Friday, January 13, 2012

Pakistan Facebook Statistics

Facebook monitoring helps to improve your business and social media marketing strategy in every country. Currently, there are 5891220 Facebook users in the Pakistan, which makes it #26 in the ranking of all Facebook statistics by country.
Also, feel free to try our professional social media monitoring tool Engagement Analytics – monitor the situation on the market, track and analyze your fans' engagement on your Facebook page, identify key influencers, response rates, and much more. Easily generate the data, compare them with your competitors or with the top brands in your field.

Pakistan General info

Total Facebook Users:5891220
Position in the list:26.
Penetration of population:3.32%
Penetration of online population31.84%
Average CPC:$0.14
Average CPM:$0.06

TOP 5 brands in Pakistan

BrandsFacebook users
Ufone 393747
djuice pakistan 228990
Zong 206445
Samsung Pakistan 189718
Dell Pakistan 170448

TOP 5 media in Pakistan

Media brandFacebook users
Coke Studio 1003630
Geo TV 336431
Samaa TV 64263
Pakistan Music Idol 59424
Lux Style Awards 52382

Users & Demography for the Pakistan




  • Last week
  • Last 2 weeks
  • Last month
  • Last 3 months
  • Last 6 months

  • Chart
    Our social networking statistics show that Facebook penetration in Pakistan is 3.32% compared to the country's population and 31.84% in relation to number of Internet users. The total number of FB users in Pakistan is reaching 5891220 and grew by more than 1001000 in the last 6 months.
    Comparing these nearest countries by penetration of Facebook users shows that Pakistan has 0.02% higher FB penetration than Vanuatu and 0.05% lower FB penetration than US Virgin Islands.

    User age distribution on Facebook in Pakistan

    Chart
    Pakistan Facebook demographics is other social media statistics we monitor. The largest age group is currently 18 - 24 with total of 2 945 610 users, followed by the users in the age of 25 - 34.

    Male/Female User Ratio on Facebook in Pakistan

    Chart
    There are 68% male users and 32% female users in Pakistan, compared to 56% and 44% in Japan and 48% and 52% in Netherlands .
    On the graph below you can see that the biggest gain in the last 3 months was recorded by the age group of 18 - 24. 

     http://www.socialbakers.com/facebook-statistics/pakistan
    Facebook shows relentless global growth

    In country after country, Facebook is toppling the incumbent local social network in what seems like an unstoppable march to global dominance.
    After overtaking Microsoft's Windows Live Profile in Portugal and Mexico in early 2010, Facebook eclipsed StudiVZ in Germany and Google's (GOOG) Orkut in India later that year, and soon unseated Hyves in the Netherlands, according to metrics firm comScore. Now Facebook is poised to triumph in what has been viewed as its ultimate popularity contest, with comScore indicating the network is likely to dethrone Orkut in social media-mad Brazil when its December data is released.
    Facebook's relentless spread is a vindication of founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg's growth-first principle, under which the social network has focused primarily on adding users, not building revenue, since its beginning. Facebook will surpass 1 billion users in the next few months, analysts say, and that population will be a huge asset it can tout to investors as the company prepares for an initial public offering of stock as soon as spring.
    "It's been really surprising to us to see how quickly Facebook has grown, not just in Western countries or English-speaking countries, but pretty much around the world," said Carmela Aquino of comScore. "I think part of it is the network effect -- when you have a big enough mass of people beginning to jump on a social network, it's only a matter of time that their friends get on the same network, and it starts to spread."
    Facebook is now used by more than half the population in the U.S. and a number of other countries, according to analytics company Socialbakers, but its growth is slowing in North America and much of Europe as it approaches a saturation point. Still, as Facebook prepares for its IPO, the Menlo Park-based social networking company's massive expansion in countries like Brazil, India, Mexico, South Korea and Vietnam suggests the social network has a bright future.
    For investors, Facebook's rise in Asia, South America and other developing nations "is a proof point that they can make it everywhere in the world," said Jan Rezab, CEO of Socialbakers. He believes the social network's user population could swell from more than 800 million to 1 billion as soon as April, a threshold that would be a selling point for potential buyers of its stock. "I think they are going to announce it with the IPO; I think that's the strategic thing to do," Rezab said.
    Facebook, which started in 2004 as a way for students at Ivy League universities and Stanford to socialize and didn't open up to the public until 2006, first saw a majority of its traffic coming from outside the U.S. in 2009, according to Socialbakers. Now more than four out of five Facebook users log on from other countries.
    Other online social networks also have a global draw. U.S.-based Twitter and LinkedIn pull a large majority of their visitors from outside the U.S. Even the most popular Russian social network, VKontakte, draws 43 percent of its traffic from outside Russia, according to a recent comScore study on the growth of social networks, which now reach 82 percent of the world's online population, or 1.2 billion people.
    Just two years ago, 46 percent of visits to LinkedIn, the professional social network, came from outside the U.S., according to data comScore prepared at the request of this newspaper. Now 62 percent come from outside the U.S.
    That sense of a borderless world for successful social networks is nowhere more true than in Brazil, the world's fifth-largest country, where Google's Orkut had been the entrenched king for years. Orkut had six times the volume of Facebook's monthly traffic as recently as January 2010. But while Orkut continued to grow, Facebook's Brazilian traffic erupted in 2011, according to comScore.
    People familiar with the Brazilian Internet market say there were many factors in Facebook's sudden rise in the South American nation of 200 million people, including Facebook's availability in the local language and the globalization of people's social ties.
    Compared with Orkut, "Facebook is much more universal, and there are a lot of ex-Brazilians living outside Brazil," said Ron Czerny, CEO of PlayPhone, a mobile gaming platform that uses Facebook and Orkut to promote its games and has offices in Silicon Valley and Brazil. "The fact that they can connect to their friends and family, that helped (Facebook) a lot."
    Czerny, who is Brazilian, said the availability of games on Facebook in the Brazilian dialect of Portuguese was another big boost. The aura of American hipness and fashion that many Brazilians associated with Facebook also held sway with many people, said Czerny and others.
    At the beginning of 2010, Facebook was not the leading social network in 13 of the 43 international markets tracked by comScore. That has now dropped to six of those countries, including China, where it is blocked by the government.
    Facebook believes there were other factors in its global adoption, particularly the software application launched in 2008 that allows users to collaborate to rapidly build a model that translates Facebook into their local language.
    Facebook also made a key move in its purchase last year of mobile technology company Snaptu, which made software that allows more than 2,500 models of more basic-feature phones to access Facebook with much of the same functionality as an iPhone or Android smartphone. That opened a gateway to Facebook in countries where few people can afford a smartphone or a PC to go online.
    Rezab also said the linguistic translation abilities of Facebook are key because it helps Facebook feel like a local experience instead of a Silicon Valley import.
    "The majority of the content on Facebook, or YouTube for that matter, is purely local," Rezab said. "These networks succeeded by being globally local, if you know what I mean."
    Contact Mike Swift at 408-271-3648. Follow him at Twitter.com/swiftstories or facebook.com/mike.swift3.
     http://www.mercurynews.com/portlet/article/html/fragments/print_article.jsp?articleId=19723521&siteId=568

