Do hashtags drive you crazy? They drive my husband insane. I’ve tried explaining to him that hashtags have a purpose, especially when it comes to internet marketing, but he doesn’t believe me. That’s because of all the hashtag abusers out there on social media who are being rude by taking advantage of the little pound sign. People are becoming hashtag happy and using them too much, which makes me think that maybe they just need to be taught some hashtag etiquette and read today’s internet marketing tips.

Like it or not, we each have a reputation. We are given a reputation by the people who know us best, those we have just met and even the strangers we pass by on the street. It is the way that others view us as individuals and despite the amount of truth it does or doesn’t contain, it matters. Perhaps your reputation may just be a person’s opinion of you, but you can bet that good, bad or ugly, it’s going to spread. It can make or break you. There is no denying that when it comes to small businesses, reputation is one of most important factors in its success, both on and offline. Internet marketing can help influence this reputation.

The series finale of Dexter aired last night. True to Dexter form it was unpredictable, unsettling, and strangely satisfying. This blog is a tribute to America’s favorite serial killer, who can actually teach us a few internet marketing tips for your online strategy.

For some strange reason America has become desensitized to the death of large and small businesses. It’s almost like Darwinism, in the strong surival kind of sense. According to the SBA, over 50% of small businesses fail in the first five years. What goes wrong? The death of these businesses is often blamed on a number of reasons including: Lack of experience, insufficient capital, poor location, poor inventory management, and low sales. The scary thing is, a lot of business owners believe their doors will never close and that these outrageous numbers do not apply to them, after all…they are special. Right?

Ever wonder why Facebook is blue? Maybe it's some scientifically calculated blue that makes people stay hooked online for hours at a time liking cat meme's and Miley Cyrus Videos. Nah...it's actually because Mark Zuckerberg is red/green color blind; and blue is the color Mark can see the best. 

Google has chosen the digital capitals of each state. Why? Just for fun, and probably to create some digital business competition.

“Given the importance of the web in growing our local businesses and our local economies, we worked with independent research firm IPSOS to analyze the online strength of local businesses in cities and towns across America. Businesses in these communities are embracing the power of the web to find new customers, connect with existing ones and fuel their local economies." - Google

What does this mean? Google has chosen the cities based on business’s embracing digital and online business tactics. The towns who adapt to change the quickest and adopt new online techniques win the title for 2013 eCities! Kind of fun right?

Did Your City Make the 2013 List?

A couple of weeks ago I began to share about the new mantra I found and loved. I loved it so much in fact I wanted to write about it as internet marketing tips. You can read Part 1 here and following is Part 2. Before reading further though, here is the entire mantra so you have a little bit of context:

This week’s Internet Marketing Tips post is supposed to be Part 2 of “My New Mantra in the Form of Internet Marketing Tips," BUT instead it comes to you a day early to tell you about the way more important topic of INBOUND 2013. What is INBOUND?

Do you have a mantra that you live by? A word or phrase that you repeatedly say over and over to yourself to encourage you in tough situations or remind you about what’s really important in life?

The other day at our staff barbecue the topic of memes came up. Yes, we’re internet marketing geeks and talk about things like memes at our get-togethers. The question was posed: what is a meme? You know what? I'm ashamed to admit that I couldn’t really define it, at least not clearly and neither could anyone else! So of course I had to do a little research to find out exactly what does qualify as a meme. If you’re in the habit of reading our internet marketing tips, or you aren’t at all and just want to know what a meme is, I am passing my new-found knowledge onto you.