The impact of social media has taken everyone by storm. Research shows that almost 80% of internet users worldwide have their own social media accounts where they spend most of their internet usage. Not only that, social sharing is not only a thing for students or moms away from home because Facebook has helped 70% of marketers find and acquire new customers for their business. If you are an internet marketer, seeing these figures will definitely make you fall off your seat, understanding them will brighten your future when it comes to your career path. But these figures do not tell all when it comes to online success. As we all know, mistakes are inevitable, but committing mistakes on your social media accounts are irreversible like the impact it can lead to your business. Here are some helpful social media rules for your business.

1. Stay Genuine to Your Audience

Always make sure that you are providing the right information through your social media pages. Keep the most crucial information like contact numbers, email address and website link simple and easier to recognize.

2. Do not mix business with pleasure

Social media pages are created to represent your company within the internet community. Do not link your personal connections on these pages to avoid mixing your personal life to these platforms intended for business.

3. Do not force the audience to like your Page

Every person has a unique preference when it comes to the products and services they need. Do not force any follower to like your page or recommend it to their friends. Asking them once is enough for you to know if they are interested or not.

4. Do not accept or share ‘time waster’ applications

Facebook offers hundreds of applications but not all of them are applicable to your business. Choose only those applications that can help you improve your page. Another rule of thumb, do not send notifications or any game invitation to your followers and do stick to business talk.

5. DO NOT over-share

Limit your posts on social media accounts in order to stop any of your followers hitting the ‘unfollow’ button. Everyone has their own matters to handle and do not let them get tired of reading updates from you on their news feed.

6. Pay Attention to Grammar

Customers pay attention to the little things you think don’t matter to them. Poor grammar and spelling can break the chain of professionalism and trustworthiness. Make sure you check your post before you hit the OK button.

7. Perk Up Your Social Efforts

Customers can easily tell if you are in interested communicating with them. Do not leave messages unattended or keep friend requests waiting for too long. Once you opened a social media account, make sure not to beg off halfway.

8. Do not select contacts discriminately

Do not turn down any friend request unless you see it as a threat or of no benefit. Do not let a good chance of increasing your online presence pass by with the wrong decision.

9. Disassociate your account from rants against competitors

Do not look for praise and approval from target customers by posting negative sentiments against your competitors. And do not let other people say it on your behalf.

10. Safeguard your account through advanced security settings

Do not let anyone tag you with humiliating photos that can affect your profile indirectly. Limit and restrict your account’s features before this happens. With the easy navigation that most of the social media sites offer, it is imperative to follow these handy reminders to maintain a good online reputation for your business.  

Still having troubles on how to make your social media accounts appear more suitable for your business? The Northern Office provides a complete range of marketing consultancy services to give you a long term solution on your internet marketing needs! Call us today at +63 (045) 499-1082 or e-mail us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..        

One of the most key processes in search engine optimization (SEO) is link building. For most link building is abandoned because the task itself eats up a lot of time, patience and can cause endless frustration.

Is there an alternative way to build links? Perhaps the question should be, “what is the proper way to do it?”

Early tactics of link building revolved on a “more links=higher rankings” strategy. Though still there's still some truth in that today the number factor is now linked with a variety of other influencers.  But the numbers game seems to blind a lot of people and they either fall for "black hat" SEO company spiel or go ahead and make things bad for themselves.  

Here are some of those worst link building strategies that are being practiced:

Directory submission – adding your website to generic directories.

Online page creation – composed of photos and text content relevant to your industry, filled with keywords.

Forum link generation – including your site link on signatures when you post in forums

Link exchange programs –purchasing links and publishing them in random link exchange platforms Website owners often find it appealing to get backlinks that are easy to grab.

But it is all about having a concise concept and approach.

There is a quality link building strategy that works.  It may take a little more time and effort but if your organized and have the tenacity to see it through you will be blessed with lots of link loveliness!

Create Relations, not just numerous backlinks

Instead of focusing on how to score tons of backlinks, reach out to fellow site owners or bloggers, interact, and share topics which kindle similar interests. Remember to address them properly in a personal and sincere manner. Invite them to contribute to your blog and eventually get asked in return. In forums and social media platforms, genuinely participate in discussions instead of posting messages with no relation to the topic just for the sake of promoting your link.

Fresh and Appealing Content

Engage readers with fresh and appealing content; content generation drives any modern strategy of SEO. Learn what is current and now, and know what your audience wants. If you have to make events, giveaways or promos to be recommended, do it to leave good and memorable impressions. Also, you can share valuable information like instructional blog entries or studies about problems commonly occurring in your site’s niche. Given that the number of link building strategies will continue to change and multiply, the limitations you will face depend on your own capabilities. By building relations as top priority, this serves as your best investment to the constantly changing world of SEO strategies. Need help in SEO strategies like link building, social media and website content creation?