    People on Facebook
    • More than 800 million active users
    • More than 50% of our active users log on to Facebook in any given day
    • Average user has 130 friends
    Activity on Facebook
    • More than 900 million objects that people interact with (pages, groups, events and community pages)
    • Average user is connected to 80 community pages, groups and events
    • On average, more than 250 million photos are uploaded per day
    Global Reach
    • More than 70 languages available on the site
    • More than 75% of users are outside of the United States
    • Over 300,000 users helped translate the site through the translations application
    Platform
    • On average, people on Facebook install apps more than 20 million times every day
    • Every month, more than 500 million people use an app on Facebook or experience Facebook Platform on other websites
    • More than 7 million apps and websites are integrated with Facebook
    Mobile
    • More than 350 million active users currently access Facebook through their mobile devices
    • More than 475 mobile operators globally work to deploy and promote Facebook mobile products
    Source: https://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics

    Thursday, January 12, 2012

    Facebook Statistics by count

  • By Country
  • Continents
  • Cities BETA
  • On Socialbakers.com you can find daily updated Facebook Statistics from over 200 different countries. If you click on a country, you will be able to see Facebook statistics together with demography and a graph in time.

     http://www.socialbakers.com/facebook-statistics/

    Pakistan Statistics; Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn

    Facebook Pakistan Statistics


    Facebook monitoring helps to improve your business and social media marketing strategy in every country. Currently, there are 5891220 Facebook users in the Pakistan, which makes it #26 in the ranking of all Facebook statistics by country.
    Also, feel free to try our professional social media monitoring tool Engagement Analytics – monitor the situation on the market, track and analyze your fans' engagement on your Facebook page, identify key influencers, response rates, and much more. Easily generate the data, compare them with your competitors or with the top brands in your field.

    Pakistan General info

    Total Facebook Users:5891220
    Position in the list:26.
    Penetration of population:3.32%
    Penetration of online population31.84%
    Average CPC:$0.14
    Average CPM:$0.06

    TOP 5 brands in Pakistan

    BrandsFacebook users
    Ufone 393747
    djuice pakistan 228990
    Zong 206445
    Samsung Pakistan 189718
    Dell Pakistan 170448

    TOP 5 media in Pakistan

    Media brandFacebook users
    Coke Studio 1003630
    Geo TV 336431
    Samaa TV 64263
    Pakistan Music Idol 59424
    Lux Style Awards 52382

    Users & Demography for the Pakistan




  • Last week
  • Last 2 weeks
  • Last month
  • Last 3 months
  • Last 6 months

  • Chart
    Our social networking statistics show that Facebook penetration in Pakistan is 3.32% compared to the country's population and 31.84% in relation to number of Internet users. The total number of FB users in Pakistan is reaching 5891220 and grew by more than 1001000 in the last 6 months.
    Comparing these nearest countries by penetration of Facebook users shows that Pakistan has 0.02% higher FB penetration than Vanuatu and 0.05% lower FB penetration than US Virgin Islands.

    User age distribution on Facebook in Pakistan

    Chart
    Pakistan Facebook demographics is other social media statistics we monitor. The largest age group is currently 18 - 24 with total of 2 945 610 users, followed by the users in the age of 25 - 34.

    Male/Female User Ratio on Facebook in Pakistan

    Chart
    There are 68% male users and 32% female users in Pakistan, compared to 56% and 44% in Japan and 48% and 52% in Netherlands .
    On the graph below you can see that the biggest gain in the last 3 months was recorded by the age group of 18 - 24. 

     http://www.socialbakers.com/facebook-statistics/pakistan

    Twitter Revolution in Pakistan? 

    Dramatic expansion of the nation's middle class in the last decade has spawned telecom and media revolutions in Pakistan. Number of radio stations, television channels, mobile phone subscribers and Internet users have all experienced unprecedented growth since the turn of the century.

    The level of Internet penetration is Pakistan is still low. In a population of 177 million, only 18.5 million (10.4 percent) are connected to the Internet, though government officials quote a slightly higher figure of 20 million. Although it's twice that of India's Internet penetration of about 5%, Pakistan's penetration percentage is less than those in Tunisia (33.4 percent) and Egypt (21.1 percent). However, Internet use in Pakistan is growing at a rapid rate, particularly in urban centers where 40% of the population lives, which are also home to the middle class which often forms the backbone of mass-scale uprisings. Mobile Internet use shot up 161 percent in 2010 alone.

    Pakistan figures prominently in the population of users of Facebook and Twitter, two of the most popular social networking sites.

    In terms of Facebook users in Asia, South Korea saw the largest increase of 65%, between March 01 2010 and June 01 2010. Other countries with double-digit growth rate are Thailand with 28.3%, India 27.7%, Japan 21%, Pakistan 12.9%, Malaysia 12.3%, and Vietnam 10.4%. Compared to figures extracted in March 2010, total Facebook users in Indonesia and Taiwan have shown decline, according to Grey Review.

    According to Alexa, Twitter.com is the number twelve website in the world. It also ranks at number twelve in the United States. Outside the United States, Twitter is the eighth largest website in South Africa. The United Kingdom, Pakistan, and the Philippines all have Twitter as their tenth largest website, according to The Next Web.

    Pakistan saw the beginnings of online civil and political activism in 2008-2009 when the lawyers, according to Woodrow Wilson Center's scholar Huma Yusuf, "used chat forums, YouTube videos, Twitter feeds, and blogs to organize the Long March, publicize its various events and routes, and ensure that citizen reporting live from the march itself can be widely circulated to counter the government-influenced coverage of the protest on mainstream media outlets (such as state-owned radio and private news channels relying on government-issue licenses".

    With Pakistan's youth bulge and rapid growth in online user population, it is natural to ask if an Egyptian or Tunisian style youth-led revolution is on the horizon in the South Asian nation? Can the current disgust with the the failed political, military and intelligence establishment catalyze a mass youth uprising against the established order?
     http://www.defence.pk/forums/current-events-social-issues/108901-twitter-revolution-pakistan.html

    LinkedIn: Pakistan makes it to Top 20 with More than 700,000 Members

    By Jawwad Jafri of Converge Technologies
    LinkedIn, the World’s largest professional networking website has more than 700,000 members from Pakistan.
    This places Pakistan in the 18th spot just behind Sweden but ahead of Denmark and Philippines.
    Though the penetration rate is not sizable enough, but given the huge head count of Pakistani internet audience, Pakistan is easily placed as one of most populated communities on LinkedIn.
    While the growth of social mediums like Facebook and Twitter has often been analyzed and debated, LinkedIn continues to grow in Pakistani market without causing a major uproar.
    According to Alexa, LinkedIn is the 10th most visited website in Pakistan.
    linkedin Pakistan1 LinkedIn: Pakistan makes it to Top 20 with More than 700,000 Members
    Source: SocialBakers
    LinkedIn is helpful in multiple ways. Firstly, it helps people connect with their professional network without exposing their personal lives to everyone like on Facebook. Members can communicate with each other through private inbox messages.
    One great feature on LinkedIn is the Groups. While the concept of groups is nothing new, the quality of Groups on LinkedIn is far superior to other websites. Each specialty area has a niche group and if not you can always create one. Experts from around the world are available to help and guide each other which makes the experience extremely rewarding.
    Apart from the experience and learning for members, there are more perks of being a LinkedIn member. Headhunters are increasingly turning towards LinkedIn to screen and shortlist their candidates. The members who are highly active on Groups and establish themselves as “Subject Experts” get easily shortlisted. Also, the recommendations that each member accumulates for his past performances play a vital role in getting shortlisted by headhunters.
    The major competition for LinkedIn in Pakistan comes from Rozee.pk which is the 19th most visited website in Pakistan. Rozee.pk focuses only on job opportunities and is the favorite of local crowd when it comes to online job application.
    However, LinkedIn is emerging as a tough competitor even in this space. The power that LinkedIn has and Rozee.pk lacks comes from the professional network and recommendations that is the core of LinkedIn.
    For young professionals who are looking to move up the ladder in their career, LinkedIn is an extremely helpful resource which should not be ignored.
    http://propakistani.pk/2011/06/21/linkedin-pakistan-makes-it-to-top-20-with-more-than-700000-members/

    Wednesday, January 11, 2012

    Why 2012 is the year for location based marketing.

