Newsfeed updates from Facebook

Social media experts from Waseem Saddique Marketing Services in Birmingham reveal Facebook’s latest home feed design changes.

Facebook the online social media giant, has recently spruced up its news feed design. They announced that they would be giving the social media site a makeover just over one year ago.

A representative from Waseem Saddique Marketing Services in Birmingham has said “the social media giant Facebook is focusing on making its site more streamlined and easier to use.”

Facebook’s initial update didn't go down well with many of its users so they have tweaked the design and focused on making it better. Now the update is to be applied to all of its users in the next 5 days.

A recent statement about the update from Facebook said “The updated design has the best of both worlds: it keeps the layout and navigation people liked, but offers bigger images, as well as a new font.”

Facebook’s updated look now means that the desktop and mobile version look the same which means that the social media site is more consistent and is much easier to use across many different platforms.

Facebook users with English language preferences will see the social networks Graph Search bar located at the top of the page where-as others will see a standard search bar.

To learn more about Online Marketing, PPC, SEO, About Waseem Saddique Marketing Services in Birmingham, Visit our blog at www.waseemsaddique.blogspot.com

Basic SEO: Getting started

Waseem Saddique Marketing experts reveal some top tips for getting started with your basic SEO.

Keywords, Lots of them!

You should always research your keywords before putting them into your content on your website. Be conscious of placing appropriate keywords throughout every aspect of your site including URL’s, Titles, Image names, Page Content. AVOID KEYWORD OVERLOAD: Having too many keywords on your site could mean you are seen as having too much spam content which search engine robots are programmed to ignore sites that are guilty of keyword overload.

A  Sat Nav that won’t let you drive into a river.

Creating a sitemap for your website makes it possible for users to navigate much more easily. A sitemap is a page that lists and links all of your websites major pages. A website developer from Waseem Saddique Marketing said “It’s best for users to only have to click a small number of times to get to the page they are looking for.”

Goodbye to old fashioned content

Waseem Saddique Marketing experts suggest creating fresh, unique content for your website. This will engage users and of course improve your general SEO if you include the right amount of well researched keywords. Users prefer sites that are kept up to date with useful information. A great way to ensure that your website gets new content on a frequent basis is to integrate a blog!

Tweet, Update and Share

Social media distribution is important for any SEO strategy. Social media sites should be used by your business to distribute links that direct users to fresh content including news updates, articles, company announcements etc. “This strategy can help you multiply your links visibility from internet and social media users” a Waseem Saddique Marketing expert from Birmingham has said.

To read more about online marketing, PPC,SEO, About Waseem and Birmingham, visit our blog at www.waseemsaddique.blogspot.com  

Improving your Search Engine Rankings

Waseem Saddique Marketing experts reveal 3 top tips to improve your websites search engine ranking.

Create great content:

Waseem Saddique Marketing experts from Birmingham say it’s best to start by establishing what makes your company great. Make your websites content unique and different from your competitors. Your customers need to see your company as a leader in the industry you specialise in. A website with original and fresh content is much more appealing to users and relevant content allows them to have a much better browsing experience. Writing relevant content for your website will engage users and build credibility in the industry as you will become a trusted resource for information.

Use social media:

Social media is one of the best platforms to promote your company’s website or blog. If you share interesting, engaging content with people who take interest in your social media pages then you’re more likely to gain likes, comments and shares. Google takes note of this which contributes to ranking your website higher on its search engine. A Waseem Saddique Marketing spokesperson from Birmingham has said “Social media is one of the best free advertising sources around.”

Monitor Performance:

Using tools such-as Google Analytics can help your to see how many users are interacting with your website. SEO Specialists at Waseem Saddique Marketing have said “it’s vital to monitor your websites performance in order to determine what users are most interested in.” Keeping a close eye on what pages are attracting the highest number of unique visitors can help you make changes to lower performing pages. Monitoring your keywords is also a must in order to know what keywords are driving the most traffic to your website.

To read more about online marketing, PPC, SEO, About Waseem and Birmingham, visit our blog at www.waseemsaddique.blogspot.co.uk

Birmingham marketing experts reveal SEO tips

Search engine optimisation (SEO) is the practice of making additions or changes to websites in order to help improve search rankings on search engines such-as Google, Yahoo and Bing.

Internal links:

Waseem Saddique Marketing suggests using internal links wherever and as much as possible. This does not only make the users browsing experience much easier, it also helps search engines to understand your websites structure.

Original engaging copy:

“Never copy and paste content” a Birmingham based Waseem Saddique Marketing spokesman has said If duplicate content is discovered by a major search engine such as Google then the website that has done so will be penalised meaning rankings are affected. It’s always best to use original engaging copy.

