Vesta Digital

Tips to Help Your Business Stand Out in the Crowd

Andrea Watts — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:56:18 GMT

For every product or service out there, there are numerous companies that offer each one. How does a consumer choose between so many competitors for a single product? There are a few ways for your brand and your business to stand out in the marketplace.

How to Create a Successful Sales Page

Andrea Watts — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:37:28 GMT

Dave Navarro of Copyblogger wrote a great article about the most essential ingredients you would need to have a successful sales page on your website. This article is great if you are setting up a website for your online marketing strategy.

How to Start Your Business Successfully

Andrea Watts — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:38:55 GMT

Janet Attard, a writer for Business Know-How, wrote an article and what types of things you can do as a small business owner to start your company successfully. Read this article and follow Attard's tips to grow your business in the marketplace.

3 Things Successful Business Owners Have that Others Don't

Andrea Watts — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:42:25 GMT

A manager of a business must evolve from technical thinking and expertise to a manager of people and strategy. It is critical to learn how to manage your company in a way that will grow long-term.

How to Succeed at Anything – Including Your Business

Andrea Watts — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:48:34 GMT

You will never succeed at anything unless you believe you will. Of course your initial reaction to that statement may be “how is the power of positive thinking going to help my financial statements?”

How Small Businesses Can Build a Credible Online Presence

Andrea Watts — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:25:27 GMT

Having an online presence is the most important thing a small business can do to gain exposure, build a customer base, and establish credibility. Most businesses have an online presence to make themselves available to consumers who turn to the Internet for all of their resources.

How to Choose the Right Keywords for SEO

Andrea Watts — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:40:27 GMT

Search engines are getting smarter. In order for your website to appear higher on any search engine, you need to optimize your website with the right keywords and phrases. The problem is, how do we know which words will work and which ones won’t?

What Makes A Great Entrepreneur?

Andrea Watts — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:09:31 GMT

If you are an entrepreneur, your biggest question may very well be: “How do I get to the next level?” Many entrepreneurs make common mistakes, so I have compounded several insightful details from a Harvard Business Review article series about Advanced Entrepreneurship.

How Small Businesses Can Compete in a Corporate World

Andrea Watts — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 14:52:23 GMT

Building your brand is the most essential component of gaining customer loyalty. As e-commerce grows, so does the mistrust of shopping online. For Internet consumers, certain brands are more trustworthy than others.

5 Essential SEO Marketing Tips

Artem Gassan — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 14:22:00 GMT

If you want to maintain your Google rankings and stay ahead of competition, there are certain tips and tricks to follow for your search engine optimization efforts.

Pay attention to the five easy tips below and revamp your website so it will gain traffic and automatically appear higher up on search engines.

How to Start a Social Media Campaign

Andrea Watts — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:39:20 GMT

Do you want to participate in the social media revolution? You should. What better way to market your product or service than to engage in the network with the capability of reaching 500 million Internet dwellers at the touch of a button?

How to Use Social Media to Outshine Competition

Andrea Watts — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 15:03:21 GMT

Social Media is fast becoming the most powerful and necessary way to interact with your customers online. People are beginning to turn to social media more than any other channel of media for information about products, services, prices, and reviews.

How to Hook Your Readers into Reading Your Blog

Andrea Watts — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 14:48:58 GMT

Do you want more traffic on your website? How about a few more subscribers every month? Blogs are used for information and interaction, so the most important thing any blogger needs to understand is how to make your blog appealing to your readers.

5 Tips to Help You Reach Your Business Goals

Andrea Watts — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 14:20:05 GMT

If you have an online business, you want to see it grow and succeed. There are certain actions to take and traps to avoid. Here are a few tips to follow to help your online business grow into what you want it to.

How to Create a Tweet Button for Your Blog

Andrea Watts — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 14:20:43 GMT

Do you own a blog? If so, would you like readers to be able to share a Tweet about your blog? The official Tweet Button has arrived, and you as a blog owner can now allow your readers to simply click the button, and share your blog with fellow Twitter users.

How to Use a Facebook Business Page

Andrea Watts — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 13:24:01 GMT

Facebook has hit 500 million users and more companies are using Facebook and social media in their marketing and advertising strategies. There is a huge amount of audience reach in social media marketing, but there are also certain tactics a business should use when engaging with their customers.

