Bing seems to be a worthy competitor to Google. Microsoft calls it a decision engine because the results are there to help you make a decision by creating a better search result. I will discuss this more later. Whether it will actually diminish Google’s dominance on the search market remains to be seen, but so far it has taken a small bite out of it. For those who have still yet to check it out, here is a link. It does offer a few really unique features that help it set itself apart from the other search engines.
Overall, I feel that the results page is clean and well organized. From the searches I have performed so far, I have found that much of the nonrelevant results have been weeded out. The health, travel, and local search areas are Bing’s strength. These results are very useful and relevant. With these searches, the left column allows you to be able to do deeper searches, and it even gives categories, such as articles, to help you find what you need.
The video search offers the best feature, one that no other search engine offers. You are able to preview the video clip in the results list. While this may not seem like much, when searching through a list of you tube videos, having this ability will save you a lot of time. You no longer will have to click the links and skim the video to see if it is the one you want. Another similar feature gives a preview of the page found in the search results. To use this feature, hover the cursor over the icon on the right side of the result listing.
Overall, I feel that it will come down to preference. People that really like Google will not switch to Bing. However, Bing may bring in converts from the other smaller engines as well as occasional Google users. Maybe, I will be surprised, and the heavy marketing campaign will bring in converts.
For web site owners, it is now very important that you make sure you site is search engine optimized. Let Norton Writing Services help make sure that the content on your website is optimized.
Social Media – It's A Good Choice
Many marketers and business executives are deciding if social media can be a worthy investment for their company. While the answer is a simple yes it is, the actual platform will be a mixture of good research and trial and error. Using social media as a marketing and PR tool for your company will reap numerous benefits; however, these benefits are contingent on choosing the right social media platform. Twitter may be great for some, but others may find more success with Facebook. In the next few paragraphs we will attempt to give you an overview of how to approach social media.
The first step for any social media strategy will be to develop a goal or vision for it. This goal should be broad and not specific, leaving you room to learn from your social media usage. It should be a long term goal and not a short term goal. This goal, however, should dictate the path your social media strategy should follow. Is your goal to reach potential customers, interact with customers, market sales or new products, or brand awareness. Each of these goals would require a different path and will involve different strategies. What might work for one will fail for another. For example, if you are looking to market or highlight specific sales then Twitter, Facebook, or text messaging may be the best choice, whereas interacting with customers would be better done via a blog or discussion board such as those on Facebook.
To determine which platform is best for your business, research will be required. Poll your customers. Find out what they are using and they use it. This information will help you decide if your customers will use the social media that your business chooses. Also, be prepared to learn from trial and error. You may find that it isn’t working. Don’t worry it doesn’t mean social media isnt’ working for you; it just means that you need to rework how you use it.
Learning from these mistakes will help you choose the right right path to reach your goal. It may be that experimenting with different platforms and seeing which one works best will be the best path to reaching your goal. Many places use a variety of platforms. For example, a local business here in Atlanta will give discounts to social media users that are not advertised anywhere else. This works well for them. But, another company finds this not to be true. They find more success by tweeting tips, making them a source of information. Some companies find that placing commercials on You Tube to be the most successful. Your choice may be a mixture of all of them.
Social media success results from patience and a willingness for trial and error. Results may not be immediate, but perseverance will pay off. The use of it is growing, and the use of the search features on these platforms is growing. Avoiding social media is marketing mistake you can’t afford. Let Norton Writing Services help you by providing consultation on how to best use social media.