The Quartz Effect

the quartz effect  //  Quartz Marketing is an innovative business service that helps companies develop a strong brand presence through developing strong marketing plans and running simple and effective marketing programmes and campaigns that you understand with you.

Feb 14 / 1:39am

How we achieved Google PageRank 4

Page_rank

 

I had a pleasant surprise present from Google over the last few weeks. Google did the toolbar PageRank update recently  and The Quartz Effect  jumped from PR2 to PR4.

I started the blog in January 2010 and published the first article shortly after that. I then achieved PR2 in an October PR update by Google.  So to jump to PR4 with this latest Google PR update  is very surprising and feels like a great achievement. So it got me thinking about steps I have taken, steps that you can take, to get your blog site to be ranked PR4 by Google in a short period of time.

 

 

What is Google PageRank?

Google PageRank is one of numerous factors Google uses to determine the importance of a blog/website and it is based on the value of your inbound links. Google evaluates how many links there are to your blog from other pages, and the relevance and quality of the linking sites. DigPageRank  can help you check your own PageRank. Here is the wiki for PageRank.

 


 

I would like to think that the following factors have contributed towards Google assigning The Quartz Effect Blog with a PR4:

 

Inbound links

  •  Putting my link out there by commenting on relevant and high-profile blogs,
  •  Being part of social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and FriendFeed, and using the millions of blog posting apps that come with those platforms.
  •  Posting useful answers in relevant forums.

 

I would recommend taking time each day to work on your blog promotion. Comment on relevant articles, discuss on relevant topics in forums/social media, and in other ways try to get your blog name and URL out there.

 

Check your PageRank backlinks and see the value of each of them and the anchor text they have linked to you with.


 

Guest posting


I wrote two guest posts at the Bizsetup Group thanks to an invite by Max Soutter.  Each of these has given my blog a high-quality, relevant inbound link as it taps into exactly my target market, so it brought in a lot of traffic.

 

Its worth noting that Links from related high ranked websites transfer more PageRank value than links from non-related sites.

    Guest post 1: Mike Tashaya on “The Importance Of Branding”

    Guest post 2: Small Business Myths & Getting Beyond Them – Mike Tashaya

 

Calculate the value of an incoming link by looking at the PR of the linking site, and dividing it by the number of links on that page.


I highly recommend writing guest articles for relevant blogs that are ranked with equal or higher Google PageRank. 


 

Blog onsite PageRank factors

  •  Content is not taken into account when PageRank is calculated but writing useful and keyword-rich articles that makes people link to, comment to or submit via Facebook, Twitter and other social media gives you inbound links.
  •  I regularly updated the blog writing a minimum one article per week, and at times up to 4 articles a week.

 

How is your blog doing with Google PageRank? What did you do well to get where you are? What did you do bad to not be where you want do be? Would love to hear from you by commenting below. If I have forgotten some reason that you think definitely help increase PageRank please let me know and add them to  the comments below.

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Feb 9 / 7:48am

Our Blog Is A Year Old

Popchamps

I would like to let everyone know that the Quartz Marketing blog is now a YEAR old!!!.


A BIG thank you to our valued subscribers & friends for the heart-warming support. We wouldn’t have made it this far without you guys. I hope you will still continue to support us in the future and we will keep trying our best to give you more interesting and high quality work that will inspire and help you in your daily business activities.


The Quartz Effect Stats & Achievements


2010 has been a great year for us. For just a quick look, I would like share with you some of the achievements made (as far as I remember) and some interesting numbers since we started the blog:


·         Quartz marketing blog has now a huge number of Subscribers!  If you have not subscribed yet, it’s never too late. Subscribe to our RSS Feed.

·         Quartz has now over 2500+ followers on Twitter. Feel free to follow us on Twitter if you haven’t yet.

·         We have now over 800+ Likes on Facebook and growing every day. Almost everyone now has a Facebook account, so if you have one, feel free to Join us on Facebook where we regular interactions with our fans there.

