SEO PERSONALIZED FOR 2017

seo-12415962017 is set to bring a more personalized experience to the user of web searches and web content.  SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is important to help users connect with the products, services, and sites that they desire.  The main objective of SEO should be to help users find answers to their questions and connect consumers to businesses that can fulfill their needs.  The content experience is going to get better than ever.

MARKETING TO THE END USER

Recent improvements to data modeling will refine, further than ever before, the experience for the user – that person trying to find just exactly what it is they want at that particular moment.  Successful marketing is also a win-win for the marketer, as a high volume of traffic could find its way to their website.  It is, and always has been, really about quality content.  Trustworthy, honest, truthful content that will help users discover whatever it is they are looking for.  Search engines can help point them in the direction; content specifically designed with quality SEO in mind can further refine user’s searches to only those websites that will provide value to them.

STRUCTURED DATA

free-image-for-your-seo-blog-or-web-marketing-website-1636061Organization of pertinent data is also important and structured data is touted as becoming an even more significant factor in 2017.  Structured data reaches into every field and every application.

What is a rich snippet?  It is the markup of structured data that website owners can add to their existing HTML.  Rich snippets are vital, yet small, bits of information that will allow your page to do better in search results.

What is a structured data markup?  This refers to structured data being directly added to a page’s HTML.

Why is structured data important to SEO?  The organization of content that structured data represents is able to be understood better by the search engine’s crawling a web page.

More emphasis will be placed on optimization (i.e., value) of the content as opposed to prioritizing for keywords.  It’s customer-first priority all the way in 2017!

 

Do You Need a Wealth Manager?

a-thousand-dollars-1241177A wealth manager can be a single source that gathers data from several resources to help you make sound financial decisions.  Wealth management often combines information from a variety of sources, including financial advice, real estate planning, and retirement planning to help you make the best overall decisions for your financial needs.

MORE THAN ADVICE

Wealth management is more than advice; it can help you integrate and structure assistance from a number of products to help coordinate and manage your financial resources today and into the future for yourself and your family.  A wealth manager can be the one person you turn to when you need to solidify one answer from multiple resources.  He or she can offer a professional, experienced, and objective view that can often lead to better decision-making on your part.

STRATEGIES

While many wealth managers frequently combine many services into one approach, others in the wealth management field choose to focus on just one particular area of investment strategy.  Some wealth managers may be part of a small business structure, while others may be part of a larger financial investment firm.  They are sometimes also referred to as financial advisors or financial consultants.  They will begin their assessment by developing a plan specifically with your financial goals in mind.  Regular meetings between both of you will help ensure your financial goals are on track.

OTHER SERVICES

Accountants, insurance agents, and your own personal attorney can also be allowed in your investment circle when your wealth manager is assessing opportunities and risks for your financial strategy.  By incorporating all aspects of services that you utilize, you will get a much better and much more well-rounded investment plan that will allow you to build your wealth.

Wealth management services are most appropriate for those individuals with a high net worth.  While there is no exact figure that defines “high net worth,” typically use figures that incorporate liquid assets over a specified figure; that figure can differ from one financial institution to another.  If you are interested in learning more about wealth management, give us a call today.

 

 

 

Personal Freedom — Going “Off the Grid”

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What is personal freedom? You may ask.  If you must ask that question, you are sorely in need of finding answers to it.  As well, going “off the grid” may be a new phrase to you.  Chances are that it won’t be foreign to you for long, as this type of lifestyle is expected to gain more and more followers in the future.  Let’s examine the potential for living this lifestyle.

PERSONAL FREEDOM

Personal freedom means you find ways to escape the normal stresses of daily life in the society in which we live right now.  Work, work, work.  Money, money, money.  More, more, more.  You may find that “more, more, more” is “less, less, less” when it comes to living a life that is meaningful to you.  People are in such a hurry as they struggle to adhere to the catch phrase, “time is money!”  No, time is the health and wealth (not in monetary terms) of your body, mind, and spirit.  Misplaced notions about responsibility to society may be weighing you down.  Do you “have” to “keep up with the Joneses?”  No.  Does society like to make you believe you need to do the same things that everyone else does?  Yes.  That’s how the cycle gets perpetuated.

GOING OFF THE GRID

Going “off the grid” means, basically, living a life independent of public utilities and other “modern conveniences.”  This way of living is gaining momentum and popularity primarily dusolar-panel-1424264e to the fact that the “normal” way most people live today has become just entirely too stressful.  People are finding that their quality of life has taken a remarkable downturn.  That’s just not right.  Life is short; make the most of it.  Benefits of going off the grid include:

  • Self-reliance
  • To live greener
  • To be a responsible steward of the environment
  • Give you more control over your finances

ENERGY CAN COME IN A VARIETY OF FORMS

The market for new and improved energy solutions has grown dramatically over the last decade.  As well, prices for items, such as a solar panel, have decreased significantly over the last 10 years.  You may also explore energy alternatives that come from wind turbines or hydro energy.  Water wells can also be extremely beneficial to your off-the-grid lifestyle.