    Following a landmark year for location based services, mobile marketers are looking towards 2012 as the year when location based technology will pervade many of the services available on users’ handsets.
    Last year Foursquare reported that over 15 million users and 600,000 businesses had joined the platform, resulting in over a billion check-ins. Location technology is firmly on the radar for many leading brands, and makes up a key part of the agenda at SMWF Europe in London in March.
    Last month Facebook confirmed it was stepping up its assault on the lucrative location-sharing market with the acquisition of Gowalla in early December, expected to close as a stand-alone service later this month.
    The increasing spread of ever more sophisticated smartphone handsets, combined with the continuing development of apps powered by geolocation technology, like that from companies like Navteq, is crucial to this developing trend, providing a whole new angle of relevance for marketers and brands.
    Navteq, one of the leading providers of location data for developers, said:
    “Hyper-local mobile advertising can target consumers in a non-intrusive way when they are near a merchant’s location and then guide them to the front door. This effectively transforms mobile into a direct response channel for retail, restaurants, cinemas, petrol stations, and any business that benefits from getting consumers in the door.”
    Savvy marketers are now using location-based technology to reach potential customers in the immediate vicinity. Business listings on services like Foursquare, Loopt, Brightkite, and Google Places have become crucial weapons in the marketing arsenal as the industry waits for this trend to explode across the world.
    The rise of social check-in apps has added a new dimension to the trend, using reward, word of mouth recommendation and viral to directly influence peoples’ purchasing behaviour. They allow businesses to interact directly with customers, creating communities with an added level of engagement based in real-world behaviours.
    This year’s Social Media World Forum Europe will be looking in-depth at location based marketing, covering topics including:
    • Harnessing the power of mobile data through location based apps – how to turn location information into consumer engagement?
    • Location triggered mobile couponing / deals opportunities for large brands and local businesses
    • Analyse of consumer behaviour – who are the consumers of location based services (who, how many, how old), what do they respond to well and how can you most effectively manage your communication / relationship with them?
    • Are these social tools going to bring about a mobile commerce revolution?
    • Using the mobile presence of facebook to promote deals, sales and encourage on the move purchases
    For more information on this year’s event please visit the Social Media World Forum website.

     http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Why-2012-is-year-location-62503.S.88185005?view=&gid=62503&type=member&item=88185005&trk=eml-anet_dig-b_nd-pst_ttle-cn

    Getting Noticed on the Web

    By Jerry Bader 
    Website Engagement Techniques: The Caricature Effect

    Marketing is all about getting noticed, getting remembered, and motivating people to action. Whether it's a website, display ad, or video, it must first grab people's attention, it must stop the viewer from going onto the next website, turning the magazine page, or clicking the stop button. In order to accomplish that increasingly difficult task, you must understand the Caricature Effect.

    The Caricature Effect

    The Caricature Effect simply stated says that what we notice is variation from the norm. Caricature artists exaggerate reality because that is how we visually distinguish one person from another. Human beings are preprogrammed to look for patterns and variations in those patterns, it's how we recognize who people are, and it is a basic survival mechanism that helps us recognize danger and distinguish friend from foe.


    By distorting an individual's prominent facial features the caricature artist mimics the human brain's way of remembering who's who. Our brains are not cameras that take pictures and file them away for future reference. Our memories are malleable, they change and alter over time and experience, and as a result the things we remember best are the things that stand out, things like Bob Hope's ski-jump nose or Albert Einstein's wild white hair. The reason caricatures are so effective is because they emphasize the distinguishing differences that we recognize and remember. So how do we use this fundamental, hard-wired human characteristic to further marketing agendas?

    What We Notice Is Variation From The Norm

    Getting noticed is job-one of any marketing vehicle, so in order to get people to stop, look, and listen we need to use all the available communication elements at our disposal.

    When developing a video campaign we use concepts that demand the mental processing of information by shocking, stimulating, puzzling, or tickling the funny bone of the viewer. These techniques force the audience to think, process, and decode the message, and by generating this mental activity we embed our client's message in the audience's consciousness. Depending on the brand and/or product, implementation can range from subtle to obvious with the trick being to make people sit-up and take notice by forcing them to think.

    Pattern Recognition - The Same But Different

    Human beings have evolved to watch for patterns and when an audience recognizes a familiar scenario they leap to a conclusion. It's a way of making quick decisive decisions that can either help or hurt communication. Properly used pattern recognition can lead your audience where you want to take them, but if the pattern is too obvious or hackneyed, it can lead to viewers dismissing your message.

    Let's face-it, consumers have become increasingly jaded by too many ads that yell at them like a Billy Mays commercial, or promise improbable results like so many diet schemes, or scare the hell out of people with legal disclaimers warning of everything from headaches to heart attacks like most prescription drug ads. These feeble attempts to standout like a pair of John Daley golf slacks only succeed in reminding the audience how completely desperate, or disengaged the advertiser really is.

    If you want people to remember your message you have to alter the pattern by varying from the norm so that it forces people to mentally process your information. It's as simple as a story with a twist like how a comedian sets-up a punch line, or how a magician sets-up an illusion.

    In other articles I've written extensively about techniques for using video but here let's discuss something even more universal - photography. It is one of the most economical ways to create the kind of mental stimulation that makes people remember your site and your message.

    Photo-Visual Engagement Techniques

    Most every website has photography of some sort on it, but like most video implementations, it is rarely used to its full potential. Obviously, do-it-yourself snapshots reek of amateurism but even professional royalty-free images can be as innocuous as DIY snaps are unprofessional, and as we have stated, bland, featureless images are just not going to stimulate anyone's memory.

    Cinegraphs

    Cinegraphs are photographs that move. They are created by combining a series of still images into a gif animation. The best cinegraphs use subtle movement like hair or clothing blowing in the wind to cause the audience to take a second look. What appears at first to be a regular photograph creates a "Did I just see it move?" reaction, and that's the kind of subtle yet powerful feature that can get people to remember your site, your product, and your brand. Like any technique you have to know how and when to use it in order to enhance your presentation and reinforce your message. Just parachuting in a technique for technique's sake is no better than a meaningless royalty free image used as filler.

