What really makes content king?

We have often heard the phrase - 'Content is King'. Yet, if we were to take a look at many websites mushrooming on internet, we will find boring and same repetitive content in many of them. People need to realise that the need of good content is not only to keep the visitors hooked but also to promote your website. This write-up will try and analyse what actually makes content so important for all on internet.

Search engine optimisation (SEO) writing has undergone a change in past few years. Unlike earlier, when search engines use to read the META tags for keywords and descriptions, now various search engines like Google go through the whole web page to generate matches. This makes it imperative to include keywords and key phrases in whole of the content intelligently. This goes on to show that more content one has, more chances are there to rank high on search result. And, ultimately, this is what we all are working towards- to be on the first page of a search.

Good content doesn’t stop here! Original, informative and engrossing content will make other websites link to your content. This will bring in more visitors to your site and also boost your ranking on Google, which counts links to your site. This will surely go a long way in making your website popular with your visitors. Good content will ensure that your website is not only able to survive among the millions of other websites but also create its own niche.

Good content will act like honey. It will attract visitors with its sweet smell and keep them stuck to the website with engrossing content. Simply put, good content will ensure that visitors will stay longer on your site and also return more often.

Providing informative articles will also help in establishing you as an expert, which will increase your credibility and build your rapport too. This will ultimately help in converting the visitors to potential customers. Quality content can also act as PR tool. It will help in creating your expert image in the eye of the media. Your articles will help in projecting you as a resource or the media and will also facilitate in building key relationships.

Remember, all SEO content submitted by you is indexed by the search engines. For this, the content must have proper meta-tags, title, optimization, and submission. This will increasing your keyword coverage and will keep you on top of every search.

Another benefit that good content will offer is that the website may get listed in human-edited directories such as Yahoo!, Open Directory, and About.com. This will give you immense visibility!

Another way of getting free exposure to the exact market demographic you are targeting is through article syndication. This is one by offering your articles to other sites. Now, this is possible only when the articles offer good content!

All these benefits only point to the fact that content is definitely the undisputed king of online world.

Mobile VAS and security concerns

From playing games to reading news headlines, and from surfing the Internet to checking bank balance, value added services offered by service providers today have transformed the mere phone to a sophisticated device. With the advent of 3G, the usage of VAS is only going to increase. Apart from the benefits, this may also expose end users and mobile networks to greater security threats.

Among the fastest growing mobile market in the world, India has become the 5th country to have crossed the 100 million mark in subscriber base. Mobile phones are no more the mere communication tool of yesteryears. With a wide range of value added services offered by service providers today, they have actually become an extension of the persona of the user.

Although, both end users and service providers stand to gain from the increase in the usage of VAS but there are many security concerns that threaten this fastest growing telecom segments. There is still less awareness and commitment on the part of service providers to come up with concrete steps to tackle these concerns. This can be attributed to the fact that it is still an upcoming segment of the telecom industry.

Mobile virus is a security threat that most mobile users, operators, and handset producers are not aware of. This could be because the problem has been limited in scale so far. Mobile viruses can be disastrous for both network operators as well as end users. The first such mobile virus attack was recorded way back in 2005.

The probability of an attack has increased manifolds as users now increasing store sensitive information on their mobile devices. With mobile transactions gaining popularity in India, attacks such as phishing, pharming, and Trojan have also increased. Attack on data networks has also been witnessed over the past few years. 3G services will only make the scenario worst by opening up a wide range of opportunities for all those who will be the part of telecom network. Customers will have access to services such as data search, GPRS based services, including m-newspaper, mobile locater, picture downloads, Java enabled content and games, m-commerce etc. Along with the increased penetration of m-commerce it will also make it possible for unsocial elements to perform malicious activities in numerous ways. They may try and extort money from mobile operators by rendering the network unusable or acquire subscriber information with the aim to lay hands on their billing and credit card information. Today, subscribers are also confronted with the danger of someone taking control of their device using Bluetooth, which will give complete access to all their information.

It is important for all in the telecom system to wake up to these threats that are looming large over the horizon and take appropriate steps well in time. This will call for proper architecture and cooperation from the security ecosystem. It should be the priority for every enterprise to develop a core strategy to tackle this challenge while retaining the customer's trust.

Youth & Brand Building…

India will witness youth advantage over others, likes of China, America, Europe, etc,  and being tech savvy youth, it’s important to understand the strength, however equally need to acknowledge the impact or adversary effect will this have on marketing or the brand plans. Younger generation as commonly witnessed by all of us – are though nuclear but are more connected than any of their predecessors.

