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Google Places for Business continues to merge Google’s offerings. Now users will be able to access their Google+ and Google Local page from the same place, making Google Local and Social more unified. Will Google local search and social media continue to become one? We’ve been wondering for awhile! Google Places for Business is still in its infancy, but we’ll keep you posted on changes and new features in Google’s offerings.
Scared of Pay Per Click? Don’t have the budget? Set up a retargeting only campaign. ‘Retargeting’ is literally re-targeting people; showing ads only to people who visit your website. They were interested in a product or service you have to offer–that’s why they visited your site in the first place. Your ads will appear on other publisher’s websites as a reminder to come back to your website. It’s an easy, simple, friendly, inexpensive way to get more customers who don’t convert when they first check out your website. Call us to learn more about the varieties of Pay Per Click campaigns.
Due to a recent Google update, the number of reviews appearing on some Google+ Local pages are likely to increase, for better or for worse. Google has issued advice to help you keep your legitimate Google+ Local reviews from being deleted. (Potential customers look at these reviews! It would stink if helpful reviews that vouch for your services were mistaken for spam and poof…deleted!?) Business owners should take great care to follow Googles advice on how to avoid this internet marketing catastrophe.
Most notable advice:
Encourage customers to write reviews for your business. This is not as hard as you think. Send reminder e-mails asking customers to please review your business on Google+ Local. Add a link on your website that leads to your Google+ Local page. Get creative.
Bad reviews happen. The best way to make up for bad reviews is to get as many good reviews as possible.
Evading all of the pitfalls caused by Googles constant algorithm changes can make Local SEO confusing. Let us keep up with the trends and news for you–find out how you can ramp up your local presence.
Pinterest is a social media community premised on pinning pictures of things you like and want to share. This has proven to be a great way for companies’ visually rich products and services to spread the word.
Imagine…you are a landscaping company. You have just finished transforming a home with a few bare trees into a beautiful home surrounded by colorful flowers, mighty trees, and the greenest of green grass. Time to go home? Wait! Take advantage of this opportunity to market your business.
Here is how you can take advantage of Pinterest:
1) Take photos that do your project justice.
2) Post them to your website.
3) Sign up for Pinterest and pin your pictures from your website to Pinterest.
4) Share your pins on Facebook, another great community for B2C companies.
5) Email your customer and ask them to share the pictures with their friends by repinning.
Sounds amazing, right? YES. Call us to learn more about how you can use social media to promote your business.
The Google algorithm for organizing websites on Search Engine Results Pages (SERP) is always changing, as are the rules and guidelines to follow. An article on SEOMoz, an industry authority, makes the point that there is a fine line between being too paranoid about frequent Google updates and being too skeptical about their impact. The moral of the story is to not obsess over the algorithm and worry over every little change. We believe you should have a balanced approach to your online marketing with a focus on quality content.
Our advice: Do not put all your eggs in one basket. Call us and we will help you diversify your online marketing strategy.
88% of searches are still done on desktops. Growth in search, however, is being driven by mobile phones and tablets. 10% of online retail dollars spent in Q3 2012 were on mobile devices, according to the latest e-commerce research from comScore. Mobile search is anticipated to increase to an even more substantial 12-13% during Q4 2012, and from there, it will only continue to climb.
What does this mean for you? Now is the time for businesses to prepare for the smartphone/tablet onrush. You will be behind the curve if you wait much longer to join the mobile marketplace. Call us to find out how you can prepare for the onslaught of mobile commerce.
First impressions are everything. You probably want to impress upon your customers and prospects that you are professional, skilled in your industry, detail-oriented and ahead of the curve. Therefore, your website must establish your indisputable professionalism.
A website design that is professional, easy-to-navigate, welcoming, and unique will help engage your audience. A website that makes a great first impression also increases brand awareness, web traffic, social shares and conversions.
Make that first and lasting impression with a dynamic website.
Facebook has recently rolled out Custom Audiences which allows users to more closely align social media marketing efforts with other forms of online marketing. For instance, if you have been working on building a killer email list, you can now upload the email list (or a list of phone numbers or Facebook User IDs) for Facebook to encrypt the data against its users to find matches on Facebook. Once you have your Facebook Custom Audience , you can take advantage of any Facebook Advertising options by targeting your custom audience.
Not sure where to start? You could run by running a Facebook ad to the people in the Custom Audience who include the filters of living in the city your business is based out of and have not liked your company Facebook page yet. That is a large qualified pool you could be advertising to.
The uses of the new Facebook Custom Audiences are nearly limitless. This could be a great target marketing technique if you know how to best leverage it. Take your online marketing programs to the next level with social media.
Google+ recently introduced pre-approved Custom URLs to well known brands like +Toyota and +Coca-Cola. A custom URL is a short, easy to remember web address that links directly to a company’s or a person’s profile on Google+. You want something short and sweet to put on your business card and marketing collateral. Right now only the largest brands can get Custom Google+ URLs but they will almost certainly open up the program to more brands and individuals in the future. When you are selected, you will see an alert bar on the top of your screen that lets you claim your suggested URL. Keep your eye out for when Google opens up the program to your business… you don’t want to have to settle for a second rate Custom URL.
There’s ALWAYS something new in social media!
This month Twitter CEO Dick Costolo announced a svelte new look for Twitter profile pages. Now, you can plaster a large image that represents your company across the top of your Twitter page. The new feature hasn’t been rolled out to everyone just yet, but should eventually be available for all profiles.
In addition, your avatar has been promoted from its subtle spot in the corner to smack dab in the center of your page. The photo stream has been moved up too, and will now be accessible on the new mobile apps.
Twitter’s new layout let’s people and brands express more about themselves. A well designed background and header image let’s prospective followers know that you are a credible company committed to communicating with its customers on social media networks.
How To Create Your Twitter Header Image:
1) Click Edit Profile under the settings icon on the top right of your screen.
2) Select Design on your left menu bar
3) Scroll down to Customize Your Own and select Change Header
4) Choose either Take Photo or Choose Existing Photo (Take Photo will allow you to take a new photo via your computer’s/phone’s camera. Choose Existing Photo has you select from your image library.)
5) Move and scale your image to your heart’s content (Original image size cannot exceed 1252×626 pixels. We recommend you go no smaller than 640 pixels wide.)
6) Ta-dah! You now have a new header image.
Feeling overwhelmed by the evolution of social media? Contact us and we’ll manage your social media platforms. Our proprietary technology allows us to effectively monitor your online reputation and engage followers in social networks. Don’t let the opportunity to talk with consumers directly fall by the wayside.