    Sequence Images

    A sequence image is a still image that combines a series of images into one photo. Unlike cinegraphs, the image doesn't move but it does provide a kinetic quality by showing a series of varying poses all combined into one photograph. This kind of image can be very striking and powerful and can cause your viewer to take a moment to decode the story it tells.

    Selective Color

    Color is another area that often gets forgotten. Different colors have different psychological effects depending on the context in which they are used. In addition to the color choice, using color as a consistent marketing communication element helps enhance and embed your identity and brand image. Many Internet entrepreneurs pay little or no attention to color imaging and it is really unfortunate as it is often an inexpensive but effective way of making a profound impression.

    Photographs today are generally full color images but if you're not controlling the color in your images then you're missing a great chance to make a memorable impression. Of course lack of color (black and white photography) can be just as powerful if used properly. Jack Daniel's is a brand that uses black and white and selective color extensively in its marketing.

    There are several ways to use selective color in your photographic imaging. Jack Daniel's uses a lot of black backgrounds or B&W photos and copy combined with color product shots of the bottle that has a B&W label but is filled with the golden elixir.

    About The Author
    Jerry Bader is Senior Partner at MRPwebmedia, a website design and marketing firm that specializes in Web-video Marketing Campaigns and Video Websites. Visit www.mrpwebmedia.com, www.136words.com, and www.sonicpersonality.com. Contact at info@mrpwebmedia.com or telephone (905) 764-1246.

    How To Create A User-Friendly Website

    Educating Your Visitors - The Power
    of Giving and User-Friendly Websites


    A SPN Exclusive Article By David Jackson (c) 2012

    I've been involved in sales and marketing for over twenty years - half my adúlt life. And sometimes I still get confused when I browse the Internet and visit websites searching for information, or to make a purchase. I'm absolutely amazed at how complicated some marketers make doing business on the internet.

    Let's talk about searching for information for a moment. After all, most people go online not to purchase anything, but rather to search for information to solve a problem they have. Knowing this is important, because if you understand that the Internet is driven by information and information seekers, as a marketer, you can kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.

       1. You can provide information seekers with the information they're looking for.

    2. You can educate potential prospects and turn them into customers.

    Educate Your Visitors First

    If you visit my website, you won't see any banners or advertising of any kind. Why? Because I built my site as a free marketing resource to educate my visitors. I'm not selling anything, so the only thing you'll see on my site is free information... lots and lots of free information.

    So how do I monetize my site? How do I make any money? Well, people read my marketing articles on highly-respected websites like SiteProNews, then they visit my website. And between the advice I dispense in my articles and on my site, as well as select small business forums, people can determine for themselves if I know what I'm talking about. Once they become convinced of my expertise, they inquire about my marketing consulting services... become satisfied clients, word-of-mouth kicks in, and voila... my cup runneth over!

    In other words, I create content to educate people and help them solve a particular problem. And I do this without an agenda - without asking for anything in return. But a funny thing happens when you educate people - provided the information has value and is accurate. You enhance your credibility and boost the value of your products and services.

    And this method of marketing works regardless of what you're selling - even if you sell something as nondescript as a glue stick. Yes, a glue stick! Become the glue stick expert. For example, you can create content about the glue stick industry and related products. Educate people about glue sticks. Enhance your company's credibility, and boost the value of your products and services.

    1. Have fast-loading pages. Slow loading pages are annoying to searchers and affects their ability to access
    content quickly. If your pages load slowly, this may frustrate visitors and cause them to exit your site, not ever to return.

    You can quickly check your page speed at Page Speed Online, a free web application offered by Googlelabs. This tool tests the speed of your page and gives it a score from 1-100, based on the performance of your page. The Page Speed Score indicates how much faster a page could be. A high score indicates little room for improvement, while a lower score indicates more room for improvement. In other words, the higher the score, the better. The Page Speed Score does not measure the time it takes for a page to load - just whether or not it loads quickly. If you score on the lower end of the scale, read "How to Speed Up Web Pages," to learn what you can do to speed up your pages.

    2. Have a crystal clear identity. Have you ever landed on a website and didn't know what it was about? How did you feel? You didn't like it did you? And I'll bet you probably clicked out of there pretty quickly. Well, your visitors don't like it either. Don't let your visitors have to try and figure out what your website is all about. Make it crystal clear, right from the beginning. Having a big, descriptive headline on your home page is an excellent way to announce what your website is about. Also, choose relevant keywords for your pages, as opposed to trying to trick people just to get eyeballs. Keep your keywords relevant to your web pages.

    3. Keep it simple. Don't worry about trying to impress with all kinds of unnecessary whistles and bells. (Does anyone really need flash?) Focus on usability, sales and conversions. Simple website designs convert.

    4. Stay away from clutter. Have a clean, user-friendly site that makes it easy for visitors to find what they're looking for. Remember, white space is a good thing. Also, if your website has a lot of content and/or pages, add a search box, to make it easier for your visitors to find what they're looking for. 

    About The Author
    David Jackson is a marketing consultant, and the owner of Free-Marketing-Tips-Blog.com - Powerful, free marketing tips to help grow your business! http://free-marketing-tips-blog.com

    What not to do in mobile advertisin

    Storm ChasersA campaign by Medialets

    The industry is very focused on the how-tos of mobile advertising and what to do to ensure successful efforts. Now, here is a list of what not to do. 

    The mobile advertising industry is maturing at a rapid speed and although there are a few noteworthy and jaw-dropping executions, there are also a lot of efforts that miss the mark. There are some common pitfalls that brands and marketers must avoid. 

    “Making the consumer work,” said Joy Liuzzo, Washington-based vice president and director of InsightExpress. “I’ve seen advertisers use creative that is barely branded or with logos that are very small and tucked off into a corner and wonder why their ad didn’t perform as well as they would have liked.  

    “This should be one of the easiest pitfalls to avoid, but too often we see advertisers sacrificing branding for other elements of the ad,” she said. “With mobile and even tablet screens being on the small side and time being a premium, most consumers are not going to take the extra second to squint to see who the advertiser is on their device.  

    “Sticking with the tried and true [is another pitfall to avoid]. Mobile is new and exciting for consumers, providing them with potential new experiences and interactions each day. When advertisers take advantage of that and push the envelope with campaigns, it pays off more than if they stuck with a modified version of what they've done on other platforms.”

    Elena Perez, director of marketing at Medialets, New York, said that one of the major pitfalls marketers need to avoid has to do with the buying process. 

    Buying, creative, cross-platform
    Ms. Perez said that brands and agencies should understand that mobile can be bought, planned and measured with the same quality, control and transparency they would expect from other media. 

    “They may not realize that premium publishers have largely embraced mobile and are enabling direct sales of smartphone and tablet inventory just as they do for other media,” Ms. Perez said. “As such, mobile can be bought as an extension of a digital or traditional buy or purchased through a platform that enables completely transparent, direct buys across multiple publishers. 

    “When planning and budgeting for creative development, it's important to be familiar with the differences in mobile creative versus online,” she said. “A fundamental distinction is that most mobile devices don’t support Flash. 

    “That doesn't limit your ability to build interesting creative—on the contrary you can still create exceptionally rich ads for mobile with HTML5 and JavaScript—but it should be factored into the budget and plan.” 

    The mobile device’s support for touch instead of clicks is important to remember, per Ms. Perez. 

