Google has recently launched a beta version of a product names Boost. Saavy internet marketers will plan ahead for this innovative enhancement to a Google Places listing. Getting on top of Google Boost early can mean more customers!
Presently, Google Boost beta is available in a limited number of cities and states. As with Google Tags we anticipate that a wide rollout will happen very soon. E-Platform Marketing and TigerSEO Marketing are already working with this product with clients in San Francisco.
Google's Boost ads display for locally targeted search queries. They appear in the Adwords results and can be identified by a blue ballon icon (similar to the bubble icon on Google Places maps).
The ads can contain basic business information including business name, phone number, address, and the typical local listing features such as customer reviews and ratings.
We are excited about this product based on the results our clients have experienced. For more information feel free to contact us directly or leave a comment below.
News and articles on internet marketing, inbound marketing, SEO and related topics.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Foursquare For Business, For Profits
Foursquare - learn it.
Foursquare is a social media site that is rapidly becoming a serious contender to Twitter . . . and rightly so. Foursquare has the lightning info distribution of Twitter but also incorporates personal interactivity similar to Facebook. We are very high on Foursquare.
Foursquare has the potential to be an excellent Local Search channel for small business owners and franchise operators. It is easy to "add a venue", claim it and then leverage the ability to get great visibility and promotion opportunities.
You can connect Foursquare to your Facebook and Twitter accounts to further accelerate your content delivery. We strongly suggest that you get your business on Foursquare and reach more customers.
Foursquare is a social media site that is rapidly becoming a serious contender to Twitter . . . and rightly so. Foursquare has the lightning info distribution of Twitter but also incorporates personal interactivity similar to Facebook. We are very high on Foursquare.
Foursquare has the potential to be an excellent Local Search channel for small business owners and franchise operators. It is easy to "add a venue", claim it and then leverage the ability to get great visibility and promotion opportunities.
You can connect Foursquare to your Facebook and Twitter accounts to further accelerate your content delivery. We strongly suggest that you get your business on Foursquare and reach more customers.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Online Reputation Management - An Essential Game Changer
If your business relies on customers that would be considered "local" you should familiarize yourself with online reputation management. People who need a local service (or store) are increasingly on websites that allow user ratings and consumer reviews. Anyone who has been in business for very long knows that there will always be customers that cannot be satisified and complain unreasonably. Unfortunately these people can now post online reviews and do lasting harm to your reputation. The remedy is to engage in active online reputation management.
Your choices here, as with most things in life, are to do it yourself or get someone else to do the work. If you are extremely busy, have a lot of negative press to clear up, or simply don't want to be bothered you can hire an experienced Online Reputation Management Company. If you choose the Do It Yourself route here is a quick roadmap for better results.
First, identify the most visible directory websites for your type of business. Check to see if these sites allow consumer reviews and, if so, take time to thoroughly read every review and identify problem content.
Second, use automated methods (manual checks are VERY time consuming) to monitor the web for new content about your company. This will provide you with a heads-up on any new negative content to add to your cleaning list.
Third, begin to address each instance of negative reviews. Prioritize the order of sites to manage and do them one at a time for easier management. Every site presents its own challenges, opportunites and restrictions for managing comments and reviews. This is where the do-it-yourselfer can find the process too complicated. Typical options include direct contact to ask the site managers to remove the offending or inaccurate posts, create counter content to present "your side of the story", or use various methods to displace the negative content. Providing a counter opinion shows that you are taking ownership, and most people understand that there are two sides to every story.
Choosing to ignore the active management of online content and reviews is asking for disaster. While you may recognize the customer who posts bad comments, and know why it happened, there are hundreds of potential customers who will poorly judge your business based on the negative comments.
The cost for a online reputation mangement service varies depending on the service provider, however it is almost always far less than the cost of years of lost business.
Your choices here, as with most things in life, are to do it yourself or get someone else to do the work. If you are extremely busy, have a lot of negative press to clear up, or simply don't want to be bothered you can hire an experienced Online Reputation Management Company. If you choose the Do It Yourself route here is a quick roadmap for better results.
First, identify the most visible directory websites for your type of business. Check to see if these sites allow consumer reviews and, if so, take time to thoroughly read every review and identify problem content.
Second, use automated methods (manual checks are VERY time consuming) to monitor the web for new content about your company. This will provide you with a heads-up on any new negative content to add to your cleaning list.
Third, begin to address each instance of negative reviews. Prioritize the order of sites to manage and do them one at a time for easier management. Every site presents its own challenges, opportunites and restrictions for managing comments and reviews. This is where the do-it-yourselfer can find the process too complicated. Typical options include direct contact to ask the site managers to remove the offending or inaccurate posts, create counter content to present "your side of the story", or use various methods to displace the negative content. Providing a counter opinion shows that you are taking ownership, and most people understand that there are two sides to every story.
Choosing to ignore the active management of online content and reviews is asking for disaster. While you may recognize the customer who posts bad comments, and know why it happened, there are hundreds of potential customers who will poorly judge your business based on the negative comments.
The cost for a online reputation mangement service varies depending on the service provider, however it is almost always far less than the cost of years of lost business.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Google Instant - A Different Perspective
The impact of Google Instant on SEO is under much scrutiny. While the popular argument proposes that this means a dire impact on the long-tail search we do not automatically agree.
Google Instant, for those not in the know, is a new feature that populates popular search phrases as you type your query into the search bar. This supposedly offers a convenience to the user. We think that it may prove to be an annoyance. Why? It's very simple. What I seek is based on MY NEED, not based on popular searches. I suppose Google Instant may work for those people that want to search for the most current pop culture tragedy however it is probably of very little use for consumers and business professionals.
An example would be my desire to purchase a particular brand and model of computer. As I enter in what I want, what is popular is of no interest to me. In fact, to intervene in my search is annoying.
Google is quite an innovator regarding internet tools however I think that Instant will not make profound changes on SEO or web searching. Future advancements with the technology may make a difference but only if it is based more on search history from the individual's computer and not popular searches. I don't envision Google Instant changing our SEO process.
Google Instant, for those not in the know, is a new feature that populates popular search phrases as you type your query into the search bar. This supposedly offers a convenience to the user. We think that it may prove to be an annoyance. Why? It's very simple. What I seek is based on MY NEED, not based on popular searches. I suppose Google Instant may work for those people that want to search for the most current pop culture tragedy however it is probably of very little use for consumers and business professionals.
An example would be my desire to purchase a particular brand and model of computer. As I enter in what I want, what is popular is of no interest to me. In fact, to intervene in my search is annoying.
Google is quite an innovator regarding internet tools however I think that Instant will not make profound changes on SEO or web searching. Future advancements with the technology may make a difference but only if it is based more on search history from the individual's computer and not popular searches. I don't envision Google Instant changing our SEO process.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Reasons To Avoid A Partnership
If you have talked to many business people who have had partnerships you have undoubtedly heard a LOT of horror stories. I personally have spoken to over 20 people who opened up to me about partnership nightmares. Believe me - the whole truth is far worse than the individual tales that you hear. After hearing so many people speak of the problems that had arisen from partnerships I felt compelled to write a piece that may save others from this misery.
At face value a partnership, much like communism or socialism, sounds so blissful. Everyone works hard and everyone shares in the fruits of the labor. The reality is there is always a portion that does the majority of the work and a portion that exists by sucking the life out of the working majority. Interestingly enough, the parasitic group always thinks that they should be in charge - usually to get the power to protect their sorry existence. In partnerships, this is often what comes to be.
Typically if you are approached by someone who "wants to be your partner" they have had a bit of self reality that they lack certain (often a LOT) of skills for the particular endeavor they choose to pursue. Somehow, they have targeted you as the competent and able individual who can take them to heights they would never reach on their own. Thus they plead their case at how great it would be to form a partnership and find incredible success together. Often they will try to be your best friend - basically it's a con job to convince you into believing that they are a great friend. They act as an illusionist - they distract you with one hand while they do their trickery with the other.
In the beginning all partners, good or bad, will communicate well and work with you to plan and execute successful business strategies. This is because each partner is allowing the other to apply their own skills and build the business. Shortly after there is a steady period of success the bad partner types will begin to morph into scheming and controlling people (their real form). At this point they begin to become very secretive about their behaviors, show signs of distrust for you (projection), and weasel their way into controlling finances and the customer base. Inversely, the rare good partners continue to work closely with you and you feel a genuine sense of camaraderie.
When the bad partner begins to emerge from their fake front the average honest partner will discount or make excuses for the perceived ill behaviors, then they will move through a denial period because such behaviors are not a considered behavior for themselves. By the time the honest, hard working partner realizes what is going on the bad partner will typically have gained a strategic position to effectively steal the company for themselves. In one case, we heard of a partner who had been brazen enough to approach customers and tell them that he was starting his own business and tried to divert customers in his direction. Fortunately the customers found this to be a disgusting act that clearly displayed reasons for NOT following the bad partner.
The bad partner is essentially looking for someone they can use to gain an opportunity to make money. Unfortunately for them, their behaviors and lack of ethics will be the cause of their ultimate failure. For the good partner, a bad partner can cause financial losses from lost customers, attorney fees to battle through dissolution, and significant personal misery from dealing with what is essentially a scam artist. Of the people with whom we have spoken, the good partner can find success, usually even greater success, within 1-3 years after dissolving the bad partnership. Our recommendation is that the only partnerships that seem to work are professional partnerships such as attorneys, doctors or financial professionals.
In over 90% of the people with whom we spoke, following the dissolution of the partnership and when both partners remained in the same business, the bad partner became obsessed with the good partner. The bad partner attempted to rabidly emulate the style of the good partner only to find that they are incapable of doing so. The bad partner typically did not last over 2 years (post dissolution) before realizing total failure. This effectively brought things full circle - the good partner continues to be successful while the bad partner cannot achieve success without the good partner. Sometimes, there is justice in nature.
Personally, we think that partnerships are a very bad idea. Before you START a partnership, do a deep background check on your potential partner, ask yourself if what they can bring to the table can be hired in lieu of sharing ownership rights, and have an attorney create a very solid partnership agreement. If all of these don't check out, especially if you get pushback on the agreement, you should walk away immediately! Before entering into ANY partnership, think long and hard about your future and critically assess if you truly need a partner.
At face value a partnership, much like communism or socialism, sounds so blissful. Everyone works hard and everyone shares in the fruits of the labor. The reality is there is always a portion that does the majority of the work and a portion that exists by sucking the life out of the working majority. Interestingly enough, the parasitic group always thinks that they should be in charge - usually to get the power to protect their sorry existence. In partnerships, this is often what comes to be.
Typically if you are approached by someone who "wants to be your partner" they have had a bit of self reality that they lack certain (often a LOT) of skills for the particular endeavor they choose to pursue. Somehow, they have targeted you as the competent and able individual who can take them to heights they would never reach on their own. Thus they plead their case at how great it would be to form a partnership and find incredible success together. Often they will try to be your best friend - basically it's a con job to convince you into believing that they are a great friend. They act as an illusionist - they distract you with one hand while they do their trickery with the other.
In the beginning all partners, good or bad, will communicate well and work with you to plan and execute successful business strategies. This is because each partner is allowing the other to apply their own skills and build the business. Shortly after there is a steady period of success the bad partner types will begin to morph into scheming and controlling people (their real form). At this point they begin to become very secretive about their behaviors, show signs of distrust for you (projection), and weasel their way into controlling finances and the customer base. Inversely, the rare good partners continue to work closely with you and you feel a genuine sense of camaraderie.
When the bad partner begins to emerge from their fake front the average honest partner will discount or make excuses for the perceived ill behaviors, then they will move through a denial period because such behaviors are not a considered behavior for themselves. By the time the honest, hard working partner realizes what is going on the bad partner will typically have gained a strategic position to effectively steal the company for themselves. In one case, we heard of a partner who had been brazen enough to approach customers and tell them that he was starting his own business and tried to divert customers in his direction. Fortunately the customers found this to be a disgusting act that clearly displayed reasons for NOT following the bad partner.
