As the world becomes increasingly dominated by the internet, more and more businesses are turning to online-only techniques to turn interested consumers into clients or customers. Newspapers and radio, the two main avenues for off-line advertising in the past, are dwindling and network TV is close on their heels.

But as the Internet continues to grow, evolve, and change, the effectiveness of both on-and-offline marketing campaigns are fluid. In fact, many current marketers may be surprised to learn that most effective approach is an integrated one, where online and off-line advertising work in tandem, converting more often than either one on its own.

An Integrated Approach

Did you know that graphic ads such as billboards and even business cards can be used to drive both organic and direct traffic to your website? According to Levy Online, a Vegas-based marketing agency, the increased recognition from billboards and television ads can provide a huge boost to branded Google searches, leading clients directly to your product or service. A prime example of this is local attorney Adam S. Kutner. Despite an incredibly saturated and competitive local market, Kutner has built online success by investing in offline ads.

Although these types of brand-building mediums differ greatly in reach and size, they share a common goal: getting eyes on your website. They should be eye-catching and give just enough information to entice people to look for more information. No one sees a billboard or picks up a business card and instantly signs a contract or makes a purchase. Consumers need time to feel comfortable with a company or professional individual before they open their wallets.

The vast majority of consumers have mobile devices with them most of the time, which provides the perfect opportunity for them to look for more information immediately. A billboard that prominently displays the website address will encourage the viewer to pick up their phone or tablet – hopefully not while driving – and get more information about what the company has to offer. A simple business card can contain a printed QR code that makes it even easier for them to find their way to your company’s site.

Radio and TV Still Potent Channels

Television shows, movies and music will never disappear as forms of entertainment for the general public (though the landscape may be shifting, with Netflix and Hulu carving out a substantial niche.) Buying ad time and put your name in front of millions of people at the same time. With a professionally crafted presentation, people should be inspired to take action based on its content. This will require a bit of an investment, both in high caliber video production and buying ad time.

The ads placed on TV or radio also need particular goals. While some companies may promote a particular product or service, most want to establish a long-term relationship with the customer or client. This allows them to sell multiple times to the same person. Using these spots to point people to the website or social media page online helps to build this type of trust and familiarity.

With so many options available to the modern marketer, integrating online and offline advertising makes sense. Not only do real-world ads, such as billboards and television commercials helps the general public recognize your company and develop a positive attitude toward it, but they can greatly increase the amount of traffic coming to your online sites. By formulating a cohesive goal, marketing techniques as divergent as a billboard and a scannable QR code can work together and lead to success.

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It doesn’t matter whether you use infographics, videos, photos, graphs, or any other type of materials to add flare to your content; you are mostly counting on words as the main means that connects you with readers. If you don’t get that part right, it will be impossible for you to achieve success as a blogger, freelance writer, or content marketer. Let’s look at some effective ways you can improve content writing skills and thus drive more traffic to your website.

Try researching a particular topic online and you’ll come to a devastating conclusion: most of the articles you run into will be poorly written. Everyone tries to be a writer nowadays. This is how you can turn that fact to your advantage: when a reader locates a great blog, he decides to stick with that reliable resource. Now is your time to attract more regular readers by publishing superb content! These 7 techniques will help you improve your writing skills.

Focus on spelling, grammar, and syntax

It doesn’t matter whether you prefer conversational or advanced style; your readers won’t respect you if you write mediocre content full of flaws. If you are looking for the most important technique that will boost the quality of your articles, this is the one: start with the foundations of your language. When you start writing strong, convincing sentences, you’ll instantly gain more authority.

Try impulsive writing

When you write for living, this activity can easily turn into a habit that will numb the enthusiasm you used to feel. Impulsive writing may be the solution. Allow yourself the luxury of neglecting your schedule for a day (of course, you shouldn’t choose the moment when you’re expected to submit an especially important project). Observe your feelings. Watch the news and get frustrated about the twisted reality. Dig deep and turn all emotions into text. Write whatever comes to your mind. Don’t feel obliged to publish this anywhere; it’s just an exercise that serves to remind you why you love writing in the first place.

Master other skills

Writing cannot be your only interest. You need something to write about, don’t you? All successful writers need to explore different niches until they find their calling. Do you like cooking? Maybe you’re interested in medicine, society, psychology, or parenting? Become an expert! If you have various interests, you don’t have to pick a single one. You can develop multiple “mini skills” that will make you a more versed author. However, you should make sure to surpass the limits of superficial, mainstream knowledge in the niches you explore.

Use online tools!

