There are two emerging fields in online marketing: video marketing and online reputation management. These two fields are so powerful when utilized correctly by business owners that the combination of the two can result in an overpowering brand dominance that few businesses are currently achieving.   This article will examine how video marketing in combination with a robust online reputation management campaign can literally skyrocket the bottom line for almost any business.   What Is Online Reputation Management?   To make sure that you have a solid understanding of these two powerful marketing methods, let's first examine online reputation management.   Public relations companies have been around since before the newspaper was invented. Businesses have learned, through trial and error, that their reputation has a huge influence on the success of their business.   Customers are real human beings with real emotions. They display emotion, loyalty and apprehension towards companies that do not align with their moral values. It has historically been the responsibility of PR companies to make sure that brand messages and overall reputation have remained intact for those companies trying to reach out to their customers.   Online reputation management is simply the natural extension of that same principle into the online sphere. Online reputation management services provide business owners the opportunity to craft their reputation in such a way that accurately represents who they are, what their brand stands for, and that type of customer that they would like to attract.   What Is Video Marketing?   Video marketing is an incredibly powerful tool for communication. Unlike a text-based marketing system, such as direct mail or even websites, video marketing allows businesses to touch on emotional queues with individual customers and consumers. Video marketing has become even more powerful now that more individuals are gaining access to hand-held video cameras.   As more and more consumers are able to visually record the activities of businesses, marketing teams are able to take this content and spin it in a positive light to benefit a company.   Places like YouTube offer platforms in which these videos can be hosted and viewed by millions and millions of people. Video marketing allows businesses to truly reach further and deeper into the hearts and minds of their target market.   Video Marketing + Online Reputation Management = Success   Companies who are able to utilize video marketing and online reputation management at the same time, and in the same campaign, find themselves with an incredibly powerful tool at their disposal. Imagine, if you as a consumer were to go to a website, or even to find a video on YouTube that was an interview of a fellow consumer talking about the product that you are considering purchasing. Now imagine, that this interview was not staged, it did not feel like an infomercial, but it had a very honest approach and the review was positive.   Now imagine, that this same company has collected hundreds of these same type of interviews and posted them throughout the web. Imagine the impact that this single campaign could have on your business.   The cost of this campaign would be extremely low. It could be done with a simple iPhone video camera, YouTube and a simple website. As consumers began to learn more and more about your brand they would be exposed to more and more positive reviews in video format from real people.   The effect that these videos have on individuals is incredibly powerful. It is the same reason that direct marketers still continue to use high profile celebrities in their commercials. On the Internet, the average person has more power than even the most popular celebrity. The Internet loves authenticity.   Conclusion   Creating a video marketing and online reputation management marketing campaign of this nature is just the tip of the iceberg when considering the potential power in combining these two types of marketing strategies. These strategies are incredibly effective and powerful when used in conjunction one with another. ...read more

There once was a time when online reputation management services were considered superfluous and unnecessary. Many businesses thought the need to manage their online reputation was a bad business decision and something not worth investing in. Many of these businesses went about their daily business completely unaware of the power that the internet had given to the average consumer. With the advent of Twitter, consumers began to demand things of the businesses that they bought from. Large corporations were forced to become more transparent in their customer service dealing and small businesses were given the opportunity to prove themselves based on merit alone. When review sites like Yellowpages and Yelp hit the internet scene, those companies that continued to ignore the need for online reputation management services began to suffer. More and more clients, customers and consumers filled these review sites with nasty, negative and revealing testimonials of these companies. The consumer empowerment revolution had started and those businesses caught ignoring the need for reputation management services suffered the most. The Power Of Reputation Why should you care what people say about you online? If you are busy running your business, why do you need to worry about what someone said about you on Yelp? The answer to these questions lies in one of the most powerful selling tactics known to modern industry: social proofing. Most consumers buy what their friends buy. This has been a long known fact in the business world, but what is it that makes it true? Without delving too much into the psychology of selling, let's examine the why behind purchasing decisions. Human beings are social creatures. It is the social