The bad partner is essentially looking for someone they can use to gain an opportunity to make money. Unfortunately for them, their behaviors and lack of ethics will be the cause of their ultimate failure. For the good partner, a bad partner can cause financial losses from lost customers, attorney fees to battle through dissolution, and significant personal misery from dealing with what is essentially a scam artist. Of the people with whom we have spoken, the good partner can find success, usually even greater success, within 1-3 years after dissolving the bad partnership. Our recommendation is that the only partnerships that seem to work are professional partnerships such as attorneys, doctors or financial professionals.
In over 90% of the people with whom we spoke, following the dissolution of the partnership and when both partners remained in the same business, the bad partner became obsessed with the good partner. The bad partner attempted to rabidly emulate the style of the good partner only to find that they are incapable of doing so. The bad partner typically did not last over 2 years (post dissolution) before realizing total failure. This effectively brought things full circle - the good partner continues to be successful while the bad partner cannot achieve success without the good partner. Sometimes, there is justice in nature.
Personally, we think that partnerships are a very bad idea. Before you START a partnership, do a deep background check on your potential partner, ask yourself if what they can bring to the table can be hired in lieu of sharing ownership rights, and have an attorney create a very solid partnership agreement. If all of these don't check out, especially if you get pushback on the agreement, you should walk away immediately! Before entering into ANY partnership, think long and hard about your future and critically assess if you truly need a partner.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Internet Marketing vs. Yellow Pages Advertising
It's becoming painfully clear to the yellow pages people that their glory days for the phone books are over. Unfortunately for consumers the yellow pages advertising companies have worked hard for several years to develop internet advertising to stop their massive loss of print advertising revenue. The internet yellow pages (IYP) is a bigger "game" than the print book ever came close to being. With this said, let's look at "Real Internet Marketing" and "Yellow Pages Advertising".
First, as the saying goes, the proof is in the pudding. Do a Google search for most anything and make a note of how often the IYP website is not to be found. This means that a real Search Engine Optimization Company can beat the pants off of the phone companies when it comes to getting a business on the first page of Google, Yahoo or Bing (or any other search engines). Obviously there is no way to believe that a potential customer would not click through to a business website listed on the first page of the search results. This is the most obvious, and most objective manner, to see that IYP is a poor option for increasing your online traffic.
Second, convenience is a critical success factor. Web users want the fewest click to gratification. Let's look at two user experiences and you decide which is more convenient. ONE, a click to Google to start the search, a secong click to a website in the organic placement, and (possibly) a third click to another page of the chosen website - BAM, 2-3 clicks and the prospect has their selection. TWO, a click to Google to start the search, (assuming visibility) a click to the IYP site, another click for the "heading category", another click to one of the IYP listings (which shows little to no info about the company), and then another 1-3 clicks to get info and maybe visit the business website - 4-6+ clicks to view just one business. Again, a site with effective SEO crushes IYP.
Now for the subjective evaluation. An IYP listing provides little information unless you dig deeper into the IYP site. Unlike a search engine like Google which applies a Quality Score to a business website, the IYP site gives better placement to the company that pays the most money. From a usability standpoint, you probably have to work hard to get a "pure" list of companies. The IYP model does not serve the user as much as the advertiser - you pay high prices and they try to get you more traffic . . . so you will continue to pay high prices for IYP advertising. (notice that the quality for the web user is not part of this equation.
What about cost? IYP can bleed a company to death. The sales reps confuse you, generate fear and concern to "spread you out" into all of the various headings that they created, and then you go into the sales pitch about what you have to spend to get listed high in each one of the selected headings . . . . and keep paying every month, for as long as you can bear the burden. With a good SEO service you can often make a one-time intitative to gain significant ranking improvements and, if needed, pay a modest fee for temporary SEO work to improve or expand your search engine ranking. And, with an SEO and internet marketing company, you can expect truly personal service and have consistency in your contact people.
Our clients that have significantly reduced, or entirely eliminated, their yellow pages advertising (and switched to SEO/internet marketing services) consistently report vastly improved ROI's at much lower costs. For more information please leave a comment and get our thoughts.
First, as the saying goes, the proof is in the pudding. Do a Google search for most anything and make a note of how often the IYP website is not to be found. This means that a real Search Engine Optimization Company can beat the pants off of the phone companies when it comes to getting a business on the first page of Google, Yahoo or Bing (or any other search engines). Obviously there is no way to believe that a potential customer would not click through to a business website listed on the first page of the search results. This is the most obvious, and most objective manner, to see that IYP is a poor option for increasing your online traffic.
Second, convenience is a critical success factor. Web users want the fewest click to gratification. Let's look at two user experiences and you decide which is more convenient. ONE, a click to Google to start the search, a secong click to a website in the organic placement, and (possibly) a third click to another page of the chosen website - BAM, 2-3 clicks and the prospect has their selection. TWO, a click to Google to start the search, (assuming visibility) a click to the IYP site, another click for the "heading category", another click to one of the IYP listings (which shows little to no info about the company), and then another 1-3 clicks to get info and maybe visit the business website - 4-6+ clicks to view just one business. Again, a site with effective SEO crushes IYP.
Now for the subjective evaluation. An IYP listing provides little information unless you dig deeper into the IYP site. Unlike a search engine like Google which applies a Quality Score to a business website, the IYP site gives better placement to the company that pays the most money. From a usability standpoint, you probably have to work hard to get a "pure" list of companies. The IYP model does not serve the user as much as the advertiser - you pay high prices and they try to get you more traffic . . . so you will continue to pay high prices for IYP advertising. (notice that the quality for the web user is not part of this equation.
What about cost? IYP can bleed a company to death. The sales reps confuse you, generate fear and concern to "spread you out" into all of the various headings that they created, and then you go into the sales pitch about what you have to spend to get listed high in each one of the selected headings . . . . and keep paying every month, for as long as you can bear the burden. With a good SEO service you can often make a one-time intitative to gain significant ranking improvements and, if needed, pay a modest fee for temporary SEO work to improve or expand your search engine ranking. And, with an SEO and internet marketing company, you can expect truly personal service and have consistency in your contact people.
Our clients that have significantly reduced, or entirely eliminated, their yellow pages advertising (and switched to SEO/internet marketing services) consistently report vastly improved ROI's at much lower costs. For more information please leave a comment and get our thoughts.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
How Do You Start Your Day?
How you begin your work day can have a dramatic impact on your productivity. A key part of a productive day is being in control of your time. A fundamental part of controlling your time is to have a rolling list of your priorities. Naturally things will arise during your work day which will require immediate action however, working from an agenda can lessen the chances of getting significantly off course.
The best way to begin your day comes from how you ended the previous day. You need adequate sleep in order to feel fresh and energized when you arise. Also, a good nights sleep makes it easier to get up on time and avoid beginning your day in a panic rush to be on time.
Arriving to your work at least 30 minutes early will not only earn you a good reputation, but it will allow you precious time to review your day's plan and get through some basic tasks. First, check your voice mail and email to make certain that you have the latest information sent to you. Reply to all before your normal start time. This shows that you are very responsive, PLUS it prevents you form getting bombarded with follow up inquiries all at once, at your usual start time. In fact, it pushes the demand for action upon the other person which buys you a little time in your morning. Returning a voice mail witha voice mail also helps you to avoid protracted phone conversations.
The worst manner to start your work day is to wake up with barely enough time to get to work. Your appearance will be lacking, your rushed entry will make you seem disorganized, and your mind will not be focused when you arrive. When you arrive late, your voice mails and emails will immediately set the direction for your morning and you may not get on track until nearly lunchtime. If you are in sales this could cost you a lot of money . . . and hinder your ability to "hit your numbers".
If you are not inclined to arrive at work early then at least remember this; if 8:00 a.m. is when work starts that does not mean that is when you should arrive and spend 15-20 minutes putting away your jacket, unpacking your briefcase and strolling to the coffee maker. If you find yourself being careless with your time (and your employers time) you should perhaps consider changing jobs to find something which motivates you to be responsible. Whatever you do, arrive ready to work and perform your work at maximum levels!
The best way to begin your day comes from how you ended the previous day. You need adequate sleep in order to feel fresh and energized when you arise. Also, a good nights sleep makes it easier to get up on time and avoid beginning your day in a panic rush to be on time.
Arriving to your work at least 30 minutes early will not only earn you a good reputation, but it will allow you precious time to review your day's plan and get through some basic tasks. First, check your voice mail and email to make certain that you have the latest information sent to you. Reply to all before your normal start time. This shows that you are very responsive, PLUS it prevents you form getting bombarded with follow up inquiries all at once, at your usual start time. In fact, it pushes the demand for action upon the other person which buys you a little time in your morning. Returning a voice mail witha voice mail also helps you to avoid protracted phone conversations.
The worst manner to start your work day is to wake up with barely enough time to get to work. Your appearance will be lacking, your rushed entry will make you seem disorganized, and your mind will not be focused when you arrive. When you arrive late, your voice mails and emails will immediately set the direction for your morning and you may not get on track until nearly lunchtime. If you are in sales this could cost you a lot of money . . . and hinder your ability to "hit your numbers".
If you are not inclined to arrive at work early then at least remember this; if 8:00 a.m. is when work starts that does not mean that is when you should arrive and spend 15-20 minutes putting away your jacket, unpacking your briefcase and strolling to the coffee maker. If you find yourself being careless with your time (and your employers time) you should perhaps consider changing jobs to find something which motivates you to be responsible. Whatever you do, arrive ready to work and perform your work at maximum levels!
Monday, September 13, 2010
The Importance of a BBB Accreditation
BBB Acreditation is a great thing for any legitimate business. If a company truly has passed the BBB background check they can display the BBB logo on any marketing material including a website. If you see the BBB logo on a website you should be able to click on the logo to visit the BBB site and confirm that the company is a legitimate BBB member.
The blunt facts are that society, as a whole, has been conditioned to excuse behavior that is immoral, unethical and even criminal. While there may be an initial "gasp", the public quickly forgets about the misdeeds, and in some cases the ill-behaved party becomes a pop celebrity. When it comes to being a business owner it is very important to know that you are not working with, or about to hire, one of these unscrupulous people or companies. A great way to get an objective idea is to check with the Better Business Bureau.
When you are evaluating a potential supplier, vendor or partner company you obviously undertake some due diligence. If this includes checking references, you can feel certain that you will be provided with only references that are guiaranteed to give a glowing rating. Beyond this you don't have much else in the way of external credentials. This is where it can help you to look at a company's BBB rating or perhaps their info on Manta or D&B.
D&B or Manta require a certain level of input from the company to build a profile, and then have to do a lot of work to keep the infoprmation current. The beauty of a BBB rating is that if there is anything negative, there is a good chance that the offended party will take the initiative to post a complaint with the BBB.
From the standpoint of obtaining BBB accredidation, it can really make your business stand out - and get the credit you deserve for running a good business operation. It could very well be the deciding factor when a potential customer is down to only a few potential suppliers.
In a business like ours (internet marketing and web design) there are a LOT of flakey freelancers and shady outfits. We often hear tales of customers paying nice sums of money only to have their "web designer" disappear, stop calling back, or never providing any work. To set ourselves apart we went through the BBB approval process.
There is a great satisfaction in receiving BBB acceptance and seeing that a background check produced zero customer complaints and you have an "A" rating. Our clients have commented about it so we know that they like the reassurance that we are a solid and reliable company. We think that a BBB accredidation is a grerat asset for any company.
The blunt facts are that society, as a whole, has been conditioned to excuse behavior that is immoral, unethical and even criminal. While there may be an initial "gasp", the public quickly forgets about the misdeeds, and in some cases the ill-behaved party becomes a pop celebrity. When it comes to being a business owner it is very important to know that you are not working with, or about to hire, one of these unscrupulous people or companies. A great way to get an objective idea is to check with the Better Business Bureau.
