This video was done with the Portland Oregon ~ Vancouver Washington area in mind. There are websites for any large metropolitan area – you will just need to do a search for local directories in your area to apply this strategy.
Pay Per Click Roulette
The biggest complaint I get about Google Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising is the quality of the clicks. A campaign that gets a great deal of clicks but does not convert those clicks to sales is simply quite expensive. Small businesses are less likely to take a chance on PPC simply because they have no faith in the click converting into a sale.
If you think of PPC as a sales cycle, and learn to grab the shopper at the right moment during their product/services research then PPC can be very rewarding.
Let’s analyze how people usually become buyers of online products and services. One of my potential customers is starting their online research for purchasing a website. They probably do not know what to ask a web designer, or even what they are searching for. They may type something like “Web Design” They will get several of the huge nation-wide companies that market to large businesses. By reading the sites they learn that they want a local web designer that they can meet in person. Or they may decide they need a website that is smaller in scale than what they are reading about. So they now search for “Web Design Vancouver Wa” This is a key phrase that will get them a list of designers local to them (assuming they live in Vancouver WA). This could be web designers that are all over the board in what they actually do. They are now reading sites by the larger design firms all the way down to the college student that creates sites on the side for extra cash. After spending some time researching Web Design they have a better idea of what they are looking for in a website and in a designer. While conducting this research they have been clicking on PPC advertising – but not actually buying. They have not been in the buying mode but in the research mode – this means that all the sites they have visited had PPC campaigns that is costing them money but not converting sales. Now they have a better idea of what they want they type in “Small business website design in Vancouver WA” or “E- commerce website designer in Vancouver WA” or even “5 page informational website Vancouver WA”. All of these are considered buying keyword phrases, and if you were a website designer in Vancouver Wa and had PPC campaigns with these buying keyword phrases then you would likely have a new customer (assuming you are a good web designer with a website that will convert sales)
This process works for any product – the more generic the keywords the more virtual tire kickers you will attract. The more specific your keywords are to the product or service you offer then the more qualified that click traffic will be.
Of course if you do not have a quality website that clearly states what you do and what your product/service will do for someone then a quality PPC campaign just wont matter. If your site is state of the art and full of benefit oriented information then you are ready to embark into the world of PPC armed with the knowledge of choosing buying keyword phrases that your potential customers will be searching with at the end of the cycle – when they are ready to make the purchase.
For more information on Online Marketing Strategies click here.
More and more business owners are moving away from the expensive local directories like all the various yellow pages, simply because of cost vs effectiveness. When was the last time you used the physical phone book to search out information? I personally recycle mine as soon as I get them.
More and more people are looking for information Online ~ researching products, services, and companies ~ then choosing to buy local. With statistics like:
Do you want your business to gain from Local Search?
There are basically 2 ways to get your company listed locally ~ pay to have a company do it for you or do it yourself. For the DIY business owners out there ~ here are a few ideas and strategies that can help you get your business listed locally and start to gain more local clients and sales.
1) Do a search for your main keyword followed by your city and state. Make sure your business is listed in any online directories that come up in the search.
2) Get a Google Local account, Local Bing account, and Local Yahoo account. Make sure your site is listed in local versions of all search engines.
3) Participate in local directories that offer consumer ratings or reviews. Ask good clients to give a positive review at the different Online review sites. A few examples are:
Online review sites are becoming very popular and users are checking up on businesses before deciding who to buy from. This is a must for a local business that is wanting to pull in more Online business.
4) Local events ~ if your business hosts local events then get them listed online at sites for local events in your area.
These are a starting point for getting your business recognized online locally. As all search engine efforts – this is an ongoing process that needs ongoing attention. Some effort each month will build to quite a large Online presence over time.
For more strategies for marketing your business online visit: Internet Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses
Here Comes A Sucker!
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a growing business industry. Website owners are realizing that they need help to get their websites ranked well for buying keyword phrases. But what do they look for in a search engine optimization company? They are getting emails promising #1 ranking in Google. Every website owner wants the coveted #1 spot – but not all can have it. In fact there is only one company that will get the #1 spot – that is the facts not a guarantee.
Any company that will promise you the #1 spot in Google should not be considered as a contender for your SEO business. Google controls the process for ranking sites – not your SEO company. Even if you make it to the first page of the search results, Google can change how they are ranking sites tomorrow and your site could suddenly be buried several pages into the results. Another problem with this promise is the quality of the keywords that you are ranking for. You can be in the number 1 spot of Google but if no one is looking for that keyword phrase – who cares? You will not be getting any clicks from traffic that does not exist. If you are approached with a #1 ranking in Google – RUN!