Page content:

Copy writing specialists at WaseemSaddique Marketing in Birmingham suggest that all pages on a professional website should have a minimum of 300 words as a rule of thumb. The text should always include information that’s relevant to the page, giving users a much better experience on your website. Using this tip will help to improve your page rank and will mean avoiding high bounce rates which can often cause negative impact on your rankings.

Effective URL’s:

Including a keyword in your businesses domain name is a great start, this can help users find the exact site/ product that they are looking for. On advertising programmes such-as Google Adwords or Yahoo Search; you’re given the opportunity to have a display URL. Waseem Saddique Marketing suggests using this opportunity to your advantage. This not only engages the user searching for your product, but shows search engines how relevant your content is to the display URL you have chosen.

To read more about online marketing, PPC, SEO, Waseem Saddique and Birmingham, visit our blog at www.waseemsaddique.blogspot.co.uk

Customer Testimonials, a Waseem Saddique Marketing Guide

Waseem Saddique Marketing Services explores the power of customer testimonials and provides a definitive ‘how to’ guide for presenting them to your audience.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg once said: “People influence people – nothing influences people more than a recommendation from a trusted friend or colleague. A trusted referral influences more than the best broadcast message. A trusted referral is the Holy Grail of advertising.”

Waseem Saddique asserts: “Arguably the best word-of-mouth advertising for products or services takes place between parents, especially Mums. Nothing matters more to a parent than their child, so when purchasing products for their offspring, especially their first-born, they will seek an opinion from other parents that have used the product or service.”

Did you know? According to helpscout.net 70% of consumers say they look at product reviews and testimonials before considering a purchase. 

Given the power of the customer testimonial, Waseem Saddique Birmingham provides some top tips for presenting your testimonials in a way that captivates.

1. Increase Trust With The Use Of Photos 
Recent research into increasing perceived trust through the use of photographs found that photographs make facts and statements more valuable, regardless of whether the photo is related to the subject.

Photos are known to enhance the persuasiveness of a testimonial when compared with simple text based testimonials. One customer focus group determined that testimonials including pictures are more honest than those without them.

2. Use Testimonials That Tell A Story
Jeremy Dean, a psychologist, acknowledges that ‘transportation leads to persuasion’. Short, samey testimonials lack conviction and are often deemed unconvincing. However, a testimonial that details the initial problem and then refers to your product or service as the solution is known to have more of a ‘psychological’ impact.

For example:

“Superb marketing service. Communicated my message perfectly.”

Good, but the kind of testimonial that you see on many sites.

In comparison, this example represents a much more compelling testimonial:

“Despite trying every marketing service I knew to help with this unique campaign I found that everyone I tried to get help from said they were unable to assist. This had been going on for months and I didn’t think my marketing campaign would ever get off the ground.

Fortunately, the A to B marketing service proved to be the difference. They dug deep, formulated a plan and put together a marketing strategy & campaign that got the result I wanted.”

Much more compelling, don’t you think?

3. Communicate With The Inner Ego of Your Customers
Waseem Saddique asks: “Why is it that personal referrals from friends have much more influence than a multi-million pound advertisement? The answer is simple friends provide an honest assessment that keeps your best interests in mind.”

It has yet to be discovered, an advertisement that has the power to influence as much as simple word-of-mouth recommendations, regardless of a company’s marketing budget or social media influence.

Helpscout.net writes – “Despite their best efforts, it’s impossible for entrepreneurs to create a personal recommendation for every potential customer that might come their way.  The next best option? Tap into the power of implicit egotism, our bias to be more interested, trusting and favourable toward people who are similar to us.”

Formed in 2007 in Birmingham, Waseem Saddique Marketing Services has consistently provided small to medium enterprises, as well as larger corporate firms, with a range of digital marketing & online solutions. 

5 Free & Easy Ways To Improve Google Ranking For 2014 - Waseem Saddique Marketing Services

Did you know? There are free and highly effective ways to improve your Google ranking. Waseem Saddique Marketing Services provides a few pointers to guide you up Google’s search listings. 

There is no reason why SMEs cannot reap the benefits of search engine optimisation (SEO) even if they do not completely understand what it is. 

Waseem Saddique explains SEO: “For those individuals who don’t know their SEO from their CEO, it is simply a method of improving the ranking of your business in the Google search algorithm.”

Improving your SEO strategy will ultimately aid a business in moving up the rankings in Google’s search results. According to the CEO of Achieve Visibility, Sonam Lama, there are several quick fix techniques that a business can utilise in order to improve their Google ranking. The great part about them is that they are free and simple to execute.