    Touch instead of click should be remembered within the ad copy, encouraging taps and not clicks.  

    Additionally, brands and marketers need to remember that the mobile world goes beyond just iOS. 

    “For all the buzz that iOS generates, brands and agencies should keep in mind that Android continues to gain market share – close to 50 percent of smartphone audiences, according to recent a Comscore Mobilens report – and represents a meaningful audience,” Ms. Perez said. 

    “An effective mobile ad strategy, then, should think beyond the limits of the iOS audience,” she said. 

    “Likewise, the ability to use one provider for both iOS and Android platforms, as well as mobile apps and Web sites, and smartphones and tablets makes the entire campaign process – from ad creation to delivery to the measurement of success – more efficient and cost-effective.” 
    Giselle Tsirulnik is deputy managing editor on Mobile Marketer and Mobile Commerce Daily. Reach her at giselle@mobilemarketer.com.

     http://www.linkedin.com/news?viewArticle=&articleID=5562451466188238849&gid=62503&type=member&item=88733179&articleURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mobilemarketer.com%2Fcms%2Fnews%2Fadvertising%2F11859.html&urlhash=reg-&goback=.gmp_62503.gde_62503_member_88733179

    Tuesday, January 10, 2012

    LinkedIn usage by country

    Here are the Stats for LinkedIn Usage by country. The information is at 5 April 2010 and was sourced from the AppAppeal website.
    SUMMARY – LinkedIn is very popular in South Africa and Nigeria in Africa.  In South Africa it is the most 11th most popular site in terms of average daily visitors and pageviews.
    • 9th most popular site in:
      Netherlands
    • 10th most popular site in:
      Ireland
    • 11th most popular site in:
      South Africa
      Israel
    • 12th most popular site in:
      the USA
      India
      Canada
      Pakistan
    • 13th most popular site in:
      United Kingdom
      Nigeria
      Denmark
    MORE DETAIL

    Netherlands

    LinkedIn is the 9th most popular site in Netherlands based on a combination of average daily visitors and pageviews. 3.5% of the LinkedIn users come from Netherlands and they generate 3.5% of the pageviews on LinkedIn.

    Ireland

    LinkedIn is the 10th most popular site in Ireland based on a combination of average daily visitors and pageviews. 0.7% of the LinkedIn users come from Ireland and they generate 0.8% of the pageviews on LinkedIn.

    South Africa and Israel

    LinkedIn is the 11th most popular site in South Africa and Israel based on a combination of average daily visitors and pageviews. 1.4% of the LinkedIn users come from South Africa and they generate 1.2% of the pageviews on LinkedIn. 0.6% of the LinkedIn users come from Israel and they generate 0.7% of the pageviews on LinkedIn.

    the USA, India, Canada, and Pakistan

    LinkedIn is the 12th most popular site in the USA, India, Canada, and Pakistan based on a combination of average daily visitors and pageviews. 37.9% of the LinkedIn users come from the USA and they generate 37.6% of the pageviews on LinkedIn. 10.4% of the LinkedIn users come from India and they generate 13.0% of the pageviews on LinkedIn. 3.2% of the LinkedIn users come from Canada and they generate 3.1% of the pageviews on LinkedIn. 1.2% of the LinkedIn users come from Pakistan and they generate 1.5% of the pageviews on LinkedIn.

    United Kingdom, Nigeria, and Denmark

    LinkedIn is the 13th most popular site in United Kingdom, Nigeria, and Denmark based on a combination of average daily visitors and pageviews. 6.9% of the LinkedIn users come from United Kingdom and they generate 7.4% of the pageviews on LinkedIn. 0.7% of the LinkedIn users come from Nigeria and they generate 0.6% of the pageviews on LinkedIn. 0.7% of the LinkedIn users come from Denmark and they generate 0.5% of the pageviews on LinkedIn.

    Australia

    LinkedIn is the 14th most popular site in Australia based on a combination of average daily visitors and pageviews. 2.0% of the LinkedIn users come from Australia and they generate 1.9% of the pageviews on LinkedIn.

    Spain and Belgium

    LinkedIn is the 16th most popular site in Spain and Belgium based on a combination of average daily visitors and pageviews. 3.0% of the LinkedIn users come from Spain and they generate 3.3% of the pageviews on LinkedIn. 0.6% of the LinkedIn users come from Belgium and they generate 0.5% of the pageviews on LinkedIn.

    Italy

    LinkedIn is the 17th most popular site in Italy based on a combination of average daily visitors and pageviews. 3.3% of the LinkedIn users come from Italy and they generate 3.1% of the pageviews on LinkedIn.

    Sweden

    LinkedIn is the 21st most popular site in Sweden based on a combination of average daily visitors and pageviews. 0.8% of the LinkedIn users come from Sweden and they generate 0.6% of the pageviews on LinkedIn.

    Argentina

    LinkedIn is the 23rd most popular site in Argentina based on a combination of average daily visitors and pageviews. 0.8% of the LinkedIn users come from Argentina and they generate 0.8% of the pageviews on LinkedIn.

    Mexico

    LinkedIn is the 35th most popular site in Mexico based on a combination of average daily visitors and pageviews. 1.0% of the LinkedIn users come from Mexico and they generate 0.9% of the pageviews on LinkedIn.

    France and South Korea

    LinkedIn is the 37th most popular site in France and South Korea based on a combination of average daily visitors and pageviews. 2.2% of the LinkedIn users come from France and they generate 1.7% of the pageviews on LinkedIn. 0.6% of the LinkedIn users come from South Korea and they generate 0.8% of the pageviews on LinkedIn.

    Brazil

    LinkedIn is the 38th most popular site in Brazil based on a combination of average daily visitors and pageviews. 1.7% of the LinkedIn users come from Brazil and they generate 1.6% of the pageviews on LinkedIn.

    Germany

    LinkedIn is the 67th most popular site in Germany based on a combination of average daily visitors and pageviews. 2.1% of the LinkedIn users come from Germany and they generate 1.4% of the pageviews on LinkedIn.

    Russia

    LinkedIn is the 90th most popular site in Russia based on a combination of average daily visitors and pageviews. 1.1% of the LinkedIn users come from Russia and they generate 1.1% of the pageviews on LinkedIn.

    China

    LinkedIn is the 229th most popular site in China based on a combination of average daily visitors and pageviews. 1.5% of the LinkedIn users come from China and they generate 1.7% of the pageviews on LinkedIn.

    Japan

    LinkedIn is the 256th most popular site in Japan based on a combination of average daily visitors and pageviews. 0.8% of the LinkedIn users come from Japan and they generate 0.6% of the pageviews on LinkedIn.

    http://www.chessplains.com/2011/04/05/linkedin-usage-country/
    Based on Alexa traffic data, updated on 10 Jan 2012 at 10:43 GMT.

    Read the LinkedIn review or read the usage data of LinkedIn for the following 29 countries:

    Netherlands

    LinkedIn is the 7th most popular site in Netherlands based on a combination of average daily visitors and pageviews. 3.1% of the LinkedIn users come from Netherlands and they generate 3.1% of the pageviews on LinkedIn.

    India and Ireland

    LinkedIn is the 8th most popular site in India and Ireland based on a combination of average daily visitors and pageviews. 10.6% of the LinkedIn users come from India and they generate 13.2% of the pageviews on LinkedIn. 0.6% of the LinkedIn users come from Ireland and they generate 0.7% of the pageviews on LinkedIn.

