How Can I Keep Up with the Latest Trends?

I heard that we are advancing our knowledge one hundred years worth every year and that we continue to do this every year. Can’t remember who said it and I’m not sure if it’s true, but if it was/is true, then consider this: we would now be learning one-thousand years worth of knowledge every one year that passes.

Everything that we, as humans, have learned since 1,000 A.D. Electricity, the light bulb, the telegraph, the phone, the TV, the computer, space flight, the Internet, etcetera. If we’re really learning that much, every year, then my big problem is this: how do I keep up with it all?

I’m the one that people ask, but there is so much going on-- especially in the areas of Apps, API’s and streaming media – that sometimes it seems I’m fighting not to keep with the trends, but just to stay relevant.

Fortunately, I’m pleased to report  that all is not lost! I have found a few ways to keep on top of things, and I wanted to share some of that with you.

IGoogle

IGoogle has been around a long while now, but it serves as my home page. The reason I like it is that it allows me to mix and match a variety of tools. I make it a point to at least find time to scan the headlines a few times a day, and if I have time, to actually read or watch a couple of the articles. At the very least it shows me what people are talking about, and what some of the current issues in my area of expertise are.

There are three examples that specifically illustrate the benefit of being able to pull multiple data sources to a page, and how this enables me to stay top of what’s happening at the moment:

Google Trends

How it Works:

Essentially, if an unusual search is going on, Google Trends notices the change and those with the most change are listed here. This is how Google says it works:

“Hot Searches reflects what people are searching for on Google today. Rather than showing the most popular searches overall, which would always be generic terms like “weather,” Hot Searches highlights searches that experience sudden surges in popularity, and updates that information hourly. Our algorithm analyzes millions of web searches performed on Google and displays those searches that deviate the most from their historic traffic pattern. The algorithm also filters out spam and removes inappropriate material. For each search, Hot Searches shows related searches and a Search Volume Index graph. The page also displays news, blog posts, and web results to give context about why a search may be appearing on the Hot Searches list. You can also choose a date in the past to see what the top Hot Searches were for that date by clicking change date.”

How It Helped Me Today-Tropical Storm Emily

I had been working on another project and didn’t have time to do much else so I was clueless about what was happening in the outside world. I went to IGoogle to get a screenshot for this blog, and noticed that NOAA was on top of Google Trends. I live in Florida, and we’re way past due for a hurricane, so NOAA being on top of the list definitely caught my attention enough to click:

Google Hot Trend #1:

A quick scan of the articles presented led me to the conclusion that there was a tropical storm that might turn into a hurricane and could come this way, but not for awhile. That’s interesting, relevant information for me. I could have gotten this probably from anyone of a dozen different media sources, but this is the one that my eyes actually seen. (Maybe tomorrow or the next day I’ll go check out what’s happening with it).

Google Hot Trend #2: Crop Circles

I’m interested in crop circles enough to wonder why there was a sudden surge in people searching on crop circles, and Google didn’t let me down. The headlines quickly told me there had been a new crop circle discovered, and it also showed me the old tired debate about crop circles on the other side. The new crop circle discovery piqued my curiosity, but being reminded of the same old back and forth dialogue made me slightly nauseous, so I moved on.

Webmaster Tools

I am forever logging into one of my Google accounts to check something, rather it be a Google Adwords campaign, Google Analytics, or Google AdSense.

This neat little add on doesn’t really keep me up to date anywhere, but it does put at my finger tips the places I go to frequently, so I figure it’s worth a little bit of my precious desktop. Incidentally, it was this Webmaster Tools gadget that allowed me to discover Google Trends!

A Note About API’s

The thing I only just touched on about these tools is that they are all made possible by API’s (Application Programming Interfaces), which it make it possible to bring several different data sources to a single web page. The abundance of available API’s makes almost anything imaginable possible. (Follow the link you’d like more information about Custom API Development).

NPR Technology News

Some technology news is too much for me to bare for being way too narrow or too self serving on the part of the news provider, or maybe just not applicable to me. Nevertheless, I like to know what’s going on, and I especially love NPR’s Technology News for their ability to pinpoint major trends and changes, and then provide an interesting, intelligent discussion about it.

