Whose Facebook Page Do You Follow?

                                     

Facebook to date is the world’s biggest social networking site with an estimated 819,000,000 unique monthly visitors according to newsroomfb.com as of June 30, 2013. I supposed you are one of these visitors. So am I. In this aspect, Facebook has indeed succeeded with its purpose as a social networking site.

Without a doubt, we have different reasons for joining Facebook. For me, I have an account just to experience how it feels to have one and somehow I liked it because of its unique and entertaining features. Some people joined this to meet new friends from other parts of the world. Other people opened an account as a cheaper mode of communication with their family and friends abroad. Still others entered in this online craze to make business through it. How about you?

Whatever the reasons may be, one thing is sure; there are times that we are following some Facebook pages. With so many members in this famous social networking site, the questions now are: Who are you following? Why are you following them? Maybe you are hooked on following one or all of the names mentioned below with the most likes to date.

Celebrities
Certainly, people are going gaga over the famous celebrities – actors, musicians, and all other personalities in the entertainment field. This is not surprising as each of us simply wants to be entertained, thus we tend to look after these entertainers about their schedules so that we will not be left behind with their latest undertakings. It came to a point that many people are already emulating them; the way they act, sing, dance, talk and almost everything about these celebrities.

To my surprise, the celebrity having the most followers on Facebook with approximately 74 million likes at present is Eminem.

I thought the biggest Hollywood stars occupied the top spot but it was Slim Shady who topped them all followed by Rihanna who got at an accumulated 61.6 million likes. Rounding off the top five with the most page likes are Shakira with 68 million, The Simpsons with 65 million and Lady Gaga with 58 million.

World’s Most Famous Brands
Apart from these celebrities, Facebook members are also following the world’s most famous brands. Probably the reason behind following these brands is to be updated with the latest product lines offered and of course the advertising campaigns for these new product lines or even the repackaged existing products.

This only shows that these famous brands have effectively used social media to their advantage in strengthening their position in the industry.

The top spot is being occupied by Coca Cola garnering a whopping 71 million likes. There’s no question about it since they have a really vibrant events page that is regularly moderated by their very competent social media manager.

Furthermore, their page is very interactive; it allows users to post their moments with Coca as well as comments on their experience with it. Other brands that belong to the top five with the most likes are Disney with 44 million, MTV with 46 million, Converse with 37 million and Starbucks Coffee with 35 million.    

With the continued patronage from its members by supporting each other through clicking the like button, it is safe to make a bold declaration that Facebook is truly phenomenal. It has certainly lived up to its name of being a social networking site with a purpose. Thanks to Facebook, I’ve learned to appreciate social media now more than ever and I super-duper LIKED it alot.  

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The 2012 Link Building Strategies That Still Works in 2013

                                           

There are a lot of things that have changed when it comes to link building today and since the new updates have been passed on by Google to the websites. The search engine giant has already given up on the importance for blog networks and this includes the Internet directories that have been removed from the Google index. Link building ethically has been doing a lot of wonders today in its place which is why people should focus more on providing brand promotion and keeping away from spam link building methods.

Below are some of the link building techniques that are going to be effective with the algorithmic changes that have been applied this year by Google. Take a look at these:

Competitor Links to be Studied
One of the first things that you should do is to study the links of your competitors and start creating a list of the trusted websites wherein they are obtaining these links. You may utilize Open Site Explorer which will help you find the backlink information for the websites of your competitors.

After you have acquired the list of resources from your current competition, you will have to analyze them and see if they are able to get links out from these websites. For starters, you may want to follow the same kind of processes that these established competitors are using for their sites.

Partially Matching Anchor Texts Usage for Linking
Exactly matching anchor texts are gone nowadays as Google has penalized websites that do this. That is why people should start using partially matching anchor texts instead while they are creating backlinks to their websites or pages in their blogs.