It takes courage to jump off the hurry-scurry path that takes you to an 8-5 job every day, but what might you gain from the change?  Wouldn’t you like to find out?

 

Fresh Ideas. Fresh Words. How Your Business Can Use Them.

light-bulb-2-1427493To keep growing your business, you will need to keep expanding your horizons and never, ever, forget that gaining a fresh perspective on the daily goings-on within your business and its marketplace in the world is essential.  Schedule time each week to take a step back and look with a critical eye at any recent successes … and failures.  Try to look at your organization as someone on the outside.  If you find that difficult to do …

HIRE A WRITER

Consider hiring a professional copywriter to add perspective, value, and quality content to your company’s blog.  And then READ what they have written.  Determine if you can glean any hidden gems of new thoughts or fresh ideas from what your copywriter has discovered about new trends in your industry.

LISTEN TO YOUR CUSTOMERS

Talk with and listen to what your customers have to say about your business.  Look at your products and/or services from their perspective.  A successful business owner/manager can learn a lot from listening.  You can also learn a lot about their prospective needs for the future to help determine a strategy for growing your business in the way that will lead to a successful future.

LOOK AT WHAT YOUR COMPETITORS ARE DOING

Read their blogs and discover if they are introducing new products or services.  Learn what their customers might be saying about them.  How can you take the knowledge of what they are doing and capitalize on it by structuring your products/services in a better way that will reflect users’ needs?

LEARN FROM OTHER SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS OWNERS

Connect on Social Media with other successful businesses and entrepreneurs to discover their marketing strategy.  Capture their thoughts on business matters and see if you can apply them to your own business.

Let an inspired copywriter help provide your business with a fresh perspective.

 

 

Why You Should Use The Rule Of Three

red-nr-3-1537717Is three a magical number?  Does three prove to be all-inclusive?  Does this, that, and the other cover it all?  Here is the answer: three is the number of elements required to make a pattern.  You will find, if you look, that throughout some of the greatest stories ever told, along with myths and fairy tales (ahhhh, see these three?  1) stories; 2) myths; and 3) fairy tales) that three (of whatever being talked about) pervades.

How Humans Process Information

By necessity, human beings have adapted to becoming experts at recognizing “patterns” of things and three is the smallest number by which to create a pattern.  The number three is just enough – just short enough and just long enough – to do the best job of capturing the attention of an audience.  Thought has also been given to the fact that, from childhood, we have been conditioned to respond well to things grouped in threes.  For example, as pointed out by Copyblogger:

  • Goldilocks and the Three Bears
  • Three Little Pigs
  • The Three Stooges
  • Three Blind Mice
  • The Three Musketeers

Also consider that:

  • Typically, there are three acts to a screenplay
  • Three bullet points are considered more effective than two or four

Comedians Also Use the Rule of Three

To get a laugh, humorists and comedians acknowledge they also use the rule of three because it fits “the classic joke structure of set-up, anticipation, and punchline.” (Copyblogger)  Insofar as comedy is concerned, the group of three can build suspense with the first two words/descriptions and then the final (and third) phrase in the set is designed to surprise you and throw you off-guard, thereby resulting in a laugh.

The number three can contain just enough, but yet not too much information for readers to take the time to read and be able to quickly grasp whatever message you want to impart.  Three truly can be a magical number.

What is “Adaptive Content”?

shine-and-happy-1440357Adaptive content is a strategy that can be utilized across multiple channels and throughout all types of content.  The goal of adaptive content is to personalize interactions between business and consumer to the maximum extent possible.  It is developed and designed “around” your particular set of customers and includes sensitivity to their moods and goals.  Statistics from an Econsultancy.com article show that, “94% of businesses say personalization is critical to their success.”  That is a statistic that every business should know and take into consideration.

 

Personalization and Delivery

Adaptive content is a necessary requirement for a successful personalized experience across many channels (i.e., print, sales, training, customer support, etc.).  Adaptive content is geared away from the “one-size-fits-all” strategy.  Retailers need to learn to leverage this type of content.  It has proven highly successful in the marketing and consulting industries, taking client conversion rates to an all-time high.

Content Strategy and Karma

According to the Intelligent Content Conference web site, “The underlying ethos of content marketing and user-centric content strategy involves karma: The more real value you give to consumers, the more that will come back your way.  The more we can make our content adaptive, the more we can realistically deliver tailored, high-value content without running out of budget, resources, or time.”

A New Look at the Five Ws

ICC invites us to take another look at those classic five Ws: Who, What, When, Where, and Why.  To really understand adaptive content and get to the heart of the strategy, you will need to look at each “W” with a new vision and two different perspectives.  Who is your target audience really?  Who/What is your company/business/organization and Why?

  • Who are your customers?
  • What kind of content will provide your customer with the most value?
  • When should you display which type of content?
  • Where should you display your content so that it attracts the largest audience?
  • Why are you creating this adaptive content (i.e., what value do you want it to provide to your business?)

Your customers are ready for personalized, adaptive content?  Is your business ready to deliver?