One of my favorite desserts is chocolate cake. I eat it whenever I can, especially when it's warm and gooey and the frosting is extra rich. But what goes into to making chocolate cake?
You need eggs, milk, baking soda, flour, and of course chocolate! If you are missing an ingredient your chocolate cake is not going to turn out that great. Granted, some ingredients are more important than others (like the chocolate!) but your cake will be so much better if you have all the ingredients working together in unison. Online marketing works the same way!
For the past couple of months we've discussed keyword research, SEO, conversion rates, link building, videography, social media, and more. Which of these ingredients is most important in online success? Well, that's hard to say, especially because so much of what you do to promote your website blends together. Videography can help you build more links, better conversion rates may improve your SEO, and keyword research can show you how to approach social media marketing. All of these "ingredients" can work together for your good. When they all work together in harmony then end result can be extremely wonderful and delicious!
Monday, December 6, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
You've got to Play to Play
No, that's not a typo, it's the new rules for success in social media. In old school advertising you had to PAY to play, but now anyone willing to make the effort can create and deploy social media to their advantage. And don't think that social media marketing is just a compensating tool for small businesses with no marketing budget. Major companies throughout the world are utilizing social media sites all the time. For example, Dell computers has made millions of dollars off of it's twitter feed alone!
A good social media presence can be the catalyst for your customers to start spreading the word about your business. Few things are as powerful as satisfied customers raving about your services to their friends. This social buzz is also starting to be more closely monitored by the search engines. In fact, Bing recently acquired the rights to all the "like" data on facebook. Some searches will even pull up facebook pages in addition to normal websites. Also, if content you post goes viral you can score thousands of rank boosting backlinks, some of which may be rare and valuable, in a matter of hours
A good social media presence can be the catalyst for your customers to start spreading the word about your business. Few things are as powerful as satisfied customers raving about your services to their friends. This social buzz is also starting to be more closely monitored by the search engines. In fact, Bing recently acquired the rights to all the "like" data on facebook. Some searches will even pull up facebook pages in addition to normal websites. Also, if content you post goes viral you can score thousands of rank boosting backlinks, some of which may be rare and valuable, in a matter of hours
Monday, November 22, 2010
Social Media
So I've had to reshape my thinking...
For the longest time I didn't fully appreciate social media. Sure we all (or at least half a billion of us) have facebook accounts and love to post updates about sick pets, car troubles, or the random time-wasting YouTube video, but how can these web 2.0 sites really help a business?
This last week I attended a web marketing workshop and much to my surprise my favorite subject covered was Social Media. Apparently the ROI for utilizing social media (though somewhat harder to quantize) can be astronomical. I'll cover more about all the ways next week.
One key to social media success though is that you as the business owner (or someone else intimately involved with the business who cares about it's success) needs to be the one engaging on social media sites. Sure you can hire a firm to set up all your social sites correctly with proper branding and interlinking, but you need to be the one interacting with your customers. That may be the biggest benefit of Social Media, the ability to engage with your customers. Respond quickly and personally whenever someone posts or comments on one of your social sites. One of the best revenue sources for any company is repeat customers. If you can become a part of someones life, albeit virtually, you can quickly establish long-term profitable relationships.
For the longest time I didn't fully appreciate social media. Sure we all (or at least half a billion of us) have facebook accounts and love to post updates about sick pets, car troubles, or the random time-wasting YouTube video, but how can these web 2.0 sites really help a business?
This last week I attended a web marketing workshop and much to my surprise my favorite subject covered was Social Media. Apparently the ROI for utilizing social media (though somewhat harder to quantize) can be astronomical. I'll cover more about all the ways next week.
One key to social media success though is that you as the business owner (or someone else intimately involved with the business who cares about it's success) needs to be the one engaging on social media sites. Sure you can hire a firm to set up all your social sites correctly with proper branding and interlinking, but you need to be the one interacting with your customers. That may be the biggest benefit of Social Media, the ability to engage with your customers. Respond quickly and personally whenever someone posts or comments on one of your social sites. One of the best revenue sources for any company is repeat customers. If you can become a part of someones life, albeit virtually, you can quickly establish long-term profitable relationships.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Backlinks
Popularity Contests didn't end in High School
Last week we talked briefly about the importance of video in creating backlinks. Backlinks are when someone places a link to your site on their site. It you have lots of backlinks coming to your site, that often means your site is more popular and Google will give you a higher ranking. The name of the game is to get as many high quality backlinks coming to your website as possible. In addition to video submissions, consider using the following techniques to get more backlinks:
And the list goes on and on. Get creative or Google "link building" for hundreds of ideas on the subject.