·         Quartz has jumped from 0 to 4 on Google’s page rank(Will soon write about how we achieved this Page Rank)

·         Visitors are now averaging to their 100s weekly. With over 1,000+ visitors and 12,000+ pageviews per month. A big thank you to all of you especially to those of you in Zimbabwe who have recently subscribed in huge numbers, thank you.

 

Thats it for some of the last year’s quick updates. What will come in the coming year? More weekly posts of marketing tips, give always, more tips and inspirational write ups for sure. I’m sure everyone loves freebies so for sure there will always be giveaways to some of our loyal fans.


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Feb 9 / 5:11am

Companies using social media are making more money

Companies using social media are making more money, says McKinsey

 That’s no surprise to most – if a company uses social media it tells me a number of things:

  • they actually do some marketing
  • they listen to their customers
  • they try new things
  • they engage & interact with their customers

Of course a company like that is going to make more money.

Are You Using Social Media?

Are you using social media (Facebook,Twitter & LinkedIn would be my recommendations)?

If not, why not?

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Feb 1 / 2:06am

#Win a #FREE #Branding Package for your #business! (Exclusive to #Facebook fans)

Freebranding

COMPETITION CLOSED

  As promised at the backend of last year, the branding package contest has come back and is strictly for our Facebook fans. The Twitter contest went great and was won by Zimbiznews. So here goes:


Starting TODAY Tuesday the 1st of February, through to next week Monday, the 7th of February, you can enter to win a free corporate branding package from Quartz Marketing worth £200!  Just follow these steps to enter:


1. Join/like our fanpage on Facebook (you can do this in advance)

Link to fanpage: http://www.facebook.com/thequartzeffect
  

2. Between February 1 and February 7, you must "share" one of the posts announcing this contest.  The more times you "share" the more entries you receive!


  

3. All entries must be made by 09:00hrs GMT, on Monday, February 7th, 2011.


  

4. Entries are not limited by location; you can enter from any location in the world. No purchase necessary. Alternate entries may be made by e-mailing Full Name, Company Name, Address, and Phone Number to info@quartzmarketing.co.uk (e-mailed entries will be added to our mailing list).


  

5. Contest exclusive only to Facebook fans on fanpage.


 

Winner will be announced on Facebook, via a private message on Tuesday, February 08, 2011.  The winner will have until 17:00pm GMT, Tuesday, February 08, to claim prize.  If prize is unclaimed by deadline, a new winner will be picked.  That winner will have 19:00pm GMT, to claim the prize.  In the event that the prize is not claimed by the second winner by the deadline, a new winner will be chosen.  The 3rd winner will have until 21:00pm, GMT to claim the prize.  If the prize remains unclaimed after 21:00pm, GMT, it will be donated to WEZIMBABWE  www.wezimbabwe.org  to be used as a silent auction item.


Prize is limited to the following: 

  • 1 Logo up to 4 colours + black & white),
  • 1 business card (up to 4 colours + black & white, single or double sided) and
  • 1 piece of letterhead.  Prize is for design only

No printing is included, but we do offer a printing service at a cost.

Prize will be delivered in multiple formats via email.


 

Don't have a Facebook account? You can sign up for one for free at www.facebook.com.  While you're at it, you should subscribe to our blog page to learn how to maximize your online visibility and how to promote your business effectively online: Here is the link to our RSS feed.

 

Good luck!

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Jan 27 / 3:20am

Tips On How To Launch A New Website & Blog

Newwebsite

In recent months and especially this month of January has seen us help launch new  websites and businesses. In that process we have had to help some of our clients on how best they can take advantage of the internet to fully market the website and their business.  The web site and Internet might actually be your business. So have come up with some guidelines which are crucial to you growing your business, some must does depending on your budget in the first 3 months of launching your website and business.

