Last month's answer -

a) Kathy Whitworth reached one million in earnings in 1981.

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This month's question is:

Weird Harold and Dumb Donald were characters on what popular TV cartoon series?

a) Cat & Dog
b) Fat Albert & the Cosby Kids
c) Bugs Bunny & Friends
d) Mission: Magic

Be the first to e-mail Sue Worthing sue@ezsolution.comwith the correct answer to win a $20 gift certificate to Isaacs Deli or Starbucks!

How can I be so bold as to guarantee page one placement on Google?

There are many factors that go into getting on the first page of Google. Of course, we need to do all the fundamental optimization. I won't bore you with the details.

But here is a detail that you might not know. Google's overall belief is that if a lot of websites link TO your website, then you must be important. If a lot of websites that Google thinks are important link TO your website, then you must be really important. So what this means is that Google is nothing more than a 7th grade popularity contest.

So here's what we do. We get lots of important websites to link TO your website. These are directories, blogs and article based websites.

I have always had the business belief that says, "Guarantee Everything." In this past year, I applied this belief to our Search Engine Marketing Pricing structure. After all, why should you pay me for not doing my job? Well, I don't think that you should. Here's what it costs:

Localized Keywords
Example: Dentist Lancaster PA
Setup Fee: $50 per keyword
Monthly Fee: $20 per keyword

National Keywords
Example: Dentist
Setup Fee: $100 per keyword
Monthly Fee: $50 per keyword

You will only be billed for the keywords that rank on the first page of Google. For example, if you have 20 local keywords and only 11 of those have first page Google placement, you will be invoiced for the 11 keywords for that month, which would be $220.

How long does it take? Most of your keyword phrases will improve their placement in under 30 days. Over the first 90 days these phrases will drastically fluctuate in ranking. Over time your placements will even out.

If you would like to discuss how we can help your business with your Google rankings, please call Tom at 717-291-4689.

It's everyone's favorite application. Admit it, you know it is.

Since its introduction, it has revolutionized the way we communicate, both personally and professionally. It has had a major impact on how companies market themselves, communicate with vendors, send out press releases, rally employees and alert clients to their latest and greatest promotion. The ease, low cost and speed of e-mail for marketing is the biggest reason why our inboxes are overflowing with spam.

In response to the ubiquitous outcry, "I hate spam," there are regulations surrounding the use of e-mail; and if you are one of the millions of companies using it for marketing, then it's important that you familiarize yourself with these laws. But the danger doesn't stop there.

Even if you don't get caught by the feds for violating the rules of e-mail usage, you can still end up on a blacklist with the major ISPs such as Yahoo!, AOL, and MSN. Once you get blacklisted, you are considered guilty until proven innocent, and ALL the e-mail you send won't get through, even to people who want to receive it—a consequence that could end up hurting your business more than a fine.

So what are the basic guidelines of e-mail marketing? First and foremost, make sure you are only sending e-mail campaigns to people who have solicited (requested) to be on your distribution list. This is called "opting-in" or subscribing, and e-mails sent to these folks are considered "solicited e-mail." You are perfectly within your rights to send them messages; but if you got their e-mail address by any other means and they did NOT specifically request to be on your list, that's considered "unsolicited e-mail" or spam. Sending promotional e-mails to people who have not requested it is not only illegal, but annoying...so don't do it!

Next, make sure you provide directions on how a person can remove themselves from your distribution list in EVERY e-mail. The best place to put this information is at the very bottom of your message. You should also include your full company name and contact information at the bottom so no one can blame you for cloaking your identity—another legal "no-no" of e-mail marketing.

Finally, when sending e-mail, we recommend using a service such as Verticalresponse.com. or constantcontact.com. These web-based applications will help you manage your e-mail distribution list with automatic opt-out and opt-in tools and will keep your e-mail server off an ISP's blacklist.

Naturally, you want to make sure the information you are sending is interesting and relevant. No one wants more junk filling up their inbox, so the better you are at marketing, the better your results will be. E-mail is not a magic marketing bullet that will solve all your marketing problems, but used correctly, it can certainly help you reach more customers and build stronger relationships with the people you already do business with.

