Blog – Page 4

What to translate on Your Web Site!

December 15, 2011 by Raul Colon

Like many other small business owners I know who had translated their web sites I was hesitant to translate my corporate site into Spanish. It clearly involved a lot of work. Most of the key areas of my site have been moved over. I have also translated the latest posts. Preferably you can translate 100% of the site but in the case that you can’t do 100% at once here are some tips on how we prioritized what to translate first:

1. Most Visited Content

Take a look at your analytics software and see what content has been viewed the most or created the most interactions. Once you have determined what people wanted to read the most you can include these as top items to translate.

2. Updated & Fresh Content

If you look at a post and it has content that is not fresh or the situation has changed I would leave those posts as a last priority. Make sure you transfer content into the language a new audience of people wants to read about and look for. If you find content that can be updated go ahead and update both posts. If the updated content has relevance with your audience feel free to put it as a priority if not then leave it towards the end.

3. Key Services and products

Make sure you translate information on your key services and products. If you went through the trouble of translating your site you have to make sure these items get put on the top of the priority list. This will open the possibility of people searching for your products in the target language to find you.

4. What is Relevant to that Target Market

Take a good look at the content that might resonate with the possible visitors and community you are translating your corporate website for. Capturing their attention more often was the main reason why you decided to move your site over. It might be a good idea if you also move those items in your priority list.

Overall I really recommend that you move as much of your site as you can. If you are not sure you can handle translating 100%. Translating parts of the site, prioritizing your most relevant content, might not be a bad idea.

If you don’t have all your content translated make sure to explicitly explain to your customers where that the content has not been translated. Also set clear expectations to explain if the content will be translated and what else they should expect in the future on having more translated content.

Would you see any value in translating any of your online presence to a new audience like for example Spanish readers?

Interested in translating your website?

5 tips on quickly enhancing Google+ Branded Company Pages.

November 8, 2011 by Raul Colon

Since Google + was launched a few months ago, the presence of any business was initially left out of the equation. Yesterday Google opened up its Business Pages to the Public and our staff and myself have been creating pages of some of our clients and our own CIMA IT Solutions Google+ Profile.

We wanted to share with you 5 initial tips on quickly enhancing your Google+ Branded Company pages.

Take a look at the video we included below with simple instructions on creating a page. Below are some more details on how we set up our page.

Create a Short link for your page

As soon as we set up our page we went ahead and created a shortcut on http://gplus.to for CIMA IT Solutions Corp. We ended up getting a shorter link that is http://gplus.to/cimapr. Google + is known for having long urls to reach the profile.

Another option towards creating your own short link is if you use the Genesis Framework like we do on wordpress. By creating a Redirect url (a trick I learned from my friend @ChrisBrogan) like this one http://cimapr.net/gplus . This link will move people towards your Google+ branded page.

Complete your Business Profile

To give your profile and page some credibility, I highly recommend including as much information as possible but keep it brief. Feel free to include enough information to spark the interest of those that landed on your Google+ Branded Page. We made sure to give it the human touch and added links to the profiles of our teams and leadership.

Share Your Content

If you already have content created on a blog feel free to add a few of your best past posts. We will be sharing past posts and new ones as they become available. This is yet another way to get new people interested in the previous content you have created.

Add Some Photos

What a better way than to add life to your Business Page Profile in Google+ than adding photos of the company or organization’s events. Make sure to share the story behind the pictures. This might spark a few conversations and keep Google+ users interested in what you are currently doing or generate questions about past experiences.

We will be writing and sharing a series of posts on this new channel for business. If you need help in enhancing your Google + Branded Pages feel free to contact us or in the comments area.

Also feel free to subscribe to our newsletter to get future posts on the subject.

Additional Resources we found online

A post on Google+ from Susan Beebe

Pages are extremely similar to profiles, but they have some key differences:

– Pages can’t add people to circles until the page is added first or mentioned. Learn more.

– Pages can be made for a variety of different entities whereas profiles can only be made for people.

– The default privacy setting for elements on your page profile is public.

– Pages have the +1 button.

– Pages can’t +1 other pages, nor can they +1 stuff on the Web.

– Pages can’t play games.

– Pages don’t have the option to share to ‘Extended circles’.

– Pages don’t receive notifications via email, text, or in the Google bar.

– Pages can’t hangout on a mobile device.

– Local pages have special fields that help people find the business’ physical location.

– Learn more about local pages.

Video to Set Up Your Google+ Branded Page from John S. Haydon

10 tricks for using Twitter

October 25, 2011 by Raul Colon

In order to find an effective and efficient way to use Twitter, here are 10 tips that may be useful for any Twitter user. Whether you’re new to Twitter or an experienced Twitter user these tips can help you get more results.

1. Use a tool for managing your tweets.

In today’s mobile world it’s easy to stay up to date with Twitter. With so many available applications to choose from such as: Tweetdeck or Hootsuite, and others can enhance the experience of Twitter.

2. Rotate links in your Tweets.

You should rotate where you place a link. Sometimes you should place it before the message which causes the user to see the link and then the message. This may increase the readers curiosity. At other times you can place the link in the middle of the message. It is a good idea to alternate the structure of your “tweet” so they do not all look alike.

Example:

Before the message: “http://about.com – Portal to find useful and interesting information.”
After the message: “Portal to find useful and interesting: http://about.com”
Middle of the message: “Portal to find useful and interesting: http://about.com information.”

3. Create “tweets” with no more than 120 characters.

Tweets that are less than 120 character make it easier for others to “Re-tweet” and pass the information along.

4. Create lists to filter messages from users by topic, relationship, or events.

As the number of contacts you have grow, it becomes more and more difficult to read through all of your messages. Having lists allow you to better control the flow of messages and interaction with other users.

5. Understand how to use “hashtag” and its many features.

A “hashtag” is a keyword which is placed with a number sign (#) in front. This allows the Twitter platform to easily find users that have used that keyword in their tweets.

6. Include a Background on Your Profile that identifies you, or the effort that you are running.

Twitter provides a generic background designs for its users, however, you have the ability to create your own background. This is very useful if your a business because it allows you to make your presence in Twitter stand out. Your background imagine can be as simple as just your logo, but I recommend having key features of your business on that background.

7. Complete your profile and highlight your interests so others with similar interests can see you as a potential contact to follow.

Be sure to keep up to date photo of you and information describing your interests. Creativity is always welcome.

8. Add links to your profile.

This will help to direct followers or visitors to your blog, or anywhere they can find more information from you. I always recommend to include your blog or website.

9. Share “tweets” from other users.

Twitter is a channel of communication whose purpose is to share information. Be sure to share and pass on information shared by others. If you only share what you create you miss the opportunity to create new relationships. Many users choose to stop following users when messages are often personal propaganda only.

10. Never click on links from strangers they usually arrive via a special “DM” (direct message).

Many people receive private messages which may have malicious code that can take over your account. Once you see suspicious activity call the Twitter security team they will show you how to precede.

These are 10 tips and tricks on how to use Twitter. If you have some tips for Twitter users post in the comments below.

If you need help on improving your online presence for yourself or your business feel free to send us your contact info!

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