Content writers need to rely on technology in order to achieve their full potential. Start exploring these 5 tools and you’ll notice a dramatic improvement in your productiveness:

Portent’s Content Idea Generator gives you different suggestions for a title, based on the subject you enter. The ideas are really cool! You don’t have to copy the actual title; you can easily modify it according to your style and the readers’ preferences.

Essaymama.com will save you in times of trouble. You started working on a topic that’s more challenging than you anticipated? Rely on the expert writers and editors at this website; they can help you complete awesome content regardless of the volume of knowledge you currently posses. Don’t forget to read the glossary of essay terms, as well as the essay writing guide. Some skills in academic writing will only make you a more believable content writer.

Thesaurus helps you fight your greatest enemy – repetitiveness. Find synonyms that will replace your habit words, and your style will immediately gain appeal.

ProWritingAid is a great tool to use during the editing stage. The software will help you improve the readability of your content and eliminate the errors that were unnoticed by MS Word or Google Docs.

Help.PlagTracker will provide you with editing and proofreading assistance so you may not worry anymore if your content is accurate and correct.

Discover your unique voice

Online content writers often copy or paraphrase content we’ve all seen before. Fortunately, that’s not the strategy that brings more readers your way. A true writer never copies someone else. You surely have your individual style, strong opinions and distinct personality. Express them! Find your voice, and your readers will soon start recognizing you for it.

Now you might wonder: how do you discover your voice? That’s a fair question, and there’s only one answer to it: practice! Think, feel, and write! You won’t even notice how your style is starting to take its true form.

Research, research, research!

This stage never stops. You’re lucky, since it’s the most awesome part of your work. You get to learn new things every day, and not many people have a chance to commit to self-development. Research is not an activity you do before you start writing a particular article. You should constantly discover new things and take notes of all ideas you get. Your creative mind never stops working. Use its entire potential and feed it with more information!

Get rid of the fillers!

You tend to write long posts that restate the same arguments over and over again? You need to make a change! If you can prove a point in 200 words, don’t aim for 1000! Your readers don’t like wasting their time; they want to get the information they need as quickly and as clearly as possible.

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Google is known for its innovation and experimental nature, and one has to admire how readily they take risks and how daring their initiatives are. Google Reader and Google Glass aimed to change the world and the Driverless Car isn’t far behind – but whether they hit the mark or not, Google keeps persevering. Some of the best minds in the world work for Google, and it’s because of this, that services such as Ad Sense and Gmail even exist. The reason for writing all this is because one of Google’s vast successes that is standing the test of time in a warp-speed world, is Google Maps. To get your business on Google Maps you must sign up to Google My Business.

How it Works

The main way to ensure you are as visible as possible on Google Maps is to fill out the Google My business profile completely and ensure every box is filled – don’t rush it. Boring advice, but oh so necessary.

Additionally, I have seen reports that seem to suggest local search (i.e. search in your local area) is getting more like the rest of search (search in the wider world), making generating online activity and topical conversation around your chosen locations key.

Reviews

From what I’ve seen, reviews are one of the key differentiators in how visible your maps listing is as a small business. One of the benefits of running a smaller company is a shorter chain of command and closer contact with clients themselves. Asking your clients to review you on Google Maps and give you a testimonial for your website is, in my opinion one of the best things you can do. People look at reviews now more than ever, and maps listings with reviews do tend to be significantly more visible.

Recent Results

To demonstrate the value of reviews, a client of mine recently went from 25 reviews to 35 reviews on their Google Maps page. Firstly, I can see their maps visibility has risen significantly when searching for key topics around their offering on the Google Maps engine. Secondly, they have enjoyed a 45% increase in views to over 4,000… in the last 30 days alone.

Re-Verification

Now for a bit of current news; Google recently sent out Maps re-verifications for Google Business listings (Google Business is the umbrella term that Google Maps now sits under). If you receive or have received one of these for your small businesses existing listing, do re-verify it – you don’t want to miss out on being seen and your listing could be removed.

Old School Tactics

A lot of blogs on optimising Google Maps talk about the usual actions you should take so I won’t go into detail, but they include the following:

• Promotion: Use your website to promote your local listing in addition to your email communications. You can see on one of ours here we have links to both Google+ and a neat Google Maps map on our website. Old school tactic but I believe it adds value.
• NAP (Name, Address and Phone Number): Keep these consistent and the same for both your website and Google Maps listing so the two marry up.
• Offers: Rather than directly increasing visibility, posting offers can serve to drive activity… and sales.
• Location: Putting the correct locations on your listing is vital as people often search on Google using location – make sure the locations match those on your website too.