If you would like assistance with creating, sending and managing e-mail campaigns, give us a call.

Happy Marketing

Tom

When it's time to upgrade your cell phone, there's a cost you probably don't think about until it's time to pay the bill: the charger. Sure, your new purchase comes with a wall charger. But if you want to charge your phone in the car, that old one you have just won't work.

Fortunately, that is about to change. Seventeen wireless handset manufacturers have agreed to make interchangeable chargers that will work for the majority of new cell phones, according to USA Today. This is expected to take place by 2012. Hurray! One less expense at the cell phone store!

MeadowView is one of Lancaster County's oldest gazebo manufacturers, and has been providing an ever growing range of quality pre-built products since 1984. That tells you that MeadowView one of the most trusted names in America when it comes to quality and value in outdoor structures! www.meadowviewgazebos.com

"If you want a website done right go to EZSolution. They are a high energy company with great quality and service. Thanks for the TV!"
Ivan King

Thank You to the following companies & people for their referrals!

Ivan King Karen Ober Tom Tassi Eric Rieger Tom Troccoli Tim Shea Katheryn Gwinn Mike Stern Kent Lapp Steve Stoltzfus Jeff Foster Rene Miller Bob Hebert Dave Zook Patty Lauschman Scott Porman Tracy Beck Thom Finn Ruth Sheetz Robyn Attacks Willy Mangual Mike Popovsky Marlin Miller John Calabrese Linda Malesic Johhny Roberts John W. Yurchak Jill & Joel Haimes Deb Stolzfus Craig Portner Bobbie Hartlove Ben Gorman Angel Benfer

MeadowView Gazebos Arbonne Absolute Computers Webit Coldwell Banker Alpha NetSolutions Solutionz by Kat Susquehanna Bank Woodtex Homestead Structures Foster Redmond Ener Systems Horizon Structures Uptime Group Waterfowlers US Commercial Realty Action International Millersville University Shear Miracles Nerds R Us Popovsky Studios MDM Mazzi Malesic Associates Isaacs Yurchak Printing JJ Haimes Inshanti InfoQuest Union National Bank Infinite Solutions Gorman Distributing

6 5 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Brad joined the technical staff at EZSolution in 2007 with over 11 years of experience in the IT field. A Microsoft Certified Professional, Brad brings extensive expertise and a wealth of experience to our growing client list.

In addition to his career in the IT field, Brad is treasurer for the Manheim Fire Department and has over 30 years' experience in the fire department. He is also Deputy Coordinator for the Manheim Regional EMA.

For the last 16 years, Brad has been an active soccer referee in Lancaster County. Brad lives in Manheim with his wife, Donna and two daughters, Missy and Amanda.

Favorite Color:Blue
Favorite Car:F150 Trucks
Favorite Animal:Papillon Dogs
Favorite TV Show:NCIS Favorite Sport:Soccer

These days, getting up-to-date information from your contacts isn't easy. On top of managing your e-mail and phone calls, now you have to check Facebook, Twitter, My Space, and Linked-In just to make sure you don't miss something. It's enough to make your head spin.

But Microsoft Outlook may have the solution. Outlook Social Connector (OSC), a recent add-on to Outlook, puts all your social media communications and e-mails in one place, eliminating the need to check multiple sites for the information you need.

Both avid fans and rare users of social media will likely find the new OSC tool to be a big time saver. Here are three reasons why: 1-Communication History. Can't remember the last time you e-mailed a certain contact? Looking for an attachment referenced in an e-mail? Your mailbox is searched and recent messages, as well as a list of attachments you've exchanged with that person, appear. A quick look at the OSC reveals the last time you received an e-mail from them, and one click opens it up.

2-Updated Contact Info. In real time, your OSC will go out to social networks and let you know what your colleagues and friends are up to. If your contacts update their profile or change their status, OSC will tell you that too.

3-Adding New Contacts. With a simple click, you can request to be someone's friend or colleague on any social networks you're connected to. The OSC then automatically saves them as contacts in Outlook.

