important that your messages are clear and consistent. Every now and then you hit a home run with a quirky idea, but, more often than not, you end up confusing the typical internet customer who’s attention span is low. Use landing pages to convey a clear message and call to action off of every email blast and internet ad you buy.
Thanks Online Chinese Astrology for letting us get to know you a little more and giving us some insight into LotusJump’s exciting future! Leave a comment if you think you’re worthy of a Friday spotlight, and tell us why!
We’re excited to announce that LotusJump has launched new features and pricing options to make your LotusJump experience even more awesome.
The new pricing structure is setup to fit any size business or budget - the Basic package costs $24/month, and the Pro package starts at $49/month.
So, the question remains… Pro or Basic?
Basic - $24/month
Pro - $49/month
Today’s Jump of the Week (JOTW) is craaaaazy. Mess that up and you’ll have a mouth full of deck splinters! My favorite part might be the mad-cow noises from the slow-mo.
[On Wednesday's LotusJump highlights a Jump of the Week (JOTW). It can be any kind of jump (over tall things, in search engine rankings, through hoops of fire, whatever). Submit your favorite Jump via comment and we'll consider it for future Wednesday JOTW's!]
A BIG thanks to Consupo, a hip up-and-coming consumer reviews site, for today’s Tuesday Tip!
As a site that provides an outlet for consumers’ voices to be heard, we understand the power that comes from customer reviews - both positive and negative. All companies, whether big or small, should understand the significance that customer reviews can play in increasing your customer base, boosting sales, and as a marketing tool in general. By encouraging customers to voice their opinions on your company’s customer service, products, and experience, you will gain a great insight into how your business is run, it’s strengths, and its weaknesses. When it comes to negative customer reviews, don’t be so quick to take measures to get them taken down. Negative customer reviews can sometimes be just as effective as positive reviews in that they give you a chance to learn valuable lessons, increase customer loyalty, and can actually lead to future sales.
Never underestimate the power of customer reviews. By responding appropriately you will not only help build your company’s online reputation, but word of mouth buzz will increase and you’ll not only earn the loyalty of existing customers, but you’ll earn the loyalty of future customers as well.
Thanks Consupo for your awesome insight into the significance of customer reviews. If you’ve got a great marketing tip, leave a comment with your tip and we’ll consider publishing it with a link to your website in future Tuesday Tip editions!
Today we’re spotlighting the LotusJumper Dynamic Data Design, a small business and non-profit web design company located in Boston:
We asked Dynamic Data Design what the inspiration was behind their company, this is what they had to say:
Helping other small businesses. There are a lot of designers and web developers out there, but there seems to be a disconnect between the services available and the small business owners who need the services. Many small business owners believe they can’t afford to hire a professional designer. It may not be cheap but it’s affordable, and in today’s competitive marketplace, it is a necessity.
When asked what achievement they were most proud of, Dynamic Data Design said:
Though I have been consulting for years, I took Dynamic Data Design full time in January 2008. I have learned so much over this past year. I would say my most important achievement is the relationships I have developed with clients. Clients aren’t just a paycheck to me, I have become a sort of business partner with many of my clients. In this relationship, we both put our best efforts together to improve their business. I would never attempt to sell my customers products or services that would not benefit them. They know this and therefore have come to trust my advice. At the same time, I couldn’t possibly know everything about their businesses so I must listen to their advice. The result of this is something both me and my clients can be proud of.
We asked Dynamic Data Design why Internet marketing is so important for their company, this is what they had to say:
Internet marketing provides unique opportunities when it comes to tracking and tweaking. No other form of marketing provides the ability to track and tweak so quickly. This makes it easy to see what is working and what is not. You can test just about anything over the internet. People have tested book titles using pay-per-click ads. It makes it very easy to test what words appeal to people and what doesn’t work and what converts and doesn’t convert.
We gave Dynamic Data Design a chance to give a “Creative Marketing Tip of the Day”, this is what they said:
Track everything you do! The days of throwing dollar after dollar at your online marketing and hoping it works are over. Track results, tweak, keep what works and throw the rest away. Keep in mind that your marketing campaigns may not be successful the first go-round, but don’t give up. Use the advantages of the web: speed, traffic and statistics.
Thank you Dynamic Data Design for giving us the opportunity to learn more about your company. Leave a comment if you think you’re worthy of a Friday spotlight, and tell us why!