How to Enforce Social Media Policy in the Workplace

Andrea Watts — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 14:15:45 GMT

Bank Info Security recently published a blog post discussing social media policy. The idea of social media policy is stemmed from employees becoming less productive due to using social media sites on the job for non-business related purposes.

5 Reasons to Have a Facebook Page

Andrea Watts — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 13:09:00 GMT

Most of us have a Facebook account, but we should also have a Facebook page in addition to our account. Alex Wilhelm, technology blogger and entrepreneur, wrote a great blog post about why we should have a Facebook page to supplement our Facebook account.

6 Steps to Your Online Business Success

Andrea Watts — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 14:25:52 GMT

Having an online business is critical to your success as an entrepreneur. More and more people are turning to the Internet to find information about products, services, prices, and reviews. Engage online and learn how having a productive website for your business can increase your revenue and customer loyalty. Build an internet marketing strategy that works for you.

10 Tips to Drive Traffic to Your Blog

Andrea Watts — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 13:50:02 GMT

If you would like to make your blog famous, popular, or merely visible, there are certain codes of conduct to follow. Many people who give blog writing advice say the same things. Write properly, communicate, and use search engine optimization.

How Facebook Advertising is Boosting Revenue

Andrea Watts — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 15:30:00 GMT

With over 500 million users, Facebook continues to monopolize the social media industry. The social media network is raking in billions as advertisers and businesses alike invest more in social media marketing via Facebook.

Why Marketers Need to Revamp their Social Media Marketing Strategy

Andrea Watts — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 13:54:01 GMT

Razorfish, a marketing agency that believes in Internet marketing and a positive consumer experience, released a report on social media. The report, “Fluent: The Razorfish Social Influence Marketing Report” discusses how influential the world of social media marketing is becoming in this digital age.

How to Manage Your Facebook Business Page

Andrea Watts — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 15:04:58 GMT

Generally, managing your Facebook business page is all about maintaining relationships. This social media marketing strategy is effective simply because consumers feel involved and important to their brands, so maintain that perception and you will see your fan base grow in numbers and loyalty.

How Tracking Your Social Media Marketing Efforts can Help Your ROI

Andrea Watts — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:58:09 GMT

Thousands of companies are exploring the beneficial use of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to boost their brand recognition and visibility. While these social media sites are mainly used for marketing efforts and creating “buzz,” how exactly does social media marketing efforts convert to earned revenue?

How Disney is Taking the Social Media Revolution by Storm

Sofia Sapojnikova — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:42:00 GMT

The Walt Disney Company has always been ahead of the game. After acquiring several companies like Marvel, ESPN, Miramax, and ABC, The Walt Disney Company expands as the king of family entertainment and branded content. Now, Disney is embracing the social media phenomenon. Disney confirmed official plans today, to buy the social gaming company Playdom, Inc., in a deal worth approximately $763.2 million.

10 Successful Businesses Use Twitter To Succeed

Andrea Watts — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 13:40:09 GMT

Take a look at 10 well known companies that use Twitter several different ways. While these companies vary in size an industry, they use the social media site to their benefit. These companies are examples for other businesses out there who are exploring the potential of communication via Twitter.

Why Business Schools Are Adding Social Media Marketing Courses

Andrea Watts — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:42:04 GMT

Business schools across the country are incorporating social media marketing into their curricula. According to a recent article in Bloomberg Businessweek, Harvard Business School and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business have joined in with several other business schools that are adding courses on social media to their MBA course listings.

How To Use TwapperKeeper to Enhance Your Twitter Presence

Andrea Watts — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 13:54:44 GMT

If you’re not an A-list celebrity, or a top 10 brand name, you might be feeling the anxiety of unpopularity when it comes to social media attention. Twitter limits you to 140 characters which forces you to choose your tweets and keywords with discretion. So how do you choose the right words to optimize your Twitter experience?

How to be A Productive Blogger

Andrea Watts — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:20:35 GMT

If you are an active blogger, you know that it’s difficult enough to maintain concentration as you write. Not only that, but you have to pump out a new blog everyday with quality content and an interesting topic. How do successful bloggers avoid falling into the “I’m just going to write this and get it over with” mental trap?

5 Tips to Write A Blog in 20 Minutes

Andrea Watts — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 12:59:00 GMT

Blogging can be a great tool for online marketing. By inspiring online conversation, or viral marketing, you have the ability to spread your audience reach and start gaining some brand recognition on the Internet.

What Exactly is Facebook Appropriate?

