Mar 21

On going solo.

Posted on March 21, 2011 by Robelen Bajar

That’s me with my dance partner, Sean.

Robelen Bajar - 2010 Australian Dancesport Championships

Winners are grinners: Robelen Bajar and Sean Lawrence at the 2010 Australian Dancesport Championships

It’s been a heck of a long time since my last entry. So I thought I’d start this year’s blog with reflections of the past 12 months as it has indeed been a year of massive changes personally and professionally – new directions, new goals, new life and a new boss… we’ll get to that later.

After a few high-heel wearing and power-dressing years in corporate (I would have easily won best-dressed if there had been one), attending meetings that eat up my day, managing the never-ending churn of marketing campaigns, playing politics and fighting with and alongside the boys (it was a male-dominated industry) – experiences that I thrived upon once upon a time, suddenly lost its appeal. Continue reading →

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Nov 17

How Google Works (and all the gory details)

Posted on November 17, 2010 by Robelen Bajar

: Image by Getty Images via @daylife

The race to the top of Google is an ever changing game.

We kinda know what to do to stay in it - build a good linking strategy, provide relevant & fresh content, create a user-centred website, participate in the online community via social media. These are just some of the things that keep us in the game.

And in the frantic race to the coveted #1 spot – some people cheat. And more often than not, they get the red flag and booted out of the game – a situation no business would want to be in. Black hat tactics such as link farming, irrelevant linking, keyword stuffing and gateway pages are just some of the ways unscrupulous operators try to manipulate their search engine ranking for short-term gains. But it ain’t worth it. Continue reading →

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Nov 05

Let’s Talk Flash Over Coffee.

Posted on November 5, 2010 by Robelen Bajar

: Image by Lameen via Flickr

A few weeks ago, I had coffee with my friend Michael who owns a construction company. He was telling me all about his new website and it sounded pretty exciting. It seemed the website was a big step for his business. And as a digital marketer I get super excited when a small business owner, let alone a tradie, embraces anything online.

It appeared Michael had finally recognised the need to have a web presence for his business. He was going to showcase all his projects to help build credibility, inform prospects about the range of construction services he offers, provide FAQs so that prospects have all the necessary information to help them make a decision, and generate leads through a well thought-out contact form.

As a digital strategist, words like these are music to my ears.

And then he said, it was all going to be built in Flash.

That’s when I almost choked on my café laté with half sugar.

Because when it comes to creating effective websites, Flash is generally not a good idea. Let me tell you why. Continue reading →

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Oct 28

Covet Thy Neighbour’s Domain.

Posted on October 28, 2010 by Robelen Bajar

: Image by Bev Boerman via Flickr

Note: This article was published in Anthill Magazine in June 2008.

Greed and envy may be two of the seven deadly sins, but online, sinners are grinners. Robelen Bajar joins the digital gold rush.

I’m a little peeved that someone else owns robelen.com. My birth certificate clearly shows I’ve had the name since birth. Even my business certificate proves I’ve been trading under that name since 2001. This makes me the rightful owner, doesn’t it?

Well, not exactly. According to Whois, a central database of domain owners, robelen.com was secured in 2002 by a guy in the US who, apparently, could be earning a tidy sum through what is known as domain parking – a form of internet advertising which, in this case, aims to monetise web traffic of bathrobe lovers that happen upon the domain via direct type-in. Continue reading →

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Sep 28

Good Lovers Make Good Business.

Posted on September 28, 2010 by Robelen Bajar

I read about Abraham Maslow’s work on “peak experiences” while studying marketing at university, the same time I was ghostwriting for women’s magazines on how to be a better lover. According to Maslow, these ecstatic states are especially joyous and exciting moments in life that are often inspired by great beauty, art, and of course, intense feelings of L.O.V.E.

And as I juggled an essay on peak experiences and a looming deadline on finding and keeping Mr Right, I experienced a lightbulb moment. John Lennon and Paul McCartney were right: All you need is love. Especially when it comes to attracting and keeping good customers.

But what is love really? A quick Google search on romantic love gave me 58.4 million results. So I went to the highest authority of all on romantic love: Hollywood.

“The greatest thing you’ll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return.” This “Nature Boy” lyric by Eden Ahbez released in 1947 (popularised by the film Moulin Rouge) tells a story of a strange, enchanted boy who wandered far and wide only to learn that the greatest thing was love.

Yes, that’s right. Love is the answer. Even in business. Continue reading →

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