Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Get A FREE Optimized Press Release
Purchase a ThinkBIGsites webdesign, PPC, or SEO services package (as low as $500 one-time) from me and you will also get a FREE optimized press release ($800 value) sent to hundreds of global news outlets, picked up by the major search engines, and often increase sales overnight from their release. Email me for more info, but hurry this limited time offer ends this Friday, May 29, 8pm EST.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Social Media Marketing Considerations
I may be dating myself, but remember the shampoo product commercial that claimed their product was so good that each person that used it would tell two friends, and then they would tell two friends, and so on, and so on? This commercial was a good example of how word of mouth travels. With social media marketing, basically a company can utilize word of mouth digitally, but here are some things to consider:
Successful Social Media Marketing can be a lot of work, but inbound linking is the digital "word of mouth" way for one person that finds something good to share with two friends, who tell two more friends, and so on and so on...
All ThinkBIGsites SEO Packages include a strategic inbound linking campaign utilizing professionally written industry blogs with a page rank of 3 or higher and social networking site profiles to build a buzz about your business which contributes to our success in achieving page 1 rankings for 95% of our clients in 90 days. Contact me now to get your "link juice" flowing!
- Human Capital - Who will create, update, promote, participate in the conversation to gain followers, friends, fans and keep things relevant for them to return?
- Time - The conversation never stops.
- Complexity - A company can build profiles on each social network to represent their brand, but if no one is coming in (or venturing out) to participate then it isn't doing much good.
- Your Target - Internal (employees), external (prospective and current consumers), or both. If the intent of the social networking profile is to be a place the for exchange, distribution, conversation, feedback about a promotion with internal staff then it is limited to just that. On the other hand, if a profile only has coworkers visiting and exchanging promotional messages to each other, those messages aren't reaching the eyes of the prospective or current consumers. This reminds me of the saying, preaching to the choir.
- Building a BUZZ - is what participants do when they include links (aka "link juice") back to your site in a digg, tweet, blog entry, pulse stream and status update. Good "link juice" can help your organic ranking, like an endorsement.
- ME, ME, ME - if the conversation is one sided, frequent, and not interesting then it will not be as successful as an interactive, interesting, and relevant one.
Successful Social Media Marketing can be a lot of work, but inbound linking is the digital "word of mouth" way for one person that finds something good to share with two friends, who tell two more friends, and so on and so on...
All ThinkBIGsites SEO Packages include a strategic inbound linking campaign utilizing professionally written industry blogs with a page rank of 3 or higher and social networking site profiles to build a buzz about your business which contributes to our success in achieving page 1 rankings for 95% of our clients in 90 days. Contact me now to get your "link juice" flowing!
Monday, May 11, 2009
FREE Skin Cancer Screening at www.skincancer.org
Who knew that May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month? I didn't until I searched for information on my biopsy results and ended up on www.skincancer.org. You can search by state to find out when and where to go for a FREE skin cancer screening.
Since I didn't know what "Dysplastic Nevi" meant when the nurse called with my results I had to look it up. Basically, I had an atypical mole on my back and the mole removed from my arm came back normal. Nothing to worry about really since they already removed the questionable mole, but with my history I need to be diligent about being safe in the sun and I'll go back in three months for another skin check.
When was the last time you had your skin checked?
Since I didn't know what "Dysplastic Nevi" meant when the nurse called with my results I had to look it up. Basically, I had an atypical mole on my back and the mole removed from my arm came back normal. Nothing to worry about really since they already removed the questionable mole, but with my history I need to be diligent about being safe in the sun and I'll go back in three months for another skin check.
When was the last time you had your skin checked?
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
The Cost of Complacency
I understand and respect the process of due diligence when outsourcing projects, such as internet marketing; however, once the process is complete and the decision is made complacency with that decision is nothing short of costly neglect. It is in the best interest of a company to review the performance of the company that they have outsourced to. Not just a measurement of performance to the previous year internally, but a measurement to an external standard of peers and/or industry average. Show me a company that tolerates complacency and I'll show you a company that isn't getting the biggest bang for their buck.
If I seem a little fired up, I am. Here is why... today while cold calling a business with a website not highly ranked in search engine results and basically off the radar. I asked to speak with the person in charge of internet marketing. The receptionist informed me of the marketing company that handles their internet marketing. When I asked to speak with the person who made the decision to outsource the work to the company, she hung up on me. Instead of moving on to the next company, it put a fire in my belly that this company was obviously not performing well in search results and what a difference my services could make for them. So, I did a little research to find out that their website was grading out as an F, as in "Failure" to be optimized for the search engines in order to rank them highly. I called a direct line to the company, but when I insisted on speaking to the person internally was told that I could only leave a message, and not a voicemail either. My gut tells me that even the phone is answered by a company outsourced to do so. So basically, this company is paying another company to FAIL at delivering them a high organic ranking and on top of this, is paying another company to answer the phone and hang up on anyone that tries to get in contact with anyone internally to let them know. I doubt this company has money to burn. I have this image in my head of someone in a fire safe office with the entire building around them burning to the ground and they don't even know it. Or at least I thought that was a better image than a person with their head up their own... well, you know. And isn't that really what complacency is? Comfortable while being oblivious to one's surroundings. At what point does the cost of complacency appear if no one is looking? Well, I'm looking because I'm not comfortable being complacent and I actually care about my clients success. AND, it is in my nature to be of service and to help people succeed. Here I am standing with the hose pointed at the building burning down to save it, but the switch to turn the water on for the hose is located in the same fireproof office as the one person is that I can't reach.