    Belgium and Israel

    LinkedIn is the 9th most popular site in Belgium and Israel based on a combination of average daily visitors and pageviews. 0.9% of the LinkedIn users come from Belgium and they generate 0.8% of the pageviews on LinkedIn. 0.7% of the LinkedIn users come from Israel and they generate 0.9% of the pageviews on LinkedIn.

    Pakistan and Denmark

    LinkedIn is the 10th most popular site in Pakistan and Denmark based on a combination of average daily visitors and pageviews. 1.3% of the LinkedIn users come from Pakistan and they generate 2.2% of the pageviews on LinkedIn. 0.6% of the LinkedIn users come from Denmark and they generate 0.6% of the pageviews on LinkedIn.

    Canada and Nigeria

    LinkedIn is the 11th most popular site in Canada and Nigeria based on a combination of average daily visitors and pageviews. 3.3% of the LinkedIn users come from Canada and they generate 3.1% of the pageviews on LinkedIn. 0.8% of the LinkedIn users come from Nigeria and they generate 0.6% of the pageviews on LinkedIn.

    United Kingdom and South Africa

    LinkedIn is the 12th most popular site in United Kingdom and South Africa based on a combination of average daily visitors and pageviews. 6.3% of the LinkedIn users come from United Kingdom and they generate 6.5% of the pageviews on LinkedIn. 1.1% of the LinkedIn users come from South Africa and they generate 0.9% of the pageviews on LinkedIn.

    the USA, Spain, Portugal, and Singapore

    LinkedIn is the 13th most popular site in the USA, Spain, Portugal, and Singapore based on a combination of average daily visitors and pageviews. 32.5% of the LinkedIn users come from the USA and they generate 31.9% of the pageviews on LinkedIn. 3.6% of the LinkedIn users come from Spain and they generate 3.9% of the pageviews on LinkedIn. 0.6% of the LinkedIn users come from Portugal and they generate 0.6% of the pageviews on LinkedIn. 0.5% of the LinkedIn users come from Singapore and they generate 0.5% of the pageviews on LinkedIn.

    Italy and Australia

    LinkedIn is the 14th most popular site in Italy and Australia based on a combination of average daily visitors and pageviews. 3.8% of the LinkedIn users come from Italy and they generate 3.8% of the pageviews on LinkedIn. 1.8% of the LinkedIn users come from Australia and they generate 1.7% of the pageviews on LinkedIn.

    France and Argentina

    LinkedIn is the 16th most popular site in France and Argentina based on a combination of average daily visitors and pageviews. 3.5% of the LinkedIn users come from France and they generate 2.8% of the pageviews on LinkedIn. 1.1% of the LinkedIn users come from Argentina and they generate 1.2% of the pageviews on LinkedIn.

    Mexico and Sweden

    LinkedIn is the 19th most popular site in Mexico and Sweden based on a combination of average daily visitors and pageviews. 1.4% of the LinkedIn users come from Mexico and they generate 1.3% of the pageviews on LinkedIn. 0.7% of the LinkedIn users come from Sweden and they generate 0.5% of the pageviews on LinkedIn.

    Brazil

    LinkedIn is the 25th most popular site in Brazil based on a combination of average daily visitors and pageviews. 2.3% of the LinkedIn users come from Brazil and they generate 2.2% of the pageviews on LinkedIn.

    Germany and Indonesia

    LinkedIn is the 45th most popular site in Germany and Indonesia based on a combination of average daily visitors and pageviews. 2.0% of the LinkedIn users come from Germany and they generate 1.5% of the pageviews on LinkedIn. 0.6% of the LinkedIn users come from Indonesia and they generate 0.6% of the pageviews on LinkedIn.

    Turkey

    LinkedIn is the 52nd most popular site in Turkey based on a combination of average daily visitors and pageviews. 0.5% of the LinkedIn users come from Turkey and they generate 0.5% of the pageviews on LinkedIn.

    South Korea

    LinkedIn is the 60th most popular site in South Korea based on a combination of average daily visitors and pageviews. 0.6% of the LinkedIn users come from South Korea and they generate 0.9% of the pageviews on LinkedIn.

    Russia

    LinkedIn is the 85th most popular site in Russia based on a combination of average daily visitors and pageviews. 1.0% of the LinkedIn users come from Russia and they generate 0.9% of the pageviews on LinkedIn.

    Japan

    LinkedIn is the 121st most popular site in Japan based on a combination of average daily visitors and pageviews. 1.2% of the LinkedIn users come from Japan and they generate 1.0% of the pageviews on LinkedIn.

    China

    LinkedIn is the 262nd most popular site in China based on a combination of average daily visitors and pageviews. 1.1% of the LinkedIn users come from China and they generate 1.0% of the pageviews on LinkedIn.

    http://www.appappeal.com/maps/linkedin/

    LinkedIn: Pakistan makes it to Top 20 with More than 700,000 Member



    linkedin logo 1 thumb LinkedIn: Pakistan makes it to Top 20 with More than 700,000 MembersBy Jawwad Jafri of Converge Technologies
    LinkedIn, the World’s largest professional networking website has more than 700,000 members from Pakistan.
    This places Pakistan in the 18th spot just behind Sweden but ahead of Denmark and Philippines.
    Though the penetration rate is not sizable enough, but given the huge head count of Pakistani internet audience, Pakistan is easily placed as one of most populated communities on LinkedIn.
    While the growth of social mediums like Facebook and Twitter has often been analyzed and debated, LinkedIn continues to grow in Pakistani market without causing a major uproar.
    According to Alexa, LinkedIn is the 10th most visited website in Pakistan.
    linkedin Pakistan1 LinkedIn: Pakistan makes it to Top 20 with More than 700,000 Members
    Source: SocialBakers
    LinkedIn is helpful in multiple ways. Firstly, it helps people connect with their professional network without exposing their personal lives to everyone like on Facebook. Members can communicate with each other through private inbox messages.
    One great feature on LinkedIn is the Groups. While the concept of groups is nothing new, the quality of Groups on LinkedIn is far superior to other websites. Each specialty area has a niche group and if not you can always create one. Experts from around the world are available to help and guide each other which makes the experience extremely rewarding.
    Apart from the experience and learning for members, there are more perks of being a LinkedIn member. Headhunters are increasingly turning towards LinkedIn to screen and shortlist their candidates. The members who are highly active on Groups and establish themselves as “Subject Experts” get easily shortlisted. Also, the recommendations that each member accumulates for his past performances play a vital role in getting shortlisted by headhunters.
    The major competition for LinkedIn in Pakistan comes from Rozee.pk which is the 19th most visited website in Pakistan. Rozee.pk focuses only on job opportunities and is the favorite of local crowd when it comes to online job application.
    However, LinkedIn is emerging as a tough competitor even in this space. The power that LinkedIn has and Rozee.pk lacks comes from the professional network and recommendations that is the core of LinkedIn.
    For young professionals who are looking to move up the ladder in their career, LinkedIn is an extremely helpful resource which should not be ignored.
    http://propakistani.pk/2011/06/21/linkedin-pakistan-makes-it-to-top-20-with-more-than-700000-members/