Last week we talked briefly about the importance of video in creating backlinks. Backlinks are when someone places a link to your site on their site. It you have lots of backlinks coming to your site, that often means your site is more popular and Google will give you a higher ranking. The name of the game is to get as many high quality backlinks coming to your website as possible. In addition to video submissions, consider using the following techniques to get more backlinks:
- Write articles. There are many websites today that want you to write about your business. In exchange for writing and publishing an article, the site will also post a backlink for you.
- Submit to directories. Hundreds and hundreds of business listings are available online. Many of them are free to submit as well.
- Use social media. Have your friends help you spread the word. Kindly ask friends to put links to your site on their facebook pages, twitter accounts, and personal blogs.
- Find complimentary businesses. Maybe your site is all about selling shoelaces and you happen find a website dedicated to selling lace-less shoes. Both of you could benefit by posting links to each other's sites.
And the list goes on and on. Get creative or Google "link building" for hundreds of ideas on the subject.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Video SEO
Continuing on with how awesome video is, let me share a few ways video can help improve your search ranking. First off let me share a little bit about SEO (or search engine optimization) in general. One of the key ways to improve your ranking is to create lots of links back to your website from other sites. The more of these "backlinks" you have the better your site will do. But not all backlinks are created equal. A few backlinks from very authoritative and popular websites will do much more for your site than thousands of others from obscure, useless sites. In fact some great backlinks can literally be worth millions of crappy ones.
The good news is that there are lots of video sites out on the web that will host videos that you post. On many of these sites (such as YouTube) when you post a video you also have the option to display a backlink to your site with the video. Many of these sites are also very popular. So if you have the time (and the patience) you can create lots of high-quality backlinks to your website by simply posting videos on all over the Internet.
What's super-cool too is that Google will display relevant videos in the search results it returns. This means that if your video becomes popular it can get a top ten ranking in Google as well. Video rankings are also displayed with a small icon, making it even more likely that people will click on them. So forget about just having one top ten Google ranking, why not get your video and your website on the first page!
The good news is that there are lots of video sites out on the web that will host videos that you post. On many of these sites (such as YouTube) when you post a video you also have the option to display a backlink to your site with the video. Many of these sites are also very popular. So if you have the time (and the patience) you can create lots of high-quality backlinks to your website by simply posting videos on all over the Internet.
What's super-cool too is that Google will display relevant videos in the search results it returns. This means that if your video becomes popular it can get a top ten ranking in Google as well. Video rankings are also displayed with a small icon, making it even more likely that people will click on them. So forget about just having one top ten Google ranking, why not get your video and your website on the first page!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Be a Star!
So you've decided you want to include video on you website. Fantastic! Before you pull out your camera and start shooting videos though, you'll want to keep a few things in mind. A great video be a huge boost to your business, but a poor one may actually hurt you. Consider hiring a videographer to get a more professional look. Odds, are you can find a local college student who will do great work for you at a fantastic price. Make sure you check out your videographer's previous work before hiring him for the job.
Once you have someone to shoot the videos, you'll want to spend some time coming up with a good script. What makes your business unique? Why do customers choose you over your customers? What specials do you have running? These are just a few of the questions you should answer in your script. Get input from other people in your business to make sure you have all the important points covered.
Once your ready to begin shooting pick someone photogenic to represent the company. Ideally you want the person who is most involved with bringing on new customers to be the star of this video. When talking look directly into the camera and lift your chin slightly. Take a minute to think of your ideal customer, and not just a vague representation. Pick an actual client you have great report with. Now speak from the heart directly to them. This will allow you to be sincere and connect with other customers ready to do business with you.
Once you have someone to shoot the videos, you'll want to spend some time coming up with a good script. What makes your business unique? Why do customers choose you over your customers? What specials do you have running? These are just a few of the questions you should answer in your script. Get input from other people in your business to make sure you have all the important points covered.
