If you have searched Google for a local product or service and seen the map with pin points for the businesses that fit your search, you’ve seen the Google Local Business Center.  If you have a local business, your business should be listed here.  There is no cost to list your business and the process is pretty simple.

Maybe you knew that already.  But I bet you didn’t know this.  Google just made a change that unless you verify your business listing ANYONE can edit it.   What would keep your competition from going in and changing your phone number to theirs?  Wouldn’t you rather describe your own business as opposed to letting Google or your competitors describe it?

Go to Google immediately and search for your business.  When you find it in the map search, it will either say Verified or it will have “Edit Listing” and “Business Owner”.  Clicking on the Business Owner link will begin the process of claiming your listing and protecting your business’ online presence.

If you need assistance in the process, contact 800biz for all your website design, SEO, search engine optimization, online marketing and social media marketing needs.

We all remember the Brothers Grimm fairy tale of the little tailor whose mistaken feat of killing seven flies with one blow eventually earned him the hand of the princess and king of the land.  A rather efficient use of one’s circumstances, wouldn’t you say.

When it comes to marketing and branding your business, you can choose the one-swing-at-a-time method or take the little tailor’s efficient approach and hit several at one time.

In previous articles, I talked about the need to a diverse approach to your online advertising and marketing plan.  With the wide assortment of social media sites, directories, social book marking sites and other sites, you can spend hours spreading your message or you can let technology do the work for you.

We can’t pick up any publication about marketing without seeing the importance of blogs in your marketing plan.  I don’t want to burst your bubble, but the power of a blog is not just in the eloquent word skills you exhibit.  The real power is the viral nature of your blog, getting it in front of as many eyes as possible.  If you only post your blog to your website, you’re limited only to the amount of traffic you site gets.  So how do you increase the readership of your blog?

That’s where a diverse approach comes into play.  Start by posting your blog to your social media sites (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter or LinkedIn).  But equally as important are the social bookmark sites. There are hundreds of these sites that are made up of user contributed articles.  Many are divided into communities of like interests, while others are general purpose site, open to any type of post.  Sites such as Delicious, Digg, Reddit, StumbleUpon and Mixx are examples of the later.  All that is required is to create a free account and within 5 minutes you’re ready to share your blog with thousands of others.

Now for the double secret stuff— How would you like to have one site handle it all for you?  If you are using a WordPress blog (other than a free version), you can add a plug-in called Share To Any.  Once you publish a blog post, there will be a button at the bottom that will allow you (or anyone that reads the blog) to share it to dozens of sites, including all the major social media and social bookmark sites by simply clicking the site you want to connect to.

Ping.fm is another site that will publish your blog to all the social media at one time.  The downside of Ping is that it does not reach the social bookmark sites.  Regardless, the time saving factor is well worth it.

So be smart, be efficient.  Like the little tailor, take care of as many areas as you can with one blow.

Gary Wagnon and 800biz.com specialize in website design, search engine optimization, search engine marketing and social media marketing.  For more information, visit our websites – www.800biz.com.

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If You Build It Will They Come?

You have probably heard me use the analogy that the web is not the “Field of Dreams,” where if you build it they will come. For the last few years, we have focused on creating web sites using the latest search engine optimization techniques to help our sites reach prominent search engine ranking.

With 63% of all consumers going to the web before they make a decision on any product or service, being found is critical. But the bigger question is, with an abundance of competition in almost every category, why would a consumer choose your site over any other site?

Once it was important that you just have a web presence. If it looked good, was easy to navigate and loaded quickly, it stood a good chance for success. Today, things are quite different. Claiming you have the best prices/best quality/best customer service doesn’t cut it. Every other site says the same thing. Hoo Hum! Consumers aren’t buying that any longer.

What does your site offer? Is there a compelling offer or call to action? Do you clearly explain what you do? Do you offer delivery? Do you service your entire area or only selected parts?

Want your site to stand out? Add a video. If your site has a video that welcomes people to your site, or explains what you do, would that separate you from your competition? Do you have an email newsletter consumers can subscribe to? How about a Podcast to personally tell new visitors what you do?