Let us assume that you want to develop backlinks for pages that you are targeting a keyword such as banana pies in Philadelphia. You should make use of several keyword combinations for these such as Philadelphia banana pies or banana pie companies in Philadelphia as the anchor texts that you will be using in your backlinks. This will make it look natural for the Google bots to see.

Start Guest Blogging
One of the best ways that you can do in order to build your trusted backlinks for a website is through guest blogging. There are great positive impacts generated by the links that are acquired through blogging as a guest in other websites, as it will go around and push your targeted keywords around the search engines. Make sure that while you are guest blogging, you should work on blogs that are based on the same niche you are in right now.

Start Publishing Articles
One of the best ways to get targeted and contextual backlinks for the websites that you are promoting today is through article publishing. Start writing articles that are based on targeted keywords and have them submitted to websites that publish them. Make sure that you do not submit the articles that you have already published to other article directories as this will be seen as plagiarism by Google and you will be penalized instead.

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Email Marketing Trends Marketers Should Capitalize On

                           

Even today, email marketing is still a thriving strategy that many sales and marketing personnel use. This is especially true for businesses that can easily adapt to the fast-paced world today. This article will discuss about the latest email marketing trends available for marketers nowadays and how they can capitalize on them.

Social Media

As the influence of social media continues to increase throughout the years, more and more businesses will start to integrate email marketing with the social networking sites in order to keep up. Ignoring platforms such as Facebook is a mistake for marketers and businesses because it is the future. There is nothing that anyone can really do about it.

That is why in emails, marketers should start adding social media icons and footers. Branch out of the traditional newsletter strategy by allowing people to start “liking” the content that the company has in Facebook, publish or tweet them online or forward information to friends. 

You can use platforms such as Facebook by adding emails of existing clients and customers where people have the opportunity to opt-in as well. You would want to use this strategy in order to reach out to as many people as possible.

Mobile

Think back on the last time that you were waiting for someone or something. There is a high chance that you took out your mobile device and started checking your email while you are waiting. Emailing using mobile devices is by far one of the most popular activities that users spend their time on. This is because emailing has been made especially for mobile devices nowadays.

In order to capitalize on this trend, email marketers can start designing their content which will be applicable for multiple devices and mobile and touch screens. The idea in this means that you should be aware of the snippets of text or links that can be touched, including scalable images and fonts. 

Do not just visualize that people will only be reading your emails in their offices. Think about them waiting in line just like you or grabbing a spare moment to check on their email while they are on the move. In simpler words, picture them wherever they go and start applying your email marketing strategy accordingly.

Smarter Inboxes

Email communications will always have to fight with spam content in order to grab the attention of the inbox of a subscriber in the Internet world. The main battle for email marketing nowadays is against the changing content within the inbox. This is due to the fact that the filters being used in these email servers are evolving, and consumers will start to avoid spam altogether as well. 

Users will more likely prioritize their mails according to the reading habits that they have. And with the more unified inboxes today, users will just check one inbox for all of the messages that they receive online.

For marketers, you will also be competing with the content coming from other channels to these subscribers. This can be in the form of RSS feeds, chats, SMS, social messages or videos. That is why email marketers should start focusing on producing content that is engaging and relevant as these are two of the main requirements for emails.

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How to Become a Responsible Blogger

                                             

Information technology has tremendously affected almost everybody who knows how to use the computer and the internet. In fact, the evolution of the so-called social media has created public awareness faster than the conventional media we know. In effect, it makes our work easier more than we used to. Gone are the days when we have a lot of paper works to facilitate every transaction. With just a click on the keyboard, you will go places.    

Blogging is definitely one of the best by-products of the advancement in information technology. This innovative social media platform seems to be part of every netizen, almost! It is very influential especially if the one who blogs is a public figure. It feels great when you will be able to interact with other people in cyberspace, giving your thoughts, point of views and ideas on everything. You have the opportunity to share, to impart knowledge, to learn from others, to grow as a person, and even earn from your blog. Isn’t it amazing?

