Posts Tagged ‘Internet’

The best keyword is “research”

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

Search has become a very important business tool.

Businesses all over the fruited plain are constantly trying to figure out the best keyword to use on their Web sites.

The best keyword for all of us, it turns out, is “research.”

Brother Dave on left

And search engine optimization (SEO), despite its complicated moniker, offers some very simple marketing lessons.  I’m reminded of something my brother Dave Caruso taught me a while back when we were trying to improve the effectiveness of my Web site.

My site has always had a number of products and programs related to “self improvement.”

Dave, a great linear thinker and fantastic “systems” guy, did a few quick Google searches to compare how often people search “self help” vs. “self improvement.”

He found that the following variations gave these totals (results in millions):

Keyword search # of hits
self-help                             89,700
self help                                 89, 600
self improvement              30,200
self-improvement             21,200

This was HUGE and I immediately wanted to change my site to take advantage of this discovery.

Then, Dave checked the number of hits for one more term:  “personal improvement.”  At the time, those key words showed 124,000,000–far more than the other key word phrases!

“Personal improvement” was the keyword phrase to optimize.  Thanks, brother!

When doing SEO, make sure you do research to discover which key words and phrases will rank highly.  You may be surprised!

Keyword research helps people find me, even if I’m in Royal Oak, Michigan.  Which, um, I am.      – Michael Angelo Caruso, Motivational speaker, Internet student

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Blogging, Communication, Creativity, Growing Your Business, Information products, Internet marketing, Marketing, Personal Development, Problem Solving, Sales and Marketing, Selling, Social Media, Success, Writing and Publishing | No Comments »

How to meet quality people online and offline

Friday, April 22nd, 2011

Charlie Sheen is getting a lot of grief these days for being a bad person.  His “fun,” party ways are now perceived by many to be reckless and irresponsible.  If true, Charlie has become unsafe to himself and those around him.

As you go though life, the idea is to meet and associate with lots of “safe” people.  Indeed, the quality of your network determines the quality of your life.

A wise man once said, “You will be the same person you are now in five years, save the the people you meet and the books you read.”  These days, you can meet people online and off.  Here are 5 Cool Ideas for networking online and offline.

1.  Watch your language.

Al GoreKeywords are key.  Of course, search engines take their cue from keywords, but “key” words were important long before Al Gore invented the Internet.  (That Al Gore part is supposed to be funny.)

Use keywords when networking live to help people remember you.  I meet tons of people who run house cleaning businesses, but have only ever met one such person who was also a poet.

“Poet” is one of her keywords and she should use it in her elevator speech whenever possible.  Maybe poetry can be worked into her company slogan and the verbiage on her company Web site.


2.  Pay attention to the aggregate.

Yes, search engine spiders love to eat fresh meat, so keep posting to your Web site, blog and social media pages.  People at networking functions pay attention to the aggregate, as well.

The most effective networkers show up at ALL the important events, n0t just a few.  Even if you can only stay for a few minutes, at least make an appearance.


3.  Keep the important stuff in plain sight.

In journalism class, I was taught how newspapers place important stories “above the fold” so they can be seen (and purchased) at the news stand.  Now, the Internet works the same way as savvy Webmasters position important Website info at the top of the screen so viewers don’t need to do any scrolling.

At live events, keep all your key information in front of people.  Wear your smile only when you want people to think you’re friendly or accessible or in a good mood,  etc.


4.  Listen to my high school chemistry teacher.

Mr. Jarvis taught us the meaning of the word, “dynamic,” which means “always changing.”  That’s why blogs are better than Web sites.  You can post to a blog several times a day, but you only change your Web page once in a while.  for that reason, blogs are more dynamic.

It helps to have your business and your personal image be perceived as dynamic, as well.  Have an exciting answer to the common question:  “What’s new?”  Never say, “nothing.”


5.  Develop multiple spheres of influence.

By now every online marketer knows the importance of having multiple Web sites.  Fortunately, it’s relatively easy to have  primary Web site, a blog, and a gaggle of social media pages.  I have a bunch of articles posted on EzineArticles.com.

You should have multiple spheres of influence when it comes to offline networking, too.

Work is one sphere of influence, but consider actively participating organizations that aren’t directly related to work such as those dedicated to community service.  I belong to Rotary and a cool networking partnership group called ION, among others.