Waseem Saddique Marketing Services echoes Lama’s techniques. Here are 5 top tips to improving your Google ranking in 2014:

1. Utilise Wordpress – Waseem Saddique states: “Wordpress is arguably the most effective SEO-friendly blogging platform available. It’s perhaps also the best content management system around when it comes to implementing an effective SEO strategy.”

Wordpress is now in widespread use as an alternative to outdated website platforms, which most businesses still tend to use, as it helps to boost SEO efforts.

2. Carry Out Keyword Research – Keyword research is the foundation of SEO and improving your position on Google’s search listings, and all the other primary search engine facilities.

Waseem Saddique comments: “After creating a Wordpress site the next essential step is to identify at least three relevant keywords you would like to target and use them effectively throughout the content of your Wordpress site. Avoid keyword ‘stuffing’, but just as importantly don’t under use your keywords. Standard keyword density currently stands at between 3 % and 5%”.

3. Onsite Optimisation – Failing to distribute your keywords evenly throughout your site will hinder your chances of climbing the Google rankings. Keyword stuffing is a common problem and unfortunately Google penalises excessive use of keywords, considering them to be spam.  So ensure that your site is optimised to the density rating provided above.

4. Register With Google Places – Once you have balanced your site with the correct density of keywords, it’s a good idea to register with Google Places, a free facility for listing details about your business.

Waseem Saddique comments: “Being listed on Google Places strengthens your position on Google’s search listings. Google Places is simple to use, requiring just basic information about your business such as phone number, address and hours of business.”

What’s great about Google Places is that is also allows you to include a few keywords that are relevant to your business, enabling you to enhance your prominence on Google, and all other major search engines, even more.

You can improve your ranking even more with Google Places with the inclusion of photographs and by requesting reviews from your customers.

5. Back Linking - Finally, once you’ve completed all the steps above, back linking provides the final piece of the puzzle for improving your Google ranking. 

Waseem Saddique states: “Some of the best back linking methods include social bookmarking and profile submissions on high page ranking sites. These two methods alone allow you to create a valuable back link to your own site, increasing its value and relevancy, especially in the ‘eyes’ of Google.”

Formed in 2007, Waseem Saddique Marketing Services has consistently provided small to medium enterprises, as well as larger corporate firms, with a range of digital marketing & online solutions. 

Waseem Saddique Marketing: Tips for Approaching Customer Review Websites

Waseem Saddique Marketing offers an insight into tackling critical comments posted on online review sites and public forums.

Waseem Saddique comments: “A common question that gets asked by a number of business people I work with is ‘review sites Waseem, are they worth the hassle?’ The use of review sites and online forums splits opinion among business leaders and many myths exist when it comes to review sites, some of which need to be addressed.”

The majority of business leaders are used to ‘being in control’ when it comes to the reputation of their company. Blogs allow for comments to be moderated, control of social media profiles mean that critical comments can be erased, but what of those elements that businesses have no control over?

As an overall, worldwide figure, 80% of people rely on online reviews in the decision-making process (source: Review Tracker). This percentage varies country-by-country, for instance in Turkey 92% of consumers agree that online reviews influence the decision-making process when it comes to purchasing goods or services however, the global average is 80%.

Review sites such as Yelp, Trustpilot, eKomi, Review Centre and a whole plethora of others, represent massive databases of consumer opinion. They are interactive, allowing consumers to rate products, services and companies and they allow for comments to be left, whether critical or commending.

Bad Reviews    

Every business bemoans bad reviews, immediately leading them to get on the defensive and spout excuses that it’s competitors trying to tarnish the name, a former employee mouthing off, or a customer that will just not listen to reason. However, sometimes it is a genuine customer actually offering constructive criticism.

Reviews offer a great platform for advertising and exposure however, a proportion of companies won’t utilise them because they want all the glitz and glamour of glowing endorsements, but fear critical comments. However, critical comments can actually prove to 
be useful for helping a company to improve, learn and grow.

Waseem Saddique comments: “There’s nothing more satisfying for a business than winning over the critics, if you can convert a critical customer into a satisfied customer it’s a sure-fire indicator that your business is heading in the right direction.” 

Here are some tips from Waseem Saddique Marketing for dealing with bad reviews:

1. Avoid becoming defensive: Whilst initial instinct may lead you down this route, combating negativity with negativity results in one thing, more negativity. Defensiveness delivers destruction. Above all else, proactive steps should be taken to deliver a solution as swiftly as possible. Apologise to the customer and realise that in their opinion they have suffered a bad experience, diffuse the situation and take steps to appease them.

