Squidoo: Squidoo Lens Design - Merit Solutions Brisbane

Here I am following the framework I developed for Squidoo lens design:
7 Top Strategies for Lens Creation.

1. Purpose of the Squidoo Lens

I developed this lens to promote Merit Solutions Brisbane,
a networked organization of human resource consultants
based in Queensland, Australia.  The global economic crisis
had impacted heavily on the organization's income because
of a major reduction in consultancy contracts in its
traditional market, Queensland Government Departments.

2. Concept of the Squidoo Lens

I wanted to show Merit Solutions Brisbane as a highly
professional human resource consultancy organization.
Associated with this was the need to highlight the
strategic response of Merit Solutions Brisbane to the changes
in their market.  This involved reflecting the diversification
of both markets (to move from local to global and include the
private sector) and products (widening the product range
and increasing flexibility of delivery).

3. Lens Design to Meet Concept and Purpose

Here I set about highlighting the professional qualifications
and experience base of each of the 20 consultants in the
Merit Solutions network.   Additionally, I highlighted each of
the human resource services offered by Merit Solutions
Brisbane and emphasized flexible delivery of relevant
services, e.g. via Skype coaching, webinars and podcasts.

4. Keyword Research

I undertook keyword research for my tags by using the
Google Adwords Keyword Tool. This tool provided plenty
of keywords that I could use. Of particular note are the
long tail keywords I used throughout the lens
in module titles, sub-headings and module text.

5. Develop Content

The content flowed from my purpose and lens concept.
So integral to the lens design was the Photo Gallery module
presented as a Slide Show with timed display.  This enablesd
me to highlight the two groups of consultants - Principal HR
consultants and Senior HR consultants - and their qualifications.

I used the Orange Box (Black Box Module) to act as a highlighter
for each of the core human resources services offered by
Merit Solutions Brisbane.  This color was chosen because it
reflected well the original colors of the Merit Solutions website.

I also used HTML and CSS script to change the color of the
text modules to reflect the colors of the organization's website.
I had extracted the color codes from the HTML source code
for the website (visible by clicking the "View" menu item and
then "Page Source").

6. Source Images

I sourced the consultants' photos and Logo from the
website.  I will have to add images to the text
modules and this may take the form of pictures of Brisbane
and/or of the individual consultants.

7. Revisit, Refine, Link and Promote

The Merit Solutions Brisbane Squidoo lens is one element
in a total social media marketing plan for the organization.
This will incorporate LinkedIn profiles for each consultant,
blogs, videos, podcasts, Facebook and Twitter.  The Squidoo
lens will be refined and updated to reflect these elements as they
are developed.  The lens will also form the centerpiece of
a planned lens ring designed to highlight the core human
resource services provided by the organization.  These lenses
will then be linked via the Featured Lens Module.

Key Lessons:  Squidoo lenses are a powerful way to brand
and promote local businesses. You can integrate a lens for a local
small business into an integrated social media marketing plan.
This requires a concept plan that is broader than the single lens.
However, the lens can be progressively refined to reflect
implementation of the social media plan.

Related Posts:

Top 7 Steps for Squidoo Lens Design
Long Tail Keywords and Deep Indexing of Squidoo Lenses
Squidoo Lens Design - Tropical Rainforest
Create a Squidoo Lens Ring

*********************************************
Ron Passfield is a Top 100 Squidoo Lensmaster and
Giant Squid100. He provides free resources
for Squidoo marketing on his Squidoo authority
site:
http://www.squidoo.com/squidoomarketingstrategies

To learn more about Squidoo Affiliate Marketing
check out:
http://www.squidooaffiliatemarketing.com

Subscribe to Ron's free Squidoo Marketing e-course:
http://www.smsecourse.squidoomarketingstrategies.com/

Ron is the author of the e-Book:
Squidoo Marketing Strategies

*********************************************

Squidoo: Squidoo Lens Design - Tropical Rainforest

Here I am following the framework I developed for Squidoo lens design:
7 Top Strategies for Lens Creation.

1. Purpose of the Squidoo Lens

The main purpose of my Tropical Rainforest Squidoo lens
was to share something of my experience of walking
in the Mt Glorious rainforest in Brisbane early one
misty Sunday morning.  My subsidiary purpose was to
promote rainforest conservation.

2. Concept of the Squidoo Lens

I envisaged that visitors to the lens could experience
something of the rainforest if I simulated my rainforest walk
in the design of the Squidoo lens.

3. Lens Design to Meet Concept and Purpose

I had created an Animoto video using the photos I had
taken on my walk so I decided to include this video
to set the scene and also communicate three dimensional
elements (e.g. the video gives perspective to a photo
of a valley within the rainforest).