I strongly recommend that you belong to a mastermind-type group, too.


Great masterminds think alike

I’ve recently started a Michigan Mastermind group for entrepreneurs,  business owners, salespeople, speakers, and authors. We meet the second Tuesday of the month in Oakland County, just northwest of Detroit.  You’ll meet the most interesting people at these sessions.  Folks who are into self-improvement.  Ambitious people who want to get ahead. 

Hope to see you soon!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Career development, Communication, Personal Development, Problem Solving, Rotary, Self improvement, Success | Comments Off

Why Charlie Sheen is smarter than you

Friday, April 15th, 2011
Charlie Sheen

"Sheenius"

The Charlie Sheen Freak Show may not have ended, yet, but many people have already drawn some conclusions.  At this point, for example, most people consider him to be an idiot.

[Facebookers, click "View Original Post" to read this entire article.]

Which is why it ‘s probably painful to discover that Charlie Sheen is smarter than you.

Charlie Sheen is smarter than you–and me–because he was able to teach us something. In fact, this “Sheenius” has been a terrific source of advice.  Oh, one might argue that Charlie doesn’t “teach” us as much as he “reminds,” but let’s not split hairs.

Plato said that we never really learn anything; we are merely reminded of things we already know.

This may be the first blog post to mention both Charlie Sheen and Plato.  You’re welcome.

Here’s a partial list of the lessons learned from Charlie Sheen:

Be happy where you are. The grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence.

Being just a “Good Time Charlie” is not much of a career. Or lifestyle.  Or life.

Treat everyone–especially women–with respect. Even if you can still live with yourself, no one else will be able to live with you.

Behavior should be a reflection of your priorities. Few things are more important than being a responsible father.

“Do everything in moderation,” as my mom used to say.

What happens on the Internet stays on the Internet. If you must act like a clown, make sure it’s not being recorded.  Duh.

It doesn’t pay to lie. (Remember Sheen’s emergency trip to the hospital for his “hernia?”)

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Charlie had the best paying job on television.  Now he has several smaller opportunities to consider.

Just because one is high-paid, doesn’t mean one is talented.

It’s usually not a good idea to have a spat with your boss. It’s even less advisable to make the spat public.

Finally, it’s not always obvious when someone learns a lesson. Sometimes, behavior modification takes a little while to kick in.  Let’s hope this happens before Mr. Sheen really hurts himself or someone else.

-Michael Angelo Caruso, Royal Oak, Michigan

www.MichaelAngeloCaruso.com

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Blogging, Career development, Communication, Creativity, Entertainment, Internet marketing, Marketing, Personal Development, Problem Solving, Self improvement, Success | No Comments »

5 reasons to blog–even if nobody reads it

Friday, February 25th, 2011

Michael Angelo Caruso blogging Internet marketingMost people haven’t figured out blogging, yet. That’s because blogging, that is writing, is a discipline like playing the trumpet or flying an airplane.  Or juggling.  It takes time and effort to make it worthwhile.  It also helps to be motivated, which usually happens when one is a little knowledgeable about the discipline.

Here are 5 reasons to blog, even if nobody reads it, followed by a chance for you to learn more from a soccer mom I interviewed who now gets paid to blog for other people.

1.  Search perks. Internet search engines love fresh content.  Since blogs, especially WordPress blogs, are easily updated your company is more likely to be found even if you create a blog post once per week.   Blogs are the new Web sites.

2.  Perpetual value. Time and again, I am contacted by people who tell me they read an old blog post and liked what I had to say.  Some of these folks turn into customers.  Your blog content keeps working for you year after year!

3.  Drip marketing. Periodic blog posts are a great way to keep in touch.  People will never forget about you because they are always being reminded.  Rig your social media sites to automatically post blog articles.

4.  Virtual salesperson. SAP advertises training services in a sidebar on its blog.  Wegmans grocery store blogs about recipes that use their food products.

5.  Massive public relations reach. If your blog is consistently good, you may get picked up by an aggregation service.  When this happens, your lil’ ol’ blog could be read by hundreds of thousands of people!

________

Paula Parisot

Soccer mom and paid blogger, Paula Parisot

A while back, I interviewed Paula Parisot, a soccer mom who now gets paid for blogging.  A non-techie by her own admission, Paula talks about how she does it and shares valuable tips on how you can get started doing the same.  That is, unless you can’t use the money.  Learn more Blogging for Profit by listening to this fun CD.

