How SEO Helps Market Your Business
January 29, 2013 Leave a Comment

How SEO Helps Market Your Business

how SEO helps market your business small

A lot of people ignore the usefulness of SEO to market their business.  They want to just rely on word of mouth or advertising or whatever “magic bullet” they have.  The truth is there is no magic bullet.  Use all the tools you can and reap the benefits is the much better option.

So why do I want to to make your site my search engine friendly;?  The truth is that your website has 2 different types of traffic coming to it.  Branded and Organic.

How many people do you think are searching for, oh I don’t know, “366 marketing website design” and how many just search “website design rock hill sc“?  My guess is more people are just searching website design Rock hill sc. They clearly don’t know how awesome I am. (Why aren’t you telling them?)

“366 Marketing” is the branded keyword and “website design rock hill” is the organic keyword.  Now the branded one is easier to rank for (read pop up) when someone enters it into Google or any other search engine. There is not a ton of 366 Marketings vs. the numerous other website design businesses.

So the first goal is to rank for the branded keywords.  Usually that doesn’t take up to much time.  If your name is unusual enough simply registering for the domain and having a website is enough.

However, although it is easy to rank for, due to the lack of competition for the search term, people have to know your business to is out there to search your business by name.

The key is to appear for both searches.  For that you need to improve your SEO on your website. This will help you market your business to a bigger crowd than people who just have brand awareness of your company.

So here are a couple of things to look for when you are setting up new pages for your website.

  • Only try to target one keyword with each page.  (Need to know what keywords to select? Google adwords is a great resource.)
  • Make sure your targeted keyword is in your url of that page
  • The page title should include your keyword or phrase.
  • Header or h1 of your site carries a lot of weight with the search engines.  It should contain your keyword as well

Next you want to have a couple of references to your keyword phrase on your page.  The amount varies vs. the amount of copy you have.  Maybe two -three times out of a 300 word article.

Speaking of length of your article you probably want to have at least 30 words on a page.  Google will knock you for “thin’ content. So make sure there is some meat on your bones, er page.

Your meta description should have your keyword in it although that is not as important as it was before.  The best reason to have it in your meta descriptions is so that it is bolded in search results.

A word of caution: You want the search engines to find you and promote you but you are ultimately selling to people not spiders; the little bits of software that “crawl” (look) at your site.

So you need relevant content.  Both of your readers benefit from that.

A good example of something that is relevant to the search engines and to your readers is the images on your website.  People are more drawn to pages that have images. But the search engines can’t see the images.  However, you can give an image a name using the alt tag.  And the best thing to name an image is something that contains your keyword.  It is a signal to the search engines that your page is indeed about whatever topic you are writing about.

As search engines get smarter they are coming closer and closer to “reading” a page like a human does.  Their goal is to rank pages higher that humans like, not just the spiders.

And there is one really good indicator of when people like a page.  Next time we will talk about the absolute best way to get SEO “juice” on you site.

Want to learn more about how SEO helps market your business?  Contact 366 for a free one hour consultation.  Be sure to sign up for newsletter so you know immediately when we have more valuable marketing information available for you.

 

 

 

Filed Under: internet marketing, marketing, SEO Tagged:
How Stakeholder Service Influences Brand Management
August 8, 2012 Leave a Comment

How Stakeholder Service Influences Brand Management

There is a lot of talk in business about customer service.  And don’t get me wrong, customer service is very important.  In fact I think customer service is so important it should be under the purvey of marketing.  After all, who knows how to take care of people better than marketing?  Just kidding sales people.

However I do feel that there is a huge disconnect.  While I know most companies really want to take care of customers I think customer service should be expanded to stakeholder service.How Stakeholder Service Influences Brand Management

For those of you who are unfamiliar with stakeholders:  a stakeholder is anybody who has anything to do with your company.  Stockholders, owners, employees, suppliers and of course customers are all stakeholders.

Stakeholders surround and control the brand.  That’s why they are all influential when it comes to brand management.

The goal of stakeholder service is simple.  Happy motivated employees, happy suppliers, happy owners, happy customers; basically making people happy is the end result of stakeholder service.

So why should you waste money stakeholder service?