Once your ready to begin shooting pick someone photogenic to represent the company. Ideally you want the person who is most involved with bringing on new customers to be the star of this video. When talking look directly into the camera and lift your chin slightly. Take a minute to think of your ideal customer, and not just a vague representation. Pick an actual client you have great report with. Now speak from the heart directly to them. This will allow you to be sincere and connect with other customers ready to do business with you.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Today I'm going to share one of the most effective tools you can use while building your website. Are you ready? It's video! Very few websites are taking advantage of the power of video. And of the handful of sites that do have video, very few use it well. Video allows you to-
- Instantly connect with your prospects. In any transaction it is crucial for both parties to establish and build report. Now, you can do that on autopilot 24/7. A video of you talking about your business will let site visitors get to know and trust you, even if they are surfing the web in their pajamas at 2:30 in the morning.
- Establish yourself as an expert. Who are we used to seeing on TV? Actors, newscasters, and experts. By appearing in a video people will naturally put you in the same category as these professionals, and everyone wants to hire an expert!
- Show off your products and services. Take site visitors on a tour of your facility or let them see how you manufacture a product. They'll be more likely to purchase whatever it is you're selling.
- Share testimonials from other satisfied customers. Social proof is very persuasive. Kick it up a notch by posting short video clips of people raving about your business rather than just posting quotes.
- Keep visitors on your site longer. The more time people spend on your site the more likely Google is to give you favorable rankings. Also, the more likely that visitor is to become a customer.
Stay tuned for more information on how to most effectively use video on your website in coming weeks.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Internet Lessons from the Model T
We love choices! When Henry Ford first developed the modern assembly line and started pumping out Model T's he completely took over the automobile industry. No one could compete with the price and quality Henry Ford was offering, but his domination of the auto market didn't last forever. What was caused the downfall of the Model T? Everyone was driving the exact same car! Ford even quipped, "The Model T comes in any color you'd like, as long as it's black." Eventually other car companies stared offering more choices in color, style, features, etc. and the Model T faded from glory as consumers were given more options to pick their dream car.
Similarly, you want to give your customers options, especially when it comes to providing ways for them to contact you. Some customers may prefer to give you a call after checking out your website, while others would rather send you an email, yet a select group may just want to head right to your store. Don't miss out on interested customers just because you've failed to make it convenient for them to contact you on their terms. Include your phone number, driving directions, and a lead form on your site. A lead form may be one of my favorite ways for a customer to contact me. It's non-threatening and instantly gathers key information from a prospect. Watch for next week's post too and I'll show you how to grow a list of customers using a lead form that can become one of your greatest assets!
Similarly, you want to give your customers options, especially when it comes to providing ways for them to contact you. Some customers may prefer to give you a call after checking out your website, while others would rather send you an email, yet a select group may just want to head right to your store. Don't miss out on interested customers just because you've failed to make it convenient for them to contact you on their terms. Include your phone number, driving directions, and a lead form on your site. A lead form may be one of my favorite ways for a customer to contact me. It's non-threatening and instantly gathers key information from a prospect. Watch for next week's post too and I'll show you how to grow a list of customers using a lead form that can become one of your greatest assets!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Analyize This!
I used to hate marketing.
Why? Because you can't tell how effective it is. Is that giant billboard with the painting cows really helping you sell more chicken sandwiches? And if so, enough sandwiches to cover the $700 monthly expense? That's a lot of chicken! Of course that's just one example. Magazine ads, TV spots, radio blurbs, they're not free and may be costing you more than they are worth. The landscape is changing however, and now marketing comes with proof! By getting the right analytics you can see the powerful effects marketing can have on your business.
While old media still lacks many essential tracking features, online marketing will let you know exactly the kind of results you are getting. Using another Google tool, Google Analytics, you can track how many visitors come to your site each day. Beyond that you can see what pages they view, how long they spent on your site, where they came from, and much, much more! If you also display a different phone number on your site you can track how many calls you get from your web marketing each month. Now you can compare the number of calls you get to the number of visitors you get to your site. This will let you start to see how effective your site is in bringing in new business each month as well as what you would be willing to pay for additional web traffic.
The important thing with tracking is to start! Any data you gather will help you be more efficient and give you a place to start from as you implement new campaigns.
Why? Because you can't tell how effective it is. Is that giant billboard with the painting cows really helping you sell more chicken sandwiches? And if so, enough sandwiches to cover the $700 monthly expense? That's a lot of chicken! Of course that's just one example. Magazine ads, TV spots, radio blurbs, they're not free and may be costing you more than they are worth. The landscape is changing however, and now marketing comes with proof! By getting the right analytics you can see the powerful effects marketing can have on your business.
