Archive for May, 2010
12 Free Local Directories for Small Businesses
The statistics a clear:
70 percent of online searchers will use local search to find offline businesses. (Kelsey Group)
If your customers search for your product or service online, will they find you or your competitor?
The phone book is a dying advertising medium!
Another sobering tidbit:
97% of Internet users in the U.S. gather shopping information online, and of those, 51% explicitly characterize their behavior as “Shop Online, Purchase Offline” (NPD Group)
It is absolutely necessary to get your business listed in local search directories.
If You Twitter You Need TweetDeck
If you use Twitter for business or pleasure, TweetDeck can make for a more pleasurable tweeting experience. Tweet Deck is like "traffic control" for Twitter.
TweetDeck is easy to install and will grab all of your Twitter info for you. The TweetDeck control panel allows you to set columns to view who you're following, mentions, groups, direct messages and more.
You can easily send tweets, images and videos with out ever visiting your Twitter page. Another cool feature is that when someone you're following tweets, a small image flashes on your screen to let you know.
TweetDeck has also incorporated FaceBook, Linkedin and MySpace into their system so you can connect with those contacts as well. You can update your status, comment, and set up columns for friends.
You can even install TweetDeck on your iPhone with the iPhone app, which is available now from the App Store. And if you are the proud owner of an iPad, TweetDeck has you covered there too.
All in all, TweetDeck is a very cool platform. It is like a high tech address book for your online social contacts.
Online Marketing Tips for Dentists
If you would like to either create or revitalize your web presence, there are numerous marketing techniques that can be used to accomplish this. The goal of these techniques is to reach page 1, position 1 for your keyword on Google local search. And while these techniques can be applied by anyone, I recommend that a professional that provides local search marketing services be consulted before initiating an online campaign.
A Local SEO Consultant should perform a competitive marketing analysis that defines your competition, their strengths and weaknesses, backlinks, etc.
As a Dentist, would you drill random teeth looking for a cavity? Or do you examine and x ray your patient's teeth to get an overview of the necessary work? A competitive analysis is like an x ray of your online competition.
If, after reviewing the competitive analysis, you wish to proceed on your own, I've listed some techniques that may be employed to gain page one of Google local search.
- It all begins with an optimized website. This publishing platform should have correct title page optimization, internal links, site maps, keywords, meta data etc. A WordPress self hosted blog is a great choice. Stay away from flash animation sites. A flash site looks cool the first time, but your clients will tire of it quickly. Your domain name should be geographically keyword optimized to compete in your local market, as in Tampa Dentist.com. You can get a vanity domain name ie. BobJonesDDS.com, but you'll rank more easily on the search engines with the former.
- Utilize local directories. Create or claim your listing on Google Places, Yahoo Local, Yelp and more. Encourage your clients to add testimonials.
- Write articles on your blog. This will keep your clients entertained and encourage search engine spiders to visit. Google loves fresh content.
- Add lead capture to your site. Offer a free report to obtain the name and email addresses of visitors. Follow up and turn them into clients.
- Video Marketing: Create videos of yourself and client testimonials. Place them on your site and submit to Youtube and other sites. Google owns Youtube and ranks videos well.
This is but a thumbnail sketch of an online marketing campaign for Dentists and many other professionals.There are many more powerful ways to achieve traffic and rankings for your website.
But, if you are like many Dental professionals, you have very little time to implement these strategies, much less test and review your results regularly. The services of an expert in local search optimization will more than pay for themselves long term.
Market Your Business Without Spending A Fortune
Can you market your business without spending a fortune? Absolutely. But before I tell you how, I'll tell you of a couple of marketing pitfalls.
Pay per click and yellow page advertising are two high cost, low return marketing techniques.
Buying adwords displays will get you on page one. But it is not for those faint of heart. Your budget can be eaten up very quickly. And unless you know what you're doing, you'll be paying for worthless clicks.
And the good 'ol Yellow Pages. This old fashioned media is becoming less and less effective. Those slick salesmen tell you your business has to be in the book, preferably a full page ad. But what happens if your business moves, changes phone numbers or adds services? That listing is locked in for a year! Most phone books are thrown into the recycle bin as soon as the are delivered. How's that for return on investment?
The reality is that people still let their fingers do the walking, but now they do it online.
According to Google, 20 percent of all searches are related to location. In March 2010, nearly 3 billion Google search queries contained local terms. These searches were similar to "Portland Plumber" or "Florist Elk Grove".
You must capitalize on this! Otherwise you're giving 1 in 5 potential customers to your competition.
An online business presence is absolutely essential to compete today. Below are a few techniques you need to utilize…
5 Proven Online Marketing Techniques for Small Businesses:
* Optimized Website: It all starts with a website. Your best bet is a WordPress Blog. They are fairly easy to set up and Google loves them (this site is WordPress).
* Local Directories: Set up or claim your listing in Google Place, Yahoo Local etc. List your products and services then optimize with photos and videos. Encourage your clients to leave good reviews on these sites.
* Social Networking: Sign up with Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter. Get your name and brand out there.
* Write Articles: Writing articles about your field of expertise is a great way to get traffic and links back to your site. Submit to services like EzineArticles, GoArticles etc.
* Social Bookmarking: These sites let you "share" your website and articles with the world. Check out sites like Digg, StumbleUpon, Mixx and Del.icio.us. These will also send traffic and links to your business site.
These are but a few of the essential techniques to utilize in marketing your enterprise. With some research, you can implement most of these yourself. But it may prove more prudent to hire an expert so you can focus on what you do best………………. running your business.
Social Media for Small Business
The utilization of Social Media is not strictly for large corporations. Small businesses can also reap the rewards of having a presence on Facebook, Twitter and the rest.
Every business from Car Washes to Caterers can build relationships with their customers online. Social Media can help to brand your company, build trust, friendships and referrals.
Sacramento Internet Marketing
Sacramento Internet Marketing
But is that where their customers are looking for them?
Newspapers?
The Sacramento Bee's circulation dropped more than 13% just in the 6 month period ending 3/31/2010. Fewer and fewer eyes are falling on newspaper ads and coupons.