When you are evaluating a potential supplier, vendor or partner company you obviously undertake some due diligence. If this includes checking references, you can feel certain that you will be provided with only references that are guiaranteed to give a glowing rating. Beyond this you don't have much else in the way of external credentials. This is where it can help you to look at a company's BBB rating or perhaps their info on Manta or D&B.
D&B or Manta require a certain level of input from the company to build a profile, and then have to do a lot of work to keep the infoprmation current. The beauty of a BBB rating is that if there is anything negative, there is a good chance that the offended party will take the initiative to post a complaint with the BBB.
From the standpoint of obtaining BBB accredidation, it can really make your business stand out - and get the credit you deserve for running a good business operation. It could very well be the deciding factor when a potential customer is down to only a few potential suppliers.
In a business like ours (internet marketing and web design) there are a LOT of flakey freelancers and shady outfits. We often hear tales of customers paying nice sums of money only to have their "web designer" disappear, stop calling back, or never providing any work. To set ourselves apart we went through the BBB approval process.
There is a great satisfaction in receiving BBB acceptance and seeing that a background check produced zero customer complaints and you have an "A" rating. Our clients have commented about it so we know that they like the reassurance that we are a solid and reliable company. We think that a BBB accredidation is a grerat asset for any company.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
The Obamaconomy and Your Business
Every business owner and manager is keenly aware of the miserable state of the Obamacomony. Wherever we turn we hear of layoffs, cutbacks, business closings, bankruptcy, foreclosure and other financial travesties. All of this means that there are normal business concerns that should be elevated in bad economic times.
Everyday that you are in business you must be aware of financial losses from low margins on sales, supplier rip-offs, employee theft and non-pay customers. In dire economic times these sitautions should be a much greater concern . . . with a few more additions.
Suppliers, whether it is the company itself or just an unscrupulous delivery person, can cause losses for your business. The additional concern is that you make a substantial payment to a supplier on Friday only to learn on Monday that they filed for bankruptcy, and you lost your money. It may take longer to get credits for returns or receive any earned bonuses, rebates or incentive funding which can impact your cash flow.
Employee theft may increase for any of several ways. Obviously employees hat are cash strapped may be tempted to skim from the register, take donation money, or steal or forge checks. Employees may be tempted to steal product to sell for cash. Employees may also try to work side deals with your customers to make extra money. Being alert, and moving employees around (including changing up their interaction with customers) can make a big difference.
The last two, customer non-pay and low sales margins, are increasingly related. When times get tough there are less sales opportunities. This means that sellers tend to accept orders for much lower prices which obviously means that the risk of financial loss is very real. Further, it's often a distant thought that the people placing orders may be in bad financial shape. This means that a company may spend their time and money to fulfill an order only to not receive payment or have payments drag far beyond 120 days. Taking on too many of these orders will consume your cash flow or credit line and effectively stall (read:KILL) your business.
You should look for trouble signs and intervene when you perceive a problem. It's your business so don't be afriad to ask questions, change payment terms or even put some customers on lower credit lines. Red flags can include a customer making payments far slower than normal, finding "reasons" for unpaid invoices, switching from cash payments to credit cards, asking for very lenient credit terms, or suddenly adding other suppliers (where that negotiated lower prices to switch).
We believe that you never want "all of the business" - there is a lot of business that you don't want. When times get bad the volume of "business you don't want" may be higher. We all know that money is the lifeblood of every business. Keep an eye on yours and don't lose your business when trying to survive the Obamaconomy.
Everyday that you are in business you must be aware of financial losses from low margins on sales, supplier rip-offs, employee theft and non-pay customers. In dire economic times these sitautions should be a much greater concern . . . with a few more additions.
Suppliers, whether it is the company itself or just an unscrupulous delivery person, can cause losses for your business. The additional concern is that you make a substantial payment to a supplier on Friday only to learn on Monday that they filed for bankruptcy, and you lost your money. It may take longer to get credits for returns or receive any earned bonuses, rebates or incentive funding which can impact your cash flow.
Employee theft may increase for any of several ways. Obviously employees hat are cash strapped may be tempted to skim from the register, take donation money, or steal or forge checks. Employees may be tempted to steal product to sell for cash. Employees may also try to work side deals with your customers to make extra money. Being alert, and moving employees around (including changing up their interaction with customers) can make a big difference.
The last two, customer non-pay and low sales margins, are increasingly related. When times get tough there are less sales opportunities. This means that sellers tend to accept orders for much lower prices which obviously means that the risk of financial loss is very real. Further, it's often a distant thought that the people placing orders may be in bad financial shape. This means that a company may spend their time and money to fulfill an order only to not receive payment or have payments drag far beyond 120 days. Taking on too many of these orders will consume your cash flow or credit line and effectively stall (read:KILL) your business.
You should look for trouble signs and intervene when you perceive a problem. It's your business so don't be afriad to ask questions, change payment terms or even put some customers on lower credit lines. Red flags can include a customer making payments far slower than normal, finding "reasons" for unpaid invoices, switching from cash payments to credit cards, asking for very lenient credit terms, or suddenly adding other suppliers (where that negotiated lower prices to switch).
We believe that you never want "all of the business" - there is a lot of business that you don't want. When times get bad the volume of "business you don't want" may be higher. We all know that money is the lifeblood of every business. Keep an eye on yours and don't lose your business when trying to survive the Obamaconomy.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Have Your Google Reviews Disappeared?
Many people have had an unsettling experience when they realize that all of their hard earned reviews on Google Places are missing. While this is a minor cause for alarm it it generally believed that they will be restored at some point. Google has explained in their own forum that this can happen when Google does major system updates.
On a side note, we hope that people understand that the originating IP address of your reviews might also be an issue. If clients are in your office when they post a review it is possible that Google thinks that your company is posting spam reviews because they all have the same IP address. While requesting a client to post a review "on the spot" and know that it gets done, it may prove to be ill received by Google.
Some people have suggested keeping a separate record (copy) of the posted reviews with the name of the customer posting the review. Probably not a bad idea since reviews (testimonials) can be used in a lot of places!
Keep working for all of the reviews that you can get and trust that Google will take care of you - even if it's recovering from a glitch in the system.
On a side note, we hope that people understand that the originating IP address of your reviews might also be an issue. If clients are in your office when they post a review it is possible that Google thinks that your company is posting spam reviews because they all have the same IP address. While requesting a client to post a review "on the spot" and know that it gets done, it may prove to be ill received by Google.
Some people have suggested keeping a separate record (copy) of the posted reviews with the name of the customer posting the review. Probably not a bad idea since reviews (testimonials) can be used in a lot of places!
Keep working for all of the reviews that you can get and trust that Google will take care of you - even if it's recovering from a glitch in the system.
Google Places Changes
Recently, Google enhanced several features of its Local Business Center and rebranded it Google Places. Among the new features is an ability to specify the regions a business serves. But will the new changes help B2B marketers serving a larger region get found?
Most B2B company locations serve a large region, and it can be challenging to get found in the local search results for geo-targeted search queries. Let’s say a business is located in Gary, Indiana, and primarily serves the Chicago area. Downtown Chicago is about 30 miles away from Gary. With the new features in Google Places, the business can specify whether it primarily serves customers at its location or serves customers at other areas in the region.
Google Places now allows the business to specify the zip codes, cities, or counties it services, or specify a service-area radius from the business location, apparently up to 600 miles. This should be great, especially, dealers, distributors, and others serving a broad region.
At first, this sounds like a promising enhancement; now the Gary company may be able to better compete with rivals whose addresses physical location is closer to Chicago. Hopefully, the ability to specify service regions will lead to more visibility in the local search results, right?
Probably not.
While it’s yet too early to determine the extent to which this information will influence visibility in the local search results, I’m guessing it will have little impact.
When you first receive local search results for a query, the map is usually pretty tight; it’s not unusual to have the top ten local search results in a radius of 10-20 miles. If there is little competition in a given area, you might get shown a bigger map so more search results can be included. However, unless your information somehow is so highly relevant to a searcher’s query, closer businesses will almost certainly be more visible in the local search results.
There’s nothing necessarily unfair about this; most searchers using geo-specific queries want to know the closest businesses first. And there’s nothing wrong with including the information on the service areas; it will be beneficial to searchers when reviewing details of a given search result.
Here is a reprint of an article by Galen DeYoung, found at the SearchEngineLand.com website. It discusses what might be expected from the recent changes to Google Places (formerly Google Local).
Many B2B companies serving broad geographic regions may be suddenly relieved there is an apparent solution to their challenge of getting found for geo-specific queries, but I wouldn’t expect this new feature to have a material impact on local-search-result visibility. Don’t think merely specifying a region or service area is going to displace your competitors’ visibility.
Better to keep your focus on optimizing other aspects of your business listing data be highly relevant to target queries and employ non-maps strategies (i.e., organic and paid web search results) for getting found for geo-specific queries.
Most B2B company locations serve a large region, and it can be challenging to get found in the local search results for geo-targeted search queries. Let’s say a business is located in Gary, Indiana, and primarily serves the Chicago area. Downtown Chicago is about 30 miles away from Gary. With the new features in Google Places, the business can specify whether it primarily serves customers at its location or serves customers at other areas in the region.
Google Places now allows the business to specify the zip codes, cities, or counties it services, or specify a service-area radius from the business location, apparently up to 600 miles. This should be great, especially, dealers, distributors, and others serving a broad region.
At first, this sounds like a promising enhancement; now the Gary company may be able to better compete with rivals whose addresses physical location is closer to Chicago. Hopefully, the ability to specify service regions will lead to more visibility in the local search results, right?
Probably not.
While it’s yet too early to determine the extent to which this information will influence visibility in the local search results, I’m guessing it will have little impact.
When you first receive local search results for a query, the map is usually pretty tight; it’s not unusual to have the top ten local search results in a radius of 10-20 miles. If there is little competition in a given area, you might get shown a bigger map so more search results can be included. However, unless your information somehow is so highly relevant to a searcher’s query, closer businesses will almost certainly be more visible in the local search results.
There’s nothing necessarily unfair about this; most searchers using geo-specific queries want to know the closest businesses first. And there’s nothing wrong with including the information on the service areas; it will be beneficial to searchers when reviewing details of a given search result.
Here is a reprint of an article by Galen DeYoung, found at the SearchEngineLand.com website. It discusses what might be expected from the recent changes to Google Places (formerly Google Local).
Many B2B companies serving broad geographic regions may be suddenly relieved there is an apparent solution to their challenge of getting found for geo-specific queries, but I wouldn’t expect this new feature to have a material impact on local-search-result visibility. Don’t think merely specifying a region or service area is going to displace your competitors’ visibility.
Better to keep your focus on optimizing other aspects of your business listing data be highly relevant to target queries and employ non-maps strategies (i.e., organic and paid web search results) for getting found for geo-specific queries.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Thoughts On Logo Design
Your logo is the face of your business. It is, arguably, the single most important part of your company's branding. Every part of your logo design puts forth tangible and intangible messages. Is your logo saying what you need it to say?
Our logo clients typically have trouble conveying what they want. The first problem is that they are usually poor designers yet have tried to rough out a design . . . and the battle starts here. The logo design firm then has to "unsell" the bad design before they can move on to a good design. The best clients provide a list of about ten adjectives that describe their business or business culture. These words, in the hands of an intuitive designer, can yield superb logo creations.
Here are some things TO DO and NOT TO DO.
1. Don't rely on family or friends to be your designer. And don't argue that "they have a good eye for design" or "they took a design course in school". Your potential logo designer will laugh hysterically when they leave the meeting. Let a professional do, what a professional does.
2. Pre-qualify your prospective design firm by reviewing their portfolio to see if their work is compatible with your tastes. Get a few references to check on the designers record for timely work and good attitude.