 

The hard work is only beginning when your web site is done. That’s when the marketing and promotion kicks in. How would you do that? How would you spread the word about your new small business and web site?

 

How to market and spread the word about your new small business website

So let’s assume the following:

  •      My web site is fully developed. (There’s no sense marketing an unfinished product.)
  •       My web site is attractive and is user-friendly. I’ve taken care of the basics of usability.
  •         I’ve done the appropriate keyword research and my page content reflects that.
  •         My web site has good content for my target audience (and for search engine spiders).
  •          I’ve done at least the basics of SEO across the site. Page titles and Meta descriptions are relevant and unique, the keywords tag is used for  misspellings, etc.

Ready? Let’s launch this small business web site!

 

MONTH ONE

1. Have metrics tracking in place. If my web hosting service doesn’t provide a stats system, or provides an inadequate one, I’d sign up for Google Analytics. It offers more data than some small businesses need, but you can’t beat the price. You need metrics in place at the beginning so you can track all your upcoming marketing efforts.

Cost: Free

 

2. Write and Distribute a Press Release(s). This will be a business announcement, and you’ll want to focus on your USP (Unique Selling Proposition). What separates yours from similar businesses? That’s the story you are telling. Since you will be on a tight budget, you will have to write this yourself. Use many of the same SEO copywriting techniques you would for a web page — emphasizing the appropriate use of keywords, especially in the title and the beginning of the release.

 

Distribute Press Release both online and offline.

 

    Offline: Many local newspapers have announcement sections for new businesses. Some communities have business-specific newspapers that will be more likely to consider your new business launch a newsworthy event. If your town still has a locally owned radio station, check if they have a news department and if they accept business announcements.

Cost: Free

    Online: There are several good online sources of press release distribution. Since you are on a budget, use PRWeb. PRWeb offers packages ranging from £50 to £230. I’ve had some success at the £50 level, so use that.

 

3. Upload your site to directories. This is very useful and most are free. Please read my previous blog entry on directories: http://thequartzeffect.posterous.com/business-directories-search-engines-being-fou

Cost: Free

 

4. Take advantage of Local Search opportunities. Start by using GetListed.org to check local listings on Google, Yahoo, and a couple other primary local search sites. Also use Google AdWords to create a Local Business Ad for Google Maps. Buy a Local Featured Listing on Yahoo Local, but only if you qualify for the £20/month or less plan. You are on a budget, after all.

Cost: £20/month

 

5. Add a blog to your web site. Blogs make great “spider food” (i.e., search engines love blogs) and they’re a great way to have an ongoing conversation with customers. Use WordPress or Posterous because they are great, free, and your hosting company probably supports it with a one-click installer. Be sure to make it easy for readers to add your posts to social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. It takes a while for a blog to gain traction, so start writing posts as often as possible. The main goal at this point is just to get in the rhythm of writing and make blogging a habit.

Cost: Free

 

MONTH TWO

 

7. Be active in the blogger community. Create accounts at MyBlogLog and Technorati, etc and put their widgets on your blog. Run my feeds through FeedBurner for the community stat tracking. Use Bloglines or Google Reader to track other blogs in your industry and be active in commenting on them (not spamming them, commenting on them).

Cost: Free

 

8. Join Twitter and Facebook. Each offers a good opportunity to meet and network with local people who may be good contacts and/or future customers. But rather than signing up and starting to promote your business, spend the first month or so just meeting people and listening to the wider conversations.

Cost: Free

 

9. Join your local Chamber of Commerce/Business Link. Small businesses rely heavily on networking and word-of-mouth for survival. These groups offer a great way to do both. Ask for a link from the chamber’s web site, and/or a mention in their newsletter.

Cost: (Actual cost will vary by location, number of employees, and other factors.)

 

MONTH THREE

 

10. Investigate local offline advertising options. Sponsoring events or hosting networking events etc is inexpensive and gives you at least a couple months of exposure, not to mention plenty of goodwill with your peers and the community. Same for partnering with charities, schools, etc.