Andrea Watts — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:04:57 GMT

The point of using Facebook for business use is to promote your company, product, or service. So are the parameters based on exactly what your service entails? Or what about advertisements and promotions that tip-toe on the fence of controversial? They certainly attract traffic, so where do you draw the line?

Fine Tuning Your Blog Post's Search Engine Optimization

Andrea Watts — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 17:31:00 GMT

If you’re a blogger, then your content is how you attract search engine visitors. So in order to get even more search engine traffic to your blog posts, you’re going to have to take a number of steps to fine tune and perfect their search engine optimization. And even if you aren’t a blogger, it isn’t hard to apply these steps to your own site.

5 Tips for Blog Search Engine Optimization

Andrea Watts — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:32:53 GMT

If your purpose as a blogger is to increase traffic to your website in addition to providing customer feedback and information, then there are a number of steps you need to take to improve your search engine optimization.

Why Web Analytics Are Important for Your Business Success

Andrea Watts — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 13:47:00 GMT

Web Analytics are tools that can save your online business time and money, while helping you cater to exactly what your customers want by monitoring specific customer preferences and activities on your website.

9 Best Blog Writing Tips

Andrea Watts — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 19:32:00 GMT

Writings blogs takes technique if you want a loyal set of followers. You feel your content is relevant and worth reading, so use these 9 tips to prove to your readers why your content deserves some readership.

How to Measure Your Social Media Presence

Andrea Watts — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 14:35:00 GMT

There are several tools out there to measure your presence in the world of Social Media and Social Media Marketing. By using these tools, you have the ability to analytically measure your presence on the Internet as well as compare your company or product to your competition.

6 Resources to Drive Traffic to Your Website

Andrea Watts — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 13:59:53 GMT

These blogs are phenomenal sources of information to learn how to drive traffic to your website. By reading these blogs, you will learn from the best. Each of these websites gives you a great outlook on what’s popular, how to gain visibility, and tools to use to attract loyal followers.

What You Can Learn from the Old Spice Man's Video Responses

Andrea Watts — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 15:32:13 GMT

Due to the overwhelming number of Tweets popping up all over Twitter discussing the hilarity of the new Old Spice commercial, the Old Spice Man is shooting YouTube videos responding to people’s Tweets.

What Does Google Me Mean for Social Media as We Know it?

Andrea Watts — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 13:21:03 GMT

There have been rumor’s circling about the Internet about Google’s new project: a social media site supposedly predicted to be a competitor of Facebook. The name of this project is “Google Me.”

How Viral Video Marketing Made the Double Rainbow Guy Famous

Andrea Watts — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 15:14:50 GMT

YouTube, owned by Google, is now the world’s second largest search engine. The viral video market has completely exploded to the point where popular videos are even shown on daily news channels.

How to Avoid Twitter Mistakes that can Ruin Your Career

Andrea Watts — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 15:56:20 GMT

Since Twitter is a global network comprised of an endless number of demographics, it is important to consider the difficulty of tailoring your message for your audience. Regardless of the neutrality you try to retain, your opinions and messages are published for the global community to see.

10 Tips to Market Your Business to the Media

Andrea Watts — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 15:11:00 GMT

How far are you willing to go for your business? If you want your business to make headlines and gain the attention of media followers all over the country, use the following tips when seeking to submit an article or feature to any media outlet.

5 Reasons to Use Business Blogs

Andrea Watts — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 16:07:50 GMT

Harness the power of blogs and use them to enhance your online business and generate word-of-mouth marketing. Viral marketing is the most effective and trustworthy way customers learn about a product.

Why Facebook Users Should Watch The Social Network - The Movie

Andrea Watts — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 15:31:00 GMT

The upcoming drama "The Social Network," exposes Facebook, the popular social networking site, and its creation. The film will be released on October 1, 2010 and is directed by David Fincher, director of other highly influential movies such as "Fight Club" and "Zodiac." The movie, "The Social Network" discusses the controversies involved in the founding of Facebook and its impact on the world.

How are Search Engine Optimization Companies Ranked?

Andrea Watts — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:52:50 GMT

Search Engines filter information based on objective algorithms. They rank your website by the way you use your keywords or key phrases. Depending on how often you use a particular keyword, a search engine will determine how relevant your material is to the search query.

How Facebook is Used as Evidence in Divorce Court

Andrea Watts — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:54:17 GMT

More and more divorce lawyers are starting to use social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, and others as legitimate evidence in divorce court. What you say online can and will be held against you in the court of law.

