In the previous post, we’ve taken a look at the most common security threats that can cause potential problems to your VoIP call system. It follows that, when there are problems, there are corresponding solutions. So now let’s have a look at how we can fix these issues.

Whether it’s a simple setup for the home or office or a complex installation for a small business or large corporation, it turns out that any VoIP system can share the same security issues. This is because all VoIP communication uses the internet to transfer calls and all other forms of communication. Understandably, it has inherited the same problems that the internet goes through such as call interception, tampering and other forms of hacking.

Here are three things you can do to keep your VoIP calls private and secure:

1). Use a Firewall

A firewall is a security software that is intended to prevent unauthorized and unwanted access to your computer system software or data. It does this by filtering the types of communication coming in and out of the network and then blocking those types of communication which it evaluates as risky. A firewall literally acts like a wall that stands in between your private network and the entire World Wide Web thereby protecting your network and keeping it safe from the rest of the internet world.  So, when a firewall is up and running it will control the traffic from and to your VoIP service, allowing those calls which are safe to go through and barricading those that are not. Your VoIP service provider should have a dedicated firewall working to protect the entire network and they may also have built-in firewalls in the hardware such as in the router to sort out VoIP packets that’s coming and going from your network, but to be doubly safe and sure, you can install your own software firewalls   in your home computer or office computers that have broadband access and configure the firewall settings to control your VoIP traffic better.

2). Require Authentication

Authentication will require someone to prove that he or she is who they claim to be before they can be given the right to use the service and the right of entry into the network. This simple process involves asking for a username and password or any other secret combination prior the start of any actual communication. This is one of the best ways for lessening the chances of any attacker to impersonate identities and take away personal information because it validates the identity of everyone involved in the communication.

3). The Encryption Advantage

This is a very basic feature of internet security. The process of encryption involves the substitution of data into nonsense information so that it cannot be easily decoded, making it impossible to read or understand. When private information is sent over the computer, it can be easily intercepted and stolen by anyone. Encryption secures your private information by altering its form into scrambled codes so that when it is stolen it is a corrupted piece of information that is meaningless. Once the private information reaches its correct destination, it is decrypted or changed back into its original form that is understandable by the recipient.

Keep in mind that your VoIP service provider is mainly responsible for taking care of security. It is their job to make sure that a dedicated firewall is in operation all the time and that proper authentication capabilities and encryption facilities are in place.  So always check that these security features are provided to you when starting your plan.

VoIP technology may not be altogether perfect but it is still a cut above the old-style phone system in terms of multi-functionality, cost efficiency and user convenience.

Regular phone systems cannot give you as much as 80% cost-savings on your phone bill. It definitely cannot provide instant messaging, video communication and web capabilities all in one package. It definitely cannot offer the kind of flexibility that a VoIP telephone number can simply by accessing the internet.

By far, the benefits far outweigh the consequences that these security concerns bring about, more so when proper safety measures are put in place to strengthen VoIP security and privacy.

For more information on Voip products and services, please visit  JasonGrilli.com and the Globalinx Online Store.

No system is perfect.  VOIP is no exception.

One of the biggest issues plaguing the popularity of VOIP is that of security.

No doubt that VOIP is functional, practical and cost less than the old-style telephone system. Generally, it is a better-quality phone system, more advanced, more improved and a cut above the regular telephone. But as more and more people utilize the technology, we are also discovering that VoIP has a vulnerable side too.

This post is intended to help VOIP users understand how and where VOIP security is susceptible so that you can take the steps to protect yourself from these security problems.

Let’s take a look at some of the dangers that you can be exposed to everytime you use VOIP.

1.       Service theft via phone phreaking

Service theft occurs when a phone phreak breaks into the Voip network illegally to make free long-distance calls using your number and pass the cost on to you.

2.       Eavesdropping via wiretapping

Wiretapping is the unauthorized connection made to your Voip line for the purpose of eavesdropping or to listen maliciously and secretly to your conversations or to illegally intercept other private communication such as your instant message, your videoconference or fax transmission.

3.       Identity theft

By means of eavesdropping, or wiretapping your Voip line, hackers can steal your name, password, email address, phone numbers and other personal credentials and use your identity to gain access to your calling plan and billing information to make free long-distance calls using your account, take over your voicemail or make changes to a call forwarding number.

4.       Vishing or VoIP phishing

This phishing trick uses VoIP to call you illegally, send you a fake text message or a fake telephone number for you to call with the pretense to coax you into giving your private personal and financial information in order to get hold of your account and your money or make illegal purchases using your credit fraud or negotiate falsely for loans using your identity.