nature of our species that has allowed us to adapt and overcome many obstacles. Deeply ingrained in our natures is the need for social affirmation before we do anything. This need for social affirmation extends far beyond our friendly encounters with others, human beings make large life decisions, sometimes without regard to rationality, based solely on this aspect of social affirmation. The same holds true for individuals making purchases and interacting with businesses online. Users want to "see" that others are socially affirming a business before they proceed. Just taking a look at the popularity of sites like Yelp shows you just how real and powerful social proofing is. Managing Your Social Proof One of the most powerful and easily recognizable examples of social proofing can be found in the restaurant industry. How many times have you been to a restaurant simply because your friend said they liked it? Now think about how many times you have avoided a restaurant simply because of the reviews that you either read or heard about from your social circle. Multiply this same example by the power of the internet and mass connectivity, and you can begin to see the trouble that your business might be in if you start ignoring online reputation management. Imagine running a business successfully in the offline world only to be run out of business simply because a few negative reviews were left on Yellowpages. Managing your online reputation requires more than just having a profile on these review sites. Aggressive reputation management includes the act of collecting and updating positive reviews. Building your social brand and starting a stream of positive reviews. Conclusion To compete in today's market you need the added edge of being online. In order to make sure that your online presence is one that builds your business and not one that tears it down, start taking action to managing your online reputation today! ...read more

For many, the idea of spending money on building a website only to have it not produce the kind of sales they were hoping can be a very troubling and aggravating experience. This article will provide you several reasons as to why you may not be currently making sales on your website.   There are many different aspects of building a website and having it make money is about more than just the basic web design. There are issues of marketing, usability and sales funnel aspects that all go into a money making website.   Reason #1: Usability   Websites must be accessible to users in a way that is friendly, straightforward and leads the user to take action in a way that the business owner wants them to. For example, a usability issue might be the fact that some of the "purchase now" buttons are not as easily noticeable as they should be. In order to get a good idea of some usability factors, take a look at some of the larger websites on the web or even some of your competitors. If you find it extremely easy to make a purchase on these sites, find out why.   Reason #2: Slow Upload Time   Now that broadband Internet is common in almost every household across the Western world, people are used to websites that load fast. If your website is too bulky or it requires too much time to upload, you will find that many users will quickly leave your site.   There are many technical tricks that you can use to increase the speed of your site. One of the easiest ways is to simply remove any unnecessary elements of your website. Your website should be a simple, straightforward and easy to use place for users to visit. Too many pictures, too many videos and even too much text can bog down your server and create websites that are confusing and take too long to load.   Reason #3: Unclear Intentions   When your user first enters your site, whether it is through a blog post or through the home page of your site, they need to know immediately what your site is about. Beyond that even, they need to know exactly what they should do on your website. If you have a website that is about plumbers, yet the first page they enter is all about small business management, it can be very confusing for a user. This confusion always leads to a lack of sales.   Reason #4: Wrong Product   This might sound a bit bizarre, but there are some websites that are unintentionally ranked for keywords in which the site is not directly related. For example, you may have a website that sells posters for movies. If you have a website that sells movie posters, you would expect that the majority of the users on your website are interested in looking for these type of products. What happens then, if a person comes to your site looking for a movie DVD?   It is important to know what is going on with your website in terms of search engine optimization. If you do not know to how to optimize your website, including on page and off page SEO tactics, it is time to learn how to do that.   Reason #5: No Marketing   The worst possible thing that you could do with your website is nothing. Many people believe that you can simply build a website and the users will flock to it. The fact of the matter is, that there are millions upon millions of websites just like yours. You have to actively engage in online marketing tactics and techniques in order to have your website seen.   Hiring a professional company to do this is a good investment. A website brings substantial financial gains to those who know how to utilize it properly.   Conclusion   By reading through these five simple tips on how to turn your website into a moneymaking business tool, you are now well armed to take your website to the next level. For some of these tips you may be interested in hiring a qualified professional. Web designers, SEO professionals and Internet marketers can all provide you with top-notch solutions to turning your website around. ...read more