And here is the challenge …firstly to reach out to the consumer and customer that are fragmented and at the places or property(s) of “their” visit and secondly…to keep the brand message consistent on all means of communication, be it facebook, twitter, TV, newspaper, etc.  Hence it has transpired into greater challenges for brand managers purely with the share volume of communication channels | means in existence now. Of course, with many countries and markets that marketer is dealing with does make things more bad. Though I have to admit that this (digital marketing) has given us the true sense of the word “Segmentation”….provide we do our math or analysis right.

While marketers are taking initial steps to venture into the deep blue sea of digital outreach, from the desktop, to the laptop, and now simply the mobile... digital marketing trends across real-life and virtual boundaries are closing in. Digital marketing trends have moved from the already-erstwhile web browser utility to the efficiency of the mobile browser. What with the mobile phone picking up as a prime source of information exchange especially in countries like India, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, etc where most of the information exchange in most parts of the country happens over a mobile device. Equally recent years has kicked off to a greater start with marketing taking a leap towards collective wisdom and reliance on positive social networking with Social Media Marketing. Though this also proved to be a challenge for marketers and brand manager - as living in a reactionary society, most of our actions are reaction to the stimuli leading most marketers worry about how people will react (as any person with a page or blog has turned into a critic) to their presence on any social media network or its initiatives. Hence, it has become imperative for brand manager to exercise caution and enough homework before venturing into the deep blue.

Over the recent years digital marketing trends have picked up like no other. It has been a humble but efficient beginning. Though each year has seen a whole new twist to the digital marketing tale, and coming years will bring more chaos than ever for marketers or brand manager all across. But I actually feel (with whatever marketing experience that I have) that we are still in the initial discovery or educatory phase of new age marketing.

Before I get carried on….would like to summarize that while we emphasize on brand building, it’s would be evident to acknowledge and analyze the new age communication radar to achieve an intuitive and collective | universal brand building exercise.

Who's Blogging What About Social Media in 2010

Where is social media going? Find out what 30 top marketing bloggers predict for social media in 2010. The "Who's Blogging What" ebook brings together the responses from numerous bloggers including Ann Handley (MarketingProfs), Mitch Joel (Six Pixels of Separation), Paul Dunay (Buzz Marketing for Technology), and Mike Volpe (HubSpot). Hear what they had to say about:

• What to expect in social media in 2010?
• What benchmarks can marketers use to measure social media ROI?
• How do you separate hype from reality in social media marketing?

Also recommended view and read of "How to Use Social Media for Lead Generation" video and ebook when you download the Who's Blogging What ebook and learn how to start leveraging social media for your business.

Download the free ebook: Who's Blogging What About Social Media in 2010

 

Happy Reading,

Mobile Broadband in 2011

Indians have many hopes from the emerging 3G and WiMAX scenario that promise high speed mobile broadband services. How successful will it be and what will the scene of mobile broadband in India in 2011?

If figures are any indication, then a report by leading global IT research and advisory firm Gartner says that by the end of 2011 India will have 6.9 Million mobile and fixed WiMAX connections. The flipside is that this report also points out that due to low PC penetration in India there will be a limited demand for WiMAX. This will make WiMAX a niche technology limited to enterprise and high-end residential users in urban India.

This fact is further strengthened by the fact that in January 2008 India had only 3.4 million broadband subscribers as against the 9 million targeted by 2007 by the broadband policy.

The high hopes of Indian masses is based on the way the Indian government is strongly promoting WiMAX as a technology to connect the country with broadband services. Although, if we look at the mobile broadband framework of our country, we can easily see that a nationwide rollout of WiMAX is not a near possibility due to the costs involved. This has acted as a demotivator for operators from rolling out country-wide mobile broadband.

By 2011, the Government can work through bringing WiMAX broadband to rural centres in villages including schools and hospitals. From these access points, individual access can then be made available via a Wi-Fi mesh. This will help achieve higher degree of rural penetration as envisioned by our government. Where urban areas are concerned, WiMAX will offer mobile and semi-mobile broadband to consumers.

3G or WiMAX

The future mobile broadband access market share between 3G and WiMAX will greatly depend on the timeline and bandwidth of 3G and WiMAX licenses. The mobile broadband scene in 2011 will greatly depend on spectrum allocation, ecosystem, and the timeliness of WiMAX and 3G licenses.

On comparison, though, 3G has an upper hand than WiMAX in terms of mobile broadband services. 3G will offer higher processing speeds and make it possible for consumers to use new kinds of value-added services. Adding new dimensions to mobile broadband, 3G will offer everything from mobile banking, micro finance to services providing useful information to farmers and safety information to fishermen. 3G will also enhance the mobile broadband experience of a business laptop user by enabling roaming across heterogeneous networks through single integrated USB/integrated modems.

A Rare picture of Mahatma Gandhi facing his assassin with gun.

