Internet Marketing Tycoon

**EditFast** · 03-19-2008, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xpsave

Another idea is to attract search engine and social media traffic. In order to do that you could start a blog on you specific subject/niche. Target your articles on the keywords in your field and this should bring in some targetted search engine traffic.

This is being done as we speak however, it is a redundant approach for me since there are already hundreds of articles on the EditFast web site for just this purpose as well as a grammar section that is well placed and linked to throughout the Internet.

Quote:

On top of this you could submit your articles to digg/stumbleupon and then buy diggs and stumbles to bring even more traffic to your blog and eventually to your website.

This is something I will look into. I have been avoiding this for reasons unknown to me but mainly because I don't understand the benefit/method/purpose/use even after reading about it. I think I am missing something basic about these serves and it is just not clicking for me. Still waiting for my penny to drop. Thank you for reminding me to be humble and take a closer look at these.

Quote:

Another idea is to go sell your services on forums like digitalpoint. You would need to build your reputation in order for people to trust you there. Current prices in your field seem to be rock bottom for this channel (i.e. selling through forums). However, I know people that have managed to gain trust and are now charging quite a bit for their services.

This is something I need to be more proactive about. I used to frequent forums such as sitepoint and digitalpoint but got away from it. However, this is not going to cure me of being tired of promotion but hiring someone to do this for me would be a spammers trick so I do not do that.

Quote:

Despite my suggestions above, I would guess that CPC campaigns would bring in highly targeted traffic. Maybe your Adwords campaign was not optimized? (e.g. bidding on the wrong keywords) Or maybe you could try Yahoo Publisher Network and MSN?

The campaigns I have tried on Google AdWords and MSN AdCenter were highly optimized and very specifically targeted to regional markets since I have editors and translators all over the world. The geographical targeting turned out to be useless and even counter productive because I have "location" pages on the site that show up very well for phrases such as "proofreaders in Hamilton" or "editors in Alberta" and these are free (?) "organic" listings.

The one thing I need to do is to create a site at editfast.us and editfast.ca along with the editfast.com site so that localized searches will produce results for my site. But I am worried about duplication of content on these sites so I am hesitating but I think Google is now smart enough to realize that it is the same suite and that it is localized to the country of the office (a virtual office located in new York serves as an address ion the "Contact Us" page) This is how I see it anyway but maybe my thinking is not right.

Quote:

I hope this helps

Definitely a big help. Thanks.

**EditFast** · 03-19-2008, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by manishkapoor1

I have never used any advertising company. I used to all the peomotion (SP: promotion - sorry, can't help myself, EF

) of my websites myself.

Yes, me too but it gets very very tedious when you have several sites and have tried most of the methods out there (aside from the ones I mentioned above). My goal in posting was to get some recommendations from people who have had good results from companies that they have used to promote their sites.

**EditFast** · 03-19-2008, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VirtuosiMedia

But it's not only free information I'm advocating, he could also offer a free first proofread or translation (it would have to meet certain criteria, of course) to get people in the door and establish a relationship with them. If he does a good job and they like his services, they'll be back. What's more, they'll recommend him.

Yes, I tried that but it did not work and was far too time consuming. I no longer do free editing or even free samples. Too many times burnt by unscrupulous people getting three or four pages edited by different editors until they get their whole book proofread and published. I know it seems hard to believe but it has happened more times than I can count... and I can count pretty high!

Quote:

I know this isn't a website review thread, EditFast, but just as a suggestion, you might have a higher conversion rate if you make it a little clearer what your site is about and by using a few more colors to draw the eye to your call to action, which is the free estimate in the center. As it stands right now, everything kind of blends in and when I first pull up your website, I'm not sure what it's about until I hunt around a lot. Also, your call to action (your submit button) is below the fold, for my viewing at least.

The editing of articles is not our only business. With over 1300 editors worldwide I have to consider these people as my clients as well as my contractors. In addition, I have a Writer's Resource area where writers and editors can pay a monthly membership fee to access a huge database including detailed contact and submission info of publishers, magazines, literary agents and writing contests.

However, your advice is good and will be taken into consideration on the next site update. Nevertheless, I think the name "EditFast" speaks for itself but maybe I am too close to it. What do the rest of you think?

**EditFast** · 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vangogh

You could blog about how to be a better writer. Posts could lean toward the technical side and be about rules of grammar. They could lean toward the creative side of writing itself (By creative I just mean the process of writing. It could be business writing or any other kind of writing). They could be both or somewhere in between. All would help convince potential clients that you are capable of delivering on your services.

Yes, these are all great ideas but not something I have not tried but it takes a lot of time to create a single short article so that it is perfect (one small error in an article will lose clients instantly and that is understandable considering my business is proofreading!). In addition, it is sometimes counter productive to post that same article in more than one place on the net. Each article has to be unique.

Quote:

Is it work? Sure, but you need to work at promoting yourself if you expect to stay in business. You're going to have to do something to get clients to sign on with you. Writing one article a week on a blog isn't all that hard, especially if your specialty revolves around the written word.

I suppose the title of this thread might lead people to believe that I am averse to working hard. That is not the case. I work long hours everyday managing my companies and I have done so for many years. I no longer have the time to do this type of on hands promotion and I would like to find a reputable company to help me (with my guidance).

