Bill McRea

Bloggers and website owners know how important it is to have a lot of relevant backlinks to their site. Off page factors such as backlinks are a major factor in your site’s search engine rankings, but getting new backlinks can be a tedious, time-consuming pain, right? So, let’s look at a simple way to somewhat automate the creation of new backlinks using tumblr blogs and ping.fm.

Tumblr blogs are sort of a hybrid between a regular blog and a microblogging platform like Twitter. Just like a typical blog you create blog posts, but they add in the social media element where you follow other blogs, and you can also reblog other blogs.

So, with Tumblr you can build backlinks, and you can also leverage the efforts of others who will distribute your backlinks for you.

Now if we want to automate this whole operation, the first thing you’ll have to do is set up a profile on ping.fm, and then select the social media platforms that you use and would like to update automatically for you.

Once your ping.fm profile is complete and you have subscribed to the services that you will be updating with your content, go to the dashboard and type your message in the box. If you include a link, it will be shortened automatically for you. You have the option of just copying and pasting the title and first few sentences of your blog post, or you can take a minute and come up with a bit of original content that describes the blog post.

With one click of the ‘Ping it,’ button, you’ve just updated several social media sites including your tumblr blog at once and created a fresh batch of relevant backlinks.

Here are a few tips to help you make the most of your tumblr blogs:

• Use relevant tags for your posts

• Follow other Tumblrs in your niche & reblog their posts

• Post consistently

• Connect all of your other social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Youtube.com with your Tumblr blog

• Submit your Tumblr blog’s sitemap to the search engines

http://yoursite.tumblr.com/sitemap.xml (replace “yoursite” with the name of your blog)

As with any kind of blog you create online, having quality, relevant content is the key to getting people to link to you and reblog your stuff. Tumblr blogs can be viewed and updated on mobile devices easily so it might help to choose a topic that is suited to those that are on the go. The easy to use platform makes it simple to add video, audio or photos to your blog.

Community is a big part of getting lots of followers and reblogs with Tumblr. Get in there and network with other bloggers. Leave relevant comments and reblog generously. Soon others will start reciprocating and reblogging your content as well.

Adding Tumblr blogs into your backlink building strategy can be a fun, engaging way to boost your search engine rankings, get some good exposure in your niche and attract relevant traffic to your blog.

Blogging is just one way to boost your site’s SEO. For more tips and strategies for growing your online business visit http://mcreasite.com/blog today.

LinkedIn.com with its 119 million users can be likened to a sleeping giant in the social media Marketing space. Unlike Facebook and Twitter, which cover a combination of business and personal networking, LinkedIn is a strictly business social media platform where 58% of its users are male, and North America and Europe represent 68% of its users. Over 40% of LinkedIn users work in companies with 10,000 employees or more, and over 40% of its members are managers, directors, owners chief officers or a VP. Clearly LinkedIn has some power players as members that you might want to get to know. Source: Digital buzz Blog

With a million new users added each week, LinkedIn offers a tremendous opportunity for you to gain some targeted exposure, establish your credibility as a market leader, and grow your network. Let’s dig in and look at some practical ways that you can use LinkedIn to get some results.

Complete your profile

Take the time to complete your profile. Import your resume, fill out all of the fields that apply to you. Include all of your skills and certifications. Upload a clear headshot of yourself. If you do not have a suitable photo, spend the money to get some professional photos taken. There’s a button at the top of your profile that says, “Improve Your Profile.” If you click that button you’ll get recommendations on ways to make your profile better. Give recommendations and then ask for recommendations from your key connections.

Create a company profile

You can add details about your company, it can import blog posts from your blog, and display your company’s activity on LinkedIn.

Participate in groups

You should search for groups in your topic area, and in areas where you have interest and knowledge and join a few groups that look active. Read the group’s guidelines to find out when it’s appropriate to share your links.

Establish yourself as a leader and trusted authority in your topic

Starting a group on LinkedIn is a great way to establish yourself as a leader, however, only do so if you have the time and interest level to be active in the group several days a week. You will have to foster the growth of the group and encourage interaction at first, but eventually there will be regular contributors and the group should begin to grow on its own.

