Internet Marketing Resources You Can't Live Without

In today's post I wanted to provide some insight into the information sources I use on a regular basis to stay on top of what's happening in Internet marketing.

I often get questions from my associates and like minded individuals in search of reliable information. There are a few resources that I like to use on a regular basis and describe each of them in this post.

If you want to stay on top of all aspects of online marketing, a good way to do so is via targeted media. The online marketing industry, specifically Internet marketing and Search Engine optimization have a variety of resources that can give you timely information. Some of my favorite are:

Media

Webmaster Radio

Webmaster Radio is an Internet-based radio station that has really good programming that covers Pay Per Click maketing, to affiliate programs, to search engine optimization. Shows are hosted by experts in each niche like Danny Sullivan who covers search news to other 'big names' across the industry. A great feature is that you can listen throughout your day or simply download the podcasts for later listening on your ipod or listening device.

WebProNews

Wow... they have a lot of information and some great column writers that you are going to want to learn more about. WebProNews provides timely information on virtually every event. They have reporters writing constantly and have other scoring SEO blogs and other news sources, compiling the information in one place for easy access. They also have great articles by third-party writers and a very active readership that is proactive in their commenting. Definitely near the top of my go-to list when I'm looking for news and current feedback.

Search Engine Watch

When it comes to search, Search Engine Watch has been around since the beginning. SEW provides everything from search related articles to updated news stories related to what's going on in search. Be sure to visit and bookmark this site.

Blogs

As with many industries - blogs are a great way to keep informed on the latest goings-on in the SEO realm. The trick, however, is figuring out which blogs are worth reading and which authors are truly knowledgeable. Over the years I've read many blogs and to be honest - I still do. Below are some of the key blogs I reference on a regular basis.

The Marketing Blog

If you're reading this post than obviously you've found The Marketing Blog. Although I have experience with everything from Advertising to Trade Shows, my passion is Internet marketing. Here you'll find all you need to know about Internet marketing, SEO, PPC, and much more.

Matt Cutts Blog

If you haven't heard of Matt, you will. He's one of the most outspoken Google associates - attending SEO conferences and speaking about the Google Algorithm. Officially, Matt Cutts is the head of Google's Webspam team. His blog covers Google, technology, and some personal posts. Even though he doesn't give away the farm, Matt does reveal some great insights into Google search.

SEOmoz Blog

SEO expert Rand Fishkin provide research, news and SEO tips on a regular basis. From op-eds to SEO whitepapers the SEOmoz Blog provides useful information and even has a great feature called Whiteboard Friday's where you can get some great SEO advice.

Forums

Forums are a great place to tap into industry experts and get questions answered quickly and easily. I was a little fearful of using forums in the past but have found them to be one of my most valuable assets for Internet marketing and SEO. The other great thing about forums is that once you build up expertise in a certain area, you can share what you know with those just starting out.

The Internet Marketing Forum

This forum is my latest project and is set to be released from Beta in the next 30 days. The beauty of this forum is that it was created by my marketing team in search of answers to their most difficult questions and from readers like you with questions and the need for expert advice. Registration costs nothing and gives you access to some of the best Marketing, Internet marketing, SEO, and PPC experts around. If you're not already an inaugural member, sign up today.

SEO Chat Forums

The SEO chat forums are really the most popular of SEO forums out there. Each covers a broad set of topics from Google to Social Media.

DigitalPoint Forums

DigitalPoint has been around for a while and again covers many of the same topics as found in the Internet marketing forum and SEO Chat Forums. Some users well known but overall the forum serves as a good place to ask questions and get them answered.

Newsletters & Other Resources

In addition to the above mentioned resources, other resources that are helpful in the area of SEO include:

Google Webmaster Tools And Guidelines

If you're not already familiar with Google Webmaster Tools and Guidelines, than I suggest you check it out. Not only are the webmaster tools essential for uploading your sitemap to Google and getting noticed, but the guidelines are helpful for knowing best practices.

High Rankings Newsletter

Not being a fan of newsletter in general, I rarely read them. However, I have found this newsletter to be helpful when trying to stay on top of changes in SEO and more importantly, accessing real case studies associated with Internet marketing. In short, it provides great advice and helps you stay on top of search marketing.

Conclusion
There are literally thousands of resources online for marketing, Internet marketing, and SEO. The resources I mention above are just a few that I use to stay on top of my game. The key is to always be on the lookout for new and valuable resources that you can learn from. Internet marketing is continually evolving - so should you.

How To Use eZineArticles To Promote Your Articles And Build Backlinks

After last week's video on article marketing, I received a lot of comments and questions about article marketing. One of the most popular questions is where you should be submitting your articles and how to write them. If you are looking for a really good article creator, I suggest you go to an article software review website like Culzee.com and read their reviews. Once you've created an article and are ready to begin submitting to directories, you can use a piece of software or start with the most popular directories like eZineArticles.com. Ezines, GoArticles.com, and other top directories work like a mall.

