Social Media Marketing Trends to Avoid: The Facebook Web Page

There’s an online trend that’s making the rounds with businesses these days. Instead of having a website, many small, medium, and even large companies are substituting actual websites with Facebook pages. 

This was something that was seen – and continues to be seen – on the far less relevant MySpace, a trend that’s making its way over to Facebook now that it’s become the clear social media platform of choice. Essentially, this is accomplished by businesses registering a unique URL (or using their already existing one) to drive users directly to their social media profiles.

But, is this necessarily the best idea? The answer, in a word, is no. A business should never use a Facebook page, MySpace profile, YouTube channel, Twitter account, or any other social media site as their primary web presence. Even though doing so seems to make a lot of sense on the surface, there are reasons aplenty why this is just a bad idea.

Using a Facebook page or other social media site as the destination of your URL is a bit like decorating the outside of your home with wallpaper – an exterior decoration idea that may appeal to a small percentage of the reading audience, but then you also have to remember that there are people in this world who enjoy a good plate of liver. In other words, it’s a good thing there’s no accounting for taste. But the fact remains that most people driving past (or surfing the Internet and stumbling across your website and find it to be nothing more than a Facebook profile) will have the immediate impression of it being a cheap, gaudy substitute.

Apart from surface appearances, using a social media profile as your website can also negatively impact  your business through its limited functionality. If you take a look at Facebook, for instance, there really is nothing you as a business owner can do beyond posting images, videos, links, and notes that’ll make it a truly interactive experience for the customer.

While this may seem like a lot, there’s far more you can do with a website – even a minimalistic, bare bones one – than you can with a Facebook page. More importantly, your customers won’t have a hard time navigating through your website to find the information they’re looking for. With Facebook, everything is listed in chronological order and that can be awfully frustrating to a visitor, especially if you’re constantly updating your page or there’s a lot of activity on there from followers.

Social media marketing through various platforms like the aforementioned Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube is absolutely essential for businesses looking to reach a wider customer base. But without an existing website to link back to – your online “HQ” – those efforts at reaching out could be returning very little result, if any.

Building a website and creating a Facebook account are two vastly different undertakings that are often the deciding point for many who just don’t have the know-how to do the former. If your social media strategy is languishing from a missing or woefully out of date website, contact Flyline Search Marketing – experts in website design, search engine optimization, social media marketing, and pay-per-click advertising – who can get you on the road to an effective social marketing campaign.

                 

April In New Mexico - 5 Great Things To Do

Red Rock Country Near Abiquii

April In New Mexico

Who else besides me is ready for Spring? I can't think of a better time of year in New Mexico than April. The warm temperatures have already returned to Albuquerque and are slowly working their way up to the northern part of the state. After those long, cold, dark months of Winter, I always get excited at the thought of Spring. 

For me, April means it's time to go fishing. All I can think of is packing up the car and the family and driving up to Coopers El Vado Ranch for some early season action. The drive up is half the fun. We always stop in at the Casino in Espanola for breakfast on the drive up. Ok, we also play the slots to, but, honestly it's really all about the breakfast and spending some quality time hanging with the family. Then it's down to Walmart for some grocery shopping. Well, when you get up to El Vado you aren't going to find a store right around the corner. If you want to eat, you either bring it with you, catch it in the river, or drive 30 miles to Chama and have High Country cook it for you.


When you travel up to Northern New Mexico, there are quite a few place you really need to visit.




Wolf Creek Pass - Scenic Overlook

1) You need to take a day and drive up through the Cumbres mountains and visit the Wolf Creek Pass scenic Overlook. What an incredible view you will encounter. The drive will take you approximately 2 to 2 1/2 hours from El Vado Ranch. Trust me when I tell you the drive is absolutely worth the effort. If you really want a challenge, take your bike with you. The last time we went over the pass, there were a number of cyclists who are pedaling their way to the top. I felt really bad when I pushed down on the gas pedal of my FX-4 and passed them on my way up. :-) I ride also so it's ok for me to poke fun at my pedaling breathren.