    ‘3 million social journalists in country and gaining strength’

    By Amar Guriro
    KARACHI – Pakistan has over 3 million social journalists and the number is increasing with the passage of every day with 6.2 million users on microblogging site Twitter and over 4 million social network Facebook users already. This was observed by top bloggers, twitteraties, netizens and other experts from Pakistan, Indonesia and Egypt at Pakistan’s first international social media summit jointly organised by the US Consulat in Karachi, PC World, Intel, iRaffles Systems, Newsweek, CityFM89 and the Express Media Group.
    Apart from prominent Pakistani bloggers including Raza Rumi, Awab Alvi, Sana Saleem, Naveen Naqvi, A.J. Shirazi, Imtiaz Muhammad, Ali Abbas Zaidi, Shehrbano Taseer and Yasser Latif Hamadani, some international bloggers including Mohamed El Dahshan (Egypt), Hanny Kusumawati and Anandita Puspitasari (Indonesia), Rebecca Chia (Egypt) Ong Hock Chuan (Malaysia), Claire Diaz Ortiz (US) and Karim Osman (The Netherlands) also participated at the summit. Addressing on the occasion, US Consul General in Karachi William Martin said Pakistan is one of the fastest-growing Facebook- and Twitter-using nations in the world with the official data revealing that it is the ninth nation which uses Twitter the most.
    “There are over 4 million Facebook users here while the US Consulate Karachi’s Facebook page has over 30,000 fans,” he added. “The per capita internet-access rate in Pakistan is between 10 percent and 15 percent of the total population – more than double that of India and even at the most conservative estimates roughly 20 million Pakistanis are online – equivalent to the population of 4 Singapores.
    “Pakistan has a lively, active blogging community, where over 3 million citizen-journalists can freely report on and discuss any topic.
    “During the last year’s floods, I saw the social media network shining the light on this situation and many others,” said Martin. “The social media really does create a global village and it is an honour to be here with so many distinguished citizens. I am struck by the talent, the imagination and the commitment I see. You all validate, you all energise my enthusiasm, my optimism for this great nation Pakistan. From where I stand, the future looks bright. I see leaders and visionaries that will help realise the vast potential of the Pakistani people,” he said.
    Talking on press freedom in Pakistan, the US Consul General said the freedom was earned over time through the sacrifices of people especially the media community. “We must never forget the journalists who were killed or injured as they sought to report on the challenges facing us today. They have been as brave, as selfless as any soldier on the battlefield. I know that there are people here today that take extraordinary risks to enlighten us all of the truth. Nobody embodied this commitment more than Saleem Shehzad, who was senselessly murdered trying to pursue this truth. But there is no doubt that his work will continue and others will pick up the baton and carry on.
    Renowned journalist Kamal Siddiqi said that social media is the best platform where different social problems and taboos can be discussed easily, which are not being reported by the traditional media.
    “Recently the Pakistani media has started utilising citizen journalists and blogging on their websites,” he said, “I believe that social media will not disturb traditional media, but it will help the media to get information rapidly.”
    Sherbano Taseer said the social media has created an online arena where people can talk about the grievances about their governments – referring to the Arab uprising.
    “During the Japan earthquake and tsunami, for many people Twitter became the mode of sharing news with their family and others. Just imagine that the videos put up by common people in Japan followed by the tsunami received 17 million views in one night,” she added.
    On a question, Taseer said the social media is overtaking the print media in Pakistan.
    Different panel discussions under the title ‘Education and Good Governance: Going Digital’, ‘Women and Social Activism in the New Media Era’ and ‘Monetizing your Social Media Space’ were also held during the summit.
     http://amarguriro.com/%E2%80%983-million-social-journalists-in-country-and-gaining-strength%E2%80%99/354

    Twitter Revolution in Pakistan?

    Dramatic expansion of the nation's middle class in the last decade has spawned telecom and media revolutions in Pakistan. Number of radio stations, television channels, mobile phone subscribers and Internet users have all experienced unprecedented growth since the turn of the century.

    The level of Internet penetration is Pakistan is still low. In a population of 177 million, only 18.5 million (10.4 percent) are connected to the Internet, though government officials quote a slightly higher figure of 20 million. Although it's twice that of India's Internet penetration of about 5%, Pakistan's penetration percentage is less than those in Tunisia (33.4 percent) and Egypt (21.1 percent). However, Internet use in Pakistan is growing at a rapid rate, particularly in urban centers where 40% of the population lives, which are also home to the middle class which often forms the backbone of mass-scale uprisings. Mobile Internet use shot up 161 percent in 2010 alone.

    Pakistan figures prominently in the population of users of Facebook and Twitter, two of the most popular social networking sites.

    In terms of Facebook users in Asia, South Korea saw the largest increase of 65%, between March 01 2010 and June 01 2010. Other countries with double-digit growth rate are Thailand with 28.3%, India 27.7%, Japan 21%, Pakistan 12.9%, Malaysia 12.3%, and Vietnam 10.4%. Compared to figures extracted in March 2010, total Facebook users in Indonesia and Taiwan have shown decline, according to Grey Review.

    According to Alexa, Twitter.com is the number twelve website in the world. It also ranks at number twelve in the United States. Outside the United States, Twitter is the eighth largest website in South Africa. The United Kingdom, Pakistan, and the Philippines all have Twitter as their tenth largest website, according to The Next Web.

    Pakistan saw the beginnings of online civil and political activism in 2008-2009 when the lawyers, according to Woodrow Wilson Center's scholar Huma Yusuf, "used chat forums, YouTube videos, Twitter feeds, and blogs to organize the Long March, publicize its various events and routes, and ensure that citizen reporting live from the march itself can be widely circulated to counter the government-influenced coverage of the protest on mainstream media outlets (such as state-owned radio and private news channels relying on government-issue licenses".

    With Pakistan's youth bulge and rapid growth in online user population, it is natural to ask if an Egyptian or Tunisian style youth-led revolution is on the horizon in the South Asian nation? Can the current disgust with the the failed political, military and intelligence establishment catalyze a mass youth uprising against the established order?
     http://www.defence.pk/forums/current-events-social-issues/108901-twitter-revolution-pakistan.html

    Monday, January 9, 2012

    Mobile App Use Blowing Away Web Surfing

    Mobile use According to a recent blog post by Application Analytics Company Flurry, mobile app use has grown an amazing 91% in just one year (2010-2011). Overtaking web surfing, both desktop and mobile, mobile apps are now the go-to for digital content acquisition.
    Compared to the web mobile applications are still fairly new. Not quite out of their toddler years in technology timelines, they have cut their teeth on the more than 1.08 billion smart phone users worldwide, launching growth that is annihilating that of any web-based medium previously.
    The conclusion of Flurry’ s reporting is that people in the US “like to have their content targeted and served directly” (Flurry). With that in mind, there is only one question left to ask. Is your brand mobile?
     ~ Michelle Casey, Account Manager 
     http://www.linkedin.com/news?viewArticle=&articleID=903838865&gid=62503&type=member&item=79901668&articleURL=http%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2FrQChzI&urlhash=vitd&goback=.gde_62503_member_79901668

    Generating Leads Through LinkedIn

    So what can LinkedIn do for you and how can you start generating leads?