Cost: £200 (estimated)

 

11. Invite/pay bloggers to write about your business/product/service. Use ReviewMe or Sponsored Reviews to find bloggers in your industry who are willing to write a paid review. I know that search engines, Google especially, frown on paid links. So tell the blogger that it’s okay to use the nofollow tag if they link to your site. I’m more interested in the exposure to the bloggers’ audience than I am in the link. If you can find a popular and influential blogger with maybe a thousand readers or more, and only spend a couple hundred pounds for a write-up, that’s a great deal.

Cost: £200 (will vary on industry and blogs targeted)

 

12. Use Yahoo! Answers to answer questions from people asking about your industry. Its light years ahead of any other Q&A site in traffic. It helps establish you as an expert and a helpful person/company. It’s also good fun. And it can even be a source of web traffic. Note: This may not be effective for a small business that’s located in a small town/city.

Cost: Free

 

FINAL COMMENTS

 

That’s the three-month plan for starting a new small business and marketing a new web site. Going forward, give these ideas a couple OF months to see which ones work and which don’t. At about the fifth or sixth month, start focusing on the ones that do and eliminate the ones that don’t.

 

There are additional marketing opportunities that may be effective depending on the size of your small business and what you do or sell. Ultra-small businesses, for example, may be able to market effectively with something as simple as printed flyers distributed around town. Other businesses may find branded publicity materials (calendars, magnets, etc.) to be effective.

 

Ultimately, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for small business marketing. Hopefully the ideas shared here will help you put together the right game plan for launching your small business website.

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Jan 25 / 4:11pm

Event - Zimbabwe Achievers Awards - 29th January 2010

Zaa

YOU'RE INVITED!

Zimbabwe Achievers Awards Nominations - Saturday 29th January, 2011 6.00pm to 11pm at:

Bar 38, Canary Wharf 

Unit C
West India Quay
London
E14 4AX


The event is mainly to announce those that have made the shortlist of the Awards ceremony that will take part in London in April.The event will also introduce the Z.A.A Commitee, Panel, Partners and Sponsors.

The Z.A.A is a distinctly special awards ceremony seeking to recognise Zimbabweans throughout the UK who have pushed the limits against all odds to raise the Zimbabwean flag high and do both themselves and their countrymen Proud, for more information visit www.zimachievers.com.

Opportunities are also available for those companies that wish to sponsor specific categories.

The event also gives an opportunity to network and interact with fellow Zimbabwe's movers and shakers.

Don't miss this event, rain or shine!

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Jan 25 / 2:54pm

Custom Facebook Fan Page Design

Facebook

Do you need a custom Facebook fan page design for your business? Facebook can offer fresh new leads for your business day in and day out with their 500 million plus active members. So if your business doesn’t have a Facebook fan page this is a great time to have one and it is more affordable than you think. Contact us now to get a quote for your own custom Facebook fan page. 

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Jan 24 / 4:26am

Get 250 Premium Business Cards designed and printed for only £89

This week’s promo

250 glossy or matt laminated business cards for just £89*!

Promotion includes...

·         Bespoke creative design of your business card that is perfectly aligned to your company's brand identity

·         Text & images of your choice

·         Unlimited revisions of your design until you are 100% satisfied

·         250 business cards printed with your bespoke design


Business Card Specification:
Weight: 400gsm
Stock: Silk artboard
Finished Size: 91mm x 61mm
Print Method: Lithographic

 

…Get in touch today and take advantage of this fantastic promotion…

 

·         info@quartzmarketing.co.uk

·         08443 510 395

·         Follow this link to complete a simple form and we will get in touch with you:  http://quartzmarketing.co.uk/contact.html

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Jan 22 / 1:03am

Tips For A Great About Us Page

About_us

I have had to help a few of our clients the last few weeks with putting together content for their websites and it led me to realise how much businesses seem to underestimate the power and influence of the About Us page, not only that, some don’t even have the page on their website. The About Us page is one of the most visited pages on a website. It’s also the page visitors go to when they want to find out more about the people, the faces, the team members, behind the website or the company.