However, it’s sad to note that not all bloggers are responsible enough with their blogs. They simply write blogs without even thinking of the possible impact it would have to potential readers. Knowing the power of social media nowadays, it can be beneficial or detrimental to other people. As a concerned blogger, you should take it as a responsibility. Therefore, in doing so, you must do the following tips.

1.  Post only verified information, otherwise you will be spreading false information

2.  Be smart enough to post only relevant information and drop those useless items

3.  Bear in mind that you’re accountable for your blog so see to it everything’s fine

4.  Show respect to other’s point of view and take it as a constructive criticism instead

5.  Monitor reader’s comments for you to determine which areas need improvement  

6.  Give credit to the source of your information and do not claim it solely

7.  Always include a disclaimer to avoid any unnecessary outcome along the way

8.  Be transparent with sponsored posts and affiliate links for you to gain their trust

9.  Know the basic copyright laws to avoid problems along the way

10.  Try the products first before promoting an affiliate to maintain your credibility

Once you will be able to do all of these and establish yourself as a blogger, make sure to

1.  Keep doing these all the time and maintain the quality of your posts

2.  Do not seek advantages at the expense of other people

3.  Be updated with the latest news, events, trends so that you will not be left behind

4.  Keep on learning and improving to keep abreast with the stiff competition  

5.  Keep the passion alive for you to keep going no matter what

With the way things are going in the Internet, more and more people are hooked on blogging. If you only know how to play the game, you will win more friends, learn more new things, and on top it all, you will earn a lot. Just be fair enough and be responsible a blogger.

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Simple But Effective Steps in Improving Overall Blog Design

                                     

                  

Blogs today are large places where multiple topics can be stored, including its own display, which is also known as the blog’s particular design. There are a lot of things that have changed in the world of blogging over the past years that has made the activity easier to do. Good examples such as Blogspot and WordPress are excellent platforms where the themes already make designing blogs faster, but if you want a more personalized approach, there are some things that you should consider and keep in mind. A good way in order to start honing that perfect design is to take a series of steps, slowly but surely.

That is why if you are looking to edit the design of your website, there are some things that you will need to keep in mind in order to do so. Here are some techniques that you can use in improving overall blog design.

Select a More Appropriate Theme - Once you are using a blogging platform such as WordPress or Blogspot, then you can start using the hundreds of pre-made templates for blogs available. But instead of going for an old theme that has been used by other people many times, start investing a small amount of time on one that will be the best for your niche and will appear professional and organized.

Have a Banner Image Included - Zest up your blog by designing your own banner image which can be found on top of the page. Since it will be one of the first things that people will be seeing on your page, you would want to take advantage of giving them a good first impression which will be beneficial to your blog if you do. This will make them stay longer and will have a higher chance of being able to read your blog more clearly.

Customizing Themes - If you have chosen a pre-made theme within your blogging platform, it is possible to customize this easily and make it work better for you. In blogs such as WordPress and Blogspot, users can have the templates customized from the admin panel. This could include having things changed such as redesigning the sidebar or including widgets or gadgets which will monitor the progress of your blog. There are other changes that you can do as well such as limiting the amount of posts that will be shown in the home page or change if you want the public to see comments in your blog or not.

Be Sociable - One of the significant steps that you can take is to start integrating social media into your own personal or commercial blog. If you allow people to easily acquire content that is useful in your blog, then they will know that you are a useful resource and that they can refer your blog to others as well. Start placing your social media icons within your blogs whether you use it for your for own or money-making purpose as this will improve its performance as a whole.

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Ways to Increase Blog Comments

                                           

Comments are very significant to a blog for these are also indicator of a blog’s success. If a blog has many comments, be it positive or negative, it only means that in one way or another it has an impact to your readers. In addition to that, you generate more traffic to your blog since a certain comment may ignite different reactions from other readers and this may lead to a series of conversation or argument for that matter on your blog itself. 
  