  1. It is the right thing to do
  2. Having enemies in his always more expensive than having friends
  3. And most importantly because happy people make a better brand

So why don’t companies already focus on stakeholders and instead of customers?  A lot has to do with being penny wise and pound foolish.  This is a false saving… you are only the saving in the short run.

For example….

Don’t try to screw suppliers out of every nickel.  Often there is such an adversarial relationship between a vendor and the company using their services.

Why is that?

If you try to suck everything you can out of a vendor you win in the short term, but what does that do to the partnership? Also what does it do to your reputation in the marketplace?  It makes brand management a lot more difficult.
Don’t try to screw employees to the wall. Companies often try to do this when they think an employee has nowhere else to go. For instance, during an economic downturn.

Employees have very long memories and will recall how you treated them, being more prone to leave you when an opportunity arises.  And they won’t be quiet about you when they leave.  Check out glass door and see what people have to say about your company.

Don’t try to screw your coworkers or colleagues in another department. Although your peers may not have actual power over you, it’s never a good idea to antagonize them.  Especially if they work in IT or human resources

You need to build reservoirs of goodwill: you never know where you might need a favor.  And remember everyone that has a relationship with the company controls the brand in some way.

I think customer service is obviously very important but there have been tons of articles written about that so I will leave that one.

I hope this convinces you to focus on stakeholder service vs only customer service.  Want to learn more about stakeholder service and how it influences brand management?  Contact 366 marketing for a free one hour consultation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: advice, brand management, Small business Marketing Tagged: ,
February 22, 2012 Leave a Comment

Wowing Your Customers is Always the Best Marketing

wow your customers 366 marketingI have written before about how surprise and delight carry
so much weight with customers.  Your
customer and prospects love to get more that what they expect.  So why not wow them with your customer
service? That’s one of  the best marketing tools around.

All they expect is courtesy and when you go beyond that you
are on your way to building customers for life.
So why do so many companies continue to ignore it?

But how about some concrete examples that will make your
customers not just like you, but love you.

Restaurant:   Empower your servers.  Let them solve problems as much as
possible.  Don’t make them go to the
manager when they know how to resolve a problem.

Let them take care of their regulars by giving them
something (small) for free.  Not every
time they come in but sometimes.  I love
being remembered.  Grocery stores reward
loyalty, why can’t your restaurant?

The second part of this is to reward your staff when someone
says something good about them.  It is
simple reinforcement of good behavior.

Retail establishment:
Let me illustrate this one with an example.
One 4th of July when I was younger we bought a bagful of
fireworks paid and left.  But if you have
ever bought fireworks you know that you usually get a little something as a
premium.  Maybe some sparklers.

This time, nothing.

When we ran out of those fireworks (we ran out of fireworks
a lot) we went to a different fireworks stand.
There along with our purchase we got a handful of freebies.  We told the owner what had happened at the
other store and she gave us extra just to “make up” for not getting
extras at the original stand.

Where do you think we bought our fireworks from then on?

Service industry:  This is where true customer appreciation is
most important.  Show your customers some
extra love by how you do your job.  Your
competitors are probably trying to do the bare minimum to get paid.  So go above and beyond.

For instance, if you have a landscaping business, , offer
advice so their petunias grow better, or how they can keep deer out of their
yard.

If you own a professional business, be free with your
advice.  Not only is it great customer
service but you build trust, and as we all know people work with people they
trust (read like).

So I hope I have given you a couple of examples that you can
use in your day-to-day business in order to build customer loyalty and
retention.  If you want additional free
advice download 366’s
free EBook “5 marketing Tips for Small Business”

Filed Under: marketing, Small business Marketing
November 16, 2011 Leave a Comment