It was hanging in a Bombay tailor shop for over 60 years and came to light now.

The words are in Marathi, translated below:
(Heading)
Last moments of the Father of the Nations
Memories preserved for 37 years by a tailor
---------
(Narration)
This is a rare picture of the moment when 37 years ago Nathuram Godse shot and assasinated the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi. This picture was then published in an English newspaper. Mr.Jabbar Khan, owner of Noble Tailors, Dadiseth Road, Girgaum Chowpati, Mumbai had framed and kept the picture in his shop to preserve memories of that historic moment. Our correspondent Ghanshyam Bhadekar made Herculean efforts to obtain a copy of the picture. 70 year old Jabbar Khan is a famous tailor of the olden days. He has been awarded Certificates of Commendation by former Governors Shriprakash, Sadiq Khan, Abdul Latif, Konda Madhav Reddy as well as former CM Antuley.

10 Key Strategies to Get Motivated

Sometimes motivation is a problem. It’s hard to get going. To get inspired. Especially when there is an overabundance of negative news or negativity in your work environment.

What to do?

When the problem is motivation, you need some time-tested tools to help you get going. Here are 10 key strategies for motivation I have found helpful:

1. See the end in mind.

You need to know when you’re done and you need to know what good looks like. You might not have the perfect map, but at least know your destination. Be able to see it in your mind’s eye. A good test is if you can draw your vision or quickly tell others what you’re trying to accomplish. It’s easier to keep going when you can see the finish line. It’s also easier to keep going if you like where you’re going. You can correct course easier if you know you’re getting closer or further to your destination.

2. Make it meaningful.

Have a purpose. Having a compelling purpose is a key to driving results. Sometimes, it’s as simple as redefining your purpose because your original purpose isn’t working. Use the right metaphor. Frame it in a compelling way. Redefine it. Is it a mountain or a molehill? Are you on a mission? Sometimes all it takes is the right emotional picture word to give new meaning to your activity.

3. Use pain and pleasure to get leverage on yourself.

Make it painful to not do it. Make it pleasurable to do it. Find a way to enjoy it. It’s not discipline. It’s passion. It’s not about militant discipline—it’s about finding ways to enjoy the things that are good for you. Link it to pleasure. Change how you feel about the stuff you do. Don’t assume you’ll automatically like something over time. Reward yourself in the moment. Learn to like it. One of the simplest ways to enjoy it is switching your mindset. Master your craft. Make it a game. Use selective intolerance. Spend more time with your catalysts and avoid the drains. This means avoiding draining activities and spending less time with people that take your energy away. Instead, spend your time in activities that make you stronger. Spend time with people that give you energy. Play to your strengths. Follow your passions.

4. Master self-discipline.

Flex your self-discipline muscles. Some things are a trade … pay me now or pay me later. Self-discipline is often about trading pleasure now for pleasing results later. Make resistance your friend. Don’t let resistance defeat you. Make resistance your friend. It makes you stronger. It just has to be the right resistance. If you know you’re growing, it’s easier to keep going.

5. Make it a routine.

It’s not discipline. It’s routine.Don’t make yourself work too hard each time.

Use checklists to improve.

Focus on the learning.

Master your craft.

Bootstrap your routines.

6. Set boundaries.

Set a quota. You can limit the amount you do. Use timeboxing and timeboxes. You can use time boundaries to limit or compartmentalize pain. For example, let’s say you have a bunch of activities that drain you. Consolidate and batch them for an hour in the morning to get them out of the way. You can also use timeboxes to sprint for short bursts. Fix time for eating, sleeping and working out. Have a fixed time for eating, sleeping and working out. This is an extremely common success pattern. The sum of establishing these three routines is more than the parts. These three activities support each other. Having a routine for them, helps you learn your energy patterns. Your body learns what to expect. Sometimes, what you think is a motivation issue, is really a lack of sleep. Sometimes it’s simply because you don’t eat at regular intervals and you lose energy. Working out often helps people sleep better and eat better.

7. Build momentum.

Start with something simple. Do your worst things first and get them out of the way. Set incremental hurdles. Success builds momentum.Don’t create your own walls that you can’t scale.

One of the simplest ways to break the pattern is to start with something simple, and get success. Incremental success becomes a habit.

8. Take action.

Motivation often follows action.Sometimes action doesn’t always work out the way you want it to. But without action … there will be no action.

You’ll also find that if you put in your hours, you’ll have more changes for inspiration moments.

Better yet, you set yourself up for taking advantage of those inspiration moments when they occur.

9. Reward your effort over your performance.

You can control your effort.You can’t control your results. Focus on rewarding your effort versus your performance.

By focusing on what you control, you teach yourself to give your best, independent of the outcome. This sets you up for more positive outcomes.