For the small business, I honestly think Google Maps is one of the best resources out there – and of course – it’s free to all!

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Have you been feeling uninspired at work lately?

Are you finding it arduous to meet the tasks at hand effectively?

Five minutes of distraction and bam! You are left with no idea about where you left off. There goes your productivity down the drain. When you look at your colleagues, you can’t help but wonder how they get so much work done in one day.

According to research, nearly 50% of American employees work only 15 minutes before becoming distracted at the office, while 53% report wasting an hour or more a day because of disruptions.

From constant background noises and overflowing inboxes to feeling exhausted and overloaded – these are just a few of the things that can cause people to lose focus.

However, you can work on staying more productive and getting most out of each day.

Wondering, how to go about it?

Here are a few ways that can help you stay sharp and focused at work.

1. Declutter and Get Organized

Organize your work desk in order to be more focused and flow in the zone.

That family photograph or the box of chocolates can be big distractions and muddle your focus at work. Don’t let these visual distractions divert your attention. Have only what’s necessary on your desk such as your laptop, work diary and other essentials. Don’t forget your water bottle.

Moreover, make sure to neatly pile them on your desk and ensure that they are within your arm’s reach.

2. Break down Big Tasks into Manageable Chunks

A scientific fact suggests that the human brain can only be attentive on a limited amount of information, for a limited period of time.

Handling a huge project can be overwhelming and difficult. ‘Work till you drop’ shouldn’t be the mantra to follow here. In fact, the smartest thing to do would be to plan first, develop strategies and split up the project into small chunks. This way you will be able to accomplish your tasks effectively and on time.

For instance, let’s say you are an agency named Charlotte Web Design and you provide a myriad of web design services. If you’re planning to work on the content of your website, then first plan and list the subjects you plan to write on. Avoid doing everything simultaneously. Go step-by-step.

3. Schedule Email Check and Social Media Sites

According to a survey, 60% of disruptions are caused due to disturbances from cell phones, emails, and social networks. It is best to limit your use of social media sites when at work, lest you should end up thinking about futile matters. Moreover, staying away from them will provide you uninterrupted time to work efficiently.

You’ll be able to remove a majority of distractions by scheduling your email check and use of social media websites. You will, therefore, be able to accomplish your goals sooner than you may have expected.

4. Make To-Do Lists

So, what are the things that need to be accomplished today?

Ask yourself this question before you begin to work and make a to-do list. This way you will be able to stay on track through the day and won’t end up wasting your time figuring out your tasks. A to-do list will provide you with more clarity on your routine tasks.

Ensure to work on the most difficult and challenging tasks during the first-half of the day as that is the period when one feels relatively fresh and energetic.

5. Take Small Breaks and Prevent Procrastination

Of course, you don’t want your brain to burn out. It makes sense to take small breaks between your tasks. Taking more breaks is synonymous with being more productive. However, this doesn’t mean you spend a major chunk of time taking breaks.

Wondering how taking small and quick breaks can help you?

Breaks tend to allow us to regroup our thoughts and focus our attention on the task at hand. Moreover, they help freshen up our mind.

Also, it’s important that you work on one task for a specific period of time. Assign deadlines to the tasks. They will help you stay motivated and focused on your tasks. Moreover, this way you won’t procrastinate, thereby keeping the project humming.

6. Use Technology to Your Advantage

Using social media sites frequently can hinder productivity to a huge extent. However, in several cases where the right technology and software is used, it can work the other way round.

Collaborating technologies like Yammer and Jive Software and communication services such as Skype and Google Hangouts can help you solve problems and complete projects at a relatively rapid pace. To-do list applications such as Evernote and Wunderlist can help you jot down tasks and prioritize them based on your required criteria.

Make sure to use the right software and applications to boost your productivity.

7. Put on Headphones and Get Some Coffee

Continuous and loud background noises at work can make your mind wander. In order to prevent this, consider listening to music while working. Good music can help you stay focussed, motivated and help you sustain your focus through the day. However, make sure that you choose the kind of music that will help increase your output and doesn’t work the other way round.

Want to know another way to increase your alertness at work?

Coffee can be your answer. A little burst of caffeine can amp up your productivity to a great extent.

Conclusion

It is common to be surrounded by a plethora of events and people throughout the day at work. This can, however, distract you and make you lose focus from the task at hand. By following the above-mentioned tips, you will be able to keep distraction at bay and stay productive all day long. It is important for you to be passionate about your work, know your priorities and stick to them. So, what are you waiting for? Implement the above tips in your daily routine, prevent slacking off, and stay super focused.

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