If you want to know some of the highlights in a changing world, NPR technology news is a great place to hang!

Summary

API’s have made it easy for me to monitor a changing world by providing content streams from a number of different sources to provide the information that is interesting and relevant to me. While I have mentioned only a few of the myriad of tools available on the internet to do this, it is evident to me that continued use and expansion of multiple API’s to provide data to a specific web page is another trend that I need to watch, for it speaks of the future to me.

Google trends, Webmaster Tools, TweetDeck and the NPR Technology add-on are merely examples of how API’s are changing everything, and how I use them to keep up to date.

If you have a great idea about how to “mashup” something new, exciting and brilliant, please see how You can build it! for more information.

Twitter Trending Topics

Another useful tool to keep on top of what’s trending now is the Twitter’s Trending Topics. The graphic here shows how it looks from TweetDeck, an indispensible tool for any Social Media Manager. Notice that Tropical Storm Emily is listed again on the list of trending topics.

Clicking on the links in TweetDeck, or by searching on any of the #topicnames on Twitter will open up the Twitter Stream for that particular subject so you can see what is going on. (It doesn’t work real well in TweetDeck as there are usually so many updates they go by too fast to really to more than glance).  But on Twitter’s direct interface it works pretty well.

In anycase, to keep on top of what's happening, this is a great place to hang!

As a Social Media Manager, sometimes I get very excited about a particular message and how best to get that message out. I like to have time to interact with my “Followers” and “Friends” so that I can engage in that two way communication between my client and their potential customers. Unfortunately, much of my time is spent just keeping up with it all. Finally, though, I have discovered a tool that makes this dramatically easier!

I used it several years ago when it was called TweetLater, to schedule tweets and so forth in the hours that I was away. I thought it was pretty cool, but never really thought of writing a blog about it (e.g. not quite worth writing home about!) Then my life took a few turns and twists and I went on to do other things for a while, and have only recently come back to Social Media Management. (I was very proud to have recently taken an Elance test on Social Media Management and passed in the upper five percent!) Anyway, I just signed up for the Professional service, on what used to be called TweetLater, and I am very excited about it! Here’s why:

Instead of using TweetDeck or some other service to manually add each Tweet or Update, I can use the SocialOomph service to schedule Tweets and Updates. So, for example, let’s say I want to Tweet about Arachnid Creation’s Custom API Service, I can make a “Queue”, and tell it how often I want it to update. (I always use six hours as I don’t want to be a “Spammer”!) For each tweet, I check a box that says to put the tweet back into the queue. Normally I make at least nine unique tweets, so that the rotation changes for time of day. (E.g. if my first Tweet was at 8 am, tomorrow at 8 am it would be a different tweet, and so forth, for each following day).

Every six hours the next tweet in the queue is automatically posted to Twitter, (and or Facebook, StatusNet, etcetera).

I’m done. Now I can go on to do something else, like interact with my followers on a more personal basis!

Nice thing is, I can add as many queues as I want, and as many accounts as I want. While I’m only managing five Social Media accounts at present, I could easily do twenty – and still do a good job!

But that’s not all! SocialOomph provides the following:

·         Keyword Tracking. I can make a list of keywords and SocialOomph will monitor the Twitter stream and periodically email me a digest of the tweets that contained those keywords. So if I wanted to track, for example, those who had an interest in API’s, I put in that keyword and get reports of tweets, and tweeters, who have an interest in that particular area that I can then follow up on.

·         Extended Profiles. Twitter’s profile area is very limited, but with the SocialOomph service, I can make an extended profile that allows me to make a much more detailed profile.

·         Saved Drafts. These feature allows me to save a draft or a URL for use in later tweets or updates, which saves me hours of repetitive typing.

·         Supports Multiple Media Outlets. This includes StatusNet, Facebook, Twitter and Google Buzz.

·         URL Shortening and Click Tracking. Using their in-house URL shortening service, I can shrink my URL’s and then get all kinds of information about who clicked what.