While old media still lacks many essential tracking features, online marketing will let you know exactly the kind of results you are getting. Using another Google tool, Google Analytics, you can track how many visitors come to your site each day. Beyond that you can see what pages they view, how long they spent on your site, where they came from, and much, much more! If you also display a different phone number on your site you can track how many calls you get from your web marketing each month. Now you can compare the number of calls you get to the number of visitors you get to your site. This will let you start to see how effective your site is in bringing in new business each month as well as what you would be willing to pay for additional web traffic.
The important thing with tracking is to start! Any data you gather will help you be more efficient and give you a place to start from as you implement new campaigns.
Monday, September 20, 2010
YES! We have maps!
If you've done any Google searches lately odds are you've come across Google Places, formerly known as Google Maps. Based on your location Google will display a map that takes up 30% of the screen showing local businesses that match your search description. Most of the time this map will even show up before the organic, or non-paid listings on Google. How would you like to have your business show up on Google Places?
As an owner you can edit information about your place of business in Google Places provided you have a gmail account. In Google places you can describe your business, display store hours, upload photos and videos, and even offer online coupons. Your profile can help attract new customers to your business and establish your credibility. If you would like more information about Google Places and to see how you can get the most out of your listing contact VAMPAS Marketing today!
As an owner you can edit information about your place of business in Google Places provided you have a gmail account. In Google places you can describe your business, display store hours, upload photos and videos, and even offer online coupons. Your profile can help attract new customers to your business and establish your credibility. If you would like more information about Google Places and to see how you can get the most out of your listing contact VAMPAS Marketing today!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
When SEO is Useless
Search Engine Optimization, the once mysterious field accessible only to elite computer programmers and Internet marketing gurus is becoming a household term. More and more people are competing every day to become "Number One" on Google. And while working for that top spot is a worthy goal there is a crucial step you must take to get the most out of your SEO efforts. Welcome to the art and science of Keyword Research.
Keyword Research
Don't worry this task is not as scary or time consuming as it may sound. Keyword Research boils down to finding out how many people are searching for specific terms or "keywords" each month using Google. This information is essential if you want your site to show up for keywords people are actually looking for.
Rank for Terms that Matter
I once had a friend who learned some basic SEO techniques and excitedly called me in to his office to show me the fruits of his labors. "Look" he said, "Links to my blog posts are the top three results in Google!" "Not bad" I replied, "what is the keyword term you are ranked for?" And that's where things started to fall apart. To see my friend at the top of Google you have to search for his full name and unfortunately he is the only person in the world searching for that keyword.
In similar fashion I see many businesses excited when a SEO firm offers to get them a top spot in Google (for a handsome fee of course). While there are many potential pitfalls in such a proposition the biggest one is that often the SEO firm will rank businesses for terms that get little or no traffic.
Google's Awesome Tool
Fortunately there is a free tool that will show you the traffic different keyword terms are getting, and it's easy to use! The Google Analytics Keyword Tool let's you type in keyword terms and it will show you how many people conducted those searches last month. Additionally, it will recommend other keywords similar to the one's you are researching. Within a few minutes you can sort out the keywords worth ranking for and the ones that won't help out your business at all.
It would be a shame to spend a small fortune securing a top ranking for "Albuquerque's Best Rated Salons" only to find out that 3 people search for that term a month. Whereas a term like "New Mexico Hair Salons" may have thousands of customers ready to buy searching for it every month.
Keyword Research
Don't worry this task is not as scary or time consuming as it may sound. Keyword Research boils down to finding out how many people are searching for specific terms or "keywords" each month using Google. This information is essential if you want your site to show up for keywords people are actually looking for.
Rank for Terms that Matter
I once had a friend who learned some basic SEO techniques and excitedly called me in to his office to show me the fruits of his labors. "Look" he said, "Links to my blog posts are the top three results in Google!" "Not bad" I replied, "what is the keyword term you are ranked for?" And that's where things started to fall apart. To see my friend at the top of Google you have to search for his full name and unfortunately he is the only person in the world searching for that keyword.
In similar fashion I see many businesses excited when a SEO firm offers to get them a top spot in Google (for a handsome fee of course). While there are many potential pitfalls in such a proposition the biggest one is that often the SEO firm will rank businesses for terms that get little or no traffic.
