Get Google To Love Your Business With These 9 Steps

September 14, 2016 By Tyson Downs

You want Google to fall truly, madly, and deeply in love with your small business. Why? Well, your small business is deserving of passionate commitment. Oh, and if Google loves your small business it means that Google will tell all of its friends about you. And Google has more friends than anyone else out there, including Yahoo and Bing.

How can you get Google to love your small business? Let us count the ways.

1. Google + is increasingly a force to be reckoned with, and a space that your small business should definitely connect with.
Google’s CEO, Larry Page, recently put out the word that Google + has about 90 million users worldwide. Hooking up with Google + not only lets you reap the benefits of being exposed to that market, but also bumps you up on that all important Google search rating list. That’s right, a Google + connection elbows those with no Google + connection out of the line.

2. If you have a struggling vegan restaurant in a small town, you need to make sure that you are turning up in the right Google search results. Google Keyword tool can help you decide what keywords your business should be using to get online attention as a small business owner. Post content on your site that includes keywords likely to be used when searching for a business like yours. It is an easy tool to use and should result in you getting more hits.

3. Thin text that is written just so that it contains popular Google keywords can do more harm than good. Sure, include smart keywords, but make sure that all content on your site is worth reading; that is, it is engaging, logical, clever and presents information. Always write to improve your user experience first and for the search engines second.

4. Include your full address, including your street number and postal or zip code on every page of your site. And when you’ve done this, create a “Contact Us” page that houses all of your contact information. Why? The more connected your particular small business site is to your local community by way of posted online address information, the more likely it is to be identified as a search result for a local searcher.

5. Google Adwords Pay Per Click ads may help your small business to get some online attention. Pay Per Click ads can yield
results, particularly if your current strategy is not being as effective as you’d like. Remember, you only pay when someone clicks on your ad, and you can set a daily limit on clicks per day so that you don’t break the bank playing for your Google Adwords campaign.

6. Conduct a thorough review of the landing page of your site. It should be of a clean design, contain limited text and not overwhelm visitors. If you have an off-putting landing page, you might lure browsers to click on your site, only to leave it almost immediately.

7. If your small business site is linked to on other sites, it bumps it up on that Google search rating system. So, how can you get the link to your online site posted in more places? Become a linker extraordinaire. Be vigilant in your search for reputable and relevant links that you can post on your site; links that add value for your clients. The more you link, the more you will be linked.

8. Take interactivity seriously. If your well-designed website is a one-way vehicle, if you are putting lots of content out there but not taking a lot in, take steps to change this. Perhaps adding a chat function will provide your clients with a way to tell you what they want. Importantly, you should listen to the feedback you receive, and turn into a valuable marketing tool. Creating a site that is responsive to its visitor’s needs and fuels an ongoing conversation is more likely to be loved by Google.

9. If you don’t have a Google map embedded on your site, embed one. More of your site visitors are looking as at your site on a smart phone screen: Take steps to make your site friendly to these small screens as well.
These 9 things should see you improving your relationship with Google. Take a balanced approach that is focused on increasing traffic to your site, and giving them a worthy space that they will be happy to visit again. You can have the proper keywords, be linked to other others sites all over town, but if you fail to give your site visitor a satisfactory experience, they will quickly be on their way. And they are not likely to be back.

A clever, fresh, inviting site that has been designed in the spirit of your small business, and that works as a true hub of communication – and not an afterthought – is crucial.

Why You Should Use Postcards To Market Your Business

August 19, 2016 By Tyson Downs

Not using postcard marketing? These three reasons may make you reconsider.

Postcards you say? Ya Postcards, they can be an extremely effective method of getting your message in front of potential customers. You can design postcards that are vibrant, high-impact creations with graphics so real that it seems to be jumping off the page at you. Let’s talk about them…

1. Quick and to the Point

Let’s be honest, people just don’t have time to sort through a lot of advertisements and junk mail. The vast majority of mail that even looks like an ad get’s tossed and isn’t even looked at.

But, postcards get read! No need to open it, and the message is “in your face” without exerting any effort to absorb it. Even if the recipient isn’t trying to read it, they’ll get the impact of the short message before he tosses it. If you have a eye catching, thought provoking headline? Even better!

2. Easy and Economical

There are many websites that you can use for printing your postcards. Got Print is one of them. They make it as easy as possible for you and even have an option to mail them for you.

Be sure to go with a 4×6 postcard so it sticks out just a bit form the rest of the mail.

Another advantage is that the postage for a postcard is cheaper! You can mail a postcard for $.33. Compare that with a direct mail letter which is $.49. While letters can be an extremely effective form of direct mail marketing, if you are doing a large amount, say 500 or 1000 then postcards will come out significantly cheaper and most likely get ‘read’ more.

As an added benefit, you often don’t even have to bother with putting them in the mail. Many print warehouses will take care of it for you. Easy as pie.

3. Keep Marketing Messages Fairly Private

I’ve had many small business owners complain to me that after they have come up with a good marketing campaign or good offer, their competitors copy it. That can be pretty frustrating, but there isn’t much you can do about it. Pretty much any online marketing you do, or newspaper or TV ads are just screaming ‘copy me’.

Postcards are private interactions. The only person who sees it is the person who receives it. It’s a one-on-one campaign that lets you keep the results quiet from prying eyes. Chances are, they won’t even know what you’re doing, much less how to copy it.

Here’s another sneak tactic that I haven’t mentioned yet… using postcards to direct traffic to your Website. Most of us think we need to use Internet marketing tools to drive up our Internet sales. NOT SO! That’s what everyone else is doing, but think about it. A postcard with your slogan and visible information that directs the reader to your Website… yeah, let’s hope the competition doesn’t catch on for quite a while!

