I believe, backlinks are a crucial part of online SEO.  Obviously this has to be in tandem with everything else  SEO-wise but it really is worth taking the time out to do this as your time will most definitely not be wasted. Set aside 30 minutes a day and make a plan of who you will contact and who you need to link to your site.  Don’t just hink major players either, sometimes, if you start at the bottom, there is only one way to go.  Up!  I have written 8 easy steps you can

At last! we Google is catching up!  Evolving all the time, the new Google + features bring it bang up to date and much easier to navigate.  It certainly is a platform to get into and I can see this developing into an essential social media channel for business in the very near future. Here’s the low down on the new features! 1.First of all there is a brand new header image and profile photo option that makes your page stand out and gives Facebook a run for its money. I have m

Ok – so we now know how to set up an ad campaign on Facbeook. But where to drive them is just as important. Driving fans to a page that contains a “ Reveal Tab ” hiding exclusive Fan content is the most effective way to convert visitors to fans.  And now Facebook has evolved somewhat, we can now add custom tabs and pages and tailor make them so only fans who have ‘liked’ your page can see certain content.  Genius! Therefore, it would be a waste of an opportunity if you just d

Monday I spoke about split testing your ads. You get that now!? Then comes the content part. It is integral for you to think clearly about what you want to say on your ad. Firstly you have to recognise what you want to achieve from it. Sales? Promotion? Click throughs? Redirection? News? What do you want people to do when they have read it? Where do you want to take them? Now, have you looked at your keywords recently? If you have answered ‘No!’ then thats next on the age

Happy Monday people. This week we are going to chat about Facebook’s advertising platform and how to run a brilliant campaign that will increase sales, likes, click throughs etc.  We cover the basics here on the OPT blog so Novices, this is for you! So, why run a Facebook ad? The biggest plus? You can target specific demographics and the targeting options are wide.  You can really pinpoint who you want to hit as people share all kinds of information with Facebook about what t

Happy Friday people, So, you have a nice big juicy database to utilise right? Great! todays post is all about writing that perfect newsletter and reaching out to that database on a regular basis (not too regularly though!).  Whether in the form of an email subscription, a simple blog or a tangible letter through the post, these are important. Its another way to deliver content to your audience and although ‘the newsletter’ has had bad press over the years, I believe that they

Following on from Monday’s post about getting your content read, we have learnt that the psychology of a certain subject is key. We have also learnt that exposure, awareness and motivation drives people to share. Your audience is looking for validation. Some things haven’t changed since primary school. We are want our mates to think we are brilliant.  The way we do that online is through the content we share. 68% of The New York Times study participants said they share conten

Ever wonder how to get your content read in a plethora of online information? I want to break down what makes people engage and help understand why your audience shares some something. Every parent knows that sharing is one of the first things to teach a child.  Some take to it like a duck to water, others need a bit more of a push. With online copy and promotion content, obviously you have to write stuff that stands out from the competition but there is a  science to sharing

Happy Monday people! Hope you’re weekend was a restful one. I thought a nice colourful subject to ease us into the week was the order of the day.  We all know that colour is important, especially when choosing the right one for your company, brand and promo material.  In one instance it could change someones perception of what you do and how you do it.  That is why you should take time and either think or re-evaluate what schemes you are using right now. According to KISSMetr

Not another social media site to learn, sign up for and manage (just in case it gets big) I hear you cry!! Well, unfortunately, I am about to give it a big old hand wave! Coming from my online pr angle, its a fabulously easy way of sharing.  A few optimised words and lots of lovely pictures… In a nutshell, you ‘pin’ pictures up on a board on your wall for others to see and share. Pinterest is great on so many levels but for example; if you are a stylist/photographer/artist/tr

So you realise you have to be online right?  Whatever it is you do, you need an online presence.  It’s essential in today’s economy. Here’s 5 easy ways to make sure you are doing all you can! Choose a USERNAME that you can use throughout all your social media channels, blogs and sites. It really makes life simple when sharing your content. The same goes for images.  Make sure you use the same one throughout.  And, if possible, try to use a face rather than a logo.  People res

To start churning out eye grabbing content is an art.  I don’t care what anyone else says.  Whether you are a small business, an individual or a brand. It simply HAS to hold peoples attention.  It makes your brand distinctive and creates a loyal fan base, which will eventually become productive and drive sales. Now whether you are creating content to bring people back to your site, or whether you are building a brand online the ultimate goal is to make money from whatever it

Those that have been writing a blog for longer than 6 months will now realise that keeping your content, fresh, readable and interesting is a task in itself.  You will also know that the management of that content and the implementation is also a huge commitment, let alone time consuming. Well, there are a million or so plus other bloggers on this planet and you will already know (if you do your research well) that there are others doing what you do too! Instead of looking th

Well, how much time does one have really!?  And if you are one of those people shouting “NONE!” , you’ll be glad to know that there are options! Obviously, depending on how much you know about traffic and the ins and outs of Google, you will be able to guess that the more you blog, the more traffic you will create.  Now, that may feel like a whole world of content for you to produce, but if you are clever and plan it out properly, it should be worth all the time and that arm

Why should you tag yourselves on Facebook? Facebook say: “Photo tagging for Facebook Pages enables people to share richer stories with friends about the things they interact with in the real-world, such as businesses, brands, celebrities, and musicians.” OPT says, yes we agree but if you are a brand, business, celebrity or musician the benefits are more enticing.  We’ve all had the odd drunken picture put up of us at the Christmas party (eww), we’ve all seen our ex flaunting

So you have a Facebook page, but have you  thought about doing any of these handy tips? Design a good product page (600X200 pixel photo) Post interesting and original comments and tell your tale Use page as a viral blog Offer your fans something for free A ‘call to action’ button is something that people are using now to recruit new fans. Use a good one on your page. Ask your followers to invite their followers. Always link and link back to your twitter and you tube channels.

What are you blogging about? What you write in your blog is important.  Nobody wants to know what you had for breakfast, or really, see the lovely view from your hotel rom.  Sorry. Your blog as we have already ascertained ( Building Your Brand Online) is another ambassador for your brand. So, if you are an entrepreneur, then don’t blog about being an entrepreneur if you don’t want to attract entrepreneurs! Think about your target audience which in a lot of cases, is NOT your

One of the first things I do when taking on a new client is take a look at their history. It may seem obvious but it is so important to be aware if the journey of a brand/person or business before you advise them on how to proceed. How did the company/idea start? How did you get it off the ground? What are your ups and downs to date? what do you think of your business? One of the reasons people bring in PR to help their business grow is that a fresh  eye can make all the diff

One couldn’t have a marketing blog without flagging this one up. Maybe you haven’t come across this one. I think this is one of the best pieces of PR I have seen in such a long time. Little Lily wrote a letter to Mr Sainsburys asking him why the Tiger bread was named so, as she thought it more resembled a giraffe. I actually quite agree with you Lily and so did Lily’s mum.  She thought it was so cute that she posted it up in her blog. Now I very much doubt that Lily’s mum rea

I read an article presented by openpressiwire.com in 2009 only the other day, entitled “ You’re NOT a social media expert, you idiot” by Joel Mackey.   It caught my attention, I suppose in the tiny, yet natural part of life, when you suddenly think you are faking what you do for a living! Good old self-doubt!  I digress. It was a good article.  It made me both angry and nod in agreement. Mr Mackey talks about how many have jumped on the bandwagon of social media and are now