search engine optimization (seo) for beginners

search engine optimization (seo) is not the easiest way to boost your marketing. it’s a ton of work and there are no guarantees it will produce the results you seek. even when you achieve results through seo, you still have to make good on customers who are shopping heavily. if you want your ‘organic’ position to be high – listing somewhere along the first or second page of key searches on the left – then seo is for you. if you just want to be on the first page for key searches, then an adwords campaign is far less involved and quicker to results. let’s look at what you can do to make good on internet traffic and searches now – before you hire a professional to provide full-blown seo services.

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how to write or improve upon a biography

i’m always surprised by just how many bad biographies are out there. part of me knows that this is because of how difficult a process it is – probing, uncomfortable for many and based on honesty and objectivity. when you’re presenting a biography, you don’t want to choose other forms of writing as your model – ie. a resume, timeline, profile, or letter. you want to create something resembling a chapter in a play. you want to take the reader to a specific moment in time and describe in meaningful language what is going on there. a biography is an important publicity tool, so i’m offering seven valuable tips that you can’t overlook when pursuing one for your print or online kits. if you find yourself lost during this, please call me at 202 494 4326 (i can help for $225 to $450) or get started with me.

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8 paths to a stronger logo

for five years in the late 90s and into the early 2000s, i was partner in a washington dc firm called zinc. we targeted branding work. zinc was regularly selected over larger, more established firms. why you ask? because i insisted that we specialize in logo design. i developed innovative services that laid the foundation for better logos – influence point analysis (ipa) and brand development scripting (bds). it didn’t hurt that i went to school for drawing and only hired designers who were experts illustrators and understood communications.

over the 15-year arc of my career, i’ve completed nearly 100 premium designs. i’ve partnered with sole proprietor start-ups, non-profits like counterpart, center for community change and habitat for humanity, mid-size companies like bovis lendlease and digitek, and large corporations like pfizer and mitsubishi. while each market has distinct challenges, the basic principles of sound marketing, branding and communications are shared by all.

whether you’re starting a business and this is your first logo, or you’re rebranding an exisiting business, please don’t start the clock ticking without arming yourself with my “8 paths to a stronger logo” tip sheet. if you’d like me to create your logo, then lets’s get started.

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memphis gold – gator gon’ bitechu cd

i recently completed a packaging design for memphis gold. this was my third time working with the blues great. the new cd, gator gon’ bitechu!, is scheduled for official release through stackhouse records at gold’s upcoming show at blues alley on march 3 in washington dc. memphis is an accomplished recording artist under sponsorship from gibson guitars usa. he is currently on the february 2009 cover of living blues magazine with a six page feature, and was previously on the october 2008 cover of blues and rhythm magazine and a 2006 cover of jefferson blues magazine.

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