3. Set a reasonable budget. If you expect to get a good logo for under AT LEAST $250 you are in for a big surprise. Remember too that your designer is assuming a set number of hours to meet with you, discuss the project, create designs and make a few minor revisions. It is unfair and unreasonable to expect days or weeks of work for a small fee. Would you work days for $100? What you get is a direct reflection of how you, as a client, treat the designer.
5. Use a step-by-step process to create your logo. Agree on colors, fonts, any special images and then work into styling.
If these steps fail, perhaps the best logo isn't the one you personally love. Instead, your business may be better served by creating a logo that appeals to your clients.
Our bottom line advise is to understand that your logo is important, you will have to live with it a long time, and being in a rush or being cheap will haunt you. Hire the right logo designer, work together and you can definitely get a logo of which you will be proud.
Our logo clients typically have trouble conveying what they want. The first problem is that they are usually poor designers yet have tried to rough out a design . . . and the battle starts here. The logo design firm then has to "unsell" the bad design before they can move on to a good design. The best clients provide a list of about ten adjectives that describe their business or business culture. These words, in the hands of an intuitive designer, can yield superb logo creations.
Here are some things TO DO and NOT TO DO.
1. Don't rely on family or friends to be your designer. And don't argue that "they have a good eye for design" or "they took a design course in school". Your potential logo designer will laugh hysterically when they leave the meeting. Let a professional do, what a professional does.
2. Pre-qualify your prospective design firm by reviewing their portfolio to see if their work is compatible with your tastes. Get a few references to check on the designers record for timely work and good attitude.
3. Set a reasonable budget. If you expect to get a good logo for under AT LEAST $250 you are in for a big surprise. Remember too that your designer is assuming a set number of hours to meet with you, discuss the project, create designs and make a few minor revisions. It is unfair and unreasonable to expect days or weeks of work for a small fee. Would you work days for $100? What you get is a direct reflection of how you, as a client, treat the designer.
5. Use a step-by-step process to create your logo. Agree on colors, fonts, any special images and then work into styling.
If these steps fail, perhaps the best logo isn't the one you personally love. Instead, your business may be better served by creating a logo that appeals to your clients.
Our bottom line advise is to understand that your logo is important, you will have to live with it a long time, and being in a rush or being cheap will haunt you. Hire the right logo designer, work together and you can definitely get a logo of which you will be proud.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
E-Mail Campaigns - Increasing Open Rates
The "OPEN RATE" is the key component of any email campaign. This relates to the subject line in your email. Without a good subject line your email is automatically deleted by a spam filter or simply ignored by the recipient. Simply put, subject lines can either make or break your marketing efforts.
Subject lines are among the first thing the recipient will notice when checking their inbox and they will make an immediate decision to open or delete your email. You need a powerful, interesting and spam-filter-friendly subject line in order to truly be successful.
Here are some tips:
1. Don't Use Trickery!
A subject line proclaiming "You Won A Prize" will get the attention of many people however if they open the email to find out they have been misled, all you have achieved is delaying the deletion of your email by about 4 seconds. Nobody likes to be tricked - don't use trickery.
2. Consider Spam Filters
Most email programs have built-in spam filters. Some have the ability for a user to adjust the sensitivity of the filters which means your subject line is under some level of scrutiny before it is delivered. You need to learn about words or phrass that trigger spam filters to pounce. USing words like "free" "marketing" "order today" "special offer" or other things that sound "salesy" could kill your email on arrival. You would be better off to use a neutral subject line with something to normalize it's arrival. One tactic is to start the subject line with "Re:" or "Fwd:" to make it appear that this is a reply to the recipient such as "Fwd:Updated Information"
3. Immediate Personalization
Successful email campaigns utilize friendly, personalized subject lines as an effective way to improve open-rates. The better you know your targeted recipient the better off you will be. If you are selling or promoting a high-ticket product or service it may be well worth it to send the email with a manually entered subject line that includes the name of the person. A sense of familiarity carries a trust factor that can often boost the open-rates of any e-amil campaign.
4. Test, Measure and Revise
Send a few, smaller e-mail blasts and measure the results of each. Adjust the top results and settle in on a few that work. Often, sending a e-mails ona regular basis can result in higher respose rates. And don't forget the method of sending yourself the same email and judge how it strikes you.
Think, plan and always work to improve your tactics. Email campaigns are not a perfect silver bullet but, if done well, can produce amazing results.
Subject lines are among the first thing the recipient will notice when checking their inbox and they will make an immediate decision to open or delete your email. You need a powerful, interesting and spam-filter-friendly subject line in order to truly be successful.
Here are some tips:
1. Don't Use Trickery!
A subject line proclaiming "You Won A Prize" will get the attention of many people however if they open the email to find out they have been misled, all you have achieved is delaying the deletion of your email by about 4 seconds. Nobody likes to be tricked - don't use trickery.
2. Consider Spam Filters
Most email programs have built-in spam filters. Some have the ability for a user to adjust the sensitivity of the filters which means your subject line is under some level of scrutiny before it is delivered. You need to learn about words or phrass that trigger spam filters to pounce. USing words like "free" "marketing" "order today" "special offer" or other things that sound "salesy" could kill your email on arrival. You would be better off to use a neutral subject line with something to normalize it's arrival. One tactic is to start the subject line with "Re:" or "Fwd:" to make it appear that this is a reply to the recipient such as "Fwd:Updated Information"
3. Immediate Personalization
Successful email campaigns utilize friendly, personalized subject lines as an effective way to improve open-rates. The better you know your targeted recipient the better off you will be. If you are selling or promoting a high-ticket product or service it may be well worth it to send the email with a manually entered subject line that includes the name of the person. A sense of familiarity carries a trust factor that can often boost the open-rates of any e-amil campaign.
4. Test, Measure and Revise
Send a few, smaller e-mail blasts and measure the results of each. Adjust the top results and settle in on a few that work. Often, sending a e-mails ona regular basis can result in higher respose rates. And don't forget the method of sending yourself the same email and judge how it strikes you.
Think, plan and always work to improve your tactics. Email campaigns are not a perfect silver bullet but, if done well, can produce amazing results.
Selecting an Internet Marketing Company
There are numerous articles online about how to select the best internet marketing company, website design company, seo company, etc. Most of the articles or forum postings have good, logical information. We would like to provide some information that is timely and usually overlooked.
The web design, seo and internet marketing industry has long been home to a lot of "hacks" that have limited skills and rip-off unsuspecting business owners. As the economy has worsened, and more people are out of work, the number of people prmotin gthemselves as "website designers" or "seo professionals" has dramatically increased.
These people misrepresent themselves, often using portfolios with templated sites that make it appear that they are really talented people. With a little bit of fast talk and some industry jargon they seem to be knowlegeable too. It's six weeks after you pay the deposit, and no or bad work is handed over, that you figure out that you have been burned. So how do you avoid this growing problem?
First, we strongly suggest confirming that they have a business license. There are a LOT of people operating unlicensed and without any accountability. Second, we suggest requesting verifying that they have been in business at least 3 years (hopefully longer) and have references to support their claims. Third, ask specific questions regarding their use of website templates, providing live examples of seo success, and providing any credentials such as Better Business Bureau or Chamber of Commerce memberships.
Taking an hour or two to fully qualify a vendoe can prevent you from being ripped off, embarassed or otherwise taken advantage of by unscrupulous people. For more information, send us a message and we will send you a FREE vendor qualification guide.
The web design, seo and internet marketing industry has long been home to a lot of "hacks" that have limited skills and rip-off unsuspecting business owners. As the economy has worsened, and more people are out of work, the number of people prmotin gthemselves as "website designers" or "seo professionals" has dramatically increased.
These people misrepresent themselves, often using portfolios with templated sites that make it appear that they are really talented people. With a little bit of fast talk and some industry jargon they seem to be knowlegeable too. It's six weeks after you pay the deposit, and no or bad work is handed over, that you figure out that you have been burned. So how do you avoid this growing problem?
First, we strongly suggest confirming that they have a business license. There are a LOT of people operating unlicensed and without any accountability. Second, we suggest requesting verifying that they have been in business at least 3 years (hopefully longer) and have references to support their claims. Third, ask specific questions regarding their use of website templates, providing live examples of seo success, and providing any credentials such as Better Business Bureau or Chamber of Commerce memberships.
Taking an hour or two to fully qualify a vendoe can prevent you from being ripped off, embarassed or otherwise taken advantage of by unscrupulous people. For more information, send us a message and we will send you a FREE vendor qualification guide.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Online Reputation Management
People are beginning to awaken to the term "Online Reputation Management". This is a term for the actions taken to scour the internet for negative comments, reviews, posts or other content about your company, firm, practice or person. With the abundance of blogs, forums, gripe sites, and online review sites there are opportunities for disgruntled cutomers, ex-employees, and even unscrupulous competitors to post content that will be very damaging to your online reputation, branding and the perception of potential customers. Therefore, it is extremely important to locate any negative content and neutralize it as quickly as possible.
How do you do this? First, you must be willing to invest a lot of personal time or hire a qualifed reputation management company to handle the work. Whoever gets the assignment should be able to do extensive internet searches on the major search engines to find any problem content. Your initial endeavor into this research will consume a LOT of time. After the initial research it will be easier to maintain an eye on new content posted online.
When you find negative content you need to assess your options to neutralize the problem. Depending upon the site where the information resides, and the age of the information, your task could be relatively easy or could require exhaustive efforts to manage a successful outcome.
Your options, in order of preference, are to get the information totally removed (unindexed), attempt to post a rebuttal statement, or displace the information from a high visibility placement. The tactics to do these things take far too much time to explain in detail however it is well worth your time to learn how to do this or to hire a reputation management company as soon as possible.
In most cases a reputation management company can perform a relatively inexpensive "top level review" to find any significant problems. Obviously you can engage the company to dig deeper if you need a greater sense of comfort. When any information is found, the company can provide you with an estimation on the time, cost and expected results from their efforts to neutralize the problem content. Some companies offer results-based-fees while some companies charge for their time without any guarantee of any specific results.
The one certainty is that negative online content will damage your business reputation, branding and customer perceptions. We believe that it is worth a phone call to learn more and protect your company.
How do you do this? First, you must be willing to invest a lot of personal time or hire a qualifed reputation management company to handle the work. Whoever gets the assignment should be able to do extensive internet searches on the major search engines to find any problem content. Your initial endeavor into this research will consume a LOT of time. After the initial research it will be easier to maintain an eye on new content posted online.
When you find negative content you need to assess your options to neutralize the problem. Depending upon the site where the information resides, and the age of the information, your task could be relatively easy or could require exhaustive efforts to manage a successful outcome.
Your options, in order of preference, are to get the information totally removed (unindexed), attempt to post a rebuttal statement, or displace the information from a high visibility placement. The tactics to do these things take far too much time to explain in detail however it is well worth your time to learn how to do this or to hire a reputation management company as soon as possible.
In most cases a reputation management company can perform a relatively inexpensive "top level review" to find any significant problems. Obviously you can engage the company to dig deeper if you need a greater sense of comfort. When any information is found, the company can provide you with an estimation on the time, cost and expected results from their efforts to neutralize the problem content. Some companies offer results-based-fees while some companies charge for their time without any guarantee of any specific results.
The one certainty is that negative online content will damage your business reputation, branding and customer perceptions. We believe that it is worth a phone call to learn more and protect your company.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
New Contest - Win $$$$$$
WIN $$$$$$$ - There is a contest for the month of September. Ending on September 30, 2010, at 11:55 p.m. EST, you could win a $100 prize for getting the most people to "LIKE" the E-Platform Marketing or TigerSEO Marketing Facebook pages.
Have someone visit our page, hit "LIKE" and make a post including your name.
Only one name per new "LIKE" on either page. We'll make periodic posts on who is in the lead for the money! Make sure we have your contact info as it must be on file by the contest deadline in order to avoid disqualification. Good luck!
Have someone visit our page, hit "LIKE" and make a post including your name.