So I invite readers of the Squidoo lens to first view the video
to get an overall sense and perspective on the tropical
rainforest.  The video set to Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" can
be viewed here:
Rainforest Walk

The core of the lens is designed as a walk through the
rainforest with large photos sequenced in the order in which
I viewed the rainforest.

4. Keyword Research

I undertook keyword research for my tags by using the
Google Adwords Keyword Tool. This tool provided plenty
of keywords that I could use. Of particular note are the
long tail keywords I used throughout the lens
in module titles, sub-headings and module text.

It is worth noting that the tropical rainforest lens is
being found on Google via 600 keywords, many of them
long tail - such as "what threats are the rainforest experiencing".

5. Develop Content

The content flowed from my purpose and lens concept.
So I started with the video and then made my large photos
as the centerpiece of the lens.

I also wanted to provide links to resources on rainforest
conservation, so I used a combination of the "Links Module",
You Tube videos (including a featured Daintree Rainforest
Conservation video), RSS module (feed from Rainforest
Rescue Australia blog) and "Featured Lens" module.

6. Source Images

Sourcing the photos was not a problem because of the photos
I had taken on my walk.  What I learned out of this though is
the value of taking my camera with me whenever I go on
a work trip and these photos have been featured in many
of my lenses and Animoto videos.

7. Revisit, Refine, Link and Promote

I frequently update the Tropical Rainforest lens as it is one of my top
ranking lenses, regularly in the top 1,000 lenses.
Updating is made easy by having a links module, featured
lens module, RSS feed and an endless list of keywords for
changing my tags.

Key Lessons:  You can experiment endlessly with your
Squidoo lens design.  Decide at the outset (where possible)
what your purpose and concept are - and then be creative.
Build up your stock of photos of people and places to
provide fresh, original content for you lenses - you will
be so glad you did.




Related Posts:

Top 7 Steps for Squidoo Lens Design
Long Tail Keywords and Deep Indexing of Squidoo Lenses
Squidoo: Animoto for fun and traffic
Video promotions made easy


 *********************************************
Ron Passfield is a Top 100 Squidoo Lensmaster and
Giant Squid100. He provides free resources
for Squidoo marketing on his Squidoo authority
site:
http://www.squidoo.com/squidoomarketingstrategies

To learn more about Squidoo Affiliate Marketing
check out:
http://www.squidooaffiliatemarketing.com

Subscribe to Ron's free Squidoo Marketing e-course:
http://www.smsecourse.squidoomarketingstrategies.com/

Ron is the author of the e-Book:
Squidoo Marketing Strategies

*********************************************

Webinar on Squidoo for Mari Smith's "Social Media Certification Course"

I was recently asked by Mari Smith, Facebook and social media
expert, to present a webinar on Squidoo for her
Social Media Certification Course.

My webinar covered the philosophy of Squidoo, the steps for
effective lens design, how to promote a small business, integrating
Squidoo with other social media and how to build your personal
brand on Squidoo through congruity and transparency.

Here is the link to the mp3 I created after my webinar presentation:

http://bit.ly/AZn2Q

I also developed a Microsoft Word Document that covered questions
and answers during the webinar and provided a list of resources:
http://bit.ly/24vK9B

If you are interested in social media marketing, you might like to join
Mari's new association/ social network:
International Social Media Association

 *********************************************
Ron Passfield is a Top 100 Squidoo Lensmaster and
Giant Squid100. He provides free resources
for Squidoo marketing on his Squidoo authority
site:
http://www.squidoo.com/squidoomarketingstrategies

To learn more about Squidoo Affiliate Marketing
check out:
http://www.squidooaffiliatemarketing.com

Subscribe to Ron's free Squidoo Marketing e-course:
http://www.smsecourse.squidoomarketingstrategies.com/

Ron is the author of the e-Book:
Squidoo Marketing Strategies

*********************************************

Squidoo: Squidoo Lens Design - Alan Jansson, Japanese Acupuncture

In a previous post, I identified the
7 Top Strategies for Lens Creation,
so I will use these steps as a framework
for discussing this new lens.







1. Purpose of the Squidoo Lens

Alan Jansson is an expert in Japanese Acupuncture who
is dedicated to his profession and keen to train others in
the subtleties and potency of his art.  The lens is designed
to promote his teachings and workshops reflected in his
World Acupuncture Blog.

2. Concept of the Squidoo Lens

The concept for this lens evolved as I talked to Alan and
showed him the results of my efforts.  We agreed that the
lens be targeted to the Japanese Acupuncture Practitioner,
which is the focus of his blog.

So the lens is designed to present Alan as the ultimate
professional totally dedicated to his art.  It is not focused
on increasing his clinic patient numbers.  The emphasis is on
his professionalism and his teachings.

Alan is a real character so I wanted to promote his
personality as well.  Japanese Acupuncture focuses on
balancing the Ying and Yang energy.  I wanted to highlight
how Alan pursued this balance in his own life through
his love of surfing.