Google's Awesome Tool
Fortunately there is a free tool that will show you the traffic different keyword terms are getting, and it's easy to use! The Google Analytics Keyword Tool let's you type in keyword terms and it will show you how many people conducted those searches last month. Additionally, it will recommend other keywords similar to the one's you are researching. Within a few minutes you can sort out the keywords worth ranking for and the ones that won't help out your business at all.
It would be a shame to spend a small fortune securing a top ranking for "Albuquerque's Best Rated Salons" only to find out that 3 people search for that term a month. Whereas a term like "New Mexico Hair Salons" may have thousands of customers ready to buy searching for it every month.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Driving Business in the Door
If you're like most business owners you want the time and expense of putting up a website to pay off in a big way. You want it driving new customers in your door 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Unfortunately, I find that very few sites are actually set up to achieve this goal. Here are a few basics to creating a site that is crucial piece in your marketing plan.
- Display your contact information. It's surprising how many businesses have their phone number, address, or email buried on an impossible to find page and written in 4pt font. Ideally all of this information should be on your home page and every other page should have a clear link to it. If people can't find you they won't do business with you.
- Direct site visitors to take action. What do you want a customer to do who comes to your site? Call to place an order, visit your store, or ask for a free consultation? People often do what they are told. For example put "Call 555-555-5555 today, for a personal tour" rather than just displaying your phone number.
- Include a lead form on your site. At VAMPAS we recently upgraded one of our clients' sites and created links to a lead capture form on every page. The lead form simply asked for a visitors' name and phone number if they would like to learn more about the services our client provided. In the first week our client got five leads from the new form and three of those people became paying customers. This form alone helped create thousands and thousands of dollars in new revenue.
By implementing all of these suggestions you'll find that more and more of the people who visit your website will turn into paying customers
Monday, August 30, 2010
Let's Get Real, How Effective is Your Website?
So your business has a website that your brother-in-law built for you five years ago. Congratulations, there are a lot of businesses today that don't even have that much going for them. Odds are that you've also been getting a trickle of new customers from your website over the years too. But is your website really doing all it can for your business?
Did you know that people go to the Internet 12 times to 1 when compared to yellow pages? Or that, 30% of all searches are local searches with the location typed into the search box? Whether you are ready for it or not there has been a definite shift in the way we do business, and it's going online. With traditional advertising mediums becoming more expensive and less-effective now is your time to give your web-strategy some serious thought.
In future posts we will go into much greater detail about putting together a winning web strategy, but for now let's set the stage with some important questions: What is a new customer worth to your business? What else are you doing to market yourself? What is your return on investment with other advertising mediums? How visitors do you get to your website each month? How many of these people turn into customers?
If you have difficulty answering any of these questions, now is the time to start tracking! Otherwise, you may be loosing money on what you think is a good advertising investment. Knowing how many people come to your site, how many phone calls you receive, and how many leads you generate is essential to optimizing your marketing. And, at the end of the day you need to know what the effect is on your bottom line.
At VAMPAS Marketing our motto is "Turning Visitors into Customers" Click on the link below to visit our homepage. There you can fill out a request for a complimentary analysis of your website and strategy so you can start getting more out of your advertising dollars today!
VAMPAS Marketing
(801) 872-3005
Did you know that people go to the Internet 12 times to 1 when compared to yellow pages? Or that, 30% of all searches are local searches with the location typed into the search box? Whether you are ready for it or not there has been a definite shift in the way we do business, and it's going online. With traditional advertising mediums becoming more expensive and less-effective now is your time to give your web-strategy some serious thought.
In future posts we will go into much greater detail about putting together a winning web strategy, but for now let's set the stage with some important questions: What is a new customer worth to your business? What else are you doing to market yourself? What is your return on investment with other advertising mediums? How visitors do you get to your website each month? How many of these people turn into customers?
If you have difficulty answering any of these questions, now is the time to start tracking! Otherwise, you may be loosing money on what you think is a good advertising investment. Knowing how many people come to your site, how many phone calls you receive, and how many leads you generate is essential to optimizing your marketing. And, at the end of the day you need to know what the effect is on your bottom line.
At VAMPAS Marketing our motto is "Turning Visitors into Customers" Click on the link below to visit our homepage. There you can fill out a request for a complimentary analysis of your website and strategy so you can start getting more out of your advertising dollars today!
VAMPAS Marketing
(801) 872-3005
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