It was fun interviewing Paula.  She takes a “real-world” approach to things and I think you’ll like her!

-Michael Angelo Caruso

Royal Oak, Michigan

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Blogging, Career development, Communication, Creativity, Customer Service, Entertainment, Growing Your Business, Leadership, Marketing, Personal Development, Problem Solving, Sales and Marketing, Self improvement, Weblogs | No Comments »

How to rework content for your blog

Sunday, January 30th, 2011

Blogging articlesWhen posting an article to your blog or creating other content for your company’s Internet presence, it’s best to do your own writing.

But, if your writing skills aren’t the best, you can also rework articles that have already been published.  When doing so, make every effort to avoid two things:

1) Plagiarism, which is unethical. It’s just plain wrong to use claim credit for someone else’s work.  This includes the despicable act of  anonymously posting articles–as if the pieces wrote themselves!

2)  Duplicate content. Google and other search engines notice when you post duplicate content and will penalize you with lower search rankings.

Here are some guidelines for reworking articles written by others.

Be sure to change the other writer’s article at least 70%.  You can do this by rearranging the paragraphs and sentences and changing the order of the bullet points.  Delete some of the material and maybe add a bit of your own.  You can also incorporate content from two or three sources.

Perhaps the best way to go about reworking an article is to put the words in your own voice.  For example, don’t keep words you would never use in conversation.

A second way to rewrite is to simply delete awkward phrasing, sentence fragments, convoluted sentences, and other nonsense.  Most people tend to overwrite, so it will be easier to make your revised article shorter, just by
taking out the weakest parts.

Speaking of length, you only need about 500 words for a substantial blog post.  I recently rewrote a cool article I found online, by using all the above techniques and busting the article into four blog posts.

When finished, include your favorite keywords in three places: the title, first paragraph and last paragraph before posting.

Be sure to add your contact information and attribution for the writer–you, if you followed these directions and when rewriting content.

-Michael Angelo Caruso

P.S.  Learn how a soccer Mom named, Paula Parisot, now gets paid for blogging.  Michael interviews her on the CD, Blogging for Profit.

More great Internet marketing info (mostly original articles!) at  http://www.michaelangelocaruso.com/michael-angelo-caruso-blog/

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Blogging, Communication, Creativity, Entreprenuers, Growing Your Business, Internet marketing, Marketing, Success, Weblogs, Writing and Publishing | No Comments »

Being smart is overrated

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

Ava, Lili, MAC in BR 1208 WEBWant to make a smart career move?

Forget about being smart.  That’s right.  Stop trying to outsmart everyone and instead, start building coalitions.

This bold advice has generated a little hate mail for me.  It seems that intelligent people everywhere take issue with the idea that intelligence is overrated.  Many are downright offended and have sent me responses such as, “How dare you say that being smart is not important!”

Relax, brainiacs.  Of course, being smart is still advisable.  But having a strong people network is what sets you apart as a business owner or employee.  Why?  Because in the Information Age, everyone has access to the same knowledge.  What really matters these days is how you use that info.

Look at it this way:  If being the smartest guy in the room is so important, why do all the books on leadership recommend hiring people who are smarter than you?


Get Linkedin to get hired

Most companies, for example, only grant interviews to job applicants who have a strong presence on Linkedin. Why?  Because employers want to know they’re hiring someone who’s plugged into society.

Today, companies want people who can cultivate relationships, bring in new business, create strong vendor relationships and keep customers from heading for the exits.  The legal industry refers to these folks as “Rainmakers.”

This new-found emphasis on the importance of people skills has been well-documented in recent books such as A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink, Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell and Wikinomics by Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams.


The Internet as a “friend collection” device

The Internet is a no-cost communication tool that helps you and your department be a Rainmaker.  Think of the I’net as a megaphone and social media as the volume dial on that megaphone.  Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter are–by the way–also no-cost.  Sweet!

Social marketing is a proven, inexpensive way to improve your network and improve business.

In four weekly phone calls starting April 7, I will teach you or perhaps someone on your marketing team how to become a Rainmaker using social media.  This four-phone call course is quite affordable and very useful, especially for small and new businesses.