What Happens Behind the Scenes at Google?

Andrea Watts — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 16:41:48 GMT

Google focuses on perfecting two key areas of their company, Searches and Ads. By mastering these two Internet necessities, Google has become the biggest name in search engines and online resources.

How to Start an Online Business in 8 Easy Steps

Andrea Watts — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 17:04:20 GMT

Business is evolving. In the current business world, you may be able to survive with just a simple brick and mortar location, but you won’t be able to expand your reach. The most important “next step” to take for your business, is to jump into the online business world.

How to Get Started with Google AdWords

Andrea Watts — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:07:06 GMT

AdWords is a comprehensive ad campaign management tool run by Google to help you manage your costs, write compelling ads, choose effective keywords, run successful campaigns, and provide you with other helpful resources for your internet marketing strategy.

6 Tips to Generate Leads with Email Marketing

Andrea Watts — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 16:38:01 GMT

Email is starting to be considered as passé by some avid social media marketers. However, email can still be used as an important marketing tool for your online business. Email actually has the potential to increase traffic and generate leads, so use it wisely by following these 6 tips.

What is Wikio and Why Should I Use it?

Andrea Watts — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 16:54:14 GMT

If you are like me, and you spend way too much time browsing the internet searching for topics about blogs, technology, social media, search engine optimization, and online marketing, then you will be just as excited as I was to discover Wikio - Blogs your way. Wikio is a comprehensive database of news, media, and blogs. Search by topic, comment on existing articles, or publish your own.

9 Tips to Write the Best Blogs

Andrea Watts — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 15:54:28 GMT

Writings blogs takes technique if you want a loyal set of followers. You may feel your content is relevant and worth reading, so use these 9 tips to prove to your readers why your content deserves some readership.

10 Tips for Publishing a Press Release Online

Andrea Watts — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 15:36:00 GMT

If you have an online business and would like to increase your traffic and visibility, a press release may be a great tool for you. By writing a press release and submitting information throughout the web, you increase your chances of attracting customer interest.

7 Simple Strategies for SEO

Andrea Watts — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 16:32:00 GMT

Here are 7 reasons why it is important for small online businesses to implement Search Engine Optimization into their website to gain visibility, generate traffic, and convert traffic into customers.

How to Make Social Media Work for Your Business - Psychologically

Andrea Watts — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 16:55:47 GMT

On a psychological level, social media provides any individual of a feeling of importance. That’s why online marketing is now such a significant portion of online business strategies, social media puts the power in the consumer’s mind.

Why Ad Agencies Are Making a Mistake with Flash

Andrea Watts — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 17:16:13 GMT

Adobe’s Flash has been taking some serious heat lately as Apple and Adobe continue their spat over the future of online video. Advertising agencies continue to suffer due to a lack of development with Flash. A successful online business’ website should be designed to engage their customers, not frustrate them.

How to Make Valuable Backlinks

Andrea Watts — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 16:51:50 GMT

Backlinks are links to other websites or web pages included in the text of your page. They are very powerful tools used to optimize the use of search engine optimization. Search engines consider the number of backlinks a website has as one of the most important factors contributing to that site’s search engine ranking. The more backlinks your website has, the more powerful or popular it seems to the visitor.

How to Improve your Search Enginge Optimization

Andrea Watts — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 16:12:57 GMT

Google published a Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide originally to help members of the Google team. However, they published it to help the greater good of web development. Feel free to use these tips to improve your Search Engine Optimization.

5 Best Business Blogs

Andrea Watts — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 15:29:00 GMT

Using the Internet as a resource is mandatory in this day and age. Turning to blogs for relevant information is becoming more and more commonplace. If you would like to learn more about social media, online business, small business, entrepreneurship, or even blogging about your business, take a look at these business blogs.

How to Secure Your Online Business

Andrea Watts — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 15:52:33 GMT

According to the Wall Street Journal AT&T’s new phenomenon - the iPad - recently suffered an astronomical security breach. A hacker group, calling themselves Goatse Security gained access to the private details and email addresses of nearly 114,000 early purchasers of the iPad

What are Careers in Technology Like?

Andrea Watts — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 15:44:59 GMT

Dice, a Dice Holdings, Inc. service, conducts comprehensive surveys that delve into the world of web technology and career paths for technology professionals. These fields include anything from website programming to service to basic design. The statistics included in this article give a good insight to the inner workings of the world of technology.