3. Lens Design to Meet Concept and Purpose

I decided that the best format was the 'Who Is' lens template
because my focus is on Alan Jansson, professional teacher
of Japanese Acupuncture.

This Squidoo lens template is great for lenses focusing on
well-known personalities or groups (e.g. bands).  It has the
advantage that Squidoo automatically adds selected modules
on creation and enters data it has found through searching
the Internet.  For example, in Alan Jansson's case, it pulled
up all of Alan's YouTube Acupuncture Training videos.

4. Keyword Research

I undertook keyword research using two tools -
The Google Adwords Keyword Tool and the
Google Insights for Search.  These tools informed
my choice of tags and the use of long tail keywords 
throughout the lens - in the lens description and introduction,
module headings, module text, anchor text for photos and
hyperlinks (and the labels for this post).

5. Develop Content

The content flowed from my purpose and lens concept.
In the introduction I highlighted Alan's work with elite atheletes
in Brisbane and the Gold Coast and emphasized his commitment
to the promotion of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture.

I added a personal testimonial from my family's experience
and highlighted his commitment to training other professionals
(emphasized via the "Black Box" module - which also comes in
other colors).


I made his great blog the centerpiece and also the focus of
the "Big Arrow" module. I created a number of links throughout the
lens to Alan's World Acupuncture Blog.

6. Source Images

The photos came from Alan's blog as did most of the
content apart from the explanation of Japanese Acupuncture
which linked through to another authority site.

7. Revisit, Refine, Link and Promote

The lens design provides a sound foundation now for refining
the concept and presentation.  I need to draw on more images
and add more content re Japanese Acupuncture and its applications.
I will provide links too to the professional association Alan is
a member of. 

Related Posts:
 

Squidoo Lens Design: Baby Boomers Health 

Squidoo Lens Design: Montville Queensland

 
*********************************************

Ron Passfield is a Top 100 Squidoo Lensmaster and
Giant Squid100. He provides free resources
for Squidoo marketing on his Squidoo authority
site:
http://www.squidoo.com/squidoomarketingstrategies

To learn more about Squidoo Affiliate Marketing
check out:
http://www.squidooaffiliatemarketing.com

Subscribe to Ron's free Squidoo Marketing e-course:
http://www.smsecourse.squidoomarketingstrategies.com/

Ron is the author of the e-Book:
Squidoo Marketing Strategies

*********************************************

Create an Authority Site on Squidoo

I've created 3 Squidoo lenses lately that address the issue of creating
an authority site.

The first of these looks at "why create an authority site"?:
http://www.squidoo.com/authoritysite

The arguments for an authority site are numerous and I can vouch for
the positive impacts of having an authority site.

The second explores the reasons why you should create your
authority site on Squidoo:
http://www.squidoo.com/squidooauthoritysites

Squidoo is a unique platform that is free and has inbuilt SEO features.
Seth Godin's marketing genius is embedded in the platform itself.
If you understand Squidoo, you can make an authority site of
considerable substance at no cost.

The third lens on this topic addresses the issue, "how do you
create an authority site on Squidoo?":
http://www.squidoo.com/squidooauthoritysite

This lens challenges you to change your mindset about Internet
Marketing.  It explains how an authority site on Squidoo is based
on Web 2.0 perspective and involves an "open window" approach
and collaborative marketing.

 Building an authority site on Squidoo is cost-free and very
rewarding.  The sooner you start, the sooner you reap the benefits.

**********************************************
Ron Passfield is a Top 100 Squidoo Lensmaster and
Giant Squid. He provides free resources
for Squidoo affiliate marketing on his Squidoo authority
site:
http://www.squidoo.com/squidoomarketingstrategies

To learn more about Squidoo Affiliate Marketing
check out:
http://www.squidooaffiliatemarketing.com

Subscribe to Ron's free Squidoo Marketing e-course:
http://www.smsecourse.squidoomarketingstrategies.com/

Ron is the author of the e-Book:
Squidoo Marketing Strategies

************************************************

Hostgator.com review - why choose Hostgator for web hosting?

I have been with Hostgator.com since 2006 and currently have
five web sites hosted with them.  Besides hosting your website
you can easily add a WordPress Blog.

What appeals to me about Hostgator as a web hosting
service is:

• online chat facility to address any technical problems
• quality training materials including videos 
• speedy response to requests
  
• competent, expert staff
• capacity to have unlimited domains and sub-domains on the one site
  
• web space capacity that exceeds any comparably priced web hosting service
• ease of use of the Cpanel
• capacity to create data bases for applications such as membership sites
• inbuilt FTP for uploading files or images 
• ease of adding Wordpress Blogs
• php hosting (php is used for many forums and membership sites)
  

I have used Hostgator.com for hosting:

• sub-domains to cloak affiliate links
  
• images for download to my blogs or Squidoo lenses
  
• sales pages for MRR products and my e-book
  
• niche video sites (specialized script)
  
• lead capture and pre-sell squeeze pages
  
• Wordpress blogs
• ebooks, scripts and videos for download

I can't speak highly enough about the ease of use, quality of service
provided and value for money in terms of capacity and functionality.