Springs Resort

2) Another very short drive from El Vado Ranch is an overnight stay opportunity called Pagosa Springs, Colorado. When you go to Pagosa Springs, you really should consider staying at the Springs resort. If you do, be sure to take your bathing suit. That's right, even in April you can enjoy the wonderful natural hot springs at the resort. Talk about relaxing in the mountains! The hotel is extremely affordable and I promise you will enjoy the warmth of the natural hot spring tubs and the incredible view of the surrounding mountains. One thing is for sure, the air temperatures in Pagosa Springs tend to run on the cooler side in April. Today (April 18th) the temperature is supposed to reach 65 degrees this afternoon. That my friends is awesome Spring weather at the altitudes you are at in the Pagosa area.

San Juan River

3) Since I have you in the car and driving around the countryside, here is another stop you should consider adding to your April visit to the northern New Mexico mountains. Keep in mind that I was born and raised on the Chama river. I spent my early childhood hanging out with my adopted big brother David Cooper. David owns and runs the El Vado Ranch and lives just a few short miles from the El Vado Lake dam. Fishing the Chama and hanging out with Coop are still my favorite April, May, June, July, August and September activities. Ok, I would go there year around if my wife would allow it. That said, there is one more piece of river that you may want to take a day and check out while you are up there. The San Juan river is roughly 2 - 3 hour drive from El Vado Ranch. The river is loaded with trout and has it's own unique restrictions so check in with the local fly shops in the area to ensure you have everything you need.

Cumbres & Toltec Railroad

4) Another unique opportunity for you to consider while you are staying at El Vado Ranch, is to drive into Chama, New Mexico for the day. First have lunch or dinner at the High Country restaurant. I honestly have never had a bad meal there. The town is about 35 miles from the ranch and is a very easy drive. While there, stop by the old train station and check out the Narrow Gauge steam engines. These engines still run and during the Summer, you can actually ride from Chama to Alamosa, Colorado across the Cumbres mountain range. The train runs through some of the most beautiful countryside you can imagine. If you are in the Chama are in April, you probably won't be able to ride the train at that time. The reason the train isn't running in April is because the mountain pass the train must travel through is still absolutely covered up with snow. Haven't checked the reports lately, but, normally Cumbres pass will still have several feet of snow at this time of year. Once the snow melts, the train will begin it's daily trek Alamosa.

Rio Grande Gorge

5) Located about 1 1/2 - 2 hours from Coopers El Vado Ranch is the Rio Grande Gorge. When you arrived your breath will be taken away by the incredible beauty of the Rio Grande River many, many feet below you and by the bridge you have to cross to get to the Taos side of the river. If you are a real thrill seeker, park your car at the bridge and walk out to the center. The view down to the river is pretty awesome, but, for some a very nerve racking experience. The most adventurous amoung us make the hike to the bottom and camp out overnight. Now that will bring you close to nature and give you a real appreciation for how our fore fathers lived. 

                 

Google AdWords Mistakes

It’s entirely possible for a company – whether small, medium, or large – to operate their own Google AdWords campaign. This isn’t something you’ll hear from many Internet marketing companies, especially since we make our bread and butter by taking this sort of work off of your hands.

But, the reality is, as long as you have the time resources to learn all there is to learn (and there is a lot) about Google AdWords and how to monitor your performance, you can do it on your own. However, the path is fraught with pitfalls that could end up costing you more money than the business you bring in.

Tip #1: Develop an Ad That’s “Just Right”

Thankfully, Google AdWords doesn’t give you the option of having flashy banner to promote your company – and let’s hope it stays that way. Right now, all a customer sees is some hyperlinked text and a few words about your products or services. When you go about determining exactly what your ad will say, it’s absolutely critical to say the most with the least amount of words and keystrokes. If it’s taking you too many words to get your message out then you need to take a closer, more focused look at your exact customer message.