Step by Step Guide on How to Advertise on Facebook

Andrea Watts — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 16:15:00 GMT

People treat Facebook as an authentic part of their lives, so by using Facebook as an addition to your online marketing strategy, you can be sure you are connecting with real people with real interest in your products.

5 Steps to Brand Yourself Using Social Media

Andrea Watts — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 15:40:00 GMT

Social media is vitally important to use when trying to create a name or presence for your brand. Social media can either be your best asset or your worst enemy. Positive reviews can spread far and wide over a period of time, but negative reviews will absolutely spread like wildfire and reach every nook and cranny on the internet.

Top 10 Web Design Tips and Trends

Andrea Watts — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 17:18:50 GMT

Having a website that stands out is imperative to competing in the online business world. In addition to selling and marketing a quality product, and exhausting the use of social media outlets, your website must have a web design that is pleasurable for viewers so customers enjoy spending time browsing.

5 Tips to Network Online Like a Pro

Andrea Watts — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 15:43:27 GMT

Social media is big. We don’t need to hear it twice. It is becoming the most important web-based tool to increase sales in online business and to expand socially. But how do we use social media and social networking sites to our advantage? Use these 5 tips to network online like a pro.

Top 8 Ways to Make Your Online Business Stand Out

Andrea Watts — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 16:15:05 GMT

Online Business is booming. Many people are turning to the internet in an effort to improve their business. These 8 strategies will show you how to use social media, applications, and other simple business strategies to make your website finish on top in the online business world.

Social Media Shopping Carts

Andrea Watts — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 15:18:16 GMT

The idea of using social media to help your business has been exploding all over the online marketplace. However, social media has been a tool to simply market your business, but things are beginning to push forward from that standpoint.

Why We Webinar

Andrea Watts — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 15:22:00 GMT

As the name implies, a webinar is a one-way seminar conducted on the web. The functionality and demand of webinars are increasing significantly. Companies employ the use of webinars to conduct presentations to their employees, clients, and prospects.

How to Secure Your Facebook

Andrea Watts — Fri, 28 May 2010 16:09:16 GMT

As the website continues to explode and become readily available to more and more people. Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg and the rest of the Facebook staff needed to make a few simplifying security changes.

4 Must-Have Online Business Resources

Andrea Watts — Thu, 27 May 2010 16:08:00 GMT

Want your online business to succeed? There are several ways to enhance your online presence and make the Internet work for YOU. Use these tools and resources to your advantage to get the most from your website.

5 Tips to Succeed in Online Business

Andrea Watts — Wed, 26 May 2010 16:30:22 GMT

In order to have a significant online presence, you need to design your website for your customers. Succeeding online is all about generating traffic and building relationships with existing customers. You must design your website in a way that makes your customers want to spend time browsing through.

Join the Social Media Revolution

Andrea Watts — Tue, 25 May 2010 17:05:00 GMT

The Social Media Revolution is tremendously enhancing relationships, education, business, communication, available information, health and wellness, public service distribution, and even society itself. It is a phenomenon that everyone should indulge in and enjoy, because it’s only going to get bigger.

4 Essential Tools for Facebook Marketers

Andrea Watts — Mon, 24 May 2010 18:06:11 GMT

These 4 basic Facebook tools provide marketers with the ability to reach their audiences at a much more personal and involved level. It allows for an audience member to feel like they are a part of their brand and share their association with other friends.

Why Become an Internet Marketing and Social Media “Farmer”

Sofia Sapojnikova — Fri, 21 May 2010 15:26:20 GMT

A small business must start on to the web with a good attitude, honesty, and integrity in order to gain and retain their customer's trust - right principles. The company must do everything it can to learn about the medium and understand best techniques for using the Internet to enhance their business systems (permission marketing/newsletters, customer feedback/testimonials, social media, relationship building, establishing preeminence, and the list goes on). And as the business acquires this knowledge it has to put it to good use in creating a plan of action and executing it.

What Your Website Is Running On?

Sofia Sapojnikova — Thu, 20 May 2010 17:38:20 GMT

With the right web platform, businesses are able to have access to a rich and powerful web application framework with a supporting cast of tools, servers, and technologies to help them succeed on the web. By choosing a web developer for your website, you are choosing a framework (PHP, .NET) with their own advantages and disadvantages.