Quote:

EditFast as far as the original being tired of promotion it sounds like you're changing your mind a little already, which is good. Whether you want to or not you're going to have to promote your business in some way. Ideally you'll reach a point where other people talk about you enough and recommend you enough that you don't need to, but until then you have to do something.

EditFast has been on the net since 2002 and ranks well for many of the site keywords due to my hard work and continuous effort. But I know there is always room for improvement and I can assure you that I am not just sitting on my hands waiting for people to come find me and I have not yet given up in spite of the title of this thread which should be taken in the slightly facetious manner it was intended. You seem to have misunderstood the reason for my post which is to find a good group of people who can help with the promotion of all of my sites, starting with EditFast. Nevertheless, your advice is good and to the point for someone who wishes to do all of the promotional work themselves.

Quote:

I obviously don't know the companies you hired and it doesn't sound like you had a good experience with them. From your description it doesn't sound like they were worth the time. That doesn't mean all companies will be that way.

There are good companies and bad and as much as we all wish we'd only have to deal with the former we're going to run into both kinds.

Nothing but agreement on this point from me but that seems rather obvious that there are good companies and bad. Once again, my purpose in posting was to locate a good one.

**EditFast** · 03-19-2008, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by willcode4beer

Did anyone other than Adam actually think about how their response look when compared to the business being promoted? Give away free information? about proofreading? translation? c'mon, get real

Actually, I took the suggestion with a little more latitude that this and I think it is a good idea. I already have a resource area fro writers and editors which offers a variety of articles, grammar tutorials, thoughts, rants and raves about everything to do with writing, editing, proofreading and indexing. These sections on the site receive a lot of traffic (the grammar resource is used by Google in their answers section as well as numerous other sites as a good resource including NASA) from potential clients as well as freelance editors and writers. Both of these groups are my "customers".

Quote:

A blog talking about the adventures of proofreading? I don't even think professional proofreaders are going to want to read that, let alone possible clients.

I used to have an editors forum on the site (long before blogs existed) but it became a dissing service and took up too much of my time while creating controversy and bad karma for all. I removed it 6 months after installing it and never looked back. A blog is different of course, but like you I am not able to envision the profitability of a blog in this case.

**EditFast** · 03-19-2008, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ADAM Web Design

Search engine software is a sick joke that has been played on the SEO industry for over a decade, and the SEO industry continues to fall for it.

You are right on the money here. Search engine optimization is a time consuming, individual, hands on task for each and every page. Relatively speaking Web CEO is a good product but it is limited in its usefulness and Google specifically recommends that we do not use it. In trial after trial I have tried all of these avenues over the past 10 years and have not found any "automatic software for the lazy" that does anything but get you in trouble and miss the important part of the SEO business which is knowing who your customers are and bringing what they want to your web site. "Content is king" is as cliché as can be, but the reason it is cliché is due to the fundamental truth behind the phrase.

**EditFast** · 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ADAM Web Design

First of all, EditFast, I think you should name names.

I have to disagree but with respect of course.

I no longer have any need to create negative associations with my business. I used to, but believe me, it truly serves no purpose. The Internet is eternal. What is posted today will survive long after I am dead and gone and maybe until the sun burns up. I don't need to name these companies. I simply do not deal with them any more. Private messages are a different matter and I always tell my business acquaintances and colleagues about any problems I have with specific companies.

Quote:

As far as your marketing goes, I tend to agree with Paul the most, but with a slight twist; you're not going to find any online marketing company that will truly help you. Why? Because they can't get a real grasp of the day-to-day operation of your business, your competitors, your customers, things like that.

Exactly! That is the point here. The companies I dealt with in the past did not take the time to figure it out and that seems to me to be the key to the entire marketing process. A good company will do that first thing. A bad marketing company will flash off a million messages to opt in groups in the hope that a few might read the message and that some of those might be interested.

Quote:

The people that will get the best idea of how your business works are the ones inside of your own business. Right now, that sounds like you and that's pretty much it...and that's okay. There's nothing wrong with that. But you're probably your own best marketer.

Unfortunately, I think you are right but that means there is a huge opportunity here for a savvy marketer who has the ability tom look at a business and see the potential for expansion as well as the potential markets to target. This is the key to marketing so why can't I find a company that does this?

Quote:

the problem with good salespeople is that they're nomadic creatures and liars.

Once bitten? I think this might be an overstatement. In my mind, good salespeople are honest and passionate about their product. I value honesty far above skills and talent. Almost any job can be taught to almost anyone (please note the "almost") but it is honesty that counts in business and in personal relationships.

Quote:

Often the best approach is to find someone knowledgeable about your line of work and that can still speak to customers (maybe one of your editors?)

Yes, this is good advice for everyone who runs their own company. The corollary to this is: "If you find a "good worker" keep him/her! They are almost priceless." I am searching now for a likely candidate to manage/promote my business.

**EditFast** · 03-19-2008, 03:22 PM

Thank you everyone for the interesting and informative posts here on this thread. I apologize for not responding sooner but I had some promotional tasks to do.