It’s important to be concise, but if you’re too brief you might just leave a viewer with a bit of confusion about exactly who you are and what you offer. Keep it brief, but leave no mystery about your company’s identity. Remember, you’re charged for every click-through, even if the customer immediately closes your website upon reaching it. Better to appeal to someone who’s really looking for your services than to trick someone with misleading ad copy.

Tip #2: Pick Your Keywords Carefully

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to put little thought into the keywords you choose for your ad. These are the words that will determine when and where your ad appears after a certain Google search, and although you might think that having hundreds of keywords about various topics would help you, it’ll actually accomplish the opposite. The more relevant your keywords are, the higher your quality score will be. The higher your quality score, the less money you end up paying Google for every click on your ad.

By using keywords that are totally irrelevant to your services – or that give people the wrong impression about your company – accomplishes nothing. If you pique their curiosity, they may click on your ad but once they reach your website they’re very unlikely to actually do business with you. In this scenario, you end up paying through the nose for uninterested parties to click your ads and bring you absolutely zero interest.

Tip #3: Have a Dedicated Landing Page

Another common error made by new Google AdWords users is to direct interested parties to the main page of their website. However, if you’re a company that offers several different services, this can be confusing to the consumer who just wants to find out more information about the ad he or she just viewed. For example, if you’re running an ad on Google telling potential customers they can get 20 percent off auto body detail, create a dedicated landing page that will drive them to the section of your website that discusses this offer. Taking them to a general overview page of your business and forcing the customer to look around for the information they want is like holding the door open for someone who’s just entered so they can exit quickly.

In order to avoid some of these errors and get your Google AdWords campaign off to a flying start, consider contacting a third party company like Albuquerque Internet Marketing to run it for you. By doing so, you can assure that you’re getting the maximum bang for your buck, putting every penny of your advertising budget to positive use instead of throwing money down the drain in a costly trial-and-error learning period.

Vampire Diaries Stars Film at Amicalola Falls State Park

Vampire Diaries
Stefan and Elena

Vampire Diaries Stars, Paul Wesley and Nina Dobrev, film a sunset scene for an upcoming epidsode of Vampire Diaries set to aire in early April 2011. The cast normally films in their main Decatur, Georgia film studies, but, has also shot scenes in a number of other states. As the film industry in Albuquerque, New Mexico continues to grow, don't be surprised if the Vampires show up in our state to do some filming before long. We also have some pretty awesome sunsets!  

Here are more photos from the filming session. It will be interesting to see how the actual scene appears in the TV series. Check it out in a week or so. In the series, Paul Wesley (Stefan Salvatore) plays the role of good Vampire and doesn't seek to prey on humans. That is left to his evil counterpart, Ian Somerhalder (Damon Salvatore). The main female character in the show is Nina Dobrev who plays the part of Elena Gilbert. 

The film crew picked an incredible spot to film the scene. The sunsets from the top of Amicalola Falls State Park are pretty phenominal. Amicalola park is used as a jump off point for thru hikers hoping the hike the 2,000 plus miles from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Katahdin, Maine.

   

See more photos of the epidsode at (www.FlylineSearchMarketing.com/Blog.php) and you can also view additional pictures at (http://myflyline.blogspot.com)

                

Social Media Cops and Robbers

For the past several years, people have been proclaiming the arrival of social media as a world-changing technology. Much like the invention of radio, and later television, social media sites are not only changing the way that people receive information, but they’re also changing the way that people live. This much is a given.

But, did it ever dawn on you that social media could actually have the power to save lives? Before you scoff and click away, consider for a moment the leaps and bounds that the Albuquerque Police Department has made by taking to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and the blogosphere in their crime fighting efforts.

According to Albuquerque Police Chief Ray Schultz, utilizing social media has allowed law enforcement agencies everywhere to take the traditional “Wanted” poster to new and previously unimagined levels – giving local police the tools necessary to immediately communicate with citizens through Twitter posts and Facebook updates in a way that previously might have taken days or even weeks to do through traditional channels. That's definitely bad news for bad guys but definitely good news for the good guys.