I have used many free and paid hosting services before Hostgator
and none are comparable.  If you are going to join Hostgator
use the coupon code "wordpress" to get a reduced rate:
Join Hostgator Now





**********************************************
Ron Passfield is a Top 100 Squidoo Lensmaster and
Giant Squid. He provides free resources
for Squidoo affiliate marketing on his Squidoo authority
site:
http://www.squidoo.com/squidoomarketingstrategies

To learn more about Squidoo Affiliate Marketing
check out:
http://www.squidooaffiliatemarketing.com

Subscribe to Ron's free Squidoo Marketing e-course:
http://www.smsecourse.squidoomarketingstrategies.com/

Ron is the author of the e-Book:
Squidoo Marketing Strategies

************************************************

Squidoo: Squidoo Lens Design - Baby Boomers Health

In a previous post, I identified the
7 Top Strategies for Lens Creation,
so I will use these steps as a framework
for discussing this new lens.





1. Purpose of the Squidoo Lens

In this lens I wanted to focus on the health and wellness
of Baby Boomers, challenge a damaging myth about
BabyBoomers and technology and promote an affiliate
program for anti-aging fitness.

2. Concept of the Squidoo Lens

The concept for this lens evolved as I researched existing
Squidoo lenses on Baby Boomers.  There were some that
focused on specific illnesses like Alzheimer's, others
looked at senior's fitness or the unique health challenges
for BabyBoomers.  Others focused on retirement issues.

I needed to come at the issue of baby boomers health
from a different angle.  I decided to focus my lens
around the health benefits for Boomers of technology,
the Internet and specifically, Squidoo.  So I linked my
discussion to Seth Godin's ideas, the benefit of technology
for promoting connection and creativity, the health benefits
of new learning and the adverse effects of myths about
aging and learning technology.  So technology and
senior's health became the unifying theme.

3. Lens Design to Meet Concept and Purpose

I thought the best way to personalize the lens was to share
some of my own experiences and research via the
"Sticky Note Module".

I also wanted to provide some "Baby Boomer" context for
the lens by adding YouTube Videos, Google Blog and News
Modules, and Amazon.com books on Baby Boomer health
and well-being.

4. Keyword Research

I undertook keyword research using two tools -
The Google Adwords Keyword Tool and the
Google Insights for Search.  These tools informed
my choice of available URLs for my lens and provided
guidance for my tags and the use of long tail keywords 
throughout the lens.

5. Develop Content

The content flowed from my purpose and lens concept.
I shared some facts from my personal experience and
research and provided relevant links such as the social
networking site for Baby Boomers, BOOMj.

I also wanted to link to quality Squidoo lenses that covered
some of the other aspects of Baby Boomer Health, so I
did a search on Squidoo and selected 5 lenses to add
to my "Featured Lenses Module".

6. Source Images

The photos came from two sources. The first was
provided by my subscription to PLR Newsletters
and the second through membership of BigStockPhotos.

The difficulty I had in locating an image with a Baby Boomer
using technology reinforces my experience that there is an
implicit assumption that over 50's can't learn technology and
don't use it very much.  My lens provides some statistics to
challenge this.

7. Revisit, Refine, Link and Promote

For further refinement, I will be exploring the use of PLR content
provided by way of the PLR Newsletters.  This could involve
linking a blog with RSS feed to the lens, rewriting articles for
use on the lens and/or in article directories, creating an
e-book that links back to the lens or developing a video or
mp3 audio from the PLR newsletters.


Key Lesson: Sometimes your concept evolves as you gather
resources for your lens and start working on it.  The creation
of a lens is not always a simple linear process from step 1 to 7.
It can often involve an iterative process where you move
backwards and forwards through these steps.

Related Posts:

Top 7 Steps for Squidoo Lens Design
Long Tail Keywords and Deep Indexing of Squidoo Lenses






**********************************************

Ron Passfield is a Top 100 Squidoo Lensmaster and
Giant Squid. He provides free resources
for Squidoo affiliate marketing on his Squidoo authority
site:
http://www.squidoo.com/squidoomarketingstrategies

To learn more about Squidoo Affiliate Marketing
check out:
http://www.squidooaffiliatemarketing.com

Subscribe to Ron's free Squidoo Marketing e-course:
http://www.smsecourse.squidoomarketingstrategies.com/

Ron is the author of the e-Book:
Squidoo Marketing Strategies

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