What a Blog Can Do For Your Small Business

Sofia Sapojnikova — Tue, 18 May 2010 15:35:41 GMT

The blogging movement is picking up speed as businesses begin to realize the benefits of blogging. Business blogs are sweeping the business community. Blogs are an excellent method to share a company's expertise, build additional web traffic, and connect with potential customers. Discover what a business blog can do for you company:

Facebook Dos and Don’ts

Sofia Sapojnikova — Fri, 14 May 2010 14:21:00 GMT

As Facebook soaring in popularity and becoming more popular than Google, people should be cautious when creating their personal or business pages. The most important thing to pay attention to when creating your Facebook page is profile settings. Make sure you check the appropriated boxes based on the privacy you wish to have. Below you will find some tips, dos and don’ts that may help you protect your privacy and avoid scams and embarrassment.

Concept and Outline for Professional Website Design

Sofia Sapojnikova — Wed, 12 May 2010 19:00:50 GMT

To have an online identity in the era of internet marketing a website is of utmost importance. It is the online representation of any company with an access to sell company's name, attract more visitors, generate more business leads, promote more sale of company's products and services and finally, it helps to reap more return on investment.

The Need for Content Management Systems

Sofia Sapojnikova — Fri, 07 May 2010 13:22:47 GMT

CMS (content management systems) is a set of processes, applications, and databases that help businesses create, store, coordinate, and publish information with a consistent method in a useful format and in a timely fashion. Companies need to spent considerable amount of time evaluating CMS platforms and their use based on the requirements set forth by each company. One important thing to consider is the skill level of the people who will be directly involved with the chosen platform on the daily basis.

Is Your Website Ready for Launch?

Sofia Sapojnikova — Thu, 06 May 2010 18:13:05 GMT

If you've just finished building your new website (or revamping your old one), how can you be sure it's "ready for prime time"? Web technologies, online tools, requirements and standards change so rapidly, any website that was “cutting edge” when it's built can look obsolete a year later. Below we offer 10 aspects of web development you should consider:

Your Website Potential

Sofia Sapojnikova — Wed, 05 May 2010 18:03:15 GMT

The web is not just a marketing tool - it's a business tool as well.
A good website will help you inform your customers in a timely manner, gain valuable market research, reduce support and customer service costs, reach a broad audience with a message, find sales leads, conduct e-commerce, gain advertising revenue, brand your company, build trust, and reduce printing and mailing costs.

Creating Relevant Web Content

Sofia Sapojnikova — Tue, 04 May 2010 16:58:57 GMT

Once you've determined your website strategy and created a clear site map, you will need to collect and organize content for the website. Developing content (text, photographs, links, etc.) for your website requires some careful thinking and planning to ensure that you meet the needs and interests of your primary audiences.

Social Media Monitoring

Sofia Sapojnikova — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 18:18:06 GMT

Many companies and corporations are adapting to social media marketing to sell their products and/or services and engage their consumers. With this new way of marketing come new responsibilities. Businesses have to evaluate which corporate social media policies to adhere to and how to provide support and guidance to your employees. Social media is not just a buzz word, it is a very effective marketing tool. For businesses, it translates to vital new information and insight into the company value and how it is perceived in the social world.

The Power of Social Media Marketing

Sofia Sapojnikova — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 18:09:00 GMT

According to a recent survey by Econsultancy and bigmouthmedia, 86% of companies report that they will spend more money on social media in 2010 than in previous years. The survey goes on to report clear benefits for the companies surveyed: increased brand awareness (73%), increased customer engagement (71%), better brand reputation (66%) and increased communication with key influencers (62%).

Social Media & ROI - What Walmart is Learning

Dan Chambers — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 18:59:50 GMT

Social media ROI (return-of-investment) is the big hot button these days. Nothing is more important for businesses. Nothing is bigger. So it makes a lot of sense to talk about how Walmart - the biggest retailer of them all - is handling it.

The Seven Deadly Sins of Social Media Marketing

Dan Chambers — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 16:01:33 GMT

There are many ways for a business to use social media correctly, and only a few ways to do it wrong. So why do so many businesses keep falling into the same traps? The answer is easy: human nature. As we all know, humans are constantly beset by all kinds of temptations. That's what makes us human.

E-Cheating - How To Tell When Your Spouse Is Having Online Affair

Dan Chambers — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 17:16:00 GMT

Everyone is online these days but not everyone is online for the right reasons. There is a new homewrecker today - it's called "e-cheating." Although e-cheating started with students buying their homework on the Internet. It has now become the word-of-the-day when someone in a relationship is cheating on the Internet.