·         View @Mentions and Retweets. SocialOomph allows me to see at a glance my StatusNet and Twitter @Mentions and Retweets in a timeline, making it easy to respond to those who are showing an interest in my message.

·         Automatically Purge DM mailbox. The service allows me to delete all the messages in my DM mailbox, those older than 7 days, or those older than 30 days. Tweetdeck offers my clear my seen DM’s – but I have to mark each one individually that it’s been seen, or it allows me to delete all of them. This is a much better solution!

I could easily spend another few hours trying to list all of their great features, of which I’ve mentioned just a few, but it’s all there on their website at SocialOomph.  They even have a seven day free trial so that you can test drive it before you spend a dime.

Summary

If you’re serious about Social Media Management and Internet Marketing, and want to truly develop an interaction between you and prospective clients, the SocialOomph service makes it easier than ever. At a cost of less than $30.00 a month, you’ll more than make that back in time savings and increased productivity.

Instead of frantically trying to keep up with it all, use Social Oomph to set everything up, and maybe you’ll even have time left over to actually view the Twitter Stream!

Alicia Harris is a Social Media Manager and Technology Writer for Arachnid Creations, a full service web development company in San Diego, California.

Follow the Best Practices of SEO

There are thousands out there who will promise you page 1 of Google. They speak of backlinks, link farms, link circles and other “tricks” guaranteed to rocket you to the top of Google. In fact, they may be able to show you a site that they have succeeded with. Nevertheless, long term positive results rarely come from “Black Hat” SEO techniques, but from patiently and tirelessly paying attention to the details of your site and applying “White Hat” SEO techniques.

Why Should I Avoid “Black Hat” SEO?

Everyone wants more web traffic. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the foundation for attracting more visitors to your site. However there are ethical techniques (White Hat) and unethical ones. The risks of using unethical (Black Hat) techniques, while perhaps paying off in the short term, may actually reduce traffic to your site in the long term.

Examples of Black Hat SEO include:

·         Keyword Stuffing: According to Google, "‘Keyword stuffing’ refers to the practice of loading a webpage with keywords in an attempt to manipulate a site's ranking in Google's search results. Filling pages with keywords results in a negative user experience, and can harm your site's ranking. Focus on creating useful, information-rich content that uses keywords appropriately and in context.”

·         Hidden Text: This is a very outdated method, presently easily identifiable by search engines, where CSS and other techniques are used to place text on the page that the web visitor does not see. Most search engines see this as a form of spamming, and may penalize a site’s ranking or completely remove it from their search results.

·         Link Farming: Link Farms became popular about twelve years ago, allowing webmasters to exchange links, which eventually became an automated process. The idea was to increase the page rank of a document by having these inbound links in exchange for having reciprocal outbound links. Essentially, having links on, linking to, or looking like a link farm is a sure way to lower your Google rankings eventually.

·         Cloaking: Cloaking is yet another method of passing information on to the search engine that the visitor does not see. There are so many different ways of cloaking they are too numerous to list here. However, though it seems that some of these tactics are still working, it is just a matter of time before Google and the other search engine redefine their algorithm to catch these unscrupulous practices, probably resulting in the exclusion of the website from the search engine results.

How Do I Use White Hat SEO to Get More Traffic?

In building a search-engine friendly site, it is best to remember that Google (and other Search Engines) are trying to direct their users to the most relevant content. Anything that “tricks” a visitor to your site can only result in a visitor who really was looking for something else.  However, the use of relevant, content rich copy on your site can result in large quantities of people coming to your site because of genuine interest, making it easier to accomplish the goals you built the website for in the first place.

In fact, Google states in the beginnings of its Webmaster’s Guidelines PDF that you “should base your optimization decisions first and foremost on what's best for the visitors of your site. They're the main consumers of your content and are using search engines to find your work. Focusing too hard on specific tweaks to gain ranking in the organic results of search engines may not deliver the desired results. Search engine optimization is about putting your site's best foot forward when it comes to visibility in search engines, but your ultimate consumers are your users, not search engines.”

With that said, I have achieved my most successful results from building a site from the ground up with a specific focus on the keywords of the specific message I am trying to communicate.