5.       VoIP DoS attacks

A DoS attack is a bombardment of unnecessary call signals to your VoIP network or device in order to put your service or connection out of action. Once your service gets terminated, your account is taken over by the attacker and falsified. A VoIP DoS attack causes garbled call signals, premature call dropping, messages to get intercepted and stops the progress of call processing as it rejects or disallows connection.

6.       VoIP spamming

Similar to email spamming, VoIP spams are unwanted, unsolicited calls from anonymous phone numbers. Common forms of VoIP spam are annoying online sales calls and voicemail flooding and messages that carry viruses, malwares and worms.

7.       Call tampering

In this type of attack, VoIP signals are manipulated to slow down the connection or completely block the delivery of call signals. This results in minor disturbances during phone calls in progress such as poor sound quality or long periods of static silence.

8.       Man-in-the-middle attacks

In this type of attacks, the VoIP call signals are intercepted and redirected to a different location. It is termed man-in-the-middle because the attacker pretends to be either the caller or the recipient with the intention to mislead and deceive.

These security problems do not lower the degree of VoIP quality in any way in terms of functionality and practicality. Reality is, the industry has yet to experience a major VoIP security breach. By far, the technology is regarded as reliable and safe to use.  These safety issues should be regarded as “a piece of advice,” so to say, so that as the end user you can take preventive measures to lessen the chances that it might happen.

It is best to take into consideration that these security issues are only consequent to the nature of the internet. Since VoIP calls pass through the internet then it is reasonable that the system is open to the same dangerous elements. Nonetheless, digital technology is committed to better securing VOIP by developing the steps to perfect the capabilities needed to fend off these attacks with improvements on device calling features, encryption tools and authentication protocol. This is the road that VoIP technology is now taking and the VoIP structure is getting stronger and more developed as digital technology advances.

For more information on Voip products and services, please visit JasonGrilli.com and the Globalinx Online Store.

My flagship product is VoIP, so yeah, you know why I talk about it every now and then.  I absolutely love the technology. It has helped me communicate better with my family and friends while on the road and I also know of a lot of people whose lives have been better connected just by using VoIP products and services. I hope to see more people benefit from the very real way VoIP technology can change the way they communicate.

Voice Over Internet Protocol or VoIP is a breakthrough in communication technology that adds more convenience and practicality to today’s communication experience.  The main selling point of VoIP especially to residential consumers is that it allows free or cheap local and international phone calls. VoIP products and services also offer functions and applications in one package which the traditional phone systems do not such as internet calling, faxing, voicemail, mobile calling, instant messaging, chat messaging, video calling and even video conferencing, all of which appeals to most small and large businesses.

All VoIP calls are transmitted through the internet. So in order to communicate using VoIP, you will need to subscribe for high speed internet connection and a VoIP service plan. You can make regular phone calls to any phone number to various parts of the world either through PC-to-PC or through a regular phone line by means of an internet router attached to a special VoIP router. All VoIP calls work the same way regardless of your service provider but you will need at least broadband internet connection with a speed of  90 kbps in both directions to get clear transmission and high voice quality.

The type of VoIP service you choose will depend on your communication needs and wants. There are residential/business VoIP service plans, software-based VoIP service, mobile VoIP service, business VoIP service solutions packages and the no-monthly bill VoIP service plans. VoIP service providers offer several types of service plans that truly cost cheaper than traditional phone companies. These service plans, however, do not include high speed internet service. You will need to get internet connection as a separate service to the VoIP plan either from your regular phone company, a cable television provider or through a satellite provider.

A reliable VoIP service provider results to customer satisfaction and loyalty. Many consumers have been known to stick to just one company for all their communication needs despite the lure of competing offers mainly because of reliability.  Choosing a VoIP provider, therefore, is a critical decision as it can mean a hassle-free experience for you as consumer.  Many people have naively signed service contracts without studying certain features and reviewing contract clauses or phrases and then later on file disputes with their providers only ending up with futile results.

There are many VoIP providers who can be trusted to give you top quality VoIP service solutions. These companies are at the forefront of VoIP advancements. They see to it that they offer consumers the latest and most cutting-edge technology that VoIP can provide and they also continually fine-tune their service plans to remain competitive. As a consumer, you now have more choices with better prices. But, you can also get waylaid into choosing second-rate service providers if you‘re not well-informed about VoIP.  Do your research so you become familiar with VoIP. You can gather accurate information from trusted websites, reading reviews and customer testimonials, and even allowing service providers to give you a presentation of their products and services so that you get a first-hand look at what they can offer.You need to know how to push your way through the various companies out there so you can choose one that is trusted.