Does the content of your site stand out? So many of us have trouble writing about our own business. Try having a friend or even good customer write your info. Better still, hire a professional to write the copy for your website. (I do have a couple of good sources if you need help.)

It’s time to revisit your website with an eye to making a statement that lifts your site above the rest.

If you build it, and they come, will they find any reason to take action?  That’s the question.

800biz.com specializes in website design, search engine optimization, search engine marketing and social media marketing.

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Tags: podcasting, search engine optimization, web content, website design, writing copy

I am supposed to do WHAT?

When presenting my clients with a marketing plan to go along with their website, one of the first elements I mention is blogging. The reaction I get range from a deer in the headlights to a stifled scream and lots of hair pulling.

The first group has heard the word blog, but as far as they know, it’s a big log. For those that know what a blog is, the thought of writing something conjures up visions of their high school English teacher, complete with ruler in hand.

For those that don’t know, a blog (short for Web Log) is a type of website. The advantages of a blog are they can be created and updated in plain text by an individual, without using any html or other coding and without the need for a web designer. Another advantage of a blog is it can be used with RSS (Real Simple Syndication) feeds. Simply stated, an RSS feed can take a blog post and make it easily readable on many websites and news pages. Readers can even subscribe and receive notice every time a blog is posted.

So now you know what it is, the biggest question is why should I care? I’m not an author and everyone knows what my business does. Maybe the first is true, but does everyone really know what you do. “I’m a pool cleaner, everyone know I clean pools.” Oh really. Well let’s see. Do you repair pool filters? Do you clean pool filters? Do you clean hot tubs? Do you monitor chemical levels? Do you supply the chemicals? Are you getting the picture now? If you don’t tell prospective customers exactly what you do, why should they pick you over the other 50 companies out there?

Now let’s take the pool cleaner a step further. Do you customers ask you any questions? Is there any information they would like to know? How about tips on how to use less chemicals? What about pool safety techniques? Maybe water exercises they can do or even tax credits available for solar water heating. Be creative. You know your business, don’t be afraid to tell people about it.

One more huge Blog benefit – have your blog post appear on your web site home page. For all my clients that blog regularly, I add their blog feed to their home page. While there are a couple of ways to do that, the method I use is readable by the search engines. If search engine ranking is important, your blog can help. Search engines love sites that change regularly. By feeding the blog to the home page, every time a new blog is posted, the search engines see it as a change to the site and come back more frequently. The ultimate result is an increase in search engine ranking.

So don’t fear the blog. A blog is your friend. Embrace the blog.

Gary Wagnon and 800biz.com specialize in website design, search engine optimization, search engine marketing and social media marketing. For more information, visit our websites – www.800biz.com and www.localadlink101.com .

Tags: blog, search engine marketing, search engine optimization

Is Your Company Brand One of These?

I discussed branding and the need for consistency in building brand awareness for a local business in my previous post. The next decision is whether you are putting your brand in a 1972 Pinto (challenging you youngsters again with that one) or a luxurious Mercedes.

Or more like one of these?

Maybe you have a website but the only way you can find it on Google is by commissioning Indiana Jones to search for it among the other other artifacts out there. Or maybe your site does show up on Google, but only if you type one specific keyword.

What if your consumer isn’t on Google? Blasphemous I know but true. Recent surveys show that people spend an average of 8 minutes a day searching for things online. The same survey showed they spend 22 minutes a day on social media (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc) They are also reading news articles.

So shouldn’t your marketing and branding efforts try to reach your consumers where they are? What if your customers saw your business when they were sending an email on Gmail? Or reading an article about their favorite baseball team on MLB.com? Or checking out the latest videos on YouTube? Granted, that’s not likely to spur them to stop and contact you at that very moment. But, if they see you with regularity, who do you think they will look for when they are ready for your services?