Only one name per new "LIKE" on either page. We'll make periodic posts on who is in the lead for the money! Make sure we have your contact info as it must be on file by the contest deadline in order to avoid disqualification. Good luck!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Thoughts On Direct Mail
Direct Mail advertising has advocates and detractors. The advocates of direct mail advertising are typically the same group that takes the time to fully think through their campaign. A direct mail campaign is about far more than mailing a bunch of postcards with random pictures and text.
Here are our thoughts on using direct mail.
First, you need to run the numbers. Get at least three prices for what you need. You need to price the direct mail design cost (in and out of house), printing cost, postage cost, and also any costs for buying mailing lists. It would be advisable to get mailing pricing for small, medium and large campaigns. Know that a return rate of 1-2% is typically considered to be acceptable. Factor in the value of an average sale and you can quickly decide if it will work for for you.
Second, take a hard look at what your business really needs. Are you seeking to move a particular product or service? Seeking to get more customers in the door? Trying to sell more high-margin products or services? And then think about what is going to bring you an acceptable ROI.
Second, work on your design. Understand that you have a very limited amount of space on that direct mailer and you need to make the most of it. Don't clutter the space with every photo you can find or paragraphs of text. Use a clean design, with a good color scheme, include your complete address, phone, website address and hours of operation. Let people know the closest major intersection and business park.shopping center where you are located. And have everything proof read by 3-5 people.
Third, meet with your printer of choice to negotiate your best price, and double check your designated card stock and print finish. Confirm the deadline for your order and getthe printing done.
Fourth, order your mailing lists from a company that can also do your direct mail postage. Their ability to get bulk mail rates can save you money. Get the information in formats that you can manage easily and prepare separate mailing campaigns of whatever volume you have defined in step 1. Bring the direct mail company your printed materials and let them launch the campaign.
Fifth, consider keepin a small quantity of your direct mailers in your office to use as a follow up piece for new leads you get through other channels. It allows you to make a quick, professional follow-up with ease.
Other considerations are matching your direct mail to any relevant situations such as seasonal peaks, market demands, grand openings, etc. Direct mail can produce good results if you plan it well.
Here are our thoughts on using direct mail.
First, you need to run the numbers. Get at least three prices for what you need. You need to price the direct mail design cost (in and out of house), printing cost, postage cost, and also any costs for buying mailing lists. It would be advisable to get mailing pricing for small, medium and large campaigns. Know that a return rate of 1-2% is typically considered to be acceptable. Factor in the value of an average sale and you can quickly decide if it will work for for you.
Second, take a hard look at what your business really needs. Are you seeking to move a particular product or service? Seeking to get more customers in the door? Trying to sell more high-margin products or services? And then think about what is going to bring you an acceptable ROI.
Second, work on your design. Understand that you have a very limited amount of space on that direct mailer and you need to make the most of it. Don't clutter the space with every photo you can find or paragraphs of text. Use a clean design, with a good color scheme, include your complete address, phone, website address and hours of operation. Let people know the closest major intersection and business park.shopping center where you are located. And have everything proof read by 3-5 people.
Third, meet with your printer of choice to negotiate your best price, and double check your designated card stock and print finish. Confirm the deadline for your order and getthe printing done.
Fourth, order your mailing lists from a company that can also do your direct mail postage. Their ability to get bulk mail rates can save you money. Get the information in formats that you can manage easily and prepare separate mailing campaigns of whatever volume you have defined in step 1. Bring the direct mail company your printed materials and let them launch the campaign.
Fifth, consider keepin a small quantity of your direct mailers in your office to use as a follow up piece for new leads you get through other channels. It allows you to make a quick, professional follow-up with ease.
Other considerations are matching your direct mail to any relevant situations such as seasonal peaks, market demands, grand openings, etc. Direct mail can produce good results if you plan it well.
An Older SEO Overview
Competition is both a challenge and an opportunity in business. In SEO, your competitors can be the most valued source of data. When performing competitive research, the goals are to discover:
• How entrenched a competitor is and how hard it is to unseat them;
• The competition's SEO skills; and
• Link prospects, so you can trade links, host articles and do reviews.
For analyzing where you stand compared to the competition, using "mortgage loans," a very competitive search term, as an example let’s refer to this as a tier 1 keyword, since it's the top search term within this category.
1. Determine link popularity. Go to Google, type in the tier 1 keyword and pick the top three ranked sites. Then go to marketleap.com and use the link popularity checker to see how your site compares in terms of incoming links to the top three sites from Google. Look for sites with the highest Google rankings and lowest amount of incoming links. Keep in mind that MSN records the highest number of back links--incoming links from one website to another--but also pay attention to the Yahoo! results, since it's the best linking engine to use for link review. Also, Google recently updated its Google webmaster tools and has enhanced its link tracking system. Make sure to get an account and compare the results with the others in this step. Write down all the numbers.
2. Find sites to target. Next, go back to Google and enter "allinanchor: mortgage loans." This restricts the results depending on the number of links coming into a site based on that key word phrase. This will help determine which from which sites target links originate.
3. Review link counts. Go back to Yahoo! and enter "link:www.yourbusinessdomain.com" and review the number of results with the numbers from Marketleap in the first step. Note that Yahoo! orders the list by power, or the sites with the most links coming to them. Those sites are the most important to target and are likely to have a good page rank. At this point, you'll know how much work you have ahead of you. If it seems impossible, start by looking at the fifth step about keyword research to narrow down keyword selections and start again.
4. View source and "on page" SEO factors. Once you've found the top list to target, go to each of the sites and review the source code. Make sure to review the title, description, meta and H1 tags on the sites. They should be programmed as discussed in my previous column, "10 Steps for Increasing Visibility Online." Some handy SEO tools can help you validate your work, including SearchStatus, a toolbar extension for Firefox and Mozilla, and SEO for Firefox. They can help you indicate quickly whether the competition is doing things right.
5. Perform keyword research. Use the search term suggestion tool at inventory.overture.com, which is one month behind in data results, and look for keywords and their permutations with a good search volume. Any number more than 20,000 to 30,000 is a good average. Continue looking at the tier 1-type terms until you spot an opportunity to build on. Use other tools like Google keyword tools, keyworddiscovery.com. Use the keywords you select in this step by adding pages to your site, a common SEO practice.
6. Consider conversion rates. Finally, visit the competitive sites and compare them with your own. Do they have content, flow and site structure that encourage conversion? Are the sites easy to navigate? Do they emphasize call-to-action statements like "download a white paper," "sign up for this newsletter" or "buy this product now"? Look to see if they are using long tail keywords, such as "mortgage loans for police officers in Los Angeles." If they are, then you should consider doing so, too. Misspellings in text on your page also can work, but be careful not to confuse your visitors. A little trick is to include them in a PDF or Word document. Search engines, specifically Google, spider PDF and Office documents.
Competitive research is a serious SEO exercise for gaining advantage online. Having the tools, capabilities and expertise are not enough; you also need to look at traditional media--print, radio and television--to learn what the competition is up to. Fight back with more pages, more content, improved design and source code, and more incoming links with diverse descriptions. Use tools like UrlTrends to track your progress and SpyFu to look at advertising costs, giving you an indicator of your competition's activity, spending and strategy.
Don't forget to open their spam e-mail marketing messages that you receive. You may learn something by studying that material, however painful. Also review what they send you through the regular mail and discover ways to improve your own campaigns, both offline and online.
• How entrenched a competitor is and how hard it is to unseat them;
• The competition's SEO skills; and
• Link prospects, so you can trade links, host articles and do reviews.
For analyzing where you stand compared to the competition, using "mortgage loans," a very competitive search term, as an example let’s refer to this as a tier 1 keyword, since it's the top search term within this category.
1. Determine link popularity. Go to Google, type in the tier 1 keyword and pick the top three ranked sites. Then go to marketleap.com and use the link popularity checker to see how your site compares in terms of incoming links to the top three sites from Google. Look for sites with the highest Google rankings and lowest amount of incoming links. Keep in mind that MSN records the highest number of back links--incoming links from one website to another--but also pay attention to the Yahoo! results, since it's the best linking engine to use for link review. Also, Google recently updated its Google webmaster tools and has enhanced its link tracking system. Make sure to get an account and compare the results with the others in this step. Write down all the numbers.
2. Find sites to target. Next, go back to Google and enter "allinanchor: mortgage loans." This restricts the results depending on the number of links coming into a site based on that key word phrase. This will help determine which from which sites target links originate.
3. Review link counts. Go back to Yahoo! and enter "link:www.yourbusinessdomain.com" and review the number of results with the numbers from Marketleap in the first step. Note that Yahoo! orders the list by power, or the sites with the most links coming to them. Those sites are the most important to target and are likely to have a good page rank. At this point, you'll know how much work you have ahead of you. If it seems impossible, start by looking at the fifth step about keyword research to narrow down keyword selections and start again.
4. View source and "on page" SEO factors. Once you've found the top list to target, go to each of the sites and review the source code. Make sure to review the title, description, meta and H1 tags on the sites. They should be programmed as discussed in my previous column, "10 Steps for Increasing Visibility Online." Some handy SEO tools can help you validate your work, including SearchStatus, a toolbar extension for Firefox and Mozilla, and SEO for Firefox. They can help you indicate quickly whether the competition is doing things right.
5. Perform keyword research. Use the search term suggestion tool at inventory.overture.com, which is one month behind in data results, and look for keywords and their permutations with a good search volume. Any number more than 20,000 to 30,000 is a good average. Continue looking at the tier 1-type terms until you spot an opportunity to build on. Use other tools like Google keyword tools, keyworddiscovery.com. Use the keywords you select in this step by adding pages to your site, a common SEO practice.
6. Consider conversion rates. Finally, visit the competitive sites and compare them with your own. Do they have content, flow and site structure that encourage conversion? Are the sites easy to navigate? Do they emphasize call-to-action statements like "download a white paper," "sign up for this newsletter" or "buy this product now"? Look to see if they are using long tail keywords, such as "mortgage loans for police officers in Los Angeles." If they are, then you should consider doing so, too. Misspellings in text on your page also can work, but be careful not to confuse your visitors. A little trick is to include them in a PDF or Word document. Search engines, specifically Google, spider PDF and Office documents.
Competitive research is a serious SEO exercise for gaining advantage online. Having the tools, capabilities and expertise are not enough; you also need to look at traditional media--print, radio and television--to learn what the competition is up to. Fight back with more pages, more content, improved design and source code, and more incoming links with diverse descriptions. Use tools like UrlTrends to track your progress and SpyFu to look at advertising costs, giving you an indicator of your competition's activity, spending and strategy.
Don't forget to open their spam e-mail marketing messages that you receive. You may learn something by studying that material, however painful. Also review what they send you through the regular mail and discover ways to improve your own campaigns, both offline and online.
Link Building
Link building should be a part of your internet marketing strategy. Backlinks help a search engine to take note of a particular site for a particular service/product/topic. Link building can be done by a qualified link building service or a business owner may decide to do it themselves.
When undergoing a link building campaign it isimportant to understand the ground rules. There are no value links, bad links (which can harm your site), okay links, god links and great links. How do you know one from the other? Great question.
BAD ONES: First, avoid any porn, gambling or "bad neighborhood sites" like black-hat SEO forums. NEVER link to them, even if you are trading links. Second, don't waste time on low traffic, cheap looking sites. It has no value and, by association, makes your site look bad. DO NOT use a link farm - typically comes to you as a cheesy offer (100 hgh quality links for $49). Search engines may penalize your site if you get associated with the link farms.
GOOD ONES: First, learn what is considered "spammy" and play by the rules.
Try to find sites with High Page Rank . Beyond that you would like to get links from sites that are .gov. .edu .org .com, etc.
You can get some links from articles, blog postings, etc. however many of these places have a general "no follow" on all links so you're wasting your time if you are seeking link juice.