WiFi VoIP video phones hits home for Grilli and Company

Here’s a basic checklist of common features that make up a reliable VOIP service provider:

SERVICE PROVISIONS

• Limited and unlimited plans
• Range of local and international service
• Device and other equipment required
• Is the device/equipment to be rented out for the duration of the service plan or is it for purchase?
• Do you need to buy the IP phone or is the existing analog phone model compatible with the VoIP service?
• Trial-run offer
• Emergency calling
• Remote accessibility
• Technical support service
• Equipment repair service

COSTS

• Equipment cost, rental fee/purchase fee
• Installation cost
• Activation fee
• Termination fee
• Rates for Limited and unlimited plans
• Local rates and international rates
• Additional costs/other hidden costs

CONTRACT TERMS

• Duration of service
• Money back guarantee
• Guarantee for quality of service
• Provisions for early termination
• Charges for upgrades and downgrades

ADDED FEATURES

• Caller ID
• Call forwarding
• Call waiting
• Call transferring
• Call logging
• Voice mail
• Fax service
• Multiple number options
• Virtual number option
• Toll-free numbers availability

Unlike in the few years back, the consumer now has a much easier time choosing a VoIP provider that can prove to be reliable since there is a wide selection of VoIP service providers available in today’s marketplace. If you know what you are looking for then you can find the right VoIP service provider that can solve your communication needs while allowing you to still keep to your budget range.

It's A Small World Afterall Says VoIP

In a recent article included in the famed business magazine INC500, the research firm IBISWorld reports its analysis of the Top Best and Worst Industries of the Next Decade. The Top Best mean the Top Strongest industries. The Top Worst mean the Top Weakest industries. It’s a fearless forecast that spans the next 10 years and is based on consumer demand and revenue growth.  On top of the list for Best/Strongest Industries for the next decade is the VoIP industry.

If your business is one that deals with VoIP products and services then this only means that you are at the forefront of success.  A great number of companies are already marketing VoIP hardware products, software products and services. The market will continue to saturate because there is increasing demand for VoIP products and services especially among residential consumers.

The growth in the VoIP market is largely due to the fact that VoIP services are low-priced but offer good value. VoIP calls and services are generally low-cost compared to traditional telephone services. The consumer demand has created a lot of competitive businesses with each provider vying for the latest and most advanced innovation to offer discriminating buyers.  As a result, the consumer now has more choices for brand with better prices that are easy on the pocket.

Telecommunications is big business. I have always believed that it is a strong business to invest into. It is an industry that will continue to be a leading player for years yet to come because communication is a crucial commodity in modern life in the same way as food and shelter are basic requirements. The need to exchange information is vital to human society whether it’s done by means of phone call, video calls, e-mail, letter, SMS, I-chats or even sign language or body language. We will never be able to do away with communication. It is a way of life to individuals who need to connect and for the growth of small and large businesses that cannot afford to go incommunicado.  The tools by which we use to communicate will rapidly change over the years, but communication by itself as an act of the exchange of information between people is necessary and indispensable. It is needed for life and critical to the continuing effectiveness of human civilization. If our society should develop into the next higher level of culture then improvements in technology need to happen at the same time.

The advent of VoIP is plainly a major advancement in communication technology. Like all positive development, the VoIP innovation is only going to make people’s lives better and easier as the years go by. All VoIP works the same way. In an uncomplicated way, it allows you to make voice calls using an internet phone service provider instead of the regular old phone lines to wherever destination you place a call to. VoIP is definitely better than traditional phone service because:

1.       With the arrival of new devices and applications, a wider range of VoIP solutions now includes local and long-distance phone communications,  internet calling, mobile communication, faxing, voicemail , video conferencing instant messaging, chat services and web 2.0 interconnectivity.

2.       It takes away almost half the costs of a regular landline service depending on your carrier

3.       Your number has no limitations as to location because VoIP uses the Internet. You can transfer your VoIP modem anyplace in the world that has internet access and continue to use the same old telephone number with it.

4.       You can call as a local call if you apply for a number in that particular city. If you have family and friends you need to keep in constant touch with within a particular city, you can call using that number and it will be treated as a local call with no extra charges or fees.