10. Pair up.

One of the most effective ways to find your motivation is to team up with somebody. Find somebody who complements your strengths. For example, if you’re a starter, find a finisher. If you’re a maximizer, find a simplifier. It also helps to find somebody who’s been there or done that for whatever you’re trying to accomplish. Their experience can save you a lot of wasted time or energy. It’s also easier to buy into a plan if you know it’s based on what works. That in itself is motivating.

Courtesy – Tom Nies

Social Space….The Uncharted territory.

Wikipedia Explains Social Media as a media designed to be disseminated through social interaction, created using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques. Social media supports the human need for social interaction with technology, transforming broadcast media monologues (one to many) into social media dialogues (many to many). It supports the democratization of knowledge and information, transforming people from content consumers into content producers. Businesses also refer to social media as user-generated content (UGC) or consumer-generated media (CGM).

Or let me put it in a simpler ways - Social media is content created by people using highly accessible and scalable publishing technologies

The definition of Social Media could be as simple or as complex as we want. But its ability to achieve or disseminate a content is un-doubtfully behemothic or in simply HUGE. One of the recent reports by Nielsen Online suggest that Time Spent on Social Networking in U.S. increases by 83 Percent; Facebook Leads, top 10 sites’ list revealed.

It could be corporate’s that wants to leverage this new format or now in the “digital time span” medium age marketing to attract new or retain old customers. Aaron Uhrmacher provides 35+ Examples of Corporate Social Media in Action. Irene Lizarraga provides examples of beauty sites in the social media space, building awareness about Swine Flu or most importantly Kareem’s friend trying to use this medium to free Kareen out through http://www.freekareem.org/.

Social Media can offer help to all, provided you know how to gracefully accept it. But then is this means that it is for all and can be done by all. To that I would say that it is certainly for all but cannot be used by all. Examples of Social Media Disasters are all over the Internet, in every forum, in every group, and probably in every digital space. But then I would say to that what I learnt in my mountaineering days could be implied for social - “You tend to make mistake when you enter an uncharted territory, but then don’t make such where you loose your life”.

Social Media is not a process, it’s a believe of marketer that plan to venture into this uncharted territory that would provide reaping benefits but offers a gigantic valley full of illusions(s) or mirage. Hence don’t learn the traits of social media, learn and believe in social media. It’s a climb of K2, you cannot afford to venture out without preparations. I encounter situations where we may believe its working, but then is it actually doing what it promised or are we looking through our illusionary glasses. The best part of digital media is that - its biggest strength of monitoring the space has become its biggest weakness – we don't know how effectively monitor it, and of course Social media carry the same genetic code.

Hence it’s important to you to analyze that Which Social Media Channels Should You Be Using? And how you can monitor or analyze the same.

Basics to using your website as a marketing tool

It’s no more a secret that a website has emerged as the single most effective marketing tool in the hands of a businessperson today. Through a website, one can effectively tell customers about themselves along with their products and services. The wise thing is to focus one’s efforts on a website to ensure increased internet traffic, which will ultimately lead to increased sales. Here are some of the basic things that will help you use your website as an effective marketing tool.

Old news is no news. This is true for a website also. It is important to update the content on a website on a regular basis. By adding a few new things at least once a week, you can be sure to attract people, who will keep coming back on a regular basis to see what's new. Attracting people is one thing but what is more important is to retain them. To keep visitor’s interest alive, provide them with interesting reading material instead of boring business details.

Care should be taken to make the website search engine optimised (SEO). The content, the images used and even the name of the website (read company) should be search engine optimised! SEO has become an indispensable tool, which ensures thousands or even millions of hits a day. It can be safely concluded that no other kind of Internet marketing can be as effective or is capable of driving as much traffic as search engine optimization is.

When using website as a marketing tool, it is important to go beyond branding. It is important to create a unique logo or image for a website that is memorable and is also able to say much more than words can.

In today’s border-less economy where customer interactions are not hindered by geography and time zones, websites should be made more personal and interactive. Using blogs and being active on various online communities will help you get in touch with customers from anywhere in the world and at any time of day. Your posts will keep you in people’s memory and will help sell your products and services even while you are not around.

For more personal touch, mentioning yourself by name and using pictures is a great way to go about it. It only makes things easy as people like to know there are human beings on the other side of the screen. It’s also a good idea to run your own ads on your site. One can use different ads that link to services and products available on your business website.

One should consciously work towards making their website an authority site on a niche topic. This will help the site getting noticed much easily than when one tries to appeal to a broad audience. By catering to a limited audience, it is easy to attract that niche market. Though its sounds small but remember on a global scene, a niche also translate into millions of people all over the world!