Is Your Online Marketing Strategy Stale?

Things online change quickly. Two years ago, Google changed its search engine algorithm and left businesses scrambling to regain their place in search results. More recently, SERP stopped showing author photos and videos. Why? Because they stopped standing out distinctly from other search results. Everybody caught on and implemented the same strategy. And LinkedIn now allows users to post blogs on their profile. (If it hasn’t rolled out to you yet, it will. Hold tight!)

online marketing strategy
If your online marketing strategy doesn’t stay current, your company will be left behind, missing traffic and losing business. Here are four ways to update your online marketing to keep up with the times.

Traffic > Links

linkbuilding

Gone are the days when search engine optimization was based on the number of links to your site. Why? Because Google, Bing, Yahoo! and other search engines strive to provide the best search results possible. Links from article directories, blog comments, link wheels and foreign links just aren’t natural.

In the past links were king, but let’s be honest. You don’t really care about links; you want traffic to your website. Traffic is what brings leads that convert into customers! The only people who read article directories were other people using article directories to get links. Those links didn’t provide traffic. You want real, natural links not manufactured ones.

So how do you go about getting natural links? I’ll tell you. You produce high quality content that people will want to like, share and comment on. Then you market that content in newsletters, on social media and in other strategic places that will bring traffic.

A great way to get traffic is to be quoted or cited on another site. Sites like HARO, PitchRate and ReporterConnect give you the opportunity to share your expertise in exchange for a link back to your site. It’s a win-win for all parties involved.

Focus on educating potential clients about why they need your product or services rather than on acquiring links. Traffic is better than links.

Podcasts: Voice Your Expertise

podcastYour website is optimized. You have a blog that’s updated regularly with high quality content. You’re active on social media sites like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn. You focus on getting traffic rather than links to your website. Think you’ve maximized your online marketing opportunities? Think again.

If you’re not doing a podcast, you’re missing out on an entirely different audience of potential customers. Just like there are some people who prefer talk radio to hip-hop or jazz, there are some Internet users who prefer podcasts to social media. You don’t want to leave them for your competitor to find. Set up regular podcasts.

Because podcasts are a different medium than blog posts or video, you can use the same content on your podcast that you used on your video. No sense reinventing the wheel. (I’ll talk more about this content creation strategy in a future post. Be on the lookout!)

Email Laws: Don’t Be an Accidental Spammer

You know those opt-in forms you use on your website to obtain email addresses for your list? (If you don’t have them, you should!) They’re a great marketing tool and help significantly with automation. However, laws in places like Canada require explicit permission to send emails. That doesn’t mean you can’t use the opt-in forms, but it does mean you need to add another step in your automation process to ask permission before putting those folks on your email list.

Nobody likes spammers. Don’t be one. Stay current with Internet laws anywhere you may have customers.

Mobile Marketing

mobile marketing

Quick survey. How many of you are reading this on your phone or tablet right now? Statistically speaking that number is pretty high. Is your website designed to be seen on mobile devices? If people can’t see the entire width of the page without scrolling, they’ll get frustrated and leave. When they leave, you’ve lost a potential customer.

There is a difference between being mobile friendly (like a blog) and mobile designed. For example, is your website designed so that a visitor can click to call? If you’re a local business, is there map integration to help customers find you on the go?

As smartphones get smarter and smarter, your website will need to change to accommodate the number of mobile visitors. Choosing not to change or adapt will be detrimental to your business in the long run, if not the short run.

Need Help?

Not sure how to implement the necessary updates to your online marketing? Can’t seem to keep up with all the latest changes? Let us help with web design, content creation or traffic. The ROI and time saved will make you glad you did.

How to Claim Your Local Business on Facebook

 claim-business-facebook

In order for you to be able to manage your place, merge it with a page and in general take full advantage of your place’s capabilities, you need to claim the place as your own.

Claiming the place as yours will give you admin access. In order to do this, you need to be able to verify that you’re the owner of the business. You can do this either using the business’s listed phone number, a custom-domain email address or by sending in business documents (i.e. articles of incorporation.)

Here’s how to claim your business as yours.

 

Step 1: Find Your Business

Do a search for your business’s name. Click on the business in the results.

1-Search-for-your-Business

Step 2: Click “Is This Your Business?”

In this lower left hand corner of your place, click “Is this your business?”

2-Click-is-This-Your-Business

Step 3: Click “Proceed with Verification”

Read the terms for claiming a business, then click “Proceed with Verification.”