VoIP first came into the scene in the arena of personal computers. Now, it has entered the mobile telecommunications scene through Wifi connections. The technology will continue to improve as VoIP providers continue to make innovations to existing products and services in order to provide better VoIP solutions to consumers.

WiFi VoIP video phones hits home for Grilli and Company

VoIP is absolutely part of modern life. It is an advancement in communication technology that will continue to be a part of regular life over the years as residential consumers and small and large companies increasingly appreciate the value of its huge cost-savings, its simplicity in function and its ease of use over traditional telephone systems.

That’s why a VoIP business is a solid business investment to venture into at this point in time. You simply can’t go wrong if you’re selling people what they need.

Communication technology continues to improve from mere audio to visual connection with the introduction of video phones and the development of more compact video conferencing systems. While the technology of video phone conferencing is popularly appreciated in the business sector, the recognition for its value has also broken through the institutions of learning.

The concept of distance learning has been around for centuries and it has evolved alongside improvements in communication technology. In the past, books, workbooks, homework and other learning hand-outs were delivered back and forth through horseback and then snail mail. With the advent of the computer era, distance learning methods became more real-time with email and chat technology. Now, with low-cost video phone equipment and VoIP technology the classroom experience is extended to virtually any place and synchronized to any time.

Video conferencing has become a very helpful tool in distance learning.

1). Allows for a more interactive education. Early and modern educators believe that education, the imparting and acquiring of knowledge and abilities can be made absolute only through the exchange of many ideas. Individuals learn from one another. It is in this regard where video phone technology outstandingly equalizes the insufficiency of a remote setting. Video conferencing makes distance learning more fun, more alive and effective since the remote teacher and student can actually see, talk, react and respond to one another on-screen in real-time. The heightened sensory awareness of seeing and hearing a real person connecting to you always results in a more enriching and more interpersonal teaching and learning experience.

2). Grants access to opportunities for outside sources of information. Perhaps the most practical advantage of video phone conferencing is that it makes possible the development of a new skill, practice, or way of doing things using previously inaccessible resources. In the past, higher education or simply studying a new language was beyond the reach of many people considering the impracticality of far away distances, the inconveniences of taking a trip and other costly expenses a person would incur for the sake of learning. Nowadays, video conferencing has made it possible for experts in specialized fields to simply hook up into the video call and provide mentoring, students can take a trip to anywhere around Asia or any part of the world and gain knowledge of a new culture directly in the classrooms, students in rural areas can have the benefit of advanced studies from trained teachers in urban schools. Numerous opportunities are now available to nearly everyone with the advancements in distance learning methods.

3). Permits the use of mixed forms of information exchange. Unlike in the past where distance learning has been limited to print materials delivered by postal mail,  the newest technology in distance learning makes use of many other approaches to exchanging information by means of images, graphs, sign language interpretation, desktop add-ons and application sharing.  These new forms of online teaching have greatly assisted in closing in the online communication gap as both remote student and teacher  can clearly describe a point, convey ideas,  collaborate and further the 2-way interaction between one another. These approaches also benefit in such a way that they impart technological know-how where books, written materials or telephones cannot.

Distance learning programs rule out any excuse for lack of knowledge and education. Backed up with the technology it has today to connect people from far and wide, distance learning is now commonplace to this generation, easily available to almost anyone in almost anyplace at almost anytime.

5LINX Enterprises Inc. supports a number of Distance Learning programs across the United States through its Linx for Learning program. If you would like to know more about Linx for Learning or would like to start a VideoPhone Mentoring program in your community, please contact Jason Grilli at Perfect Pitch Marketing Group.

The changing face of Social Media can make you the king of the business jungle.

It’s a running commentary that with it’s population of over 400 million active users worldwide, if Facebook were a country it would be the third largest in the world. Those numbers, for one thing, make Facebook a more useful method of communication and marketing tool for businesses than other social media site. Plus, it has all these other incentives as well:

• Zero-cost to set-up and get free website traffic
• Facebook has the professional quality of LinkedIn, but it’s more relaxed and fun setting makes it less intimidating to connect with people
• Facebook has a Twitter-like simplicity in that it is an open platform where communication is free-flowing, the “Comments Box” allows users to easily comment, the “Live Stream” allows users to share and post updates in real-time
• Facebook can be an expansion of your blog or website as the interactive pages can be publicly seen by Facebook users and non-users, the HTML box can help a business get their own content onto their Facebook page, the simple tab applications allows the posting of events, photos, videos and music giving you the ability to create custom landing pages to promote certain events

Facebook can be one way to grow a business because of it’s ripple-like networking and advertising global reach, but like any of the other popular social media sites, a strategic marketing plan to target your promotional efforts to relevant customers is key to success.