Don't forget to get links from "authority sites" like the old DMOZ site, business.com and others.forums, comments in blogs. Know that DMOZ is notoriously slow to add sites - and sometimes may never do it.
As youlearn, or if you have questions, remember to come back to our site and post a comment or question. Good luck on your link building!
When undergoing a link building campaign it isimportant to understand the ground rules. There are no value links, bad links (which can harm your site), okay links, god links and great links. How do you know one from the other? Great question.
BAD ONES: First, avoid any porn, gambling or "bad neighborhood sites" like black-hat SEO forums. NEVER link to them, even if you are trading links. Second, don't waste time on low traffic, cheap looking sites. It has no value and, by association, makes your site look bad. DO NOT use a link farm - typically comes to you as a cheesy offer (100 hgh quality links for $49). Search engines may penalize your site if you get associated with the link farms.
GOOD ONES: First, learn what is considered "spammy" and play by the rules.
Try to find sites with High Page Rank . Beyond that you would like to get links from sites that are .gov. .edu .org .com, etc.
You can get some links from articles, blog postings, etc. however many of these places have a general "no follow" on all links so you're wasting your time if you are seeking link juice.
Don't forget to get links from "authority sites" like the old DMOZ site, business.com and others.forums, comments in blogs. Know that DMOZ is notoriously slow to add sites - and sometimes may never do it.
As youlearn, or if you have questions, remember to come back to our site and post a comment or question. Good luck on your link building!
New Website or More Marketing?
When business owners get into a serious assessment of why their website is underperforming the conversation always centers around which is more important - a total website redesign or more SEO/marketing. So which is it?
An effective internet marketing program requires two fundamental pieces:
1) Find and engage qualified prospects. This is largely done with SEO for competitive search engine ranking, local search marketing, and online advertising which includes anything from PPC to directory advertising.
2) Hold and persuade website visitors. Once a prospect gets to your website you need to make it past the 7-second judgment to stay or abandon your site. If they stay your site needs to be easy to navigate and have an adequate amount of information to persuade the prospect that your business is a viable solution for their need.
So, back to which is more important. It depends. If your website traffic vovolume is acceptable you probably have a lame website. If your website traffic volume is too low, the answer is obvious - you need more prospects. A secondary thought for either instance is evaluating the quality of the traffic. Is your website found on search engines for truly relvant phrases? Are you finding the right people?
In many cases, we deal with a business that relied on the brother-in-law approach to get their website created and hosted - it's a disaster every time. In almost every situation like this the business needs to start from scratch on everything.
Whether it is a new website design, or more SEO and internet marketing, this is the time for serious thought on exactly what needs to be done to achieve the desired results. Best practices for internet marketing reqire a thorough knowledge of online user behaviors, search engine algorithms, web design standards, browser requirements and much more. Your best assurance of getting positive results for your investment are to hire a competent and experienced internet marketing company and website design firm.
Check back for our next articles on website redesign criteria and search engine marketing ideas.
An effective internet marketing program requires two fundamental pieces:
1) Find and engage qualified prospects. This is largely done with SEO for competitive search engine ranking, local search marketing, and online advertising which includes anything from PPC to directory advertising.
2) Hold and persuade website visitors. Once a prospect gets to your website you need to make it past the 7-second judgment to stay or abandon your site. If they stay your site needs to be easy to navigate and have an adequate amount of information to persuade the prospect that your business is a viable solution for their need.
So, back to which is more important. It depends. If your website traffic vovolume is acceptable you probably have a lame website. If your website traffic volume is too low, the answer is obvious - you need more prospects. A secondary thought for either instance is evaluating the quality of the traffic. Is your website found on search engines for truly relvant phrases? Are you finding the right people?
In many cases, we deal with a business that relied on the brother-in-law approach to get their website created and hosted - it's a disaster every time. In almost every situation like this the business needs to start from scratch on everything.
Whether it is a new website design, or more SEO and internet marketing, this is the time for serious thought on exactly what needs to be done to achieve the desired results. Best practices for internet marketing reqire a thorough knowledge of online user behaviors, search engine algorithms, web design standards, browser requirements and much more. Your best assurance of getting positive results for your investment are to hire a competent and experienced internet marketing company and website design firm.
Check back for our next articles on website redesign criteria and search engine marketing ideas.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Is Social Media Good For A Business?
Social Media sites like Facebook and Twitter have become quite the thing to do these days. Social media sites receive mixed emotions when considered for business use. In many instances, but not all, social media sites can present a perfect medium to develop and promote your branded image. So what should you consider before venturing down the social media trail?
First, whether or not you decide to get a business page on a social media site, your company should create a Social Media Policy that is given to all employees. A typical social media business policy will advise employees to use the utmost discretion when posting about, or not make any reference to, the company, its employees, vendors or customers. This should cover any text, photos, parodies or other public mentions. It is imperative that a business take this necessary step to protect reputations and branding from the detriment caused by unacceptable online behaviors.
The type of business that can benefit most from a social media site is a business that has customers whose friends and family members are prospective customers. By having an individual "friend" or "like" your business page your business automatically gets a referral which can create a "warm lead".
The most productive business use of a social media site is to engage customers and prospects with useful information, let them know about meaningful developments within your company and discuss (business) things of interest to the customers.
In any event, it is very important for a business to view their social media site as a commitment and make frequent posts. Any blog, forum or social media site that is relatively abandoned will quickly lose any popularity. Always post with discretion and leave 'em wanting more!
First, whether or not you decide to get a business page on a social media site, your company should create a Social Media Policy that is given to all employees. A typical social media business policy will advise employees to use the utmost discretion when posting about, or not make any reference to, the company, its employees, vendors or customers. This should cover any text, photos, parodies or other public mentions. It is imperative that a business take this necessary step to protect reputations and branding from the detriment caused by unacceptable online behaviors.
The type of business that can benefit most from a social media site is a business that has customers whose friends and family members are prospective customers. By having an individual "friend" or "like" your business page your business automatically gets a referral which can create a "warm lead".
The most productive business use of a social media site is to engage customers and prospects with useful information, let them know about meaningful developments within your company and discuss (business) things of interest to the customers.
In any event, it is very important for a business to view their social media site as a commitment and make frequent posts. Any blog, forum or social media site that is relatively abandoned will quickly lose any popularity. Always post with discretion and leave 'em wanting more!
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Business Logo Design
Are you thinking of updating your logo or do you need a new logo? We recommend taking some time to think through the design from more than just an aesthetic value. Thinking about it from top to bottom let's review a logo design:
Your logo is the primary visual branding element for your business. As such the design should be reasonably neutral with regards to elements that are trendy and could quickly cause your logo to look dated. Currently this would be something like a drop shadow or any type of elliptical lines. Text treatments are increasingly popular and a viable option for any B2B or industrial business.
Color selection is very important. Generally speaking you want colors that are suitable for your business. Black may look sleek and elegant but it's much more suited for a limo company than a daycare center. If you market globally you may also consider perceptions of colors in different cultures. For example, white is a funeral color in many parts of the far east. Scalability is another consideration. Something like the Starbuck's logo is okay for large signs and on trucks but it becomes unattractive in small scale use like business cards. Remember that using more colors will cause any printing costs to go up. Also, treatments done for internet use may not be able to be reolicated in print.
If your business is new you obviously have no real constraints, but there are considerations. You should try to avoid color schemes that mirror competition color schemes. Never use any graphics or images that are not your property or that you do not have authorization to use.
If you have an existing logo and want to change colors you should consider implementing slight color variations over several years to make the change gradual and virtually unnoticeable.
Some of the best logos are simple, iconic and free of distracting elements. When you hire a logo designer, don't pay over 50% for any deposit, and make ceratin that you get the logo in 72dpi for web use (jpg, gif or png format), 300dpi (min) for print use, a color and a grayscale version. Also be certain to get the original art files (psd or ai files) in case you need to make changes. It is highly recommended to get the logo designed in vector format so that you can resize it without loss of clarity.
Assuming that you hire a good logo designer, don't argue to much with the designer, and don't get design advice from friends and family. Trust your professional designer.
Your logo is the primary visual branding element for your business. As such the design should be reasonably neutral with regards to elements that are trendy and could quickly cause your logo to look dated. Currently this would be something like a drop shadow or any type of elliptical lines. Text treatments are increasingly popular and a viable option for any B2B or industrial business.
Color selection is very important. Generally speaking you want colors that are suitable for your business. Black may look sleek and elegant but it's much more suited for a limo company than a daycare center. If you market globally you may also consider perceptions of colors in different cultures. For example, white is a funeral color in many parts of the far east. Scalability is another consideration. Something like the Starbuck's logo is okay for large signs and on trucks but it becomes unattractive in small scale use like business cards. Remember that using more colors will cause any printing costs to go up. Also, treatments done for internet use may not be able to be reolicated in print.
If your business is new you obviously have no real constraints, but there are considerations. You should try to avoid color schemes that mirror competition color schemes. Never use any graphics or images that are not your property or that you do not have authorization to use.
If you have an existing logo and want to change colors you should consider implementing slight color variations over several years to make the change gradual and virtually unnoticeable.
Some of the best logos are simple, iconic and free of distracting elements. When you hire a logo designer, don't pay over 50% for any deposit, and make ceratin that you get the logo in 72dpi for web use (jpg, gif or png format), 300dpi (min) for print use, a color and a grayscale version. Also be certain to get the original art files (psd or ai files) in case you need to make changes. It is highly recommended to get the logo designed in vector format so that you can resize it without loss of clarity.
Assuming that you hire a good logo designer, don't argue to much with the designer, and don't get design advice from friends and family. Trust your professional designer.
Industrial Website Marketing
Marketing an industrial website can appear to be a daunting task. With a little planning, and an understanding of your options, you can determine a course of action that will yield the results that you need.
The first course of action is to define your objectives. Are you needing to improve your overall site ranking on search engines? Get keyword specific placement? Expand the breadth of your online visibility?
Next, define your desired timeframe and budget. These two elements are closely linked. In order to get immediate results you need to find opportunities for paid listings. This could include pay per click advertising (i.e., Google Adwords, Yahoo Search MArketing, MSN Ad Center), industrial directories (i.e., ThomasNet, GlobalSpec, Arcat), or general online directories. This is where things can become very confusing and intimidating. There are a LOT of choices, and salespeople don't provide objective recommendations. A knowledgeable internet marketing company can help you to sort through the options, assess reasonable budget numbers, and evaluate the relevance and value of any possible paid inclusion opportunities.
For long term success an industrial company needs to engage the services of a qualified industrial SEO company to achieve top organic search engine placement. SEO services can often yield positive results within a few weeks however SEO should be viewed as a long term strategy for industrial website marketing. SEO services require strategic on-site and off-site work to achieve optimum results. Don't believe that SEO is simply "meta tags" and "adding keywords". SEO is a professional service.
Additional opportunities for industrial website marketing can be created through press releases, articles and even traditional marketing efforts. The simple fact to remember is that if you don't have a commitment to marketing your industrial website you will be handing your competition a lot of business.
The first course of action is to define your objectives. Are you needing to improve your overall site ranking on search engines? Get keyword specific placement? Expand the breadth of your online visibility?
Next, define your desired timeframe and budget. These two elements are closely linked. In order to get immediate results you need to find opportunities for paid listings. This could include pay per click advertising (i.e., Google Adwords, Yahoo Search MArketing, MSN Ad Center), industrial directories (i.e., ThomasNet, GlobalSpec, Arcat), or general online directories. This is where things can become very confusing and intimidating. There are a LOT of choices, and salespeople don't provide objective recommendations. A knowledgeable internet marketing company can help you to sort through the options, assess reasonable budget numbers, and evaluate the relevance and value of any possible paid inclusion opportunities.
For long term success an industrial company needs to engage the services of a qualified industrial SEO company to achieve top organic search engine placement. SEO services can often yield positive results within a few weeks however SEO should be viewed as a long term strategy for industrial website marketing. SEO services require strategic on-site and off-site work to achieve optimum results. Don't believe that SEO is simply "meta tags" and "adding keywords". SEO is a professional service.