Webmasters in search of content visit these article directories in order to find fresh content for their websites and blogs. When they publish the content, it appears on site with your author information. Your author box should always include links back to your website or blog - this is article marketing at its best.

In this video, I spend a few minutes showing you how to sign up at one of the leading article directories on the Internet. Once you've opened an account, you can quickly and easily go through the article submission process. Follow me as I show you how to submit an article on EzineArticles.com step-by-step. As you submit articles you'll be developing valuable backlinks from the article directory itself and every time your article is used by a webmaster on a different website or blog.

If you're not article marketing, get started now. Watch this video and start the article marketing process!

Shutterstock: A Case Study Of How One Company Is Using Twitter To Grow Their Business

On my never-ending quest to find individuals and companies succeeding with Social Media I hit a goldmine. In a single word, Shutterstock. In today's post I share how one company, in a VERY crowded space, is dominating the niche with Twitter!

Shutterstock is a microstock company, which means that photographers upload their photos to the site, which in turns sells them to graphic designers, news agencies, marketers, pretty much anyone who needs stock imagery. The photographers receive a commission every time one of their images is sold. Basically it's crowdsourcing, as Shutterstock outsources the task of taking stock photos to the general public.

There are several of these microstock companies aside from Shutterstock; other ones include iStockphoto, Dreamstime, Fotolia, Big Stock Xchang, etc. When Twitter started blowing up, around six months ago, all these companies tried to stake a presence on this glitzy new social media platform. So far, Shutterstock appears to have been the most successful. Why?

1. Right from the start, Shutterstock identified their audience and offered them exactly what they wanted: free, useful stuff. In this case, Shutterstock's audience was comprised mainly of graphic designers and photographers, so Shutterstock began to post free vectors and images every week on its Twitter account, as well as links to Shutterstock generated articles containing photography tips, Photoshop and Illustrator tutorials, etc.

2. Shutterstock began to actively engage people who mentioned their service in their Tweets; every week Shutterstock responded to @shutterstock comments, to either offer technical advice, voice appreciation or ameliorate concerns. Doing this, and doing this in a specific, casual tone, made Shutterstock's followers feel like they had a direct pipeline into the company.

3. Many bloggers use Shutterstock as an image source for their blogs, so Shutterstock began to Tweet each blog post by an influential blogger that featured a Shutterstock image. Since bloggers are really the rockstars of Twitter, with a devoted readership base, this helped channel new people to Shutterstock, and also demonstrated that respectable bloggers used the service. Basically, Shutterstock used Twitter to network with popular bloggers.

4. This one's important! Shutterstock went back through its site and embedded link buttons to Twitter and Facebook throughout all of the site's pages. This way, whenever anyone new signed up to the site, or uploaded an image or collected a payment, their was a little button that they could click on that automatically made them a Facebook fan/Twitter follower of Shutterstock.

5. On top of all this, Shutterstock designed a simple and imaginative application for their photo submitters could called Shuttertweet. This application sends out a Tweet from a Shutterstock photographer's Twitter account once a day announcing their sales and accepted images. Since many Shutterstock photographers are looking to promote their portfolios, this was an attractive service that many photographers signed up for. Now, with @shutterstock appearing in so many people's news feeds, Shutterstock is channeling more interest than ever.

At this stage of the Twitter craze, the number of followers of each of the major stock image services seem to tell the tale:

Shutterstock:11,194
Istock:2,198
Getty Images: 1,218
Dreamstime:754
Fotolia: 223
Big Stock Photo: 168
stockxchng: 137

Shutterstock has created a vibrant Twitter community that continues to experience an accelerated rate of growth. The only question now is to see how this will translate for the company's bottom line which will no doubt benefit from the added traffic, exposure, and social media success they are experiencing!

Article Marketing Made Simple

Article marketing. Can it really do what everyone says it can? Are you using article marketing as part of your overall marketing strategy? I've been a big fan of article marketing since 2004 when I launched my first marketing web sites.

In this brief video, I show you the effect of article marketing on my overall search engine rankings and traffic for my main web site as well as share my review of top article marketing software packages. If you want to save time and get significant results, than be sure to check out Culzee.com for free article marketing information.

How To Use Twitter.. Start Marketing!

Last night I was up until about 1:30am in the morning, reading all the comments and emails I receive each week across my many web sites and blogs.. What's great about the marketing community is that we're not shy about asking questions!

I couldn't believe the divide between those using Twitter and those not using today's biggest social media web site. So I took a few minutes out of my schedule to provide you with a step-by-step video on signing up for Twitter and show you my favorite tool for managing my account. If you don't have an account, sign up at Twitter today. If you'd like to see a sample of my account or want to begin following, check out my Twitter page @mfleischner. If you'd like more videos on how to use Twitter for marketing purposes, let me know!