1).  Start off a professional image with your Facebook Business Fan Page

For great branding, customize your Facebook fan page just like your website’s pages so that customers relate you with just one consistent identity throughout the web and can easily form brand awareness on product details, special offers, and business events in just one glance of your page.

• Fill out the information page with complete contact details, such as your physical office address, phone numbers, email address, web link, operating hours, and company stats.
• Attach your business logo in the profile picture
• Fan interactions with your page show up in News Feeds of their Friends, so actively use the wall features, photo, video, discussion, links and events tabs to interact with customers for greater branding exposure, to announce product line-ups and  new sales offers, create new buzz for the business and communicate effectively with them to value customer loyalty and manage customer expectations.

2).  Promote and advertise non-stop

Remember that with social media it’s very important to intermingle on a regular basis to build your community. Here are a few tips to promote your page on Facebook:

• Join Facebook Groups and Communities ~ Connect with groups or communities that will benefit your business to boost business exposure and gain potential customers. Become a fan of well-known experts in your field, you can gain exposure through a working association with them. The online world is always receptive to anything new and exciting.  Collaborate on innovative events/promotions with competitors or non-competitive businesses, either through sponsorships or joint ventures, which will create buzz within and outside the Facebook community.
• Share your page information on other websites by leaving your Page Badge, which contains your contact information on email and forum signatures or as a sidebar on your own website or blog
• “Suggest the Page” to your friends and have them invite their “Friends” to “Become a Fan”
• Use Facebook ads to promote your page. Facebook offers a range of cheap advertising programs to businesses with a limited online advertising budget. Find these ad programs on the business page when you click on “Promote Page with an Ad”

3). Monitor Fan Base Traffic

The Facebook Insights link provides businesses a basic structure for tracking their fan base. The data here will help you grow your fan base as it gives you insights on total page visits, how content and posting frequency influence fan interactions, where your fans come from and what sorts of fans to target.

Imagine the countless possibilities for your business that lie within the Twitter population alone:

“And, with 75 million total accounts, an active user base of around 20% still leaves around 15 million highly active tweeters,”  see complete statistics here: The Metric System A blog About Data by RJMetrics. Plus, projections are already set to more than 26 million active Twitter users by end of 2010 (Mashable The Social Media Guide).

Those substantial numbers spell growth, and it’s potential growth no wise business person can simply ignore. If Twitter is not a part of your business marketing strategy now, I suggest that it should be, so you too can ride along with it’s growth.

Here are really good business tips to put into operation when marketing in Twitter so that it can be a really great business tool:

#1: SET UP A TWITTER ACCOUNT FOR BUSINESS ONLY

To help in branding, use a Twitter account with your business name. Don’t forget to put in the link to your business website. Separate what’s business and what’s personal. Make one Twitter account for business and another account for personal use and never link both to each other.

#2: EXPRESS SOME PERSONALITY

If you come across as too business-like, you’ll be seen as too stiff and hard-core and that turns people off. When you’re too open, especially when you tweet nonsense like “…eating jellybeans now,” or “…in bed and reading the papers,” you also come out as silly to your customers and peers. Set a balance between professional and approachable, an expert in the field who is open-minded and easy to talk to. Show a bit of personality to convey that you are real, share your thoughts on familiar topics like music, sports or relevant current events and give just enough personal information to begin rapport and maintain the business relationships.

#3: CREATE A TWITTER MARKETING STRATEGY

A single tweet can make and break your business image, so I think that from the very start you need to have as much control on how you influence people’s opinions about you and your business. In order for Twitter to be a really successful business tool for you, go into it with a studied approach using a pre-planned strategy.

If you have more than one online business venture, then you should manage different Twitter business accounts for each. There are great tools you can use to manage multiple Twitter accounts. Keep them all separate from one another so that you’re organized and you don’t confuse your followers so that your promotion and communication efforts specific to one business are focused to just that particular group.

Establish the following while planning your Twitter marketing strategy:

• · Target audience – Who do you target to be your followers? Where do you find them? How do you tweet to them? Who do you follow?
• · Manning – Who manages the account? How often and how much time should be spent Twittering? Guidelines should be ready in case staff members need to deal with negative customer reactions.
• · Interaction style – Replies and interactions will be decided in view of what business details can be shared to the public.
• · Monitoring results – What are your preset factors to determine success in Twitter? Is your Twitter strategy effective? Which areas of the plan are working and which are not? What Twitter tools do you use to measure stats?