How Niche Marketing Can Help You Win More Business

niche marketing from 366 marketingNiche marketing means not being everything to everyone. Ever notice that you don’t see a lot of dentist/auto repair?  Ok, that might be bit of a stretch.  But a lot of small businesses market themselves as everything to everyone.  And that really doesn’t work. You can’t do everything, at least not well.
But you want to maximize revenue, right?  And if you turn something down you don’t make that money.  However, I think the better plan is to say no.  Maybe you should even say  no more often than you say yes,.
Find your niche and market to it as hard as you can.  Be honest with your customers and they will respect you for it.  Don’t try and hide your weakness, embrace it.  Take heart in the fact that because you are weak in one respect means that you can take the time to be strong in another.
So how do you find your specialty?
What are you really good at?  What can you do better than your competition?  Or at least give your competition a run for their money.  Make it your specialty.  If you make awesome cupcakes and so, so crepes don’t open a bakery, open a cupcake shop.
What makes you the most money?  Yeah, yeah, it’s not all about money but that’s why have our business instead of hanging out at the beach surfing or whatever.  If you don’t make money what you have instead of a business is a hobby.    So find out what generates the most profit and structure your business around it.
What don’t you like doing?  For instance I love internet marketing but don’t particularly like editing releases.  So you know what?  I don’t do that.  I outsource it to someone else.
What can you cut out?  What takes up a lot of your time and doesn’t return a lot of money?  What only elicits from your customer an ehhh, ok vs. awesome!  Cut it.  Stop providing it.  If it ain’t great, eviscerate.  Or something like that.
So what have you cut out of your business to focus on what you do really well?  Let us know.  If you need help marketing your small business give us a call maybe we can help.
Filed Under: 366 marketing, Small business Marketing
September 30, 2011 Leave a Comment

Ignoring Social Media Marketing is Ignoring Word of Mouth

Social media is word of mouth
According to a recent article, small businesses say they don’t consider social media an imperative to business.  However, they say word of mouth is very important.  That seems like a disconnect to me considering social media marketing is word of mouth!

In fact social media is the most powerful of word of mouth.  Here’s why.

Unlimited:  Word of mouth happens online at the speed of the keyboard.  And the audience isn’t limited to your best friend or buddy at work.  The potential audience is billions strong.  Word of mouth has always had weight.  Now combined with social media it has breadth as well.

Expanding:  Along the same vein is that now word of mouth can build.  If one person says something negative and another agrees, the audience has grown exponentially.  It can go from one network to another and to another.  Or conversely, if someone says something great and no one else agrees or pushes the conversation it can die.

Unending:  When someone posts something online there is a good chance it will be there a long time. What happens on the Internet stays on the Internet.  Forever, in many cases.   That means that mistake from years ago, can still sabotage a sale today.

So why is all this seemingly negative information great for business?  Because you can see these conversations and respond to them.  In a traditional word of mouth scenario, it people share something negative and you never hear about it.  All you hear is that new customer never calling.

But with conversations happening in  social media not only can you hear the conversation, you can shape it.  You can respond to complaints and turn a brand killer into a brand barbarian.

Social media has been described as a cocktail party where everyone is invited.  You should go.  Find out what people are talking about.  Be available and start a dialogue.

And check out our new E-book 5 Marketing Tactics for Small Business.

Filed Under: 366 marketing, marketing, small business markeitng, Social marketing, social media
August 28, 2011 Leave a Comment

QR Codes to Increase Sales and Build Engagement

QR codes with 366First of all, what is a QR code?  A QR code is simply a 2d barcode.  It looks like the picture right there.  You know, the one that looks like a QR code. 

You’ve probably seen them around, but might not have realized what they were.  Or more importantly, not realized what they can do for your business.

Ok great….so what does it do?  With a simple program you can embed information into the QR code so that it can be read by a Smartphone.  For instance, the contact information on the back of your business card. 

The great thing for a small business is that it solves one of the main problems between marketing in the real world and marketing online.  You can now lower the disconnect between the two.

Instead of hoping that your potential customer remembers your message and searches for it online (and your SEO is good enough that they find it), with a QR code one click can get them exactly where they want to go.

So as a small business owner how can you use it?

A QR code can help foster engagement.  Let’s say a potential customer sees your ad where you offer a 10% off coupon they can download.  They simply scan the QR code and get the coupon.  And of course you give them the opportunity to sign up for your newsletter, so they can get coupons in the future.  They get something they value and you get a way to connect to them again.  

In b2b marketing you can use the QR code in trade shows or on a piece of literature.  It allows your customer to connect with you quickly.  You can also send them to a targeted page. 

Let’s say you put a QR code in your brochure about SEO.  The QR code can direct your prospect to a page that specifically pertains to SEO vs. say your online relationship management.