2. Respond swiftly: If a negative experience is swiftly resolved, 90% of the time, consumers will return to a negative review and alter their status and opinion. This is a sure-fire way to endear your business to other potential customers and retain a current customer.

3. Remain discreet: Don’t become embroiled in heated exchanges on a public forum, it will do you no favours. Approach customers who have had a bad experience on a private platform, for example a private message, e-mail or telephone call. Take the time to show that you take their grievance ‘personally’ and give the customer the respect of acknowledging the grievance in an amicable manner. This is more likely to lead to a better outcome for both parties.

4. Don’t ignore bad reviews: It could prove far more costly to ignore reviews than to tackle them head on. In retrospect a few ‘bad reviews’ will have little impact, but a few bad reviews unanswered could encourage more customers to air their negative experience of your business. The great thing about review sites and public forums is that it gives service providers the opportunity to address criticism. That opportunity should be grasped; it shows the customer that you care about their cause and that you want to resolve it.

5. Encourage reviews: Even if the reviews are critical, encourage them. An open dialogue and transparency is much more appealing to customers. Sometimes your response will be enough to see negative reviews retracted. A willingness to engage with the critics, rather than remain silent, is proven to lead to a much more positive outcome in 79% of customer complaint cases posted on review sites (source: Review Tracker).

Waseem Saddique Marketing Introduces the Latest Craze in Marketing – Digital Signage Advertising

Marketing has witnessed a digital makeover in recent years and the latest craze, digital signage advertising, signifies a new era for business, Waseem Saddique Marketing explores the allure of digital signage advertising.

Waseem Saddique comments: “It has recently been documented that major brands across the world are now utilising digital signage advertising as a means of interacting and engaging with their customers and promoting their brands.”

Many business owners agree that in an information saturated world they often find the voice and image of their business stifled as the general scramble for audience attention is dominated by others across social media, TV and even print advertising.

The majority of those businesses affected are SMEs (Small to Medium Enterprises) that do not boast big budgets in order to extravagantly and glamorously promote their products and/or services.

However, digital signage represents a cost effective, stylish and sleek solution that enables SMEs to cut through the clutter created by larger corporations, allowing them to reach their customers directly.

Targeted Advertising

Digital signage, or in-store TV, as it is sometimes referred to, is now utilised by many household names, including IKEA. IKEA has installed digital signage across a range of its stores, not only to raise awareness of their main product range, but also to provide information to customers on how to use the store right through to how to design a kitchen.

Empowering customers by making such information available is said to ‘enrich the shopping experience’ whilst promoting brand awareness as well as presenting the opportunity to up-sell and cross-sell.

Another leading name to have embraced digital signage advertising is the ICA Group, which owns a number of franchised supermarkets. Recently, they reported a 150% increase in sales of goods displayed via in-store digital signage and point of sale displays.

Waseem Saddique asserts: “Companies like ICA and IKEA use digital signage to inform customers of prices, promotions, tips on how to use products and even to provide customers with inspiration on which products to purchase.”

One of the unique benefits of digital signage advertising is that it can be used indoors and outdoors offering something more eye-catching than standard billboard and poster advertising. Digital signage can also be protected against vandalism and theft by installing them in a custom-made enclosure.

Digital signage does away with printing costs and displays can be easily changed meaning that it can function 24/7 without hassle and minimum maintenance requirements.

Digital signage provides a sleek, stylish and contemporary advertising solution that looks great in any environment. Retail outlets that have installed digital signage in their shop fronts have claimed an increase in sales ranging between 79% and 85%. Estate agents also claim that the digital advertising of properties has boosted the property market.

Waseem Saddique states: “Digital signage signifies progress in 21st century advertising, providing an affordable, energy efficient and easily maintained, targeted advertising platform that provides maximum impact and return on investment.

Waseem Saddique Marketing – Tips for Navigating the Google Zoo

Bamboozled by all this talk of Pandas and Penguins? Waseem Saddique Marketing offers some clarity on recovering from Penguin and Panda penalties.

Google Panda

Waseem Saddique comments: “Google Panda is effectively the quality content hunter. In a bid to eradicate content that is keyword stuffed and overly SEO optimised, Google has an agenda for identifying websites with unique content in order to see them feature higher on their search engine ranking lists.”

Top tip – To tackle Google Panda, give serious consideration to the written content that your company is publishing online. Whether you’re writing content for an article, a press release or updating the text on your website, the question you should be asking is - ‘Is the content being produced adding value to a particular topic or enhancing the text on my website?’