#4: USE THE HELP OF TWITTER APPS AND TOOLS

There are very useful free and low-cost third party apps and services that work together with Twitter. Use them to get the most out of Twitter as a business marketing tool. Some examples:

• Tweetdeck and Hootsuite are desktop applications to help organize your tweets, manage multiple Twitter and other social media accounts, schedule tweets, track statistics,
• hashtags helps to increase your Tweet visibility, use Tagalus as a dictionary for hashtags, Twubs can help distribute information on a hashtag

#5: FOLLOW TWITTER DO’S AND DON’T’S

Twitter is designed to be a very open forum, but there are unwritten rules with which the Twitter community abide by to control misuse and abuse.

• Potential customers respond positively to a complete Twitter business profile as it conveys transparency, so put up your company logo or personal picture and give very clear details about what your business is all about.
• To perfect your business image, it’s a good idea to have your staff (especially the one’s managing your business account) read up on some Twitter etiquette on how to follow and un-follow, replying using @ replies or using a D message (direct message) instead, and using acronyms that people can easily figure out.

#6: TWEET ONLY ON WORK DAYS

Twitter may be hot, but people do have a life and they have other things to attend to than business in Twitter.  Send business tweets only on work days. Show consideration for weekends and holidays.

One very good marketing tip is to start a blog. Blogging is a necessary part of a company’s overall marketing plan as a blog can be several things for your business: a sales tool to promote products/offers, a communication tool to update customers, and a branding tool to build up reputation.

Blog marketing has advanced. With over a hundred million existing blogs and more being created daily, it’s not enough anymore to just build it, post good content and hope readers will come. Nowadays, you need to find your readers and really put effort to drive traffic to your blog. These tips are the standards in marketing a business blog:

1). It all starts with your blog domain. Your blog domain or URL must be definite to your market. It is what people will use to locate your blog every time they do a search so you would want them to locate your blog specifically. For a great branding and SEO strategy, choose a domain name that clearly relates to you or your product, so if you are, for instance, a baseball blog, you would want your URL to say www.allaboutbaseball.blogurl.com.

2). Write and post regularly. Content is the vital element to making your blog useful to your target readers. You really can’t go wrong with content that’s original and useful. Posting 3-5 times weekly keeps them coming back, maintains their interest and increases your chances to get noticed by the search engines to help buildup your page views.

3). Submit your blog to the search engines and other blog directories. Hit on the submit link of major search engines and blog directories and give them your blog URL and RSS Feed. This doesn’t guarantee that you appear at the top rank in search engine results but it simply lists your blog in their directory and when the search engines start their crawl process your pages get included in their search results.

4). Tailor templates to help brand your blog. The color scheme, font style, overall layout will convey the first impression on what your blog is all about.

• Put in RSS subscription option, social bookmarking links in highly visible areas
• Unique title tags because those are the words that will initially tell search engines if content is original and what will appear in the clickable link in search engine results page
• Sitemap to help readers and search engines access all the contents in the site
• Keywords listing to help readers easily find your content when they do a search
• Use your blogroll to get links from influential bloggers in your field and to help initiate an association with them

5). Maximize plug-ins. Make the best use of plug-ins provided by your blog software. Powerful plug-ins are:

• Comments plug-ins: the “Recent Posts” and “Popular Posts” act as sneak previews to what your readers can expect to read and what they can read back on if they’ve missed a visit to your blog, “Recent Comments” plug-ins can invite topic discussion, “Related posts” provide readers with easy access to more information within your blog
• there are plug-ins to help in SEO
• Allow automatic trackback. Trackbacks will allow you to let other sites know that you have linked to them, and lets you know when other sites have linked to you. Allow anyone to place a link to their site on to your blog because it’s other people’s stamp of approval on your posts. Trackbacks will always show a link back to your blog in the comments field of the post that it’s originally linked to.
• Allow ping function. The ping function will let all of the blog directories you’ve set up into your blog (ex: http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping, or http://blogsearch.google.com/ping/RPC2) know that you have published a new blog post in your blog.

6). Tag Posts. Tags are like keywords/phrases and labels that describe your content to make it easier to find. Tags help display everything you’ve posted about that related tag when readers or search engines do a search so make sure each blog post have tags on them before they are published and think like your readers so use tags that your readers would actually use when doing a search.