Basic Steps for SEO on a Web Site:

1.      Use Simple to Understand URL’s.

For example, if this blog post were to be a page in a site I was building, it might be named appropriately as “/Search_Engine_Optimization.aspx”, not “page1.aspx”. It’s amazing how many people go and on about backlinks and so forth while wondering why their page “default2.html” ranks so miserably!

2.      Create a Simple Directory Structure.

In the case of the preceding example, put it, and all related such pages, in a subdirectory called something like “/search_engine_optimization.” Doing so will let your prospective viewers know where they are and help the search engines more adequately return relevant results. Although I have frequently used the use of first word capitals (e.g. “Search_Engine_Optimization), Google does note that lower case URL’s are preferred.

3.      Create Unique Titles for Each Page.

Generate a specific title for the page, again with an attempt to use the relevant keywords – but not at the expense of making the content less engaging for the reader. Keep it as short as possible. Definitely use the relevant keywords, but only if it conveys the main idea of your page. (Make sure you use the Meta Tag “Title” in the page “Head” section).

4.      Use Headings Tags Properly

Heading tags (not be confused with the Head of the page) are used to point out the relative importance of that particular idea on the page. Overuse of the heading tag, or improper use of (e.g. making everything “HI” should be avoided. Don’t use the Heading tags for formatting (that’s what CSS is for!). Instead, think of it as making an outline, as you see here in this post.

5.      Make Good Use of the Meta Tag “Description.”

The Meta Tag “Description” is often (but not always) used in Google’s results pages as the main text the searcher sees next to your listing. It’s important that your description be – descriptive. Again, ensure that your main key words show up here. Think of this as a summary of your page, and make sure that the description matches the actual content of the page, and that you have a different, accurate description/summary for each of your pages.

As a writer, I have noticed that it often takes longer to write an effective description tag then it actually took to write the copy for the page.

6.      Use “Bread Crumb” Links in Your Site Navigation.

By using something like “Home, Services, Products, Blog” etcetera across the bottom or top of your page, the User can quickly get back to the root or find another section that interests them. This also helps Search Engines to index your site more effectively.

7.      Ensure that the Hierarchy of your Site Flows Naturally.

Use text links to lead your visitor from one page to another. Avoid excessive use of JavaScript and dropdown menus as they make it harder for search engines to index you site. In fact, according to Google, “This doesn't mean that you can't include rich media content such as Flash, Silverlight, or videos on your site; it just means that any content you embed in these files should also be available in text format or it won't be accessible to search engines.”

The focus of site navigation should be to make it simple and easy to use.

8.      Write Good Descriptive Anchor Descriptions.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of writing, for example, “for more information on SEO click here” instead of “More SEO Information From Arachnid Creations.” You want to make sure that your links are well formatted, to be recognizable as links, and to ensure the text at least conveys a good idea of where the link goes to. This is important for getting your site indexed as well as for letting your readers know where the link goes to. This applies to links directing users to another site as well as to your internal links.

9.      Use Brief but Descriptive Filenames For Images.

Instead of using a filename of “mygraphic_219.jpg” use something more descriptive, like “Guaranteed_Traffic.jpg” instead.  Make sure you use the “alt-text” tag correctly. Again, a short, concise description is best.

Also, if using an image for a link (use sparingly) make sure that you use the “screen tip” attribute. For example, the graphic on the left is horrible, and the one on the right is much better, both for users and for search engine bots. (Hover mouse over each or right click and select image properties):

Example of Image Link 1

Don’t forget to make an image site map and place it in the root of your website.

10. Ensure Effective Use of “Robots.txt” and “nofollow”

“Robots.txt” is a file that is placed in the root of your website that tells search engine crawlers which areas of your site you want indexed and what areas you might not. For example, you may have a directory that contains an old version of your site or some other information that you don’t want to show up in the results page. This file tells the search engine bots which pages you want indexed, and which you don’t. For more information see Google’s using robots.txt file.