If the answer to the above question is ‘no’, Google Panda will simply dismiss the content as poor. Seeking out ‘quality’ content is the primary reason for Panda’s existence.

Some pointers – In order to deal with poor quality webpages Waseem Saddique recommends trying a number of tried and tested tools and strategies: 

·      Use 301 redirects – This allows you to change the URL of a page that is likely to feature in search engines. This is probably the best solution for directing search engines to the correct page

·      Use no-index on your web pages – Using no-index meta data is ideal for your business if you don’t have root access to your web server. You then remain in control of access to your site on a page-by-page basis. Google’s Webmaster tools provide a piece of html code allowing you to install no-index on your site:

To prevent all robots from indexing a page on your site, place the following meta tag into the <head> section of your page:

<meta name="robots" content="noindex">

To allow other robots to index the page on your site, preventing only Google's robots from indexing the page:

<meta name="googlebot" content="noindex">     

Another option is to completely re-write or add content to your site. According to searchenginewatch.com some businesses have experienced a 700% recovery from the effects of Google Panda restrictions by re-writing their content.

Google Penguin

Waseem Saddique comments: “The latest Google Penguin update was implemented in May 2013 and, in contrast to Google Panda, Google Penguin targets the links on websites, assessing whether those links direct website users to articles or websites relevant to the genre of your site.”

Top tip – Content is again the key, be sure that links directing users to other websites are directing them to a site featuring quality content. Google Penguin recognises websites that are directing consumers to poor content, so getting your link strategy correct is of huge importance.

Pointer - To tackle the Google Penguin Algorithm, Waseem Saddique Marketing Services recommends producing something known as ‘Advanced Content’. Advanced content usually appears in the form of an eBook, white paper or a guide. Offering something of ‘value’ on a particular topic is seen as a major contribution.

Advanced content is well researched, factual and informative and above all should link back to quality sources. Google Penguin picks up on this and will ultimately identify that website as a ‘reliable’ source provider, thus pushing your position to a higher ranking on search engines.

Waseem Saddique Marketing Services serves to help businesses of all sizes enhance their online and SEO marketing efforts. Need marketing advice? Visit www.waseemsaddique.blogspot.co.uk  

Entrepreneur Reality TV Shows, Good or Bad for Business?

As entrepreneur/business TV reality shows, such as Dragons’ Den and The Apprentice, grow in popularity, Waseem Saddique Marketing asks are such shows good or bad for business?

Waseem Saddique comments: “Impressionable, young entrepreneurs/business owners look to the likes of Lord Alan Sugar and the ‘stars’ of Dragons’ Den as a foundation for leadership styles. It’s questionable whether the approach to business adopted by these TV moguls actually represents a true reflection of how business is done.”

In an article, written by Bev James and published in ‘Real Business’, she states: “The issue that I have with business reality shows in terms of leadership and management are most evident in the new generation of entrepreneurs. For example, if someone was to start a business in their fifties, then they would have the experience of working under both good and bad managers.”

She added: “This would have helped them to develop their own management and leadership style. Someone starting a business in their teens, however, has not been exposed to this kind of experience. So, they often look to reality television as the template for management and leadership.”

Despite registering its lowest viewing figures following the series conclusion of the 2013 edition (attracting just, 5.7 million viewers), ‘The Apprentice’ enjoyed excellent viewing figures when launched in 2005.

In the initial, business leaders embraced such reality TV shows, why? Because they recognised that they did inspire individuals to embark on becoming entrepreneurs and transforming their ideas into products or services that would appeal to consumers.

However, as the years progressed and more of these ‘shows’ emerged, the early promise of these programmes dwindled and the opinion of business leaders altered. The general consensus now is that programmes the likes of ‘The Apprentice’ and ‘Dragons’ Den’ depict businesses as entertainment. 

Bev James states: “They fail to portray some of the true characteristics of business, such as management, leadership and teamwork, in their true form.”

It’s also been argued that such shows quash the dreams of many entrepreneurs and create the perception that all business leaders adopt the same ruthless style as those ‘starring’ in such shows. 

Waseem Saddique states: “Whilst we have to concede that the entrepreneurs who appear on these shows do so voluntarily, it’s not nice to witness young businessmen and women humiliated all in the name of ‘entertainment TV’, this is potentially damaging to the next generation of entrepreneurs and perhaps more worryingly, the future of the UK economy.”

On such shows it’s usually online business ideas that come under intense scrutiny. Dragons’ Den in particular has been notorious for ‘savaging’ entrepreneurs when it comes to some online business models.

Reality TV shows have been criticised for not adopting a ‘mentoring spirit’, but instead using criticism and condemnation as a means of management style, something that has been frowned upon by a number of key UK business leaders.