7). Interact with comments. Comments are what make blogs alive because of the interaction from your readers. Make sure it’s a 2-way conversation by responding to their comments in a timely manner. It’s also important to screen comments so you have control over your reputation management.

8). SEO is crucial for sending traffic to your blog. Optimize your blog posts and pages for search engines by making use of related keywords, practice effective keyword placement, manage well-timed posting and invest in finding significant one-way links. Blogs naturally attract more search engine traffic because they’re already structurally built with simple navigation design so that all pages can be found and linked to easily.

9). Think outside of the box. In terms of creativity, always change your usual blog format from time to time to give your audience something new to experience. It’s a great way to maintain interest and create new buzz for your blog. Few examples

• Plan on a blog design make-over and hype it up
• Posts using podcasts or vlogs instead of the usual written format
• Invite guest bloggers for a fresh angle
• Run polls, blog contests
• Join in the latest list craze going on in the web in order to attract traffic to your site. Use your blogroll to link to more famous and influential blogs and websites for outbound resource links, create your own “favorites lists” in Twitter and link back to your blog

10). Work on networking. Growing your following is the only way to become better known online and with more followers to support your blog, the higher the chances for  traffic buildup.

• Initiate contact with related bloggers, associate with other famous bloggers in your field, mention authoritative groups or individuals you admire or have worked with in your blog posts
• Social media is a must so join the major traffic generators Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, Twitter, Digg, Del.icio.us, Reddit, and StumbleUpon

11). Form a link building strategy. It’s a slow progression but links are valuable so that search engines can find you. The more you make it easy for search engines to find you, the easier to get higher page results and the easier to buildup blog traffic. Link building can be done by trading links with other sites, link building software, being listed in E-zines, newsletters, directories, search engines, etc.

12). Grow the number of RSS subscribers to your blog’s feed.

• Let your readers know that they can subscribe so position your subscription link and subscription reminders in plain sight on every page of your blog, highly visible spots are at the top and in between blog posts.
• Offer perks for additional benefits readers can get for subscribing to your blog like a free ebook, free newsletter, or a free gift that’s related to your posts or anything that you think adds value to their subscription.
• Display your Feedburner badge, it’s a stamp of approval to let others know your blog has a good number of readers and is therefore worthy to be checked out.

13). Promote your blog and connect with other bloggers by using NetworkedBlogs app for Facebook. Set up the application by typing in your blog name, url, description and then claim the blog. Your Facebook page will show the blog feed, permit readers to rate the blog, gather new readers from the Facebook blogging community, and automatically post your blog contents to your Facebook page.

There are many other ways to promote your blog to buildup traffic but these tips are great to start with. I think the best formula to find out what’s really working for you is: trial-measure-modify. And keep blogging! … hard work, patience and persistence  are all part of the formula for success.  Do you know of any other awesome ways to buildup blog traffic? Let’s discuss… 

The clout of social media is really viral nowadays as we see small businesses from all over the world following a social networking strategy to promote their business online through social sites as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Multiply and MySpace.

Internet big-wigs did foresee this social networking development early on in the last year. With the ongoing rough economic times pressuring small business owners to take a hard look at their marketing budgets, I think it is only a natural progression to see start-up and small businesses change their marketing direction away from costly traditional TV, radio and print advertising and go the way of less costly, even free, social web tools, because all things considered, social media has proven it’s mark and is consistently proving that is  a low-cost yet effective way to promote a business, manage customer relationships, gain leads and uncover new channels for sales.

While many small business owners are reaping pretty healthy return of investments for all their social networking efforts, we also see a good number at the other end of the spectrum, struggling in frustration to get somewhere. Small and start-up business owners need to keep in mind that social media networking is time-intensive and chancy. Therefore, like any traditional or online marketing effort, it is always a good idea to start things on a balance, go into it with a focused and manageable strategy in place.

Here are a few tips to take into account before launching a social media networking strategy with the aim of meeting marketing goals in the end:

START SMALL. From the very beginning, plan a doable strategy, one you can actually manage and accomplish within realistic time-lines. Control the following factors at the onset:

1. the number of social sites you start with, it’s best to set up profiles in 2-3 social media sites initially and cross-promote across all the sites you launch in to keep them all connected
2. the time you spend interacting and link-building in them, you can start with a daily 2-hour schedule perhaps then convert to a weekly schedule
3. your branding components, which are your company message and personality, the key is to convey just one consistent brand image all throughout

The key point is to keep your social networking strategy at a scale you can manage, so start small and then grow it as you gather an understanding of best practices and techniques along the way which you can include in the process.