    Before I venture into some of the lead generating activity suggestions, please spend some time on your profile and settings. Make sure that your profile is complete, that you are incorporating keywords in your titles and descriptions, and above all, make sure that you describe yourself in a way that clearly delivers the value in knowing you!

    1. Grow your network: LinkedIn has tools that connect directly with Outlook and has the ability to search other email accounts to see who you know already on LinkedIn. If you don't connect your email program, at least perform a monthly check for new contacts in your database for who is on LinkedIn.

    Tip: Every time you go to an event carry a small envelope with the date and name of the event. Place all the cards you collect into that envelope and when you get back to your office start reaching out to those people to connect and use a personalized message such as 'it was great meeting you yesterday at the EVENT, I would love to stay in touch and see how we might be of service to one another."

    2. Updates: there is a feature much like Twitter and Facebook that allows you to post an update that will show up on your profile and in network updates to your connections. Use it wisely.

    3. Introductions: Give them, ask for them. The idea of 6 degrees of separation is made apparent on LinkedIn. If there is a contact at a particular company you seek, by searching on LinkedIn you will discover who you already know that knows who you want to know. Introductions make a cold call a warm call and a faster track to closing a sale.

    4. Get Visible: LinkedIn provides updates to members you are connected with. Some people adjust their updates to daily, some weekly but the point is that delivered to your connection's inbox are updates and you should find ways to have your name show up in those updates. Read on for some suggestions on how to accomplish this.

    5. Referrals: say thanks to someone - a vendor, partner, even a customer - for a job well done or just acknowledging some special talent or skill that had a positive impact. Chances are they will reciprocate. And don't be shy about asking customers to write a recommendation but be careful to ask only those who have actually worked with you and can speak to your professional brilliance.

    6. Groups: join groups that are relevant to your business and interests and that you can contribute to meaningfully. Groups where your prospects participate are a good place to start. Much like real life, hanging out with the right people is a solid step toward successful connections.

    7. Books: LinkedIn provides the opportunity to mention what you are reading or have read with a short blurb regarding the book. I could write volumes on why this is a pivotal tool but for now just let me say that sharing this information is a really good idea.

    8. Events: the events feature on LinkedIn lets you browse what is happening and in some cases, people will actually make notation that they are attending. You might just find that the person you are trying to meet will be at an event in your area.

    9. Slideshare: has expanded to not just power point decks but now includes video and other documents. This is a great way to show off some of that industry specific knowledge that no one knows you have.

    10. Blogs: LinkedIn can automatically pull in your blog posts. If you would like to grow your reader base, or just keep your contacts in the know with the great material you are providing through your blog, don't forget to activate this feature.

    How You Can Use LinkedIn to Get Success in Your Business and Professional Career? Why You Should Use It? Watch this Free Presentation at: http://LinkedinSuccess.org

     http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Generating-Leads-Through-LinkedIn-50556.S.87941264?view=&gid=50556&type=member&item=87941264&trk=eml-anet_dig-b_nd-pst_ttle-cn

    Sunday, January 8, 2012

    You Don’t Have to be a Genius to
    Master Internet Marketing

    image of Albert EinsteinSomething tells us you’re just … well … smarter than most people looking to market online.
    You’re not interested in lame “get rich quick” schemes. You’re not looking for a magical silver bullet that involves no work, no time, and no sense.
    In other words, you don’t have to be Einstein to “get” this stuff. But you’d have to be an idiot to believe some of the stuff peddled by traditional Internet marketing “gurus.”

    Introducing Internet Marketing for Smart People

    Here’s what we’ve got for you:
    • A systematic, simple way to understand and implement effective online marketing.
    • A clear tutorial approach to the “Copyblogger method” of creating a profitable online business or marketing your offline business online.
    • An organized reference guide to the “best of the best” that’s appeared on Copyblogger over the years, and how it all fits together.
    Internet Marketing for Smart People is a free 20-part course and ongoing email newsletter. Join over 61,000 smart people today.

    The four pillars of online marketing success

    Copyblogger has been delivering free online marketing advice for nearly 6 years, and we’ve found four themes that keep coming up.
    So we created a series that works through these four themes, systematically introducing you to the most important concepts we think every online marketer must know about. It’s a 20-part course in Internet marketing that prepares you for the more in-depth newsletter content that follows (still all free).
    These are the cornerstones of how to build and market a business with the Copyblogger model, using everything we’ve learned over the years. Ready?

    Pillar 1: Relationships

    Creating strong relationships with an audience is critical to everything we do here. Rather than constantly hunting down new customers, we’d much rather create a valued environment that benefits our existing readers and customers and keeps pulling them back. We don’t advertise in the traditional sense; instead, our readers do a great job of “spreading the word” for us.
    It’s about having consummate respect, always, for your audience and your market.
    It’s about focusing almost obsessively on their needs, over and above your own (and getting what you want, almost magically, in the process).
    It’s about making a commitment to creating a quality experience for your readers and subscribers.

    Pillar 2: Direct response copywriting

    We certainly stay abreast of the latest social media trends (and sometimes create them), but underlying everything we do here is solid copywriting techniques.
    Starting with a killer headline and moving strategically through the copy to a stirring call to action, traditional copywriting technique works amazingly well in social media.
    “Old-fashioned” copywriting advice can make all the difference between a business or blog that limps along and one that truly thrives.
    We’ll show you precisely what we mean in the initial issues of the newsletter.

    Pillar 3: Content marketing

    What’s the backbone of the Copyblogger formula?
    Deliver great content.
    Then keep delivering great content, but in a strategic and focused way.
    Every once in awhile, make a great offer that benefits the reader and involves the exchange of cash money.
    Of course, we’ll give you some more specifics on how to do that once you’re on board.

    Pillar 4: Have something worth selling

    Everyone is selling something. It might be a product, a service, a download, an idea, or a worthy cause.
    Whatever you’re selling, it’s got to be worth the price. (And never forget that reader attention is a valuable commodity that’s in strictly limited supply.)
    Whether you’re asking for dollars, euros, yen, or valuable time and attention, you’ve got to deliver something that towers above your asking price.

    Bringing it all together

    Each of these four pillars enhances the others. Together, they’re much stronger than they would be if any of the pillars were missing.
    Internet Marketing for Smart People is a free 20-part course and ongoing newsletter that’s delivered via email. Each week you’ll get a new lesson on one of the four pillars.
    You’ll get lots of pointers to archived Copyblogger content, but with a new frame that will help you “connect the dots” and start putting this advice to work in your own business. Of course, our advice will be supplemented and ever-evolving as the Internet marketing space changes (which is fast).
    To make it work even better, we’ll also be including “behind the scenes” lessons that show you how we put our own marketing systems and launches together, and the role each piece plays.

    What next?

    It’s very important to us that everyone receiving Internet Marketing for Smart People truly wants the newsletter, so we’ll need you to confirm that you want to receive it by clicking a link in an email you’ll receive after signing up.
    So check your inbox and put us on your white list… because thanks to some less-than-ethical internet marketers, our topic is sometimes viewed with suspicion by the major email services.
    And of course we’re never going to rent, sell, or otherwise share the information we collect. That would pretty much be a violation of everything we stand for.
     http://www.copyblogger.com/imfsp/