A legitimate SEO company will sit down with you and plan out an online strategy with realistic goals and expectations. They will perform keyword research to discover what the buying keyword phrases for your industry are and give you a realistic expectation of how you will be ranking for these keywords. Often times you will discover that ranking really high for a less popular keyword phrase will give you better qualified traffic that is ready to buy – not looky-loos.
– if you are told there is then the company is not legitimate. The world of Search Engine Optimization is always changing. As more information on how people search becomes available to the search engines like Google they then change how they rank sites. The ultimate goal of a search engine is to deliver the most accurate and closest result for the user. The happier the searcher the better the search engine has achieved its goal. As the website owner it is your job to make your website relevant to what your customers are looking for. All of these things are changing and flexing – SEO is never static and it has no magic bullet.
Quality SEO companies will evaluate your website, do keyword research, give you a realistic plan and strategy, and help you follow through with the plan. They will also provide progress reports and make adjustments to the plan as needed. SEO is a long term strategy not a short term fix.
Positively Rank Your Name
As a small business owner it is essential that people trust you online – if you ever plan to actually sell online. People buy from people they trust ~ any “negative press” can kill the deal ~ even if the press is not actually about you, but about someone else with your name! It is hard to tell when researching online if you are reading something about the right person. Have you ever researched someone and read something bad about that person just to find out that it was the wrong person ~ with the same name? Something like that can absolutely kill the sell if it happens when someone is researching YOU!
The goal is to get anything bad associated with your name to be somewhere beyond the 2nd or 3rd page of the search results. Everything on the first 2 or 3 pages of the search results needs to be positive, items you have published, and positive feedback from customers.
Let me share what I have done to dominate the search engines for my name ~ feel free to use these tactics to help with your name as well.
This is a list of strategies I am using to control my name. The last thing I want is for someone looking for a Web Designer to find my site then research my name and find anything negative. I don’t care if it is something talking about a different Dotty ~ people will think it as me and go elsewhere for their business ~ something I just can’t afford.
If you have more ideas for people feel free to add them in the comments section!
Business owners know a few things about Search Engine Optimization ~ it is expensive, difficult, and needs to be outsourced. I am here to tell you a secret – are you ready? Are you listening? SEO is not hard, not complicated, and not beyond your reach. It is actually easy, just time consuming. The most basic concept is this – use keyword phrases that you want search engines to index for your company. That is it – the whole concept. Now for the strategy ~ where do you use these keywords? Here is a rundown of several places where keywords need to be utilized:
Let’s explain a few of these. Read the rest of this entry »
Learn how to get your own Gravatar for spreading your brand around the Internet.
Mike Klingler of Renegade University interviewed me at the Marketing Merge offices in Portland Oregon. My focus has always been helping brick and motor businesses figure out how to gain clients and sales form the Internet. Enjoy the interview – It is my hope you will gain a few nuggets that you will find useful in your business.
There is a very easy way to get your logo/brand recognized in your niche, and the method takes about 5 min and zero dollars. Want to know what it is?
Gravatars! – Globally recognized avatars. Simply go to the Gravatar.com website and register your email and upload a photo. Most blogs in use today will recognize the Gravatar when commenting. This is how your image/logo/brand can show every time you make a comment on other peoples blogs. It is important to use the same image that you have used on your website, blog, and social media sites. People will start to connect you with your brand as it gets spread across all the sites that you are actively involved in commenting and adding value.
Very simple – will you actually go and get yours set up?
Show me your Gravatar in the comments for this post.
For more Internet Marketing Strategies check out this article.
Businesses can reach people independent of their location and allowing them to shop at their own convenience 24 hours a day. It gives other benefits such as customer service, expands the company’s customer base, and takes away 
the limitation of the walk-up customer coming in the store during daylight hours and maximizes profits.
Particular products the business owner is passionate about can be promoted with an exciting website and Blog that reflects the individual business. The owners can be creative Internet Marketers.
But one of the biggest tips is to sell what 95% of people searching the internet actually want to buy.
How Do Internet Marketers Create an E-Commerce Storefront?
E-Commerce websites should these basic components:
To put these components together, small and business owners look for knowledge and technology to set up an E-Commerce website. There are Internet hosting companies that offer Read the rest of this entry »
on Gravatar: You Need One
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