Waseem Saddique concludes: “What started out as something with so much promise has descended into ‘entertainment’. Such shows initially existed to open the door to a variety of entrepreneurs to allow them to succeed in business. Then somewhere such shows lost their way, producing something that does not represent true business, but represents distasteful entertainment.”

Essential Information for Business | Waseem Saddique Marketing Reveals What Consumers are Buying Online

Waseem Saddique Marketing Services delves into newly published data and outlines the implications for global business and marketing strategies.

The Facts

• 74.1% of all electronics are bought online
• 74.0% of UK consumers purchase groceries online
• 74.0% of all music and videos are purchased online
• 67.8% of all office supplies are bought online
• 65.9% of all clothing sales are bought online
• 65.8% of all furniture sales are bought online
• 61.4% of all games and toys are bought online

Waseem Saddique comments: “Internet business is big however, some enterprises have failed to tap into the potential profits that could be made as a result of failing to capitalise on consumer habits.”

Based on the data, compiled by BrainSINS, the 74.1% of electronics purchased online equates to £5.5 billion. This figure is in stark contrast to the £1.8 billion spent on electronic goods in store.

The release of the data has been hailed by business leaders as they are able to absorb the information and refine marketing strategies making them more ‘target specific’. A number of corporations have also stressed that the information will ‘go a long way’ to helping them improve their social media efforts on social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook.

With dwindling numbers on the UK’s High Streets, a number of businesses that used to rely on footfall and passing trade have had to adapt and embrace the online revolution. Recent research, conducted by Hubspot.com, reveals that 84% of High Street retailers now also have an online platform, with 75% of those businesses recording sales increases since targeting the online consumer.

Waseem Saddique comments: “2013 will prove to be a pivotal year in terms of the UK economy, that’s why it’s important for businesses to make use of the essential data that is provided to them. This latest research shows that there is still room for growth and internet marketing experts predict current percentages to increase to figures of 80% by 2014.”

Marketing Strategies   

BrainSINS researchers stated that the release of this information, at this time, was done as Christmas 2013 approaches. In a time when the UK needs to experience a period of economic growth, this information allows business leaders to devise effective strategies to market themselves and their products/services in order to increase consumer spend.

Now businesses know where the majority of money is being spent by consumers online it puts corporations in a prime position to capitalise on that information.

Waseem Saddique states: “Businesses have always relied on such information to succeed, in an age of analytics that information is now readily and consistently available. The challenge now is how companies make use of the information to maximise its full potential.”   

The ‘Dark Web’, what is it? Does it damage business? Waseem Saddique Marketing Investigates

Did you know? Internet surfers use just three hundredths of one per cent of the internet, so where’s the rest? The answer lies in the ‘dark web’ or the ‘dark internet’, an unmonitored area in cyberspace that has become increasingly more sinister and accessible.

Waseem Saddique comments: “It may surprise the ‘average’ internet user to know that when using the Google search engine to find information the pages listed do not make up the entire internet. Think of the internet like an iceberg, the tip sits above the surface, but the bulk of the iceberg stretches miles below the surface.”

Waseem continues: “The iceberg analogy represents a perfect model of the internet; Google is simply the tip of the iceberg, whilst the rest of the internet holds deeper and darker secrets.”

The ‘dark web’ originates from software pioneered by the US Navy in 2002, designed to safeguard government communications. 

However, the Tor software system was soon adopted by savvy techies all over the world. It’s the Tor software system that has developed a reputation as the ‘dark web’, allowing internet users to surf the web completely unmonitored and anonymously.

Now, as the Government pushes for companies like Google, Facebook, Twitter and other major online companies to censor ‘harmful’ content, concerns have surfaced that such pressure to implement censorship will drive web users towards the ‘dark web’ proxy, obscuring the identity of users and the sites hosted.

The pioneers of the Tor project, a non-profit organisation whose inception took place in Walpole, Massachusetts in 2002, say that the project was establish with the intention of making anonymous web-surfing mainstream.

In an article published by the Independent, Tor project pioneers claim that ‘the numbers of users of its free software doubled between 2011 and 2012, reaching around 600,000 people each year – and, though the numbers are hard to trust, its data suggests there are 15,715 unique daily users in Britain. But as whole companies could be operating from one address, calculating the true usage is impossible.’

How does Tor work?

Tor, short for ‘The Onion Router’ because of its layer like complexities, functions by directing web traffic across a series of nodes – aka onion routes – adding layers of encrypted code at various intervals. The result is that browsers and online users, as well as the individuals hosting the websites it features, remain untraceable by authorities.