Additional opportunities for industrial website marketing can be created through press releases, articles and even traditional marketing efforts. The simple fact to remember is that if you don't have a commitment to marketing your industrial website you will be handing your competition a lot of business.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Selecting A Web Design Company
Selecting a web design company can be difficult unless you have a set of standards. Without a set of standards, especially if you are a very trusting person, can cause you to lose your money or receive grossly inferior work.
When you are first developing a list of potential web designers we recommend using this Phase I Criteria:
1) Does the firm have a website and does it look acceptable? You can't expect your site to look very good if they won't do good work for themselves.
2) Does the firm provide these services full-time? Invariably, freelancers and part-timers make your job a lower priority and probably have a lower skill set.
3) Does the firm have a portfolio of at least 30 sites? Any web design firm that has reasonable experience should have no problem in creating a portfolio of 30+ sites - and how do the sites look?
4) Does the designer use only templates? If all or most of their portfolio sites are templates you can bet that they have very liomited design and coding skills, and probably can't handle requests fro customization or special features.
5) Does the design firm offer "post-launch services" such as SEO, search marketing, etc? You will need ongoing services to maintain and develop your site, optimize your site and assist with site promotion, listings and link building.
6) Does the designer/firm have a business license? If they do not have a business license you should be extremely wary and concerned.
Always verify these things and don't simply assume that the salesperson is telling you the truth. Beyond these Phase I qualifications you can feel confident if the potential designer/firm has Better Business Bureau (BBB) Accredidation and has been a full time business for over 5 years.
For more information on how to assess or qualify the sepcific skills and capabilities of a design firm leave us a comment.
When you are first developing a list of potential web designers we recommend using this Phase I Criteria:
1) Does the firm have a website and does it look acceptable? You can't expect your site to look very good if they won't do good work for themselves.
2) Does the firm provide these services full-time? Invariably, freelancers and part-timers make your job a lower priority and probably have a lower skill set.
3) Does the firm have a portfolio of at least 30 sites? Any web design firm that has reasonable experience should have no problem in creating a portfolio of 30+ sites - and how do the sites look?
4) Does the designer use only templates? If all or most of their portfolio sites are templates you can bet that they have very liomited design and coding skills, and probably can't handle requests fro customization or special features.
5) Does the design firm offer "post-launch services" such as SEO, search marketing, etc? You will need ongoing services to maintain and develop your site, optimize your site and assist with site promotion, listings and link building.
6) Does the designer/firm have a business license? If they do not have a business license you should be extremely wary and concerned.
Always verify these things and don't simply assume that the salesperson is telling you the truth. Beyond these Phase I qualifications you can feel confident if the potential designer/firm has Better Business Bureau (BBB) Accredidation and has been a full time business for over 5 years.
For more information on how to assess or qualify the sepcific skills and capabilities of a design firm leave us a comment.
What Is Reputation Management
Reputation Management is one of the hottest topics among smart business owners and managers. Reputation management is the services, including tactics and methods, for locating, managing and neutralizing negative comments or information about a particular business.
As the internet has developed there have been more blogs, forums, local listing review boards, "gripe sites" and other online venues for customers (or even competitors) to post negative comments, start rumors or generally damage a company's brand value and customer perception. Needless to say this can have a profound impact on lead generation and sales revenue.
The solution is to hire a competent reputation management company who will apply the necessary resources to locate, manage and neutralize such negative information. A reputation management service can be done as a one-time audit to take a general assessment of your online reputation, done as a quarterly "keep an eye on it" approach, or a full time engagement to locate and neutralize any damaging information as quickly as possible.
The cost for reputationmanagement services will vary depending upon the size of the client organization (particularly the breadth of their online presence and likelihood of negative comments). In almost every instance the cost of reputation management services will be dwarfed by what a client saves in lost sales revenue.
It is well worth a business owners interests to take at least 10 minutes to contact a reputation management company to learn more about the costs and value of their services - otherwise you are allowing others to silently harm your business.
As the internet has developed there have been more blogs, forums, local listing review boards, "gripe sites" and other online venues for customers (or even competitors) to post negative comments, start rumors or generally damage a company's brand value and customer perception. Needless to say this can have a profound impact on lead generation and sales revenue.
The solution is to hire a competent reputation management company who will apply the necessary resources to locate, manage and neutralize such negative information. A reputation management service can be done as a one-time audit to take a general assessment of your online reputation, done as a quarterly "keep an eye on it" approach, or a full time engagement to locate and neutralize any damaging information as quickly as possible.
The cost for reputationmanagement services will vary depending upon the size of the client organization (particularly the breadth of their online presence and likelihood of negative comments). In almost every instance the cost of reputation management services will be dwarfed by what a client saves in lost sales revenue.
It is well worth a business owners interests to take at least 10 minutes to contact a reputation management company to learn more about the costs and value of their services - otherwise you are allowing others to silently harm your business.
The Importance of Local Search Listings
Local Search Listings on search engines should be a top consideration for every business. If there are any doubts let's clarify some basic facts:
1. Search Engine Companies (notably Google, Yahoo, MSN, Ask) are run by smart folks. If they create something like "local search", and keep it, then it's safe to assume that people like it and use it. Why purposely ignore the potential customers that use local search listings to find a supplier/vendor?
2. It's a free opportunity to leverage prime internet real estate to reach more prospects. Sure, you can also count on your website's ranking, or utilize pay per click advertising but why would you not want to take advantage of free advertising?
3. It is a great way to compensate for a website that is poorly optimized and does not have high, competitive organic search engine ranking. Your local listing is somethng you can set-up or claim/manage with little effort.
Every business owner should take the time to create their local listing or confirm and mange an existing listing. If you're too busy you can easily hire an internet marketing company to handle it for you at minimal cost.
A local listing typically includes the obvious name, phone and address info but also includes info that is important to consumers. You can list hours of operation, brands carried, payment options, include a business description and lots of other data.
1. Search Engine Companies (notably Google, Yahoo, MSN, Ask) are run by smart folks. If they create something like "local search", and keep it, then it's safe to assume that people like it and use it. Why purposely ignore the potential customers that use local search listings to find a supplier/vendor?
2. It's a free opportunity to leverage prime internet real estate to reach more prospects. Sure, you can also count on your website's ranking, or utilize pay per click advertising but why would you not want to take advantage of free advertising?
3. It is a great way to compensate for a website that is poorly optimized and does not have high, competitive organic search engine ranking. Your local listing is somethng you can set-up or claim/manage with little effort.
Every business owner should take the time to create their local listing or confirm and mange an existing listing. If you're too busy you can easily hire an internet marketing company to handle it for you at minimal cost.
A local listing typically includes the obvious name, phone and address info but also includes info that is important to consumers. You can list hours of operation, brands carried, payment options, include a business description and lots of other data.
Google Algorithm Change 2010 -Disrupt LongTail Searches
We've heard from multiple customers of ThomasNet that there catalog pages were becoming un-indexed at an extremely high and fast rate. Obviously this is a critical problem for these business owners. ThomasNet is working on a "fix". For anyone having a similar problem here is a report of and article found on www.SearchEngineLand.com
The article below is credited to Vanessa Fox
Google made between 350 and 550 changes in its organic search algorithms in 2009. This is one of the reasons I recommend that site owners not get too fixated on specific ranking factors. If you tie construction of your site to any one perceived algorithm signal, you’re at the mercy of Google’s constant tweaks. These frequent changes are one reason Google itself downplays algorithm updates. Focus on what Google is trying to accomplish as it refines things (the most relevant, useful results possible for searchers) and you’ll generally avoid too much turbulence in your organic search traffic.
However, sometimes a Google algorithm change is substantial enough that even those who don’t spend a lot of time focusing on the algorithms notice it. That seems to be the case with what those discussing it at Webmaster World have named “Mayday”. Last week at Google I/O, I was on a panel with Googler Matt Cutts who said, when asked during Q&A, ”this is an algorithmic change in Google, looking for higher quality sites to surface for long tail queries. It went through vigorous testing and isn’t going to be rolled back.”
I asked Google for more specifics and they told me that it was a rankings change, not a crawling or indexing change, which seems to imply that sites getting less traffic still have their pages indexed, but some of those pages are no longer ranking as highly as before. Based on Matt’s comment, this change impacts “long tail” traffic, which generally is from longer queries that few people search for individually, but in aggregate can provide a large percentage of traffic.
This change seems to have primarily impacted very large sites with “item” pages that don’t have many individual links into them, might be several clicks from the home page, and may not have substantial unique and value-added content on them. For instance, ecommerce sites often have this structure. The individual product pages are unlikely to attract external links and the majority of the content may be imported from a manufacturer database. Of course, as with any change that results in a traffic hit for some sites, other sites experience the opposite. Based on Matt’s comment at Google I/O, the pages that are now ranking well for these long tail queries are from “higher quality” sites (or perhaps are “higher quality” pages).
My complete speculation is that perhaps the relevance algorithms have been tweaked a bit. Before, pages that didn’t have high quality signals might still rank well if they had high relevance signals. And perhaps now, those high relevance signals don’t have as much weight in ranking if the page doesn’t have the right quality signals.
What’s a site owner to do? It can be difficult to create compelling content and attract links to these types of pages. My best suggestion to those who have been hit by this is to isolate a set of queries for which the site now is getting less traffic and check out the search results to see what pages are ranking instead. What qualities do they have that make them seen as valuable? For instance, I have no way of knowing how amazon.com has fared during this update, but they’ve done a fairly good job of making individual item pages with duplicated content from manufacturer’s databases unique and compelling by the addition of content like of user reviews. They have set up a fairly robust internal linking (and anchor text) structure with things like recommended items and lists. And they attract external links with features such as the my favorites widget.
From the discussion at the Google I/O session, this is likely a long-term change so if your site has been impacted by it, you’ll likely want to do some creative thinking around how you can make these types of pages more valuable (which should increase user engagement and conversion as well).
Update on 5/30/10: Matt Cutts from Google has posted a YouTube video about the change. In it, he says “it’s an algorithmic change that changes how we assess which sites are the best match for long tail queries.” He recommends that a site owner who is impacted evaluate the quality of the site and if the site really is the most relevant match for the impacted queries, what “great content” could be added, determine if the the site is considered an “authority”, and ensure that the page does more than simply match the keywords in the query and is relevant and useful for that query.
He notes that the change:
•has nothing to do with the “Caffeine” update (an infrastructure change that is not yet fully rolled out).
•is entirely algorithmic (and isn’t, for instance, a manual flag on individual sites).
•impacts long tail queries more than other types
•was fully tested and is not temporary
The article below is credited to Vanessa Fox
Google made between 350 and 550 changes in its organic search algorithms in 2009. This is one of the reasons I recommend that site owners not get too fixated on specific ranking factors. If you tie construction of your site to any one perceived algorithm signal, you’re at the mercy of Google’s constant tweaks. These frequent changes are one reason Google itself downplays algorithm updates. Focus on what Google is trying to accomplish as it refines things (the most relevant, useful results possible for searchers) and you’ll generally avoid too much turbulence in your organic search traffic.
However, sometimes a Google algorithm change is substantial enough that even those who don’t spend a lot of time focusing on the algorithms notice it. That seems to be the case with what those discussing it at Webmaster World have named “Mayday”. Last week at Google I/O, I was on a panel with Googler Matt Cutts who said, when asked during Q&A, ”this is an algorithmic change in Google, looking for higher quality sites to surface for long tail queries. It went through vigorous testing and isn’t going to be rolled back.”
I asked Google for more specifics and they told me that it was a rankings change, not a crawling or indexing change, which seems to imply that sites getting less traffic still have their pages indexed, but some of those pages are no longer ranking as highly as before. Based on Matt’s comment, this change impacts “long tail” traffic, which generally is from longer queries that few people search for individually, but in aggregate can provide a large percentage of traffic.
