When is Social Media Not So Social? How to Engage People to Share and Connect

March 29th, 2011 | Posted in Blog, marketing | Comments Off
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

When someone has created a Facebook list and you’re not on it?

When you posted something and no one commented?

When some random person who you don’t know wants to friend you on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or Merchant Circle?

When people opt out of your newsletter?

When you follow them on Twitter, but they’re not following you back?

Okay, get over it!

This week I’ve been thinking about how many of my clients have begun the social media craze and feel like they’re not making much progress. But just like anything else, it takes practice, and more importantly it needs to be done RIGHT!

Just think about when you go to a party or event. You meet people in person and you either connect or not, and that will determine if you’ll remember that person or hang out with them again. Get the conversation going so you’ll get to know each other a bit more, then when you connect via social media, there’s a real person behind that photo.

We each have our own voice, unique way about us, and that should come through when you’re posting and engaging people to respond. Sometimes they will and sometimes they won’t. The important thing to remember is what you’re using it for. On your personal Facebook profile you’ll want to share fun photos, videos or important news. On your company page you want to write about your business, but in a way that makes people interested. Don’t just toot your own horn, tell them something they’ll value or pass along, or ask them a question.

Don’t talk at them, talk to them!

Once people are interested in what you’re talking about, you’ll know by the comments and shares… when they tag you in a post. So keep trying!

Coming soon! New video screencast tutorials on Twitter, Hootsuite, Facebook, LinkedIn, and more… stay tuned.

Ladies celebrating together with champagne, social meeting

10 WordPress Tutorial Video Series – Beginner To More Advanced

March 27th, 2011 | Posted in Blog, marketing | 12 Comments
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Branding You Better and Susan Newman Design Inc have created 10 WordPress video screencast tutorials using the software Camtasia, which will help those looking for more advanced features and understand some of the most important SEO benefits available to explode your content and get it seen. It’s an easy content management system, and if used properly, taking advantage of widgets, plugins and settings, your new site will be SEO (search engine optimization) rich.

“If you build it RIGHT, they will come.”

The first 5 I created were for the beginner just starting out. These tutorials are for WordPress sites hosted on your own, not on the free WordPress site.

***NEW MOVIE! – WordPress Genesis Tutorial Overview Including Portfolio Slideshows, and Menus for Multiple Navigation Areas

Tutorial One - WordPress Tutorial – Overview

Tutorial Two - Adjusting the Settings to Optimize your Content

Tutorial Three - Adding and Activating Plugins

Tutorial Four - Adding a Post, SEO Tags, Title, Description and Categories

Tutorial Five - Adding a Photo or Gallery Within a Post


The second series gets into more advanced areas, such as some of the latest dynamic plugins and widgets for social media and assorted new tools to manage posting and pages. How to create a gallery of images using different gallery plugins. Some of the newest features like rotating headers, and customizing the site just how you’d like it.

Tutorial Six – Advanced Dynamic Plugins/Widgets for your Sidebar and TinyMCE Advanced Styling

Tutorial Seven – Uploading and Creating a Gallery of Images Using a Gallery Plugin

Tutorial Eight – Custom Rotating Headers

Tutorial Nine – Both Blogging and Portfolio in One Theme

Tutorial Ten – Naming Your Pages and Images so they are SEO Ready

Coming soon, more videos on additional plugins and advantancements to wordpress, so stay tuned…

WordPress Video Tutorials – 3 Beginner Lessons For Creating An SEO Rich Website

March 20th, 2011 | Posted in Blog, marketing | 5 Comments
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I have created a few simple video tutorials using the software Camtasia, which will help beginners using WordPress understand some of the most important aspects available. It’s an easy content management system, and if used properly, taking advantage of plugins and settings, will be SEO (search engine optimization) rich.

“If you build it RIGHT, they will come.” You have to help them find you! Below are the first three samples.

***This applies to WordPress being installed on your hosted server, not free websites within WordPress itself.

WordPress Overview

Adjusting the Settings to Optimize your Content

Adding a Post, SEO Tags, Title, Description and Categories


To watch the full 11 video WordPress series go to my courses on Udemy >> WordPress Tutorial Course on Udemy by Susan Newman .