If I seem a little fired up, I am. Here is why... today while cold calling a business with a website not highly ranked in search engine results and basically off the radar. I asked to speak with the person in charge of internet marketing. The receptionist informed me of the marketing company that handles their internet marketing. When I asked to speak with the person who made the decision to outsource the work to the company, she hung up on me. Instead of moving on to the next company, it put a fire in my belly that this company was obviously not performing well in search results and what a difference my services could make for them. So, I did a little research to find out that their website was grading out as an F, as in "Failure" to be optimized for the search engines in order to rank them highly. I called a direct line to the company, but when I insisted on speaking to the person internally was told that I could only leave a message, and not a voicemail either. My gut tells me that even the phone is answered by a company outsourced to do so. So basically, this company is paying another company to FAIL at delivering them a high organic ranking and on top of this, is paying another company to answer the phone and hang up on anyone that tries to get in contact with anyone internally to let them know. I doubt this company has money to burn. I have this image in my head of someone in a fire safe office with the entire building around them burning to the ground and they don't even know it. Or at least I thought that was a better image than a person with their head up their own... well, you know. And isn't that really what complacency is? Comfortable while being oblivious to one's surroundings. At what point does the cost of complacency appear if no one is looking? Well, I'm looking because I'm not comfortable being complacent and I actually care about my clients success. AND, it is in my nature to be of service and to help people succeed. Here I am standing with the hose pointed at the building burning down to save it, but the switch to turn the water on for the hose is located in the same fireproof office as the one person is that I can't reach.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Is the Recession hurting your PPC ROI?
Many online business owners may chalk up their poor PPC campaign performance on the recession, but have you made the changes necessary to coincide with the hundreds of changes Google has made effecting your PPC? My company, ThinkBIGsites is a Google Adwords Qualified Company and meets with Google weekly to keep a pulse on the ever-changing industry. This information is then critical to executing a PPC bid management service for our clients that is able to provide an increase on average of 20% to their PPC ROI without increasing spend, even in a recession. During a 30 minute FREE one-on-one webinar we explain our process and show you how we can service your PPC on a granular level to make sure you are getting the biggest bang for your buck! Your success, is my success. Click here to register now and remember to fill in my name, Shirley Lassiter, as your ThinkBIG Rep. I look forward to welcoming you aboard soon!
Friday, May 1, 2009
Stitches, Saggy Skin, Gray Hair, & Wrinkles
It's been a little over a year since I had my basal cell carcinoma removed and I went for my annual skin check up this last Monday to have two more moles cut out of my flesh and sent away for biopsy. The results are pending and I'll try to remember to follow up and let you know how everything turned out. You being who or is it whom? Anywho... YOU, if you even exist and are reading this. Ok, I know your time is valuable and so is mine so I'll get to the point. I have one stitch on my left forearm which isn't so bad, but the two on my upper left back in my shoulder blade area are giving me quite the itch sensation. Isn't that ironic that the word itch is in stITCH. I called this morning and moved my removal date up a few days so it will be a few days less of itching.
My twin girls are now 6 months old and we are so blessed with such good babies. They are quite the contrast to look at compared to my saggy, stretched skin. I remember half my life ago and before my body conceived a child how small my waist was. With my first pregnancy my stomach area stretched and I never imagined or had ever seen on anyone else the amount of stretch marks I got and I grieved back then for the waist I never seemed to get back. Some of the marks actually seemed like I was clawed by a wild beast on my sides and I didn't mind them so much. They instead were some kind of tribal looking tattoo in my mind to remind me of what my body went through to bare my child. The twins really didn't add many stretch marks to my stomach area, but in others which I won't subject you to reading. With the twins it was more like my body spread wider and they filled in places that still haven't reverted back even though they have now been 6 months out. I mean don't get me wrong I've gained a lot of weight that I didn't have during the first half of my life but now in addition to the stretch marks I have things hanging off me in areas that are like new appendages. I haven't quite come up with something for that like I did with the tattoo for the stretch marks. And while I am comfortable with my size, I'm not comfortable in my skin. I think it is that and wanting to stay healthy to live long with my girls that has contributed to my greater need lately to move around more and get some oxygen into my blood stream in the hopes it will help to lessen this saggy skin.