The “nofollow” attribute is especially important if you have a blog that allows comments, as this is a prime place for spammers to appear which can cause your PageRank to be diminished as you essentially are sharing your reputation with the sites you link to. Most blogs automatically insert the nofollow tag, but if yours doesn’t, at the very least turn on comment moderation.

Summary

Many people approach me wanting me to help them with SEO and when I start talking about file names and hierarchy, frequently the response is but “what about PageRank and backlinks and so forth?” Those things have their importance (no doubt a subject for a future blog), but there’s no point in going there if the basics haven’t been done. It’s like trying to soup-up a car with no engine. Meticulously following these ten steps with a keen eye on the keywords relevant to your specific site is at least 80% of the battle to the top of the search engines.

For more about SEO at ArachnidCreations, please see Search Engine Optimization.

I spent most of the day yesterday reloading Windows on my Granddaughter’s computer after she contracted a nasty virus from Facebook, essentially making the system useless. The computer’s only virus protection was Microsoft Security Essentials. The truth is I had failed to install a more robust anti-virus protection system because I have not yet found a single one that completely protects.

I have experienced data breaches with McAfee, Norton’s, AVG,  and Avast. (I’m currently using ESET’s NOD 32, which is doing pretty well). I don’t for a moment believe that anything I do on the Internet is completely safe or private. Data breaches have become a way of life, it seems, especially for anyone looking in the darker corners of the Internet (e.g., software and video piracy).

The Ponemon Institute released a report in June 2011 that claims “59% of respondents say that their organization’s network security has been successfully breached at least twice over the past 12 months.” From Sony to the Pentagon, we seem hard pressed to keep the villains out of our systems, a trend that I expect to continue and worsen in the years to come.  In fact, Ponemon’s report indicates that “53% of respondents have little confidence that their organization will not experience one or more cyber-attacks sometime over the next twelve months.”

Last fall, the Conficker worm, also known as Downadup, spread through the Internet infecting as many as nine million systems. These infected computers can now be used in a massive botnet attack to do anything from sending Spam to attacking our infrastructure. Worse, even though Microsoft quickly released a patch that sealed this vulnerability in the Windows operating system, security researchers at Qualsys report that an estimated “30 percent” (about 2.7  million)  “of Windows-based computers attached to the Internet remain vulnerable to infection as they have not been updated with this patch.”

In 2007, Israel was reported to have bombed a suspected nuclear site located in the desert of Iran near the Euphrates River, about 80 miles from the Iraq border. According to reports, there was no response from Iranian anti-air defenses and the first indication that there was an attack at all was when the bombs fell from the sky. Analysts suggest that the United States and Israel has successfully hacked Iran’s defense system, and essentially, “turned them off”, allowing their bombers to fly over Iran’s air space with impunity. 

Further, Iran’s nuclear program has been set back years by viral attacks. One infection caused thousands of their centrifuges to spin out of control, essentially causing them to self-destruct. These particular viruses used the centrifuges own operating system to do this, implying that the virus designer’s had full knowledge of the manufacturer’s code. Similar reports of Iran’s being hacked, and them hacking others, abound.

According to supplychaindigital.com, cyber supply chains are vulnerable to attacks in US critical infrastructure, meaning essentially, that a foreign government could successfully attack our power grid and “turn it off” or cause it to self-destruct. Our nuclear plants control systems can be hacked and the reactors be made to overheat, resulting in a melt-down. Our communication systems, cell phone networks, Internet back bone, are all possible targets of a foreign power wanting to harm our country.

 Last month the Wall Street Journal, based on a Pentagon briefing, reported that Iraq and Afghanistan “Insurgents Hack(ed) U.S. Drones”, essentially downloading and watching the surveillance video of the unmanned drones. Theworldreporter.com reports this was made possible by use of “Russian software that costs a mere $26.”

Just last week, the International Business Times reported that a North Korean defector, Kim Heung-kwang, has warned about “North Korea’s concentrated efforts to bolster its cyber-warfare capabilities.” Kim said “that North Korea has procured more than 3,000 hackers serving in the North and abroad in China, Russia, and elsewhere.” These hackers are being trained extensively in the latest hacking techniques and then placed in various warfare units to serve as “cyberwarriors.”  