Watching local police departments turn to social media outlets as a way to increase their effectiveness is an inspiring sight that should serve to effectively put to bed the arguments of social media marketing naysayers who declare, “It won’t work for me.” The bottom line is that if the police department can make use of social media outlets, any business can. It may take a little bit of creativity and some thinking outside of the box to accomplish, but cyberspace is certainly not the exclusive territory of high tech corporations and online marketers.

Sure, not every business owner was blessed with the kind of creativity that’s sometimes required to run an effective social media campaign – and there are plenty of small businesses out there that have effectively cut their legs off because of an aversion to cyberspace that can only be described as mystifying. Fortunately, if you don’t know how to go about getting a web presence, you can always hire someone to do that for you. Just as you don’t have to be an electrical engineer to flip a light switch, you don’t have to be fluent in techno-speak to be able to utilize social media channels and the internet to promote your business.

Albuquerque Internet Marketing is a local company that offers social media marketing packages and can implement internet marketing strategies to significantly improve your company’s profile, regardless of your size or what type of business you’re in. If your company relies on customers, your company needs a website and a social media profile. Albuquerque Internet Marketing can handle that for you. For more information, visit www.albuquerqueinternetmarketing.blogspot.com.

The Top 3 Reasons Your Business Needs a Website

Flyline Search Marketing

Google Adwords Certified Partner - Website Design

1-866-258-5511

 

Websites Are Mission Critical To The Success Of Your Business

Do you have an effective website working for your business? Folks, it is 2011 and in today's busy world, most people shopping for goods and services, like those offered by your firm, are doing so on Google, Yahoo & Bing. Flyline Search Marketing is an Internet Marketing Agency. We do a considerable amount of media consulting and research for our clients. We remind our clients everyday that their website serves as their online store front. Your website is first and sometimes only potential touch point with new prospective clients. Are you proud of your website? If not, we encourage you to consider a redesign. First impressions are mission critical in the Internet arena. Statistics show that people spend less than 8 seconds looking at the average website. How long are they viewing yours?

I know you have probably had a ton of website design people harping at you about building a new site. You’ve probably heard it before. You might even be sick and tired of hearing it. If you are a business owner, operating in the Albuquerque, Bernalillo, Carlsbad, Corrales, Espanola, Farmington, Las Cruces, Los Alamos or Santa Fe areas, the truth is you absolutely must utilize a website to reach your prospective clients. People you used to reach via your Yellow Pages ad, simply aren't using that media anymore. Not all, but, many have now switched over to the Internet. It's faster and a more effective way to shop. Here are 3 solid reasons why you need to invest in either an updated or new website.

Increase Accessibility & Visibility Of Your Firm

Imagine how poorly your business might have done 20 years ago if you didn’t include your phone number in your Yellow Page ad. Even though some people would arguably have seen your ad, many would have found it very difficult to do business with you without your phone number. By including your phone number you effectively increased your firms accessibility. If you were really smart 20 years ago, you also bought some radio, newspaper and magazine advertising to go with your Yellow Page ad. That way you increased your chances of being seen by shoppers in your area. The combination of multiple media visibility and clear contact information generally produced a winning formula.  

A website in today's world has the same critical importance. Statistics clearly show that shoppers are quickly migrating away from traditional print media like Yellow Pages, Newspapers and Magazines. While some still use Radio, statistics are clear there as well showing that the radio audience is also diminishing. An effective website is now mission critical. It creates that all important first impression and allows for the accessibility and visibility your firm needs. The vast majority of shoppers in markets like Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Sandia Heights, Santa Fe and Corrales are now using the Internet to shop. If you have a poorly designed website or simply don't have one at all, you really need to take action immediately. Having a website is today’s high tech marketplace is equivalent of being listed in the phone book, with the notable exception that it’s now much easier to use an online search engine than it used to be to thumb through the Yellow Pages.

Round-the-Clock Hours of Operation

When you have a website, it operates 24/7. Even if your website isn’t designed with any other purpose in mind than to let both existing and potential customers know how to get ahold of you, or to give information about the services you offer, its purpose is well served. Think of it as a round-the-clock online billboard that customers in nearby communities will see every time they go online and Google search an item or topic related to the goods and services you supply.