"All life is an experiment. The more experiments, the better."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Fox's Country Sheds
www.foxsheds.com

Country Accents
www.countryaccentspa.com

The Shed Man
www.shedman.com

Lyons & Hohl Paving
www.lyonshohl.com

Cherry Crest Farm
www.cherrycrestfarm.com

Sechan Electronics
www.sechan.com

Centerville Family Dentist
www.cenfamdental.com

Beltone Lancaster
www.beltonelancaster.com

Action Jackson Sports Tours
www.actionjacksonsportstours.com

EZSolution installed its EZ Total Care monitoring solution that keeps constant watch on the 40 plus PCs and Servers. Each work station and server is monitored for patches, drive space and a host of other business critical set points. Should an alert occur, it should be well before failure and preventative maintenance can be done and the systems kept functional.

Yurchak Printing, Inc. was founded in 1998 with the goal of offering high quality, short-run digital book manufacturing services to the publishing industry, manufacturing and service companies, professional associations, government agencies, as well as colleges and universities. Their services were created to fulfill a need brought about by the digital age.

One of the drawbacks of the digital age is back up and retention of data. Digital files create a need for a large amount of storage space for images. EZSolution has installed a back up system that will eventually store over 3 TB (terabytes) of data at two off site locations. This gives Yurchak access to all business critical data from days, weeks and months past.

Yurchak Printing Inc. is a leader in digital short-run book manufacturing by specializing in solutions for the production of directories, periodicals and journals, reference books, fine edition and illustrated books, bibles, children's books, bound galleys and university press books.

"EZSolution has provided Yurchak Printing, Inc. with ideas and solutions to better enhance our IT capabilities to satisfy our customers. Their staff is highly professional and courteous with a 'Whatever It Takes' mindset to accomplish the task at hand."

John W. Yurchak

In honor of Earth Day 2010, EZSolution has made a commitment to start taking better care of the world in which we live. Some of the ways we are making a change include switching to a trash hauler (Good's) that will recycle office paper, aluminum cans, glass jars, plastic bottles and cardboard. We also recycle our old computers.

On a personal level, the employees of EZSolution participated in Trinity Lutheran Church's Community Clean Sweep (New Holland, PA) on Saturday, June 16 by collecting items from their own homes to contribute. Marie and her family attend Trinity Lutheran and took care of delivering our items to the church for recycling. Thanks, Marie!

Here's how some of the donated items were recycled:

Old sneakers were donated to Nike's "Reuse-a-Shoe" program to be used in sports surfaces like tennis courts, tracks and playgrounds for youth around the world. There is a collection bin outside the Nike outlet store in Tanger for year-round drop-off of worn out sneakers.

Some Electronics were donated to Free Geek Penn in Ephrata that provides refurbished computers to those in need. Almost any item with a circuit board can be donated. Look them up for details: www.freegeekpenn.org

Styrofoam was donated to Dart Container Corp., where it is recycled and used to make building materials such as deck planking and other items like park benches, picture frames and toys. Clean Styrofoam can be taken to Dart (in Leola) and placed in the recycle shed 24/7. For details, look them up at : www.dartcontainer.com

Blankets and towels were donated to the Humane League of Lancaster to help provide warmth to the cats and dogs at the shelter. Some other recycling opportunities you may not know about include:

A year-round collection bin at Penn Cinema movie theater, in Lititz, for the collection of magazines and catalogs. The collection benefits the Ronald McDonald House.

Free Geek Penn of Ephrata, Mail Boxes Etc. and UPS stores will take Styrofoam packing peanuts. Mail Boxes Etc. and UPS stores will also take bubble wrap.

Esbenshades Greenhouse on Rt. 322 in Lititz will take back plastic flower pots for reuse. (Please do not include 4-pack and 6-pack containers or broken flower pots.)

Leftover paint can be donated to local high schools for their drama departments or to the Habitat Re-Store. We hope this article inspires others to recycle or reuse more often. If you have any other suggestions for recycling or reusing, send your suggestions to sue@ezsolution.com and we'll share them in a future newsletter.

When your referral becomes a client (and has spent $1000 or more) then we will pay you $50 more. And, we will give your referral $100 off their purchase.