Interact with others

Use the site for its intended purpose and network with colleagues in your industry, scope out possible joint venture partners, establish relationships with other authorities in your industry.

Import your company blog

You can import your blog to your profile so that it displays your recent posts. You can also import videos and other presentations on your profile so that when visitors check out your profile they can learn all there is to know about you and your business.

LinkedIn provides a perfect platform for you to expand your visibility online. Take the time to get comfortable with the site so that you are not neglecting the powerful connections that you could be making on LinkedIn to grow your business and your network.

If you want to learn more about leveraging the power of social media marketing to grow your business, visit, http://mcreasite.com/blog, where you will discover lots of strategies for marketing your business online.

and you spend a lot of money buying paid advertising to get customers to visit your site. You’re probably aware that it’s possible to get lots of free attention for your website, but you may not be sure just how to go about it. Let’s look at five different strategies for getting free publicity for your online business that will send you a ton of targeted traffic and hopefully boost your profits at the same time.

1. Make your website a resource

Is your website full of useful, actionable content that is helpful to your audience? Make sure that your site is full of content that gives advice, how-to, and practical information about your industry. Create a media page on your site where members of the media can download your electronic press kit, or order a hard copy to be mailed to them.

2. Send out Press Releases

This might sound like a no-brainer, but press releases, when written effectively and used correctly can get media attention for your event, new products & services, awards, and contests. They can send a flood of traffic to your site and boost your SEO from all of those high page-rank, relevant, incoming links to your site.

3. Set up speaking gigs in your local community

Speaking at local community and business events helps raise your profile and brings lots of favorable attention to your website.

4. Get active on social media sites

Become the ‘go-to’ person in your niche on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. These social media platforms are where millions and millions of people hang out and interact with each other, with major brands and small businesses like yours. Because of this, the media keeps its eye on sites like Twitter when they need an up-to-the-minute source on a timely topic.

5. Help a Reporter Out

HARO is a free site that matches reporters with sources. You just sign up and get media opportunities hand delivered to you every day.

Are you noticing a theme with these tips? In order to get publicity you’ve got to put yourself out there. Let go of the “build it and they will come,” mindset and put yourself and your website in the path of the traffic that is looking for what you have to offer. If there’s nothing news-worthy going on in your business right now, come up with some exciting event, or contest, or invent an industry award. Create an ultimate win-win by sponsoring a charity event, or adopt a local non-profit that is doing good work that matters to your audience. These are just a few ideas to spark your own creativity.

Just bear in mind that free publicity is not free advertising. Your press releases cannot come off as thinly disguised ads. Your event must benefit others in some way and be genuinely news-worthy in order for you to grab the free publicity that you are seeking.

Grabbing free publicity is one way to get your online business noticed. For more strategies for growing your Internet business, visit, http://mcreasite.com/blog.

With the rising popularity of social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, there has been a lot of talk about how email Marketing is dying out, and that it’s not as effective as it used to be. Margaret Framakis, of Return Path UK, said, “The death of email has been vastly overstated.”  She went on to say that while email might not be as flashy, new and sexy as the social media sites are, it is still the most effective way to build a solid relationship with your customers.

Email marketing is definitely not going away. Email marketing generates revenue, and it is great for branding and keeping your company and brand top-of-mind in your consumers heads.

One of the main barriers that keep email from being as effective as it once was is the increase in the amount of spam that is flooding your customers’ inboxes. It’s been estimated that as much as 55% of email messages get deleted before they are even open because people think its spam, or because of the fear of viruses that can be delivered via email.

Gone are the days when people were eager to get new email. Now what’s more challenging is to rise above the noise and stand out in your customers’ inboxes. Your emails must demand attention, be relevant, and the subscriber must recognize the name in the ‘from’ field or they will more than likely delete it.