The impact of many About Us pages has pretty much been underestimated throughout the growth of the Internet. If you own a small business or run an e-Commerce site, chances are that you haven’t paid as much attention to your About Us page as to your product catalogue or company blog. That’s why you shouldn’t pass up on writing and creating a quality About Us page. Here are a number of tips:

 

Be brief: Sure, it’s important to be able to tell a story, but don’t make your About Us page sound like a long-winded literary novel or some such sort. Be brief. If possible, keep the whole text above the fold (the section of the page that’s visible without scrolling).

Establish trust and credibility: Use a tone of voice that establishes your credibility in the business – if not your leadership. Your website visitors will want a general idea of what your expertise is, what business you’re in, how long you’ve been at it, and what sets you apart from the rest of the pack.

 

Show who you are: Don’t hesitate to talk a little bit about yourself – especially if the description that you give is related directly to your expertise and to the business you’re running. It’s also perfectly fine to let your personality come through, as this lets visitors know that you’re passionate about some of the things that they’re passionate about, too.

 

Include a photo: In some cases, people won’t even read most of the text description in your About Us page. This doesn’t mean you cannot catch their attention with one important visual element: a photo. Add an image that supports and reinforces your business proposition. It also gives a face to your website, a face so critical in the success of small businesses.

 

Include contact details: Encouraging your visitors and readers to contact you is a great way of engaging them to keep visiting your website and supporting your company. So, towards the end of your About Us page, make sure you put in your contact information. You can also link to a separate Contact Us page. Include a physical business address, too. Website visitors may never actually visit your office, but an address of where you’re headquartered – plus a professional photo of the location – lends a reassuring touch. At least they know you’re a “real” business.

 

Go green: It will not hurt your image to support green initiatives and causes. This is particularly true if you’re in e-Commerce, selling environment-friendly products. Consumers today, more mindful than ever of green, eco-friendly choices, will be more than happy to hear that you are one with them in supporting Mother Earth.

 

Keep it fresh: Think of your About Us page as a kind of CV. List the things that you know will put you in a better position to land the customers and build a professional relationship with them. Make sure you’re up to date with all the information, and never let your About Page look as though it was written last decade.

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Jan 15 / 11:23pm

Networking Online...

Thank you for being a regular reader of our blog! Have you subscribed to our feed? Here is the link to our RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

The online world made it possible for me to become a full-time marketing consultant. All of my clients come from outside of my home area, some are global. Here are examples of where I met clients and people online:

Through blogs (still happens today). We bloggers leave comments or send emails to each other. Over time, we  have learnt about each other and became friends.

Through an interview. I found the client because I interviewed (by email) a co-worker of his who connected us.

Through referrals. Two other clients come from referrals from someone I met on the Internet – one through his blog and the other from working on a Web site together. An online networking group, also brought in more clients and friends.

Through searches. One project came from the editor’s using the search engine to find me.

Obviously, the Internet offers many routes for meeting people and finding projects. The following lists ways to meet others online:

  • Blogs: Leave a comment and link to another person’s entry from yours.
  • Forums and email mailing groups: Join discussions.
  • Email newsletters: If you send any out respond to all reader emails and survey feedback.
  • Online groups: Mailing list and forum discussions.
  • Web site: One that’s content-rich and frequently updated (this is where a blog or blogging-tool can help).
  • Emails: Contacting people. Compliment a writer on an article. Congratulate a business on a recent success.
  • Articles: One of my first projects came from a guy who contacted me based on an article I commented on.
  • Chats: You might attend a chat where there’s a guest. Usually chats are secondary — meaning you meet the person some other way before you talk on instant messenger.

You never know who you’ll meet through the Internet. Interact with the virtual world — you never know who you meet.

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