STICK WITH IT. Social media is time-consuming. Real results from all the efforts you put in may take several months up to a full year before showing any evidence of success. Steady persistence is key to:

1. Growing your network. A loyal group of followers is the only way to create an online presence. Without them, there is no one to act upon your call of action. Spend time bonding with your fan base/customers. Communicate with them constantly and keep them informed about any new company developments. Create buzz to promote business such as holding a unique contest or an exciting publicity stunt in your site to get new people to sign-up and existing members to keep coming back.
2. Building an expert reputation. An expert standing is a natural pull to people. When you are deemed as a leading expert or have a high-ranking blog/site, people will naturally refer to you first and foremost.  Collaborate on a shared venture like related affiliate programs, create multiparty webinars, or join blog carnivals. The strategy is to associate with prominent people in your field to get expert branding so you are further seen as an authority by your following.

INTERACTION IS THE NAME OF THE SOCIAL GAME. The only way to form connections is to interact with people. Two strategic points to keep in mind:

1. Always keep the flow of information 2-way
2. Interact on a regular basis

Social media can never work if you barely set up your business profile pages, start conversing a couple days and then walk out and come back a month later.

• Work together with your group of followers, share expert content and link-up to their content, request for links and reciprocate with your own links, refer their business and they will likely recommend yours
• Intermingle, initiate conversations and exchange ideas through blog comments or website forums remembering to always include a link back to your own content or site
• At the start, work at building relationships on a fixed schedule. Set a certain appointed time during which your following can expect you so that they are online at that particular time to interact with you.

At this point, you have your content marketing strategy at play: you understand your market, you know who your readers are, you’re getting a feel of what they want and need, you’re changing up your content to give them what they want and need, and you’re gathering a growing readership base. You’ve spent loads of your time and money to get those readers to your site — any one of them can be potential buyers. You’re really serious about growing your business through content marketing. So how do you turn your readers to buying customers with your content?

1). Build up trust by priming your readers to buy.

As a website owner you know that trust is key to converting your visitors to buyers. It’s verified in all customer feedback surveys made: an overwhelming customer response in the range of 93%-97% show that trust is the #1 factor they consider before buying from an online business. The more your potential customers trust you, the more they will buy from you.

You have the attention of your readership base, but you can’t go too straight away to the selling part. To cover all these three bases at any point in your content marketing strategy, mix content up so that it’s continuously at work building the trust and personal and commercial relationships between you and your readers:

• 1st Base: Build up trust as a credible and reliable resource for information by steadily providing content that’s useful and helpful. Keep delivering content that supplies complete answers to their questions so that they don’t need to go anywhere else to find it.

• 2nd Base: Intensify their interest by continually giving out tips and advice, how-to discussions, lists of suggestions through your blog or email comprehensive newsletters that provide solutions to their problems so they’ll regard you as a friend and a mentor.

• 3rd Base: Get them ready to buy with content that progressively adds in some persuasive approach. Bit by bit, throw in some content that gives them a glimpse of what you have to offer, give details about your business to distinguish you from the competition so they can compare and decide that you’re the better one to do business with, put in an ad that triggers their interest to find out more details about your offer.

2). Hit home run

Time to close in on the sale; your reader is ready to buy. From this point, what do you want him to do, where do you want him to go? Give clear and to the point instructions: “To find out more, please visit… or go to… or click here…” to send him to a landing page or web page where he can focus on your up-front selling, weigh up on your killer offer, act on your further call for action, and finally buy your product or service. Take into account the following:

• Make sure the click he makes sends him straight away to your correct and exact landing page or sales page. Don’t waste his time, don’t distract his attention or drive him away by sending him to a home page that he still needs to navigate and figure out where to go to next. Land him straight up to precisely where you want him to be.

• Make sure your purchase forms are easy and quick to fill up. Only ask for the basic personal information relevant to your business like name, contact details, and payment information, otherwise you’ll rouse their suspicion. If you’re selling E-books, you don’t need to know their social security number or tax identification number. Keep the buying process simple and fast, online sales shouldn’t take more than half an hour to complete from the moment they land on your sales page.

• Replies to business emails should be done no more than two days. Speedy customer service turnaround encourages customer loyalty and retention and therefore repeat business for you. Consumers would rather deal with a product/service having minor problems, but with great customer support than with a product/service having hardly any problems, but with lousy or no customer support.