Blog comments may reveal the level of engagement between the blog author and the avid readers. From these comments, you will get more ideas and learn from the experiences of other members in the online community resulting to an accumulated wealth of knowledge generated because of your blog. To experience how it feels having a lot of blog comments from readers, the following tips may help you how.       
 
1. Encourage readers to give comments. You may do this by including in the last part of your post an invitation to the readers for them to share their thoughts, reactions or experiences related to your post. Certainly it is a good avenue to learn something new from your readers and vice versa.

2. Give feedbacks too. As we all know, the Golden Rule states that you should do unto others what you want others do unto you. If you wish to receive feedbacks, then you should give comments to other’s post. Even a single comment can make a difference.   

3. Interact with your readers. How would you feel if you ask someone a question and you were just ignored? That’s precisely the feeling of one of your readers when there’s a question raised but you don’t give a reply. To ensure that your blog will continuously receive feedbacks, then you need to interact with your readers.

4. Acknowledge all the comments. As a courtesy, give thanks to those who spent their time reading your blog post and commenting on it afterwards. Perhaps you may send a thank you email to your readers for giving their valuable comments and invite them to connect with you at your personal email address. With this, they will feel a sense of belonging and the freedom to connect with you. For your part, you win their trust and loyalty.

5. Make things simple as to the commenting process. If you want comments to keep coming, then simplify the procedures and let your blog open to any comment. Sometimes readers get irritated when they try to comment but they need to fill up a captcha form. It also annoys them if they are asked to login first before they can post a comment.

6.  Give incentives to your commenters. Doing so will help increase blog comments. Maybe a page rank will do, promotion of their recent blogs or even their social media accounts. In this way, they may reciprocate your action.

7.  Display the top commenters. Use a widget that features the names of those who exerted efforts to give comments for all your posts. As a way of appreciating their involvement in your blog, you can display the names of the top commenters. This is the best way to puff up their pride and they will most likely continue supporting your blog.        
    
8.  Think outside the box. Be unique in every way you can. Try to do something that will incite readers to give their views regarding your blogs. You may hold a contest for the best comment and offer an exciting prize. 

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Improving Your Social Media Efforts in As Little As 30 Minutes

                                  

 Have you been utilizing inbound marketing strategies today? Are you in need of a fast way on how you can improve your social media marketing efforts? It is possible to improve your social media marketing in 30 minutes if you are able follow some important strategies. Below is a list of the important steps that you should take to improve social media success.

Identifying the Audience Being Targeted

An important part with regards to marketing inbound is that the process involves operating marketing strategies that are based on targeting specific people. This is why the success of your social media marketing efforts will be solely dependent on the targets and how the business is going to operate. If your business is found locally with full dependence on the local customers and consumers, then you may have to target people locally as well within your social media networks.

A lot of social media markets fail in their efforts because they try to cover the social media platforms as much as they do without strategics first. Instead of creating multiple social media accounts on different networks, simply target your audience where you think your brand will have the most number of followers that will be interested n your service or goods.

Encouraging Interactions

The aspect of social media marketing is very demanding for users as it will encourage the need for both brand and product to interact more with each other. This is beneficial as well for the company in many ways. That is why if you are making use of your social media accounts, be as interactive as you can. This gives the prospect customers a better view on your product or service which will lead to improved sales.

Those who are interested in doing business with your company will want to learn all they can from your website. If the website fails to do so, a lot of them will try to learn about the company through social media websites instead. This is why you should just allow your followers to ask questions through the platform and try your best to answer all of them.

Provide As Much Details As Possible

Do you have a small business that caters to just a few customers? Or are you large company that generates thousands of sales in an hourly basis? Whichever type of business you are now, potential customers would want to know about the information on your company. That is why it is important to be as detailed as possible when it comes to your products and services, as this will improve your sales as well.

Your social media platforms can be used for display of what you are offering in your company and you can update the information that you have posted as much as you want. You can declare new products and services that are now available in your business in order to keep your customers and leads up to date. This is also where you can use the interest of your followers as your strategy for business.

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