This is simply the best social media program of its kind.  Attendees are very pleased:

“Marketing via social media has not been a well-paved road for me.  But each and every encounter I have with Michael kicks it up a notch for me.  Thanks so much!” -Leah Dunn, The UPS Store

“Michael Angelo Caruso helped improve my business’s online presence in a very short time.  I highly recommend him for your marketing needs.  Michael delivers!” -Dr. Steven Ringler, Plastic Surgeon


Facebook with purpose

The four phone calls are April 7, 14, 21 and 28 at 3:30 PM ET.  Playback recordings are available for 24 hours after each call.  The information given is NOT technical.  You will understand everything I teach you.

Register at http://tinyurl.com/SocialMediaCallsApril7

Log-in to your social media pages before calling so you can make changes to your Facebook and Linkedin pages in real-time.  Pretty cool!

Sign up today at http://tinyurl.com/SocialMediaCallsApril7.

So, all you Poindexters out there–feel free to dumb it down a little.  You don’t have to know everything, if you know someone who does.  Spend a few minutes a day adding friends to your FB, LI and TW networks.

And share this post with your network.

I look forward to talking with you and/or someone from your company on April 7!

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Career development, Problem Solving, Self improvement, Social Media, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Dig your well before you need the water

Wednesday, February 11th, 2009

We interrupt the usual flow of upbeat missives found in this space for a serious message.

Foreclosure Next Exit There's not much good news these days, but that doesn't mean you have to suffer, too.

Surely, you've noticed that many businesses are hurting.  But that's only part of the story.  As a business consultant, my job is to provide perspective and advice, so let me connect a few dots for you. 

The number of broken industries is staggering, but the real news is the number of industries that are probably going to go under or undergo major shifts.  The following industries are in serious trouble.  Notice how every downside offers opportunity:

1.  The book publishing business is a mess.  People aren't buying or reading books.  Many more publishing jobs will be lost as a result.  Publishers aren't paying new authors squat, driving many to self-publishing, which is the new business model. 

2.  The United States Postal Service (USPS) has huge problems.  The USPS lost $7.9 billion in the past two years.  How long before it takes a place in the long line for bailouts, bridge loans and rescue plans?

3.  The music industry is broken.  It's fitting that the music business just marked the 50th anniversary of "the day the music died."  The quote is a poetic lyric from the Don McClean song about the tragic plane crash that Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper, but you can take the phrase literally now.  Free downloads and a reluctance to deal with the Internet has caught musicians, record moguls and retail distributors with their collective pants down.  Musicians are marketing themselves online and cutting out the midde man.

4.  The newspaper business is whacked.  The Detroit newspapers agency have become the first major metropolitan enterprise to announce it will cease daily delivery of its core product.  The agency has urged readers to "check them out online," and will probably become a newspaper company without a newspaper.  Similar dailies will probably follow suit.  Meanwhile, TV's The Daily Show and Web sites like The Huffington Post (not a real newspaper) and Rocketboom are kicking ass and taking names.

5.  The housing industry is not even close to recovering.  Home values fell for the eighth consecutive quarter.  The mortgage problem, as you know, was partly triggered by lax standards on the part of lenders.  Now the problem has spread throughout the credit industry like cancer.  People in a cash position are getting the house of their dreams for pennies on a dollar.

Are you depressed?  Don't be.  Every ending is a new beginning.  The pendulum always swings both ways.  When one door closes, another will  . . . well, you get the idea.

But, if you want to not be affected by bad news, you must do something other than observe it.

When problem solving, it helps to look for patterns.  The Internet, for example, is directly involved with four of the above scenarios.  Another pattern indicates the Internet isn't going away anytime soon.  Hey!  I've got an idea!  Maybe you should get involved with the Internet.

You'd think people would've figured this out by now, but consider these facts:

/Tons of people buy on e-Bay, but relatively very few people are using the site to sell goods and services. 

/One in four people still don't use the Internet.  Amazing.

/Facebook, Linked In and Twitter have gained popularity, but a stunning number of people abstain using excuses such as, "I don't want to put myself out there."  Hello?!

It's probably too late for the newspaper business, the music industry, the United States Post Office and the book publishing business.  The World Wide Web has forever altered their existence. 

But it's still early for you to take advantage of the Internet.  Dig your well before you need the water. 

-Michael Angelo Caruso, http://www.EdisonHouse.com.

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Problem Solving | No Comments »