 3-Click-Proceed

Step 4: Verify Your Business

Enter as much of the information Facebook asks for as possible.

4-Verify-the-Business

If your business phone number matches a listing on your website or other verifiable source, Facebook can call you to verify your ownership.

If your email address matches your business’s website domain (i.e. @mybusiness.com,) they can verify your ownership by email.

Otherwise, you’ll be asked to upload documents to prove your ownership or affiliation.
Claiming your business is that easy. Starting the verification process should take less than 30 minutes; and the whole process should take less than a week to complete.

 

 

Checklist for Using Facebook Places Effectively

 

If you use Facebook places well, you can generate a lot of buzz and publicity around your business, often for free. In fact, most of the buzz and publicity will be generated by your own users, with just a little prompting from you.

Here’s a checklist for using Facebook Places effectively, from the most essential fundamentals to more creative marketing techniques

1. Be an Active User

In order to really understand how people use Facebook Places, and to get into your customer’s heads so you can figure out what they want and how to serve them, you need to actually be a user of Facebook Places.

Use Facebook Places yourself to find restaurants, connect with friends and to make decisions on where you spend your time.

Pay attention to how you choose where to go, what impresses you and what turns you off about how other business owners have configured their Places.

 

2. Combine Your Page and Your Place

Upon completing the verification process for claiming your business, you’ll be able to join your page and your place.

Join your page and your place allows you to have a place with a wall where people can post comments, while still having a presence on Facebook Places. It gives you the best of both worlds.

 

3. Have Detailed, Professional Photos

Your photos will have a lot of influence over whether or not someone clicks on your place on Facebook.

It’ll also influence decisions on whether or not to go to your business. If there are three restaurants near them and one has spectacular photos while the others don’t, there’s a good chance they’ll go to that one restaurant.

Consider hiring a professional photographer and/or a professional graphic designer to help you get these photos.

Example: These cakes look delicious.

1-Have-Great-Photos

 

4. Description, Address, Website & Other Information

First and foremost, make sure the address, phone number and website information is complete, up to date and accurate. People will use your Facebook Place to try to find you or learn more about your business, so it’s crucial that all the information there is completed.

To add more info, just click “Edit” on a page or place that you own.

2-Click-Edit

Then fill out the information.

 3-Fill-Out-Info

 

5. Encourage Providers to Post & Host Discussions

Encourage service providers in your business to post on your wall and host discussions about their services.

For example, if you run a spa, have your masseuses post their massage times, client reviews, new techniques, etc all on your wall.

If you run a live music venue, have the bands interact with fans on your wall. Have them use it to announce up-to-the-minute news about the event.

Get the other people in your business involved. Everyone can play a hand in increasing the popularity of your wall.

 

6. Rewards for Checking In & Posting on Your Wall

While Facebook Places doesn’t have “badges” like Foursquare, there’s nothing preventing you from giving out your own rewards.

It could be something as simple as giving away a free meal to the person who checks into your business the most this month.

Announce the contest on your wall, then give an update on who’s winning twice a week or so. Keep up the competitive spirit, change the prizes around every month and build up some buzz around your business.

 

7. Run Facebook Ads

Facebook gives preferential treatment to ads that keep users in their system rather than sending them out. It gets higher approval rates (almost 100%) and often lower CPCs.

Facebook allows you to run ads directly to pages and places. While you may not always want to be running ads, a well-timed ad right before a major event or launch can make a big difference.

8. Tie In With Events at Your Venue

One very effective way to take advantage of Facebook Places is to host events. These events, when posted on your place’s wall, will appear as a clickable link.

Having events allows you to promote the event to the users of your place, as well as promote your place to people attending the event.

9. Ask Your Customers for Their Favorite Stories!

How do you increase user participation? Just ask!

A well-placed question, like “what’s your favorite story at [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][your business]” or “what topic would you like for our next open mic?” could easily spark a cascade of discussion, responses and shares.

 

10. Give Your Customers Special Deals

How about a free coffee if they order breakfast on a certain day? Or announce your customer loyalty program?

There are many ways to use your page and place to your advantage. Don’t overdo it with the promotions, but a well-timed discount every now and then can help boost sales for several days or weeks.

These are some of the most important fundamentals, as well as a few more creative and advanced marketing tactics. Facebook Places is still pretty new, but business owners who’re putting in the time to learn it are finding that it really pays off.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]