By using a diverse approach, you stand a better chance of being in front of our customers where they are. There are times when you go hunting with a rifle and others when you hunt with a shotgun (before the animal lovers rise up, it’s just an analogy, I’m not a hunter.) This is the right place for the shotgun approach. Hit as many impressions as you can.

Creating a diverse marketing approach can be a daunting task especially when you only want to target local businesses. If you would like a simple, one stop shop, you should check out LocalAdLink (www.localadlink101.com). This service pushes your business out to over 300 high traffic search engines, directories and web sites, plus to their proprietary ad network of over 10,000 web sites.

Now’s the time to trade in the 72 Pinto and bring your brand into the 21 century.

800biz.com specializes in website design, search engine optimization and search engine marketing.

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Tags: brand recognition, branding, online advertising, search engine marketing

Branding – no I’m not talking about using a red hot iron. The kind of branding I’m talking about large companies have been doing for years. But now small businesses are beginning to understand the value.

Branding Your Business

Your brand is your business identity. Done properly, consumers don’t even need to see your business name to recognize your business. I’m going to date myself and for some of you youngsters, you may not recognize these. For the rest of you, see how many of these you can guess.

Stronger Than Dirt

Plop Plop Fizz Fizz

A little dab will do ya.

Where’s the beef?

Takes a licking and keeps on ticking

Every things better with ____________ on it

Okay youngsters – here are a couple for you.

Just Do It

_____ gives you wings

Your in good hands with _____

Many of these slogans are decades old but you can instantly recall the company it represents. That’s Branding!

You are probably saying, “My business doesn’t have a huge advertising budget nor a Madison Avenue Ad agency to create catchy slogans.” That’s correct but for a local business, a catchy slogan isn’t the only way to create branding. Diversity and consistency are.

Consistency means using the same company identity in everything you do. Your website should have the same look as your business cards which should match your company vehicles, which should match your brochures and print advertising. The goal of consistency is to have instant recognition of your business without having to see the name.

I will cover diversity in the next post so stay tuned.

800biz.com is a website design company that specializes in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and online marketing.  For more information visit our website at www.800biz.com.  To findo our how to reach local customers in the zip codes you want to target,  visit www.localadlink101.com

If you had to choose a entry point to get your business in the social media, why not choose one with the highest possible traffic and the least amount of work? YouTube is where you need to start.

Almost everyone has a video camera these days. Even some cell phones have video capability. And if not, you can purchase a video camera for less than $80 (need a good source check out www.shop800biz.com) There is no need for studio production for small businesses. The purpose of the video is to give browsers a feel for what your business is all about. People like dealing with “regular folks”. If your business is relaxed and fun, let your video show that. If your business is more upscale or serious, convey that idea.

Once you have created your Speilberg masterpiece, the easy part begins. Create a YouTube account if you don’t already have one. That will take you a whopping 5 minutes. Then upload your video. Be sure you put a title and description in that tells people what your business is. The description should always start with your web address. It should be list in this format – http://www.yoursite.com . That will make the address a clickable link and take anyone (including the search engines) to your website for more information about you.

The only thing left to do is embed the video in your website. When the video finishes uploading, you will see a link and an embed code. Cut and paste (or send to your webmaster) the code. When people are browsing your site, they can click on the video and watch it within your site.

So Action, Camera, Rolling!!

Tags: search engine optimization, SEO, social media, video, web site, youtube

Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you’ve heard about Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. The social media phenomenon is the hottest thing on the web right now. Three of the top 5 sites on the web are Facebook, YouTube and MySpace. Everyone wants to be on top of Google, but consider this. The average time a person spends per day on Google or Yahoo is 8-9 minutes. The average time a person spends per day on Facebook or YouTube is over 22 minutes. (Source: Alexa)

If your customers are spending almost 3 times as much time on social media sites, why wouldn’t you want to be where your customers are? Okay, you want to be there so maybe a better question is, why aren’t you there? The truth is most people don’t understand the social media or don’t have the time. Over the next few days, I will address both questions and give you some ideas on how to tackle the social media beast.

