Thousands of people have their personal information stolen online every day, and most never even know it – until it’s too late. In fact, identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the United States. It’s that time of the year when millions of people are shopping online, and in doing so, are putting their personal information at risk. Are you at risk?
Below are five simple tips for protecting yourself online against identity theft, costly data breaches and legal liabilities:
Don’t Get Seduced by the Dark Side… Keep it Simple.
I’m referring to the dark side force of social media that keeps you up at night worrying about growing your business and leveraging the superpower of social media sites, like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
Are you listening, responding and engaging your target market?
What are people saying about your brand, your products and services?   Are you paying attention? Have you claimed your business listings on Yelp.com? What about the other opinion and ratings websites? Do you have filters set up using www.Hootsuite.com to monitor keyword topics from Twitter? You can use social media websites to listen to the buzz in the market place as it relates to your industry, the competition, your prospects wants, needs & desires, and your products and services.
Social Media offers so many benefits, but it can be a huge waste of time without the right plan and actions steps.
One of the top questions I get asked is, “How do we get higher rankings in the search engines?”
There are many factors involved, but having a large amount of relevant website content about your products, services and solutions is one key. The more fresh content you have related to the main search terms and stages of the buying processes you’ve identified, the more likely the search engines are to raise your rankings.
You should also consider your keyword placement and keyword density on the body of your web pages. Think specific keyword phrases— not “keywords.” Why? Due to the extreme amount of competition for general terms in the search engines, you stand a far better chance to rank well for specific phrases where there is less competition.
Do Your Marketing Materials, Website and Social Media Match Your Brand’s Promise?
I was talking to a prospect today raving about how he’s built his business through mainly referrals… but now his business has slowed and he wants help.
One look at his website and social media profiles and it was clear why referrals are what has driven his business… because his other promotional efforts lack his brand’s promise.
By that, I mean., they are old, outdated, confusing, lack style, have poor marketing messages and simply don’t communicate the quality or value that his business truly offers.
In short, they are “sales prevention tools” getting in the way of attracting and converting prospects into long-term clients and customers. Â They are certainly costing him thousands of dollars in lost sales.
Does that scenario sound familiar? Want to know how to solve these problems?
Create Headlines That Stop Your Prospects in Their Tracks…
And motivate them to take action!
Imagine yourself standing in a long checkout line at the grocery store. You’re surrounded by sleazy tabloids and “fluffy” gossip magazines, but there’s no way you’d let anyone catch you looking at them. Yet… you’re curious. You just can’t help using your peripheral vision to take a peek.
As your eyes scan all the headlines, you see one that intrigues you. That can’t be true… could it? Before you know it, you’re throwing the magazine in the cart hoping no one will notice your lapse in judgment.
So what happened? The headline stopped you in your tracks. What’s more, the headline intrigued you enough to buy the story.
Now, I’m not here to talk to you about impulse magazine buys in the checkout line, but what this scenario does do is illustrate the importance of a headline that motivates a prospect to take action.
When it comes to marketing your business, headlines are arguably the most important element of your copy– whether it be for your website, a print promotion, an email blast or any other marketing piece. The reason? Because the headline is what attracts your prospect. And, if your headline doesn’t blow their socks off, it could be the last thing they read.
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Thousands of people have their personal information stolen online every day, and most never even know it – until it’s too late. In fact, identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the United States. It’s that time of the year when millions of people are shopping online, and in doing so, are putting their personal information at risk. Are you at risk?
Are you listening, responding and engaging your target market?
Do Your Marketing Materials, Website and Social Media Match Your Brand’s Promise?