Embedding PDF’s into your webpage can make linking documents a powerful part of providing information. This video describes how-to do this function converting a Word document to PDF and then uploading it via the “new media” function.

We then place the link text on the page and set the hyperlink as demonstrated below:

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Setting up email on some phones can be a little tricky. Here are the following parameters you typically need to input during the installation process.

Email type: POP or POP3

User Name is the SAME as your email address!

Password is….your password.

Incoming Mail Server: mail.runspot.net     (if using this system)

Outgoing Mail Server: mail.runspot.net

Incoming Mail Port (POP3): 110

Outgoing Mail Port (SMTP): 587

Check or Affirm: My outgoing mail server (SMTP) requires authentication.

Input the above critera as you work your way through the set up wizard and you should be good. Of course you must know your password!

 

 

Here is a recent letter I sent one of my clients on getting started with the local search game using Google, Yahoo and BING as your ally in showing up on the recent search map listings. I’ve been beating this very live horse for a couple of years now. I actually provide this service for customers of all kinds. For more information on using BAMsites to set up your local search functions, go HERE.

I will follow this up with a phone call, but you need to begin the process of registering at each of the sites below:

Google | http://www.google.com/places/

You will start the Google process by registering a Google Account with your preferred business email address. You will also be issued a free Gmail account with your registration. That email account you can then use with the Google link above to begin your profile and description. There is a verification process for both your initial registration and also for you business profile, you can verify both via telephone or mail.

Yahoo | http://listings.local.yahoo.com/

You’ll do a similar process to get set up in Yahoo Local. You don’t need a verification to establish your profile on Yahoo, so it’s a bit simpler.

BING | http://www.bing.com/businessportal/

BING is very similar to Google – register with a preferred email and establish a Windows Live account (they change the name every few months, but you’ll figure that out). There is a verification process for both your initial registration and also for you business profile, you can verify both, typically via mail. Then you can click the link above to login and begin building your profile and description.

Best Practices
Just remember to include as many relevant keywords as you can, such as:
• Investment Services
• Financial Planning
• Investment Brokerages
• Estate Planning
• Etc.

I’ll check in with you and provide assistance, as well as look over your end product to critique and revise as needed.

How to BLOG Post for SEO in Minnesota

Here’s a “How-To” I just sent to a new Minnesota customer on getting the most SEO out of your BLOG posting. In order to have your blog posts attract the attention of the search engines, you need to do several things correctly. Below is a summary of the key elements.

1. Choose a topic of interest to your main target audience.
2. Choose a pertinent CATEGORY for your post, you can use more than one if relevant.
3. Make sure you choose several pertinent keywords. Use the Google External Keyword Tool, found here: https://adwords.google.com/o/Targeting/Explorer?__u=1000000000&__c=1000000000&ideaRequestType=KEYWORD_IDEAS#search.none. You’ll recall we randomly put in keywords and will use the most popular words, since that is what your targets are using.
4. Make sure you add a pertinent GEOGRAPHICAL tag to the keyword string.
   For example: “maple grove mn mobile drug testing”. This should be part of the Title, headline and part of the first sentence of the first paragraph. Also put it in the meta information in the SEO section below the content area.
5. Once you have the title and content placed in the New Post, try to make a link or two with keywords that relate to other pages in the website. The best way to do this is navigate to said page(s) and copy (Ctrl + C) the URL from the address window on your browser. Then go back to the admin, highlight the keywords and click the link (looks like a chain in the tool bar). Paste (Ctrl+V) into the Link Window.
6. Remember to place a “More Tag” break after the first couple of sentences. See below.
7. Break up any extended content into paragraphs and use headlines and headings to draw attention to specific items.
8. Don’t forget to add a meta title and description in the SEO region below the posting area. This will also help immensely.

Bing’s local search tools and features don’t get a lot of airplay compared to Google, but that could – and should — change after an entirely new local listings tool for business owners is launched today. It’s called the Bing Business Portal and it has some features that should make Google Places green with envy.

The first thing to know is that it replaces Bing’s old Local Listings Center. The new URL for the business portal is www.bing.com/businessportal. On first visit, you’ll be able to either A) create a new Bing business listing, or B) manage your existing listing.

The process for creating and claiming a new business listing is fairly standard, but there are a few unique things to know.

The form begins with the standard Name, Category, Address, Phone, and basic contact info. Bing’s category selection doesn’t seem as fully realized as Google’s right now.

Down near the bottom, though, are fields for your Facebook and/or Twitter profiles. I love this.

The Bing form also has a special field at the bottom for a company logo, which should not be confused with photo uploads — those are separate. On the right side, Bing also lets business owners list additional phone and/or email addresses for specific purposes or departments.

A good referral marketing strategy is absolutely essential in growing your small business. This article deals with letting your customers find more customers for you. Once you get a good referral program up and running, it will essentially run itself.

There are three main reasons why a solid referral marketing strategy can be so powerful.

1. People feel more comfortable when a product or service is recommended by someone they know and trust. This is especially true if the product or service is expensive.
2. Referred customers are typically less price sensitive. A prospect that comes to you via a referral has already been told about the quality of your service. You’ll find that most referrals can be sold at full price because they’ve been presold on your trust and credibility.
3. A good referral marketing system can quickly multiply, giving you plenty of interested prospects. This will allow you to choose who YOU want to work with instead of having to take everything that comes your way. You’ll be able to focus on high-quality customers that are highly profitable for your business.

It goes without saying that the success of any referral program directly depends on the quality of your products and services. However, even if your products and services are excellent, you must still work to set these referral ideas into motion. Once in place, you fill find they start working their magic by themselves.

Referral Marketing Strategy #1: It takes One to Know One

Don’t dismiss this referral marketing strategy as too simplistic. I promise you it is very powerful. Here’s how it works.

As soon as you have completed a successful transaction with a good customer, simply ask, “Do you happen to know anyone like yourself that would benefit from my products & services?”

The key to this referral idea is twofold.

1. You have provided a product or service that ended with high satisfaction and/or went above and beyond expectations.
2. You have asked for the referral at the point of maximum impact. In every customer interaction that ends positively, there is a point of maximum satisfaction from the customer. Your job is to determine when this point is and ask for your referral as close to this point as you can.

You’ll be amazed by how much new business you can bring in by just asking a happy client for a referral. Most all satisfied customers will be happy to provide a name or two upon request. Don’t be shy about this one. It may be simple, but it works!