The best way to make sure that your email marketing campaigns are as effective as possible is that you must first get a clear understanding of what your customers and prospective customers want from you. Ask for feedback, conduct surveys, be open and transparent as you build a mutually beneficial and respectful relationship with your subscribers. Rather than thinking of your email subscribers as a ‘cash cow,’ think of them as your tribe. Think about how you can be a trusted resource for them so that they look to you as someone who provides value rather than someone who always has a hand in their pockets.

1. Always send a welcome email

Send a welcome email as soon as someone signs up to your email list. Walk them through how to white list your email address and set the expectation for how often you’ll be emailing them, and what kind of emails they should be expecting from you.

2. Run your email messages through a spam filter

Before you hit that ‘send’ button, use a spam filter to flag certain words that can raise the potential spam level of your email.

3. Put your full name in the ‘From’ line

4. Don’t use ALL CAPS in the subject line and limit it as much as possible in the body of the email.

This can set off spam filters.

5. Re-direct the live links in the message to your own domain

If it’s done properly, email marketing can be a very effective way to brand your business, build solid relationships with your audience and generate revenue. Take the time to test and track your email campaigns and you should see encouraging results.

Email marketing is just one aspect of Internet marketing. If you’d like to learn more about building and growing your online business, visit, http://mcreasite.com/blog today.

Google+ is Google’s hot new social network, which  is available now to people who have a Google account, and it is becoming one of the fastest-growing social networks.  It is estimated that it has grown to 10 million users already.  Google+ is Google’s latest attempt at launching a social networking platform Buzz and Wave just didn’t catch on as they had hoped.  So far it seems like people have stopped asking if this is going to be a Facebook killer. But it’s just getting off the ground and people are discovering what this new social networking platform has to offer. The UI is simple, intuitive and familiar, if you are used to the other social networking platforms, but there are a few unique features that will set Google plus apart from Facebook and Twitter.

+Circles

Circles makes it simple to quickly assign people to groups. You might have circles of family members work colleagues, college friends, business associates, sports fans, hobbies and other interests, etc. When you add a person to your Google+ you will assign them to one or several of your existing circles or create a new one to add them to. When you share content on Google+ you are asked to choose which circles you want to share that content with. You even have the option to share it with your e-mail contacts on Gmail, who have not yet joined Google+.

+Hangouts

Google+ launched hangouts, which is live video chat that can include up to 10 people at once, a full week before Facebook was set to launch its similar product in partnership with Skype. Hangouts have great potential for bringing online users together in real time.

+Sparks

Sparks is a massive feed of content from across the web that includes video and is available in over 40 languages. It provides a way for users to find and share interesting content from a wide variety of categories with their circles within Google plus.

+Mobile

The Google+ Android app allows users to take all of the functions of Google plus with them on the road with the exception of hangouts. But that functionality may be coming to mobile sooner than later. Instant uploads is supposed to make sharing photos from your mobile phone to the web super simple. For now the iOS app for Apple’s iPhone devices is not yet available to the public.

+1 Button

Now that Google plus has launched the +1 button takes on a whole new meaning as you collect book marks for pages that you like across the web. The +1 button collects all these links on a single page in your G+ stream. So if you want more traffic and more people sharing stuff from your site, be sure to add the +1 button to your website.

G+ hacks and tips

• To mention people in your posts on G+, add an @ or a + in front of their name

@Tom Jones or +Tom Jones

• Make a message private by only sharing it with one person and disabling re-sharing.
• Add photos, links or videos to your posts by dragging them directly to the share box.

*word* = word

_word = word

-word = word

• Clicking the +1 button on a post is the same as the ‘Like” button on Facebook.
• Clicking +1 on the web will add that post to your +1 page

Taking a look at Google plus in these first opening days it doesn’t seem like it will replace Facebook and twitter, but rather, they can all coexist happily as people adapt  to using the different platforms for different reasons.

Source: plus.google.com

If you’re looking for more information about how you can use social media marketing to get more exposure for your website, visit http://mcreasite.com/blog to find a ton of tips and strategies for Marketing your business online.