Last year a study by the International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament (ICNND) found that terrorists could potentially hack nuclear missile silos. (Reported by the International Business Times).

Since 1990, China has reportedly pursued an active cyber-spying campaign, with unconfirmed reports of the Chinese Government recruiting, training, and supporting thousands of hackers. The well documented case of GhostNet in 2009 proved that servers based in China had accessed 1,300 computers in over 100 countries, including government institutions, international organizations, and the media, not to mention the computers of the Dali-lama. Recent headlines have reported that Chinese hackers targeted the House of Commons, US Oil Companies, Lockheed, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Google (or course), and many other governmental and industrial networks.

As our gadgets get smarter and more prolific, they are increasingly becoming more vulnerable to hackers who wish us harm, or who just want to raid our bank accounts. Evidence indicates that world-wide governments, criminal organizations, terrorists, and individuals are trying harder than ever to bypass our security, take over our devices, and all for their own varied and malicious goals.

As Rick Wesson, chief executive of Support Intelligence, a computer consulting firm based in San Francisco, said “If you’re looking for a digital Pearl Harbor, we now have the Japanese ships steaming toward us on the horizon.” (Reported by The New York Times).

First Look inside the military's cyber war room:

In 2008 Google stated that is was currently indexing one trillion unique URLs. As of June 2011, it is not uncommon, according to VeriSign and Daileychanges.com, for there to be 150,000 new domains registered in one day – an increase of 21% in just the last two years. No one can be sure where the Internet is going or how big it will be when it gets there.

What we can be sure of, however, is that the Internet will continue to grow and change; it is a vast sea of many voices, all with their own wants, needs and visions. There are voices now that say having a Social Media strategy is useless, and there are those that claim to have all the answers. A Google search on “Social Media Marketing Consultants” produces 74.7 million results. A search on “Search Engine Optimization Expert” yields nearly 21 million results.

I’m so glad we’re blessed with such a plethora of “experts”! I wonder though, can that many really have all the right answers and all the right strategy in such a constantly changing and dynamic environment as the Internet?

There was a time when I could tell you, almost any day, what the hottest graphic card, what of the latest sound cards was awesome, and which was the best processor. These days, if a client asks me a question like that, I’ll tell them to give me a minute or two, and then I’d hop on the Internet, do my research, and be able in a very short time to come back and give them a recommendation. Experience has shown that the recommendation is usually on target, or at least close enough to satisfy the needs of my client. Nevertheless, it is the trends in the Information Technology industry that intrigue me most. 

Someone recently asked me what processor my laptop was using; I had not a clue, and actually had to go to Control Panel and look it up. It’s not just a matter of ignorance, but that I find my mind better occupied with where the Internet is going, what’s the right thing to know about it, what ability to have. I am much more concerned with the trends than the just what’s hot at the moment; since 1986 my truth has been that whatever “is hot” has been a constantly moving thing, ever changing. This is the wonder of the Internet – it is always about change, and whatever is “hot” at the moment will be yesterday’s news tomorrow.

When I was young, about 1971, I use to go by the Hewlett-Packard plant in Tualatin, Oregon. Back then they were considering the ramifications of a “Binary Sequence Generator”. Truth is, I have no clue what a Binary Sequence Generator is, and even Wikipedia tells me that “The page ‘Binary Sequence Generator’ does not exist. You can ask for it to be created, but consider checking the search results,” etcetera. I did know that they had something to do with computers, and then saw ads for calculators, and later printers. We know today what Hewlett-Packard has become.

I had always hoped that I would be in the right place at the right time. To use the example of Hewlett-Packard again, two people, Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard, were at the right time with the right knowledge and the right skills. They formed Hewlett-Packard, and today it is one of the world’s largest information technologies companies in the world.

It’s the trends that matter. It’s staying on top of what is happening now, and trying to imagine where it may go from here. The Internet has always surprised: who would have thought I’d be blogging about Social Media ten years ago? In the meantime it has changed the communication between businesses and consumers at a fundamental level. It has changed this communication from a monologue by business to the customer, to a conversation that is now a two way street. When someone takes advantage, or tries to “pull one over”, the consumers now have power. Take Congressman Weiner, for example. Conversation is two way street, and that’s what you need to understand about Social Media.