It is Tor software that kept the identity of ‘Prism’ whistle-blower, Edward Snowden, anonymous before he publically revealed details of the USA’s ‘secret’ surveillance system.

How does it damage business?

Waseem Saddique comments: “Reputation management becomes increasingly difficult as a result of the ‘dark web’, a proportion of companies in particular industry sectors have been subjected to a barrage of negative publicity as a result of dark web activity.”

As the ‘dark web’ is made up of non-indexable content and is 500 times larger than the ‘web surface’, the content stored is so much more difficult to trace and access. Businesses under attack from negative publicity posted through the ‘dark web’ will find it virtually impossible to trace the perpetrator and even if they do locate them the damage may already be irreparable.     

The other sinister aspect of the ‘dark web’ is that it allows for complete anonymity, which provides people with the opportunity to post slanderous and defamatory comments about particular businesses all over the web, whether via blog, social media or an online forum. The ramifications of such activity could easily damage a business brand, without any means of preventing it.

The warning issued to online business owners by computer security consultants is beware and get educated about the ‘dark web’.

How to Protect Your Business from Social Media Slander

In an age where 90% of small businesses use social media (source: Social Media Today) and 75% of businesses as a whole utilise social networking for business purposes, there has been a surge in the number of businesses subjected to social media slander.

Waseem Saddique comments: “Social media has delivered many positives for businesses all around the world. It has enhanced global communication on a B2C and B2B scale effectively making the world ‘smaller’ and simplifying the process of ‘doing business’. However, there is a sinister side to social media that is becoming prevalent to the extent that it’s receiving high profile press attention.”

According to leading professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, 90% of businesses worldwide experience some form of abuse via social media. Such abuse has led to an increase in court cases as businesses look to stifle the perpetrators, costing companies thousands in order to pursue legal action and often to no effect because of ‘freedom of speech’ legislation.

Who are the perpetrators of social media slander against businesses?

Research conducted by Waseem Saddique Marketing Services discovered several perpetrators of slander who used social media as their primary platform for administering abuse. Based on the research, Waseem Saddique Marketing was able to establish a list of the five most common offenders for delivering slander via social networking, they are:

·      Competitors – Staggeringly it is other companies, usually under the guise of a hidden identity, that partake in posting defamatory comments about rival companies in order to sabotage business operations

·      Former employees – Perhaps not surprisingly, especially if a former employee did not part with former employers amicably, they are the second most likely to ‘hurl’ abuse at businesses  

·      Current employees – Usually in the heat of the moment, current employees of companies have been known to partake in abusing businesses. However, this often leads to them joining the category above, dismissed for gross misconduct

·      Dissatisfied customers – Social networking gives customers, who have a particular grievance against a company, the perfect platform to seriously affect a company’s reputation

·      Trolls – Though not necessarily holding any grudge against a business, trolls are sinister members of the social networking matrix and, without motive and purely for the pleasure, will set out to mercilessly damage the reputation of a business

How can a business combat the slander? 

Waseem Saddique states: “There are two essential steps that a business needs to take in order to combat social media slander. First, monitor the company name and second, respond quickly.”

Monitor the Business Name

The swiftest solution for monitoring your company name is to install social media monitoring software. Most monitoring systems can be downloaded from the internet. It’s designed to issue alerts anytime that your company name is mentioned. You are often notified via e-mail, allowing you to take the necessary action. If the mention is slanderous you can move to stifle it before the slander goes viral.

Respond swiftly       

A delayed response to slander gives slanderous comments the opportunity to spread and it’s then too late to eliminate the negative impact those comments have. One negative comment made about your business via social media can become thousands within minutes.

Rapid response indicates that you’re a company that takes its reputation seriously and that you have a policy in place to deal with complaints amicably.

Falling victim to social media slander has huge ramifications for businesses and if not addressed swiftly the viral vitriol that ensues can put businesses ‘out of business’.    

Trolling, what is it and how can it be stopped? Waseem Saddique Marketing Investigates

Waseem Saddique Marketing covers the topic of trolling amid mounting concerns over the impact it has on individuals and businesses

‘Trolling’ has been branded as online bullying, with psychology experts defining those who ‘troll’ as being dark, menacing and devious in nature, solely intent on disrupting lives, business operations and generally causing misery, often with an end goal in mind.

Trolling is commonly associated with social media and is a wide spread problem that has infiltrated schools, the work place and society in general.

The problem of trolling has become so vast that it has now become a criminal offence. Social networking site Twitter has become infamous for trolling, with millions of Twitter users berated by trolls on a daily basis. Troll victims include celebrities, businesses and the general public.