Philippines’ marketing consultancy firm,

The Northern Office acts as a support system for different companies worldwide, providing a complete range of marketing consultancy services that ensures lead generation and continuous conversion. Talk to us at (045) 499-1082 or e-mail us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

If you are using Twitter as part of your online marketing efforts (which you should really be doing), you should know by now how the power of 140 characters can either let your audience notice or dump you on their news feed.

Twitter is the key social networking platform to people who are ‘always on the go’. If you are a business person or a full time mother who has too many errands to attend to, your attention span when it comes to your online activities is shorter than the norm. Twitter is an effective communicator for people who only want straight forward news and information.

It’s a cliché that questions always require answers or correspondence. But when it comes to Twitter, finding the right questions to ask to your audience is the way to gain higher level of online engagement.

Before we can let you take a bite on our main course, have you done a quick status check on your Twitter account lately? How is your Twitter account doing since we shared this article with you? http://www.thenorthernoffice.com/philippines-marketing-blog/page/3/

Here is a quick recap on how to check your Twitter status:

Status Check #1: How many followers do you have? Are you contented with these figures?

Status Check # 2: Did your chosen keywords for hashtags worked? How many successful Twitter chats you had during the last few months?

And lastly, Status Check # 3:  how many followers replied, retweeted or marked your posts as their favorite item? These 3 main factors are clear indicators whether you went to a level higher on your audience engagement or it’s the same old thing.

If you think you are not yet satisfied with the results, it is time to pay attention to your posts and use thought-provoking questions that can entice your followers to participate.

The ‘Feelings’ Question

According to marketing experts, the greatest weapon that you can have on your e-newsletters, email campaigns and other online marketing collaterals is your personal connection to your audience or customers. Getting the sentiments of your followers regarding your products or services is a good way to catch their attention.

The ‘Test of Knowledge’

Sharing general knowledge trivia and questions to reveal a product or service can get a higher chance of interaction than the use of jargons or puns that only you know. The ‘Number Guessing’ People love to read posts that share numbers and statistics. A tricky question that requires simple mathematics makes excellent bait for your followers.

The ‘Yes or No’ Question

Though this is the simplest form of a question, this is still a powerful one as it requires your online followers to justify their answer through their own insights and opinions. The ‘Yes or No’ question is a proven way to get immediate responses on Twitter.

Always remember, the more creative your content is, the more attention it gets from your audience.

How is your online marketing doing? The Northern Office can help you reach your target market with our tailored internet marketing solutions. Call us today at +63 (045) 499-1082 or e-mail me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The internet has been considered as the new marketplace at present. More than being an effective channel for current events and information, the internet has also served as a gateway that connects customers to business people and vice versa. With more than 2.5 billion internet users worldwide, there is always a great opportunity for any marketer to become successful online. The only problem is, how he can do it and who will help him to achieve a truthful online success.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Social Media Optimization (SMO) and any online marketing effort points on the same direction- Page Rank. Google Page Rank is greatly affected by the rate of traffic that your website creates. Page Rank (PR) is not a sole effort of the website but even your social media accounts contribute to web traffic and this is often coined as off-page optimization.

Easy Influx of Money

The internet is the fastest source of information.  If you are a buyer who needs a certain product, getting the help of the internet is the best solution you can have to find links of the potential companies that can offer you the product you want. If your website is not seen right on the first page, there is also a lower chance for you to get your products and services promoted to your target market.

Profit always depends on the rate of your new and returning customers.

Trustworthiness and Customer Loyalty

Web users usually have this common connotation that websites found on top of search results are more likely to be trusted than those on the lower pages. Well, this makes sense when it comes to Google/ Yahoo Trust Rank.  This method is applied by search engines to determine the trust level of a particular site that they want to rank higher on their pages.

Customers find it easier to trust your products and services if they will see you on the top page knowing that Google or Yahoo did not bring you on the top spot for nothing.

More Links and Site Connection

Sites with higher page rank are often considered as authority sites.  More people will click and visit your site and this creates a good opportunity to get more sponsors and add extra monetary value on your company.

And most importantly, if you have a higher PR, it will only take few minutes before your content gets indexed by Google.  Meaning, any update on your site will be easily seen on search engine results page and this will lead to more search clicks and link visits.  

Do you want your website to get the no. 1 spot in Google? We have mastered the right formula to make it happen!  The Northern Office can help you arrive at a tailor-fitted internet marketing plan. Call us today at +63 (045) 499-1082 or e-mail us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

As the adoption of smartphone increases, mobile marketing has become a necessity rather than a trend in the digital marketing world.

From websites to emails and applications, the mobile-friendly concept is always strived to be applied as it has grown to be one of the powerful channels in the marketing mix. Mobile Marketing doesn’t only revolve around SMS marketing.

Mobile marketing channels aims to maximize campaigns through the use of emails, applications and websites that easily presents message to mobile users. Mobile campaigns are carried not only to encourage customer engagement but also builds a more personal relationship with audience as it provides convenience, ease of purchase and quicker way of giving their feedbacks. (Image source: xkcd.com)