Branding - Name Recognition

Let’s face it, phone numbers aren’t exactly catchy. We remember them when we have to (and sometimes forget them when we desperately need them) but it’s word association that really gets stuck in our brains. With a website address – especially one that’s easy to remember and is associated with your company name – your customers will never have a tough time remembering how to find you.

There’s a big difference between being actively involved in e-commerce and simply having an online presence. If you’re intimidated by the prospect or find it’s something you just don’t have the time to tackle, contact a local internet professional and find out what it’ll take to get your company onto the world wide web.

                     

Albuqueque Internet Marketing - Finding Your Internet Marketing Legs

Flyline Search Marketing

Google Adwords

 Certified Partner

1-866-258-5511

The growth of Internet Marketing in the Albuquerque, New Mexico marketplace has been on steadily upward rising path. In fact, some now say that Intenet has surpassed traditional print media and is now the shopping tool of choice for Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Corrales, Bernalillo and Sandia Heights residents. Only a few short years ago, you really couldn't have made that argument. We consider Albuquerque to be a tech savvy community. With the presence of companies like Intel, how could anyone think otherwise? There are quite a few ISP's (Internet Service Providers)operating in Albuquerque.  Connectivity to the web is increasing at a rapid rate and don't forget about the tremendous growth we are seeing in the use of broadband access cards, PDA's, I-phones and Droid's.

It would seem that the stage has been set. We believe that firms operating in and around Albuquerque and Santa Fe should immediately begin marketing to the ever growing prospective client pool who is now shopping for goods and services via the Internet. Yes it's true, some Albuquerque suburbs are more wired than others, but, make no mistake, the growth of broadband and ever increasing usage of PDA's and smart phones is happening all over town.

Before jumping headfirst into Internet Marketing, you need to take an honest, in-depth, and objective look at your current Internet Marketing capabilities. Ask yourself, do we truly have the right tools and platform in place to compete effectively? Don't make the mistake many companies do and jump in with both feet, even though your assessment told you that your firm was not adequately prepared to effectively do battle. That my friends can lead to some very expensive lessons and some very unproductive marketing efforts.

What Are The Elements Of A Comprehensive Internet Marketing Strategy?

1) Create an effective Website

2) Deploy Lead Generation Tools (Start with Google Adwords. Later add a program on the new merged Yahoo/Bing sponsored search platform)

3) Set Up Branding Tools (Consider purchasing a custom Facebook fan page, set up a Twitter account and actively tweet each day, join the Linkedin community and create a Youtube channel for your business)

4) Create Information Indexing Tools (Create a blog for your firm and share information about your company with prospective clients and the search engines. Set up an Internet Press Release account and send out at least two fresh releases per month)

5) Monitor Program Performance By Using Effective Analytics Tools (Add web based analytics to your website and blogs. We recommend that you also deploy phone number tracking and recording as another way of evaluating the effectiveness of your Lead Generation efforts. 

If you do nothing else, make sure that you devote the proper attention to your website! We recommend that you take a long hard and yes, a very critical look at your website. After all, your website is your online store front! Most likely your firm spent thousands of dollars on tenant improvements so that your building, offices and showroom will be impressive to prospective clients. Ask yourself these questions. Does my website represent my firm in a professional manner that equals or betters the impression my office environment produces? Is it graphically pleasing and filled with keyword rich, relevant content that my customers will need to effectively shop and buy online from my business? Can I easily update my website to add information about new products or services? Can I easily update and change out photos to help my website visitors see the many wonderful products and services I have to offer? Folks, I have seen thousands of websites over the past few years. Most don't pass muster! Take action and build a site that works.

Here are some sample websites created by Flyline Search Marketing that answer the marketing bell!


1) http://www.benfranklinplumbingatlanta.com/

2) http://www.jonapandassociates.com/

3) http://www.aaofga.com/

4) http://www.eldsys.com/