How a Restaurant Can Serve Up More Customers With Social Media

Dan Chambers — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 14:23:00 GMT

There are many good reasons why restaurants, taverns and bars should be using social media marketing. It is a great way to interact with new customers and keep up with existing ones. It drives traffic to your website. It is much less expensive than traditional advertising mediums like television, radio and print.

The Promises and Perils of Social Media - What A Business Needs to Know

Dan Chambers — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 13:47:05 GMT

As millions of people flock to social networks like Facebook and Twitter to chat, share and connect and reconnect with friends, businesses have the chance to tune in to billions of digital conversations. The phenomenal popularity of social media presents a tantalizing opportunity for companies big and small. They can pitch a product, listen to customer feedback and ask for ideas.

How to Make Your Facebook Business Page Stand Out in the Crowd

Dan Chambers — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 13:58:00 GMT

At last count, there were over 400 million active users on Facebook and - by some estimates - almost 20 million businesses. These are daunting numbers. More companies big and small are trying to reach customers through Facebook and the Facebook Platform. From global corporations to local restaurants - they are building strategies and creating campaigns.

How Social Media Can Help Your Email Marketing

Dan Chambers — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 13:29:00 GMT

Email combined with social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter is a powerful marketing tool. The two channels help each other and offer an opportunity for marketers to create deeper connections and meaningful conversations.

How Social Media is Reshaping the Financial World

Dan Chambers — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 13:44:00 GMT

The rise of social media has changed the way consumers receive financial information. It has dramatically impacted how individuals interrelate and how businesses relate directly with customers in the finance and investing sector. Online trading platforms and communities are enormously popular and many believe that social networking leads to greater trading volume.

Introducing IntelBuilder 2.2 – The Best Social Media Website Platform Just Got Better

Artem Gassan — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 14:26:00 GMT

Vesta Digital introduces IntelBuilder 2.2 – a significant addition to their popular IntelBuilder Social Media Website Platform.

How A Contractor Can Profit with Social Media

Dan Chambers — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:22:00 GMT

You don't have to be reminded about how tough the building industry is these days. Between the mortgage crisis, credit crisis and recession, you are lucky to still be in business. Now that the economy is getting better, how do you get your business going again? Social media marketing is one good way.

10 Ways to Brand Your Product with Social Media

Dan Chambers — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 14:12:00 GMT

Branding is the process of creating a unique name and image for a product or service in a consumers' mind. There are many factors that are involved in this process. But establishing trust is perhaps the most important branding ingredient of all - and social media is the most effective way to establish your brand as a trustworthy product or service. Here are ten ways to brand your product or improve your branding with social media:

5 Rules of Social Media Conduct for Your Company

Dan Chambers — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 14:32:00 GMT

Recent changes in FTC guidelines have reinforced the importance of establishing policies to keep your social media and online marketing legal and ethical. The Federal Trade Commission's updated Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising, which took effect on Dec. 1, 2009, was a wake-up call to marketers. Those working in the blogosphere and social media realized their actions could attract federal scrutiny if they were not careful.

Nestle Cooks Up Trouble With Their Social Media

Dan Chambers — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 13:58:00 GMT

Nestle went from the frying pan to the fire with their social media efforts recently. The anger wasn't because of Nestle's rain forest policy; it was because of the comments they made on their Facebook page.

The 10 Best Social Media Blogs for 2010

Dan Chambers — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 14:18:00 GMT

Social media is the talk of the planet. But with so much information out there, where do you go to get the best tips and the latest news? Here are the top 10 blogs according to Social Media Examiner. These "winners" were narrowed down from a field of 150 finalists.

Why Banks Need To Invest in Social Media

Dan Chambers — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 15:21:00 GMT

The banking industry is a major category of business that has been lagging in the booming social media field. There are a number of reasons why they refuse to participate. Datamonitor - the respected British internet research firm - explains why banks and financial institutions shy away from social media and why they should meet the challenge head-on:

Social Media and Children

Artem Gassan — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 13:15:00 GMT

Facebook's audience keeps getting bigger. It keeps getting younger, too. Children as young as eight are now signing up and logging on. A recent article in Telegraph UK reports some sobering news about a survey conducted by Ofcom, the media watchdog.