While there is some controversy over whether Facebook is an effective way to build awareness, market, and interact with your target market, it’s definitely a cost-effective marketing option you may want to consider. As with any other social media platforms, there are some obvious and some not-so-obvious do’s and don’ts when it comes to having a business on Facebook. While the following tips won’t apply to everyone, they’re worth considering and, if applicable, applying to your own business practices on Facebook
A special thanks to Qualtrics Online Survey Software for today’s Tuesday Tip!
If you haven’t heard of Squidoo or created your own Squidoo lens, do so today! For those not familiar with Squidoo, this site is the brainchild of world famous marketer Seth Godin, the father of both Permission and Viral Marketing and former CMO of Coke USA. Squidoo is a a FREE social networking site that encourages you to market yourself as you build lenses about your business, special interests, etc. Lenses are interactive, and can contain Flickr photos, Google maps, blogs, Amazon items, eBay auctions, YouTube videos, polls, slideshows, and other links. If you keep your Squidoo lens updated and and loaded with great content you’ll probably see traffic to your lens increase and maybe even make a few bucks off of the items that you can choose to advertise on your lens. Over time your Squidoo lens can achieve Page Rank and we’ve even seen some lenses rank on the first page of Google for their keywords. You can check out our Squidoo lens or make your own Squidoo lens today!
Want to get your brilliant marketing tip published? Leave a comment with your tip and we’ll consider publishing it with a link to your website in future Tuesday Tip editions!
Today we’re spotlighting the LotusJumper Cindy King from www.cindyking.biz and www.getinternationalclients.com who specializes in cross-cultural and international marketing:
We asked Cindy what the inspiration was behind her company, this is what she had to say:
I created my company to help business owners get international clients, through both a simple international marketing strategy and real tools to find the right cross-cultural positioning to enter a new market.
What got me here in the first place? Well, I have held a variety of positions in sales and marketing to develop businesses internationally for over 25 years. And, I live in an area just south of Paris, France, densely populated with small to mid-sized companies. I simply met too many dynamic business owners who did not know how to take their companies international. Also, I have been interested in cross-cultural communication all my life. Cross-cultural communication and international sales fit together well.
When asked what achievement she was most proud of, Cindy said:
Generating qualified international leads within 3 months of being online and… that these leads were 100% on target. Yes, I got the international positioning right the first time for my own business.
We asked Cindy why Internet marketing is so important for her company, this is what she had to say:
Internet marketing is important to me for two reasons:
First, I show my clients how to use culture-customized content to get more international clients… using the internet. And second, I live in France and target North American clients interested in expanding into other countries. So, I use internet marketing throughout many aspects of my business.
We gave Cindy a chance to give a “Creative Marketing Tip of the Day”, this is what she said:
Well, I see American marketers using testimonials very strongly in their online promotions. If you are targeting international audiences, you should rethink how you use them.
Around me here in France, American-style testimonials produce the opposite effect. Instead of building trust, they often create barriers of mistrust. People ask why someone would say that; put their name there, and their photo. Why does the company need to do this? How much did they pay to have these testimonials?
Thank you Cindy for giving us the opportunity to learn more about you and your company. Leave a comment if you think you’re worthy of a Friday spotlight, and tell us why!
One of the first steps to launching a successful SEO campaign is choosing the right keywords or keyword phrases. Don’t let this task haunt you - there are a myriad of tools out there designed to help you discover which keywords get the most traffic, plus keywords aren’t permanent… more on that in a bit!
Where do I start?
Brainstorm. Before you start exploring keyword research tools, take a few minutes to brainstorm what someone might search to find your products or services. What keywords or phrases accurately describe what can be found on your site? Do you have any pages geared specifically for a certain product, service, or keyword? (Keep in mind, most people who are searching for your products or services may not be as knowledgeable about industry specific terms so try to think outside the box… what would someone most likely be searching?)
Now what?
As we mentioned before there are a handful of tools out there that will help you with your keyword research. Our favorite is the Google Adword tool which allows you to type in the keywords that you brainstormed and see just how many people are searching for those terms. Not only will this tool tell you how many people are searching the term you typed in, but it will also give you an idea of how many people are searching related terms and it will even give you suggested terms that you may not have previously thought of. Keywords with higher search volume will take longer to rank on, so we recommend choosing one high search volume term and two “tail terms” (think specific) that may not receive as much search volume, but which you’ll be able to rank on quicker.
I want to change my keywords, how do I do that?
Not to fear, choosing your keywords is not a permanent decision. Go to Settings in your LotusJump account and select My Domain and Search Terms. Click Edit and then you’ll have the ability to change your keywords. Remember, it takes time to rank, so be patient! It’s not a good idea to change keywords often too often.
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