If you don’t want to wait, or would like help creating a social media game plan, contact me at www.800biz.com or call 520-861-4821.

Tags: search engine optimization, SEO, social media, web site design

You’re going to need one to catch all the business that will come your way. Chose referral marketing as your primary advertising, and watch your business grow into the whale you know it will be.

Referral marketing is about getting great recommendations from those you who know you. Let them make the introductions, and then make these people happy, too. Create relationships. Offer help. Be sincere.

Once you have a strong foundation, keep in touch. Regularly let them know they can ask for help anytime. Remind them of this in a meaningful way, and you’ll stay on their minds, bringing you even more business.

See how this works? Before you know it, you’ll have a huge group of business prospects who will take your calls.

These people are priceless.

Do you have a system for staying on their minds? Regular contact creates trusting relationships. Relationships are what bring business your way.

OK. Now you’re on board with the necessity, how can you make this happen?

The Mechanics of Keeping in Touch

Be honest. How many relationships can you pay attention to at any one time? Count them up. Short of giving up sleep, I’ll bet no more than 30 or 40 quality and interactive relationships are all you can manage.

Need to find the time to do this? How about substituting endless phone calls and lunches with personal cards sent through the mail?

Studies show that greeting cards are the best way to keep in touch and show sincere interest in people.  Who in the business world does THAT? Not many.

Ever get a card from a dentist thanking you for letting them clean your teeth? You mean money to them, and should show appreciation for your business. I’ll bet you’d be a loyal patient and refer them to all your friends.

How do you feel when you get an unexpected card in the mail? It puts that person in your thoughts. When it happens on a regular basis, and they’ll be on your mind when other’s need what they have.
See where this is going? See why card sending is such an integral piece of a strong but simple marketing program?

Painlessly and Inexpensively Make This Happen

Here’s a story from the owner of one of the biggest law firms in Chicago. David employs a full-time assistant whose sole job is to send 6,000 cards per month to clients. Can you imagine how much work that took?

That poor assistant had to:

1. Keep a schedule of who to send cards to and when
2. Manage an inventory of note cards
3. Hand write individual messages
4. Get the boss’ signature on each one
5. Stuff envelopes
6. Buy and apply stamps
7. Get cards to the post office

A chunk of this had to happen every day. It did not come cheap. Between supplies, stamps and his assistant’s salary, David was spending about $10,000 a month on cards.

Why do you think David wanted to send all those cards in the first place? They built his multi-million dollar legal business! He kept in touch with clients who loved his services and sent referrals to him.

How’d you like an enormous business like that built on a “house of cards”??

You Don’t Have to Have a Personal
Assistant to Send Out Your Cards

Here’s YOUR process. Run to the store, find a card, pay up to $5 for it, write a message, search for their address, put the card in an envelope, find a stamp and run it to the post office. Whew! No wonder most of us don’t send cards!

How about if we streamline the process? Here you go!

Online greeting cards!

• Send real cards, in your own handwriting from your computer, click your mouse and let a card company print it, stamp it (with a real stamp), and take it to the post office for you.
• Better yet, what if you could send a series of personalized, heartfelt cards over a period of time, with one click of a mouse?
• You can even do this over and over with the same card and the same basic message, but your recipient only sees that it was written just for them.

You just created personal greeting cards in a matter of minutes.

Imagine the number of people that you could be able to stay in touch with, not to mention the number of referrals that would flood your way because of all this contact!

Some of you may have heard there is a recession going on (it’s been in all the papers!)  But since November, my business has skyrocketed!  This little card service increased my business by 200% during a time when everyone is pinching pennies. I share it with all my clients and it’s working its magic for them too.

See for yourself. Go to:
www.unlimited-referrals.com

Try it out. Give me a call at 520-861-4821. I’ll answer questions or walk you through the process if needed.

I’ll warn you now, the biggest problem for system users is picking out the card you want to send. You’ve got 14,000 cards in the company’s inventory AND an unlimited number you can create with your own pictures. Making up your mind is the tough part!

Tags: Greeting cards, referrals