I recently read an article that compared outbound marketing  to finding a needle in a haystack.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to waste time or money locating this aforementioned needle!  That is why it is imperative that internet marketers today shift to an inbound approach.

Inbound Marketing focuses on using and taking advantage of resources that are already available at your fingertips.  It is more efficient, more cost effective, and just down right easier than its counterpart (i.e. outbound marketing).  Utilize your existing website as a “hub”- a  place where people who already share a common interest can gather, inform, and influence each other.  Instead of targeting the masses (which includes people who are likely strongly opposed to your cause), target the people who are naturally attracted to you and your hub.

Use inbound marketing to create a group of people who will work for free.  Once you make them happy they will use their word of mouth (arguably the most powerful influence) as a free means of advertising for you.

The world of internet marketing lies at the ruthless hands of the frighteningly powerful search engine giants.  You know who they are- Google, Yahoo, Ask Jeeves, MSN, Alta Vista… and the list goes on.  These ever-evolving, ever-improving man-eating machines possess the power of a fearsome deity when it comes to determining whether your site will be found in a search or whether anyone will ever even see it.   As these search engines continue to redefine themselves, strengthen their content standards, and intensify their criteria, there are some very important laws to follow that will land you in good graces in the world of SEO.

1. Create desirable content that people will want to pass on

2. Design a site that is aesthetically appealing and easy to figure out

3. Be certain that spiders can parse all of the info contained within your site

4. Limit all actions on your site to as few clicks as possible (the simpler the better)

5. Use keywords cautiously and effectively

If you allow these five essential rules to be your guidelines for site development, your results will be effective SEO.  Now that you know what to do… ready, set, optimize!

Posted August 24th 2010 to Uncategorized • Comments (2)

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IM Report Card has many special perks that we aren’t even sure that you know about. One of our most appreciated of these perks is our weekly Newsletter.  Members get tips, pointers, and suggestions that visitors to the site are not privy to.  The newsletter provides more in depth insight into the websites featured at IM Report Card and also offers suggestions as to how you can best utilize IM Report Card to benefit your very unique needs.

If you are interested in receiving this Newsletter please  join our community.  We can assure you, that it will only enhance your future experiences with IM Report Card.

Have a wonderful day!

Last week we briefly mentioned the power of free online marketing tools; this week we will focus on one in particular- Blogging!

Once you have brilliantly arrived at the actualization that the best way to drive traffic to your site is by blogging, you must consider who you are trying to reach.  Who is the ideal audience that will be visiting your blog?  What interests them?  What are their concerns in relation to your site’s content?

Once you have determined who these people are, figure out what they want.  Then, cater your site’s verbiage to appeal to your target audience’s interests, wants, and needs.  This verbiage should be based solely on a group of keywords.The keywords you use to develop your content should be obscure yet specific.  Focus on words that would answer questions posed by your readers.  If you utilize these keywords effectively (i.e. often and appropriately) you will improve your chances of landing top spots in search engine results.

When you sit down to write your blog be sure to be educational and informative.  Provide potential visitor’s with answers to their questions before they even arise.  Build their trust, and you will maintain their readership.  Be consistent and do not go MIA! If you want people to keep coming back you must be reliant.  Nobody wants or trusts a fair-weathered blogger!

The effectiveness of marketing tools of the past was highly based on how much money you spent.  The more ads you purchased, the more highways you cluttered with billboards, the more trees you killed with print, ultimately resulted in higher brand recognition.  Today’s marketing world has evolved quite drastically and has turned into a world not of out-spending, but rather out-smarting.

There are so many resources on the web that will aid in the implementation of cheap yet effective marketing campaigns.  Do not overlook the following tools:

Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace)

Blogs

Forums

Wikis

Ad Sites (Craigslist, Angie’s List)

Webinars

Photosharing

White Pages

Analytics

All of the aforementioned tools are both easy to use and even better- THEY ARE FREE!!!  The key to success through the use of these tools is to be innovative; use brain power, not dollar power.  Save yourself some money, and put your brain to work by utilizing these web-based tools.

Posted August 03rd 2010 to Uncategorized • Comments (1)

If you answered yes, then it is imperative that search engines recognize you. There are a few rules that you must adhere to in order to land your website on the top of the search engines’ results page.

The number one rule of thumb that you absolutely MUST abide by is to be very selective and consistent with the words you choose to include throughout the body of your page. Be sure that the words fit into a specific theme, and don’t stray away from using key words that are commonly associated with that theme. This will put your website’s content in the spotlight while simaltaneously enabling search engines to have a much easier time finding you and identifying you as one of the leading sites for your related topic.

Never underestimate the tiniest deatils, and also don’t allow yourself to overlook the seemingly most obvious when promoting your website. Figure out what your target market would be most enticed by and make it happen!

Posted July 27th 2010 to Internet Marketing, Uncategorized • Comments (1)

We recently added an update to the registration path for new members. Now when you become a member, there is an interstitial with a couple offers to look at, and we beg for $5 as a donation. If you’re already a member of IMRC and find it valuable, feel free to make us a $5 donation via paypal.
Our payment address is payments(at)imreportcard(dot)com

Posted July 13th 2010 to IM Report Card Updates • Comments (3)

We’ve improved the search results and display of the results.

Now you will see the number of grades and average grade next to the title of each product. So use the search box http://www.imreportcard.com/search.cgi (or at the top of every page of the site).

If you don’t find what you expect, try using a space between the words, or vice versa. For example: ProjectPayday vs. Project Payday.

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Posted May 20th 2010 to Uncategorized • Comments (1)