Do you remember the movie Poltergeist? Remember how the Mom character towards the end had a streak of gray hair? That is what is happening. It is not really all over my head but more sprouting from my right temple. I'm not sure if I should enhance the stripe or strip of gray hair or I should run out and cover it up in an attempt to match the rest... I'm still thinking that over.
For so long people would look at me and think I was so much younger and to be honest in my 30s I still felt like I was in my 20s. But now there are days I see the lines on my forehead, around my mouth, and eyes (more on one side than the other thanks to the tightening of my skin to make up where they removed my old bcc growing birthmark) and I think there is no way someone would mistake me for my 20s now. Some days I even look at my hands and they remind me of my Grandma's hands the way the skin is so dry and lines are too many to count. I hold my babies hands in mine with their soft skin that seems so pure without any lines to be seen with the human eye and I think of all the things they will do with those hands. I'm thankful for all the things I am able to do with mine.
So when I add this all up: Stitches, Saggy Skin, Gray Hair, & Wrinkles along with the impending arrival of my 42nd birthday... I realize that this is the time that some people are having a mid-life crisis, but for me there is a certain calmness that doesn't resemble a crisis. I am so happy to be here and experience life with my family and friends. I am grateful for the opportunity to watch my son play baseball, take the babies for a walk with my husband, to type these letters into words to express myself. This seems like such a personal post in some ways yet in other ways there is so much more to say. Sometimes I think I should have written more down and I read other people's blogs wishing I had the courage to share what they have. So many bloggers have helped me through my own experiences, especially during my twin pregnancy. I don't really know the point of my post exactly... I'm not complaining as much as I'm observing and I'm not unhappy as much as I'm soooo very happy, but maybe that is because I've lived my first half of my life in a way that has given me... Stitches, Saggy Skin, Gray Hair, & Wrinkles.
My twin girls are now 6 months old and we are so blessed with such good babies. They are quite the contrast to look at compared to my saggy, stretched skin. I remember half my life ago and before my body conceived a child how small my waist was. With my first pregnancy my stomach area stretched and I never imagined or had ever seen on anyone else the amount of stretch marks I got and I grieved back then for the waist I never seemed to get back. Some of the marks actually seemed like I was clawed by a wild beast on my sides and I didn't mind them so much. They instead were some kind of tribal looking tattoo in my mind to remind me of what my body went through to bare my child. The twins really didn't add many stretch marks to my stomach area, but in others which I won't subject you to reading. With the twins it was more like my body spread wider and they filled in places that still haven't reverted back even though they have now been 6 months out. I mean don't get me wrong I've gained a lot of weight that I didn't have during the first half of my life but now in addition to the stretch marks I have things hanging off me in areas that are like new appendages. I haven't quite come up with something for that like I did with the tattoo for the stretch marks. And while I am comfortable with my size, I'm not comfortable in my skin. I think it is that and wanting to stay healthy to live long with my girls that has contributed to my greater need lately to move around more and get some oxygen into my blood stream in the hopes it will help to lessen this saggy skin.
Do you remember the movie Poltergeist? Remember how the Mom character towards the end had a streak of gray hair? That is what is happening. It is not really all over my head but more sprouting from my right temple. I'm not sure if I should enhance the stripe or strip of gray hair or I should run out and cover it up in an attempt to match the rest... I'm still thinking that over.
For so long people would look at me and think I was so much younger and to be honest in my 30s I still felt like I was in my 20s. But now there are days I see the lines on my forehead, around my mouth, and eyes (more on one side than the other thanks to the tightening of my skin to make up where they removed my old bcc growing birthmark) and I think there is no way someone would mistake me for my 20s now. Some days I even look at my hands and they remind me of my Grandma's hands the way the skin is so dry and lines are too many to count. I hold my babies hands in mine with their soft skin that seems so pure without any lines to be seen with the human eye and I think of all the things they will do with those hands. I'm thankful for all the things I am able to do with mine.
So when I add this all up: Stitches, Saggy Skin, Gray Hair, & Wrinkles along with the impending arrival of my 42nd birthday... I realize that this is the time that some people are having a mid-life crisis, but for me there is a certain calmness that doesn't resemble a crisis. I am so happy to be here and experience life with my family and friends. I am grateful for the opportunity to watch my son play baseball, take the babies for a walk with my husband, to type these letters into words to express myself. This seems like such a personal post in some ways yet in other ways there is so much more to say. Sometimes I think I should have written more down and I read other people's blogs wishing I had the courage to share what they have. So many bloggers have helped me through my own experiences, especially during my twin pregnancy. I don't really know the point of my post exactly... I'm not complaining as much as I'm observing and I'm not unhappy as much as I'm soooo very happy, but maybe that is because I've lived my first half of my life in a way that has given me... Stitches, Saggy Skin, Gray Hair, & Wrinkles.
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