Remember, it is extremely important to diversify your marketing efforts. A good marketing plan is a diverse marketing plan. Common marketing techniques include small business SEO, local listing optimization, Pay Per Click and more. Remember to test, test, and test some more. If at first you fail, try, try again.

Successful Email Marketing Tips For Small Business Owners

June 25, 2016 By Tyson Downs

As a doctor you probably understand the various growth opportunities that the internet provides, but you probably don’t have the time or money to invest in growing your business as you would like. The perceived cost and obstacles are what keeps many business owners on the sidelines as opposed to in the game.

But, what if I told you, that as a local business there is an opportunity to take advantage of the marketing power of the Internet with little to now cost, and you don’t even need a website? How is this possible? Through email marketing for small business.

Email marketing allows you to have a direct line of communication right to your customers. You may have the misconception that email marketing is complicated or too much for you to handle. But the fact is, if you use email now, then you can do email marketing. Are you aware that email marketing is one of the most cost effective forms of marketing out there?

PERMISSION BASED EMAILING ONLY

You must be sure that you always get a customer’s permission to add them to your email list. It’s imperative that you respect them and their privacy. Breaking that trust could cause significant damage to the customer-client relationship that may be irreparable.

1. Collecting Emails

You first need to start collecting emails from your customers. This is very easily done by simply asking for an email at the point of sale or when handing them the invoice. You simply ask. A retail business could have a clipboard with a sign up form, or perhaps a fishbowl with blank cards they could write their email address on, and put in the fishbowl for a drawing. A service business ideally could ask for an email address when writing up a quote, just be sure to let them know that you may occasionally send out helpful information about your services, or possibly discounts in the future.

If you have a website, you can ask for customers to sign up in exchange for free information. I do that on this website by directing customers to different webpages on my site as well as having an option to opt in for a free report.

2. Give, Don’t Sell

People are always looking for a discount, or special deal for services that they may purchase in the future. Customer will see this as an added value if you have a name to the list, such as a loyalty club, or rewards club. Make them feel as if they are part of an exclusive group.

3. Is it difficult?

Not really. It depends on how you go. If you email friends or family, you are quite capable of marketing through email. I recommend signing up for an email program online such as MailChimp. MailChimp will let you upload your clients’ emails that you have collected from them. It is a free service up to 2,000 subscribers. It will then allow you to track email opens, bounces, and clicks on links. By knowing this information, you can split test effectiveness of email communications.

MailChimp allows you to choose templates and send the message in HTML (with images and graphics) or in Plain Text, that is how I send my emails. I think they deliver cleaner and look better on a phone, and that way there is no compatibility issues with a handset or email program.

If you want to get more advanced, you can set up an auto responder within MailChimp. There is a charge to the auto responder service, but it quite cool how it works. Basically, everybody that signs up will get the emails in the same order. This is done because you have went ahead of time and created a series of emails for everybody to receive. This is a bit more complicated, but can be very effective.

4. What kind of results can I expect?

There is definitely potential profit from simply keeping your customers informed. Remember these customer specifically asked you to send them information. It is almost as if they are saying: “Please allow me to spend more money with your business.” Since email marketing is so cheap, and often doesn’t take a lot of time, from a cost perspective it can generate the highest return on investment out there.

With marketing, you always want to focus on targeted marketing. You can’t get any more targeted than email marketing from people that have signed up. They have either bought from you or were interested in buying from you in the past. And as I mentioned, your advertising costs are insignificant. A perfect example is a local consignment store owner who works her list twice a week with special promotions. She makes a killing, and often sells out her promotional inventory through email alone.

As a doctor there are simply opportunities and then there are golden opportunities. This one is GOLDEN. It’s simple, it’s direct, it’s targeted, and it’s
profitable. Yet few healthcare professionals are taking advantage of it. Be a leader and start today.

Why You Need To Be On Social Media As A Small Business

June 7, 2016 By Tyson Downs

Social media is an online tool that is often underused by many healthcare professionals. Whether we are talking about Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Yelp or other online spaces with household names, doctors and other medical professionals can greatly benefit from building a social media strategy. If you are a local business owner, read on for some worthy tips.

Keep up an active Twitter account

You may or may not be a devotee of Twitter. Your practice should definitely have an account from which engaging posts are send out regularly. Twitter is its own universe and your local business should have a presence there. The best advice for a local business who tweets is to remember that you are speaking to members of your community. If there is an exciting event about to happen in your town, like a giant pumpkin growing contest, give it a shout out. Your followers will appreciate your local spirit.

Yes, You Need to be on Facebook

Facebook is kind of popular. We have all noticed this. Doctors, Dentists, and others in the industry need to build up a presence on Facebook. And, just as in the Twitter sphere, you should keep your content positive and locally focused. Create interesting posts about your business and your community will, over time, build up your fan base. At that point, social media will become a steady tool for your targeted promotion.

Remember that Facebook’s “Nearby” feature, for smart phones, lists local businesses that have been “liked” by a user’s friends. This method of presenting people with recommendations targeted specifically toward them is becoming popular, and is expected to grow.

Yelp

Yelp is a space where local businesses can find new customers. If a young woman moves to a new town, the likelihood is that she will check out Yelp before heading out for a cut and dye. Sure, there is the chance that you will get some bad reviews, but not if you are on top of your game. You should consider any negative Yelp comments as constructive feedback.

I mentioned three social media spaces that all local businesses should use as part of their overall online marketing strategy. And there are many more. A smart way to move forward is to speak with other local business owners in your community about the social media spaces that have worked well for them. Collaboration helps everyone, after all. Happy tweeting.

It may make sense for you to have a company manage your social media campaigns. If so, get in touch with me and we can determine a good course of action.