The advent of the “Arab Spring” has proven the power of Social Media and the Internet; it is the power to change governments – and lives.

So as a Social Media Consultant, all I can say is “this is how it seems to be working now.” What I told you today will be wrong tomorrow; it is a continuously evolving, ever changing kind of thing.

Whatever Social Media strategy you adopt – and I do hope you adopt one, as one can never hit a target that is not defined – the one thing you can count on is that it will be different in a month or two, a year from now.  

And whichever Social Marketing Consultant you choose, or whose advice you listen to, I hope you find one that is keeping up with trends, for the Internet today is not the Internet of tomorrow, and if you don’t pay attention to this one basic fact, your Social Marketing campaign, while perhaps not completely failing, will not be as near effective as it could be.

In fact, it might be the difference between showing up on Google page one when someone searches for your business, or showing up on page 33, which basically means that your business does not exist for millions of potential new customers.  

Review: StreamSend’s Permission Based Email Service Makes it Easy To Expand Your Client Base with Repetitive, Opt-In emails.

StreamSend’s opt-in (Permission based) Email marketing service has proven to be one of the best ways for a company to affordably engage in e-promotion. Their service allows clients to quickly and efficiently strengthen their relationship with existing and new customers, providing the look of a Fortune 500 company without the expense. Whether you are building lists, conducting an advertising campaign, or just reviewing reports, their easy to use console makes every step of the process a breeze.

As they are an opt-in – or permission based email service – you never have to worry about your emails being bounced back as Spam. Further, as each email address is verified, you don’t have to wonder how many of your emails are actually getting delivered or face a mail box overflowing with “unable to deliver” notices.

Templates Make Creating an Email Campaign Easy

StreamSend’s ready to use templates makes it possible to create and send a professionally designed email or newsletter in just minutes. Or, for those with a creative flare, a custom template can be used. Either way, this email marketing service makes it easy to conduct a targeted email marketing campaign, or to strengthen the relationship with your clients.

StreamSend has proven to be one of the most cost effective ways to manage and build customer relationships, resulting in higher consumer loyalty and more profits. It specifically allows you to send announcements, newsletters, and other vital communications securely and easily.

StreamSend’s Easy To Use Console Makes List Management Simple

You can build a list, or using the StreamSend “Import to” Wizard, quickly upload an existing customer list in moments. Further, you can upload and manage multiple lists at no additional charge. New subscription requests, removal requests and bounces are handled automatically. You won’t need a large staff or a huge budget, as after just a few minutes of setting up, you can securely and easily send a professional, targeted message to the right clients.

Quickly Generate Detailed Activity Reports to be “In the Know!”

StreamSend allows you to track subscribers reading activity in real time to gauge you campaign’s effectiveness. You can see who is reading your newsletter, who is forwarding it, which links they click on, who is subscribing and unsubscribing, and how many new subscribers the latest email campaign brought. These reports can be exported and downloaded into Excel or other formats for local analysis of your campaign’s success.

For Developers, StreamSend’s API Allows Implementation on Nearly Any Platform

For Developers, StreamSend is a wonderful way to boost your offerings to your own clients, enabling your customers to benefit from the ease, speed and cost effectiveness of StreamSend. You can strengthen your own customer relationships by providing a cutting edge and valuable online tool. Whether you are using HTML, Ruby, PHP, ColdFusion, or .Net, the StreamSend API allows a customizable integration between Stream Send and your client’s site. StreamSend’s Reseller program also enables you to increase your revenue stream while serving your client’s needs.

You can further leverage the benefit of StreamSend, making it even easier and faster, with customized API Plug-Ins like Arachnid Creations’ Web Services StreamSend API Plug-In.

Summary

For an easy to use, Opt-In email marketing tool, StreamSend is obviously the hands down choice. It’s low cost, managed lists, ease of use, and compliance with anti-spam laws definitely makes it the top email marketing tool available.