This change seems to have primarily impacted very large sites with “item” pages that don’t have many individual links into them, might be several clicks from the home page, and may not have substantial unique and value-added content on them. For instance, ecommerce sites often have this structure. The individual product pages are unlikely to attract external links and the majority of the content may be imported from a manufacturer database. Of course, as with any change that results in a traffic hit for some sites, other sites experience the opposite. Based on Matt’s comment at Google I/O, the pages that are now ranking well for these long tail queries are from “higher quality” sites (or perhaps are “higher quality” pages).
My complete speculation is that perhaps the relevance algorithms have been tweaked a bit. Before, pages that didn’t have high quality signals might still rank well if they had high relevance signals. And perhaps now, those high relevance signals don’t have as much weight in ranking if the page doesn’t have the right quality signals.
What’s a site owner to do? It can be difficult to create compelling content and attract links to these types of pages. My best suggestion to those who have been hit by this is to isolate a set of queries for which the site now is getting less traffic and check out the search results to see what pages are ranking instead. What qualities do they have that make them seen as valuable? For instance, I have no way of knowing how amazon.com has fared during this update, but they’ve done a fairly good job of making individual item pages with duplicated content from manufacturer’s databases unique and compelling by the addition of content like of user reviews. They have set up a fairly robust internal linking (and anchor text) structure with things like recommended items and lists. And they attract external links with features such as the my favorites widget.
From the discussion at the Google I/O session, this is likely a long-term change so if your site has been impacted by it, you’ll likely want to do some creative thinking around how you can make these types of pages more valuable (which should increase user engagement and conversion as well).
Update on 5/30/10: Matt Cutts from Google has posted a YouTube video about the change. In it, he says “it’s an algorithmic change that changes how we assess which sites are the best match for long tail queries.” He recommends that a site owner who is impacted evaluate the quality of the site and if the site really is the most relevant match for the impacted queries, what “great content” could be added, determine if the the site is considered an “authority”, and ensure that the page does more than simply match the keywords in the query and is relevant and useful for that query.
He notes that the change:
•has nothing to do with the “Caffeine” update (an infrastructure change that is not yet fully rolled out).
•is entirely algorithmic (and isn’t, for instance, a manual flag on individual sites).
•impacts long tail queries more than other types
•was fully tested and is not temporary
CMS- An Enemy of SEO
The purpose of every business website, whether directly or indirectly, is to find new customers. This is best achieved when the client’s website has high ranking in the organic, or natural, search engine results. This is achieved through Search Engine Optimization, commonly known as SEO. The majority of website development companies are obsessed with development technologies and do not understand SEO. As a result website developers often sell clients on Content Management Systems, commonly known as CMS. This is an Internet marketing mistake because CMS is an enemy of SEO.
Why do clients buy into CMS? CMS is an easy sell to many clients because they demand having control of their website. This is like giving a teenager the keys to a sports car – the result is going to be ugly. These clients are obsessed with saving money that they would pay a web company to make content changes. In reality this control results in losing money through missed sales opportunities. Additionally, these clients are unintentionally sending these sales opportunities to their competitors. This defeats any logical reason for having a business website.
Why do website developers promote CMS? At best they simply don’t know better. In all probability it’s because implementing CMS means more money in their development contract and they are so techie oriented that they love to add “geek features”. Remember that website developers are just that, website developers. They are not marketing or sales professionals – certainly not SEO experts. And this goes for those in-house IT people. Don’t get them involved in your website design or development.
Why is CMS an enemy of SEO? SEO is a very complicated process requiring technical knowledge to optimize coding, marketing skills to develop optimized content and overall a sound understanding of how to combine the two elements in a white hat fashion. Knowing that a significant part of the SEO process is in creating optimized content it is obvious why CMS is problematic. It is the vehicle through which a client has the ability to wreck SEO. Clients wanting good Search Engine Optimization results need to give the keys to an SEO professional.
Chances are that spending a few hundred dollars a year for an Internet marketing firm to update your website is completely acceptable when you understand that your new sales will pay for the services. This is a simple cost of doing business for the purpose of having a business website to find new customers. On the other hand you could be obsessed with control, save a few hundred dollars a year in website maintenance expenses, and cost your company thousands of dollars in sales by employing CMS - an enemy of SEO.
Why do clients buy into CMS? CMS is an easy sell to many clients because they demand having control of their website. This is like giving a teenager the keys to a sports car – the result is going to be ugly. These clients are obsessed with saving money that they would pay a web company to make content changes. In reality this control results in losing money through missed sales opportunities. Additionally, these clients are unintentionally sending these sales opportunities to their competitors. This defeats any logical reason for having a business website.
Why do website developers promote CMS? At best they simply don’t know better. In all probability it’s because implementing CMS means more money in their development contract and they are so techie oriented that they love to add “geek features”. Remember that website developers are just that, website developers. They are not marketing or sales professionals – certainly not SEO experts. And this goes for those in-house IT people. Don’t get them involved in your website design or development.
Why is CMS an enemy of SEO? SEO is a very complicated process requiring technical knowledge to optimize coding, marketing skills to develop optimized content and overall a sound understanding of how to combine the two elements in a white hat fashion. Knowing that a significant part of the SEO process is in creating optimized content it is obvious why CMS is problematic. It is the vehicle through which a client has the ability to wreck SEO. Clients wanting good Search Engine Optimization results need to give the keys to an SEO professional.
Chances are that spending a few hundred dollars a year for an Internet marketing firm to update your website is completely acceptable when you understand that your new sales will pay for the services. This is a simple cost of doing business for the purpose of having a business website to find new customers. On the other hand you could be obsessed with control, save a few hundred dollars a year in website maintenance expenses, and cost your company thousands of dollars in sales by employing CMS - an enemy of SEO.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Problems With Yellow Pages Websites & Internet Marketing
The yellow pages business is dying and the phone companies are using Internet products to replace lost revenue. Their Internet Yellow Pages (IYP), template websites, “click programs”, and other gimmick products are riddled with performance problems. The faults and problems with phone company websites and Internet marketing services are something that business owners should know.
Here’s an insider’s view of the yellow page business – Yellow Pages advertising was once a necessary evil for business owners. The phone companies exploited this and squeezed as much revenue as possible from their advertisers. Marketing programs and pricing structures were rolled out that almost forced advertisers to spend more and usually penalized advertisers for downsizing their advertising programs. Products were introduced to create new advertiser-to-advertiser competition with the sole intent to make an advertiser spend more money to keep a competitive presence. Reps are trained in how to “pitch” products to make the biggest possible sale. Sales reps rarely understand the costs or effectiveness of other advertising options and they almost never present fair and objective comparisons that encourage advertisers to spend money elsewhere. The bottom line is that phone companies are experienced in printing phone books and extracting revenue from their customers. They are not experienced in comprehensive Internet marketing and website development. Now, about those problems
Websites –
NOTE: You are locked into long term contracts with limited design and development options.
1) Website designs are “sold” to customers requiring monthly payments for as long as you want the website. The truth is that you do not own the website and it will never be paid off! Over a ten year period you may pay over $30,000 for a website that you would own for $4,000 by using a true web development firm – and you can easily reach your contact at a web design firm.
2) Phone company websites are typically bland templates built out in a production environment that stresses quick completion to start your billing. Aesthetics are sacrificed for speed. Content is created without any real research on the client’s industry, competition or local market situations.
3) Phone company websites do not include true search engine optimization techniques which means that theses sites will hardly ever rank well in competitive headings.
4) Phone company websites do not offer many high value options like multimedia creation, searchable catalogs, e-commerce, website analytics, link building, custom design features.
Search Marketing –
NOTE: You are locked into long term contracts regardless of your satisfaction level. It is in their interest to keep your Internet presence dependent upon using their search marketing products. The performance reports have no backup data, are developed to help with renewals, and do not verify ROI.
1) Submissions to search engines and portals is minimal if done at all.
2) “Click Packages” that hype a number of clicks to your website. This does not equal sales and in many cases you may not have control over the keywords selected to generate clicks.
3) No creation or implementation of critical search engine support elements.
4) No critical support services for link building, press releases, blog development, etc.
5) No support for submissions to vertical directories and other online listing opportunities.
Internet Yellow Pages –
NOTE: Over 85% of all searches happen on Google, Yahoo and MSN. The minor remaining percentage is divided between thousands of vertical directories and Internet Yellow Pages are not your best bet to market your website. It can be very expensive and extremely aggravating.
1) Priority listings get the most calls however they are usually extremely expensive (poor ROI).
2) Specialty products like Tile Ads usually perform horribly despite their prominent placement.
3) Geographic Market exposure is often very limited. Large market customers lose the most here.
If you’re tired of yellow pages books and want to leverage the power of the Internet you should employ the services of a true Internet marketing firm. An Internet marketing firm can provide you with objective advice on search marketing and provide cost effective solutions – not expensive, long term contracts. In any event you should carefully explore your options and avoid these problems in Internet marketing.
Here’s an insider’s view of the yellow page business – Yellow Pages advertising was once a necessary evil for business owners. The phone companies exploited this and squeezed as much revenue as possible from their advertisers. Marketing programs and pricing structures were rolled out that almost forced advertisers to spend more and usually penalized advertisers for downsizing their advertising programs. Products were introduced to create new advertiser-to-advertiser competition with the sole intent to make an advertiser spend more money to keep a competitive presence. Reps are trained in how to “pitch” products to make the biggest possible sale. Sales reps rarely understand the costs or effectiveness of other advertising options and they almost never present fair and objective comparisons that encourage advertisers to spend money elsewhere. The bottom line is that phone companies are experienced in printing phone books and extracting revenue from their customers. They are not experienced in comprehensive Internet marketing and website development. Now, about those problems
Websites –
NOTE: You are locked into long term contracts with limited design and development options.
1) Website designs are “sold” to customers requiring monthly payments for as long as you want the website. The truth is that you do not own the website and it will never be paid off! Over a ten year period you may pay over $30,000 for a website that you would own for $4,000 by using a true web development firm – and you can easily reach your contact at a web design firm.
2) Phone company websites are typically bland templates built out in a production environment that stresses quick completion to start your billing. Aesthetics are sacrificed for speed. Content is created without any real research on the client’s industry, competition or local market situations.
3) Phone company websites do not include true search engine optimization techniques which means that theses sites will hardly ever rank well in competitive headings.
4) Phone company websites do not offer many high value options like multimedia creation, searchable catalogs, e-commerce, website analytics, link building, custom design features.
Search Marketing –
NOTE: You are locked into long term contracts regardless of your satisfaction level. It is in their interest to keep your Internet presence dependent upon using their search marketing products. The performance reports have no backup data, are developed to help with renewals, and do not verify ROI.
1) Submissions to search engines and portals is minimal if done at all.
2) “Click Packages” that hype a number of clicks to your website. This does not equal sales and in many cases you may not have control over the keywords selected to generate clicks.
3) No creation or implementation of critical search engine support elements.
4) No critical support services for link building, press releases, blog development, etc.
5) No support for submissions to vertical directories and other online listing opportunities.
Internet Yellow Pages –
NOTE: Over 85% of all searches happen on Google, Yahoo and MSN. The minor remaining percentage is divided between thousands of vertical directories and Internet Yellow Pages are not your best bet to market your website. It can be very expensive and extremely aggravating.
1) Priority listings get the most calls however they are usually extremely expensive (poor ROI).
2) Specialty products like Tile Ads usually perform horribly despite their prominent placement.
3) Geographic Market exposure is often very limited. Large market customers lose the most here.
If you’re tired of yellow pages books and want to leverage the power of the Internet you should employ the services of a true Internet marketing firm. An Internet marketing firm can provide you with objective advice on search marketing and provide cost effective solutions – not expensive, long term contracts. In any event you should carefully explore your options and avoid these problems in Internet marketing.
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