The other videos include:  Adding and Activating Plugins, Adding a Photo or Gallery Within a Post, Advanced Dynamic Plugins/Widgets for Your Sidebar and TinyMCE Advanced Styling, Uploading and Creating a Gallery of Images Using a Gallery Plugin, Custom Rotating Headers, Both Blogging and a Portfolio in One Theme, and Naming your Pages and Images so they are SEO Ready.

If there are specific tutorials you’d like me to create, just email me. I will creating more tutorials for WordPress as new plugins and features come out.

Website Keywords – Has your website programmer stolen your limelight?

March 6th, 2011 | Posted in Blog, marketing | 1 Comment
Tags: , , , ,

This passed week I was discussing a website with a new client, because she wanted to update it. She was thinking of adding new gallery images and replacing some of the older images. So together we took a look. She was surprised to learn that her site had been built using Flash animation and that because of this, the only way we could edit it would be to get the original Flash movie file. In addition, we discussed how if we rebuilt the website using a CMS (content management system) such as Concrete5, she would have complete control over her site in the future and be able to edit, update and add new imagery whenever she wanted.

We also discussed the fact that her current site did not have any SEO (search engine optimization) to help people find her. No actual pages with rich content, named images or textual content.

The Big Keyword Surprise
Then we looked at her title tag, description and keywords. Because the site was playing in a movie and only on this one page, there were no multiple pages like most sites, which would give her the ability to name the pages, titles, descriptions and keywords for each page. As we looked through the few keywords listed, I started asking her what certain terms were in the keywords, and we discovered the website designer who had built her site, had put in keywords to advertise himself, his company name, search terms for his business, and they were in front of the 3-4 poor little phrase terms that would help people find her. No wonder she wasn’t getting enough business or calls!

Well, I have to say I was shocked. How could a programmer do such a thing? A website should be for advertising that business only!

I had to share this story, because now I want everyone to look at their own keywords and be sure your site is advertising you, your business and no one elses!

So open your own website and then if you’re in the “Safari” browser, visit the top navigation item “view” and “view source.” If on the “Firefox” browser, visit “view”  and “page source” and if on a PC and in “Internet Explorer”, visit “view” and “source.”

Below are some screenshots to help you find the source code. Once open, you’ll see the underlying code used to build your site… look for: <title> (which will show what your title tag is) and META NAME=”description” (which shows the description of your business and site, hopefully you’ll have this) and META NAME=”keywords” (and read these very carefully to know it’s all about YOU!)

view source navigation in safari

title description keyword reading source code

Verizon’s FREE Website 6 Month Trial or Not So FREE Website Offer?

March 2nd, 2011 | Posted in Blog, marketing | 2 Comments
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

I noticed a commercial on TV where Verizon is helping a woman with a small business build her first website. They feature that you can get a website FREE if you sign up for The “Internet and Phone” bundle plan at $74.99 a month for a 6 month free trial.

So let’s talk first about the costs. At $74.99 a month x 6 months = $449.94 and if you continue with this plan which is what Verizon hopes, you’ll keep paying and after those trial 6 months are up, you know the price will go up too.

I’m going to give the real facts now.

I have designed and built hundreds of websites and the best deal you can get is an economical hosting company such as GoDaddy ($4.99 a month) or WestHost ($4.00 a month). Also take into account that you can switch hosts or hosting plans anytime. You also have the ability to create a site using whatever platform and whichever content management system you’d like, such as WordPress or Concrete5.

Now let’s talk about customization rather than boring templates.

When you build a site using a template, having it just how you want it, isn’t necessarily possible. One thing I know from my clients is that each of them is unique and has a pretty clear idea of who they are, what they like and what they want. When you have a small business, what sets you apart is your individuality! So why slap a boring, identical template together for a seemingly free cost, when for the same amount or less you can have an original website that will stand out from the crowd and you will own it!

Would you like to share your website address and your story? I’d love to hear from you.

Photo of sample web global network from pedersonpr.wordpress.com