Are you still dragging your feet about
getting a presence on the web or have you set up a basic profile on a few
social media platforms and are asking yourself, now what? It's a brand new day
guys and statistics say majority of consumers are researching on-line before they
buy.
What does your on-line presence say
about you?
As business marketing becomes more
competitive, making your online presence and other marketing efforts as
powerful as possible should now become part of your total marketing efforts.
For all concerned more and more customers now go online first to find what they
need locally making sure they find you and that something concerning what they
find generates a call or visit is vital.
The question now is: Will yours?
Here are few things you can do to improve your chances of being found in the
most cost-effective manner:
Top
is not always best
Many online advertisers have been
conditioned to believe that first position in a search ad results page is the
best way to go. But it may not be the best value. Slightly lower
positions in the paid search results (also known as SEM)
can produce better, more cost effective leads. The reason is that the lower
position will cost less per click, but still get you on the first search
results page. The best approach is to test.
Juice
up your profiles
Local businesses with detailed
online business profiles – including their products and services – get better
results. Trouble is your business probably has profiles in more places than you
know. Make sure your online listings are complete – including not just your
location and hours, but as much detail as you can get in about what your
business offers and what sets you apart from others. If you have a business
video, include that too, along with your social media connections. A great way
to monitor how your business appears online if you don't have the time to supervise
it yourself is to use a reputation social media management service. Ask around and do your on-line research as
well before choosing a company.
Focus
your spheres
A common mistake that local
businesses make online is spending money on ads that appear outside their
service area. By using locally focused websites, services, you will get more bang for your advertising buck.
Check
it “check-in” services
With location-based or “check-in”
services and applications, customers create a profile and sync up with friends
by “checking in” when they visit a local business. Participating not only helps
you get found, it’s a great way to reward customer loyalty. Look into Foursquare, Gowalla, Facebook
and Google Places.
G-Target
your website and ads
G-Targeting, short for geographic targeting – means
customizing your pitch to a specific city, state, region, profile or even
neighborhood. One technique is to make sure your complete business address
appears on every page of your website. The content on your site and in your ads
and directory listings should also mention your city, as well as neighboring
cities and neighborhoods that you want to cover or do business in.
Make
it work for Mobile
Search engines are starting to give
higher scores to business websites that include a “mobile optimized” version.
The main rule for a mobile site is to keep it simple. Having location
keywords (city, neighborhood, street, etc.) are especially important to people
searching for you on a mobile device.
Get
your social media platforms in order
Having an active presence in social
media is vitally important for local businesses to connect with customers. At a
minimum, make sure you have a Facebook
business page and consider other networking sites
such as LinkedIn, Merchant circle,
Twitter
and more. Make sure once on
to keep active - don't use a roller-coaster as your guide.
Reach out and ask
Not everyone has the time to work
their social media platforms or to find connections that will help them spread
out. Check with local clubs,
organizations, groups,
chambers for groups or teams
you can join that will get you the return you are looking for.