What does trolling involve? 

Waseem Saddique comments: “Trolling is vile and involves individuals posting obscene comments about individuals, businesses and horrific events. Trolling can only be described as morbid and the fact of the matter is it can lead individuals to self-harm or worse still, commit suicide.”

Trolling involves posting defamatory or obscene comments with the intention of causing maximum hurt and upset. This can be done via various platforms including: newspaper columns, online forums and social networking sites, to name but a few.

What impact has trolling had?

Trolling has become a global phenomenon and whilst no official figures have been released regarding the number of suicides that have occurred as a result of trolling, a simple search engine investigation on Google typing in ‘trolling suicides’ brings up 13,900,000 results.

In its most severe form, trolling is deemed a criminal offence and in one of the first most high profile cases, which emerged in the state of Missouri in the USA in 2006, 13-year-old Megan Meier killed herself after being subjected to intense online bullying.

The perpetrator turned out to be next door neighbour, Lori Drew, a middle-aged woman who had set up a ‘MySpace’ profile in order to win – then later betray – Megan’s trust. Whilst Drew was acquitted amid concerns that a conviction would criminalise false online identities, it remains one of the first ‘trolling’ cases to go to trial.

One of the most high profile UK cases involved deceased celebrity, Jade Goody, whose family set up a memory page on Facebook in respect of  her passing. The page was ‘trolled’ by Colm Coss, who later received an 18 week prison sentence for posting obscene comments about the Big Brother star and other dead celebrities on the memory page.  

How can the trolls be stopped?

Twitter has already taken steps to ‘tackle the troll’, by introducing a ‘report abuse’ button, but is this enough?

Waseem Saddique comments: “Stopping the trolls is difficult as the issue of ‘free speech’ is compromised. However, across social networking sites in particular where evidence of ‘extreme’ trolling is identified, accounts are being suspended.”

Critics argue though that ‘trollers’ will simply set up new profiles in order to continue their tirade of abuse.

In a statement from Dr Bernie Hogan, research fellow at the Oxford Institute of the Internet, he said: “The best way to stop trolling is to report them and ignore the comments. Simple psychology suggests that if they are not provoking a response they will simply get bored and move on eventually getting phased out. There is already evidence to suggest that internet users are turning on the trolls.”

He added: “Even the law has become involved and prison sentences will certainly act as a deterrent. The idea that you can now get a jail sentence and a  criminal record for posting a comment serves as a warning. There’s no such thing as anonymous in a technological age. It’s inevitable that persistent ‘trollers’ will be identified and face prosecution in extreme cases.”      

And the Social Media King, by Country, is? Waseem Saddique Marketing Explores

Waseem Saddique Marketing dispels social media myths by revealing the country, and coincidentally the brand, that rules the social media landscape.   


The USA, Brazil, Japan and more recently Egypt have all been touted as potential ‘kings’ of the social media world. However, they have all been ousted by a nation where social networking is actually outlawed.

Waseem Saddique asserts: “Despite a national ban on social media usage, China emerged as the nation that tops the social networking hierarchy.”


Research published by digitaltrends.com revealed that China has the highest number of ‘active’ Twitter users on the planet. It would appear that a nationwide ban has done little to stifle its citizens from taking to social media sites to communicate with the world, using a variety of VPNs and various other methods to bypass firewalls implemented by the Chinese Government.
Whilst China claimed the country crown for social media usage, the Starbucks chain emerged as the leading brand on social networking sites according to the research.


In a statement from Jonathan Barouch, the founder of Local Measure, he said: “Facebook recently released stats saying that Starbucks has one of the highest check in rates of all brands, so to me it seems to suggest a cultural difference in that Asian consumers have an even higher propensity to share on social than Americans. This is particularly pronounced in food and retail.”


A survey conducted by Local Measure asked a focus group made up of 300 participants which country they thought had the highest volume of social media users. The majority of the group opted for the USA however, in reality the USA lagged behind China, Brazil and Egypt. Whilst the USA has a high number of registered users on social networking sites, the research is based on those that are ‘active’ i.e. accounts that are accessed at least once per day.

Waseem Saddique comments: “To some this may not come as a surprise, but for many they had their minds set on the USA being top dog. What this research really establishes though is a target market for businesses that have connections in those top ranking countries. It gives a fresh insight into business opportunities and our advice is ‘target those countries where social media activity is rife’."

Far from being a US obsession, social media has infiltrated the world dispelling many myths that social networking is isolated and confined to one country. China is a prime example of a nation where citizens are desperate to be a part of social media interaction and will go to extreme lengths to acquire access.