A QR code gives shopping in a brick and mortar some of the benefiets of shopping online.  Not the shopping in your underwear advantage, but some of the other ones.

You can add a QR code beside a product so users can read reviews and even compare prices.  I buy more now in the stores vs. online because I get the advantage of seeing the product in real life combined with reading customers reviews..

Well I hope this gives you some ideas about how you can use QR codes.  There are numerous creative ways small business can use QR codes to increase sales and help their customers. 

Want to talk more about creative ways you can use QR codes to market your specific business?  Contact 366 for a FREE one hour marketing consultation.  We promise at least one actionable tactic you can put into use to increase your marketing efforts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: small business, small business advice
July 22, 2011 Leave a Comment

Business Marketing Strategy: Velvet Rope

velvet rope marketingSecret marketing strategy weaponry  time, boys and girls.  That’s right, time to bring out The Velvet Rope.

Not the best secret weapon in a street fight, but it can be pretty effective as a marketing tool.  In a street fight you would want the velvet chain. 

Anyway, here is the top secret philosophy the secret marketing weapon is based on:

People want what they can’t have. 

 Pretty deep, huh?  I named the approach after the velvet rope at clubs.  You know the one has the long line coupled with a tiny list and big bouncer.  (I think, sometimes promoters pay those people to just stand there). 

You especially  want what you can’t have, when other people get it. Your new purpose is to get through the velvet rope, no matter how long you have to stand in this line, in the cold, dreary rain. 

So when you do get a chance to get in, you are super happy and impressed that you are one of the lucky few.  If you want to get all Maslow’s law-y it fulfills your need to have achievement and status. 

The game is to make what you can have seem like you can’t have it.  Not unattainable (I think I will call that the Rolls Royce strategy).  Your customers just have to put a little effort in to get to the “vip” status.  That’s the whole key to the marketing strategy.

Here are 3 tactics for using the V.R.S.

Event:  Prospect and customers get into a closed off area by meeting a prearranged criteria before the event.  Signing up for your email or being a loyal customer, whatever you decide.The closed off event has better food, drinks whatever will appeal to your targets. 

 The key is to recurring events is to give the “rabble” a chance for next time. 

 “Oh sorry you had to do ‘this’ to be involved today.  But if you want to do ‘this’ (whatever the next entry is), now, we can make sure that you will be included in our VIP club next month.

 Online:  Let’s use facebook as the example.  You can build a “like wall” so that only people who like your page can see your preferred customer perks.  That might be coupons, interesting video or premium content. 

It works for a b2b company too. Put a white paper behind the like wall.  

That’s the key.  Make what’s behind the wall have some value to people looking over the fence.  Make sure your language conveys the benefits of being a member, the advantage of being behind the velvet rope. 

Storefront:  Wine and cheese  might work especially in a high traffic area.  A closed off event for only the “best” customers.  Do a preview sale one day.  Be sure to advertise with a sign and on social media that for those certain hours you will be closed to the general public.. 

Want to see how The Velvet Rope strategy might work for your business?  Contact 366 marketing for a free marketing consultation.

Filed Under: Small business Marketing
June 23, 2011 Leave a Comment

The Best Way to Market Your Small Business Online

blogging for small business 366 marketing

I struggle with blogging for my business, too.   It’s kind of a chore.  Sure you get to write your thoughts and be creative and junk, but man the golf course is calling.  Or twitter or TV or anything else.  It’s a lot easier to not do it, than do it.

 Here are the reasons that I force myself to keep it up.

 Search engines love blogs.  They are in love with new content which the blog supplies. 

 Google is like the cool kids in high school.  Stuff (i.e. content on your website) gets old quick.  They want to find the the new and cool thing. 

 Oh it’s that, awesome, let’s like that!

 Also when you do it right, you can have very targeted content, another thing that the search engines love.  When people type a key phrase into Google the search engines want to deliver results that the person wants, so they make sure that it is relevant content.

 It also gives you more places for people to find you on the web.  Search engines want as many options as possible to present to someone searching online. 

 So every blog article functions as another page that the search engines can index and leads back to your site.

 Your customers and clients love your blog as well.  Everyone wants to be more involved with the companies they work with.  Blogging is a way to cut past all the marketing and corporate speak and get to the actual relationship.

Also if you are doing in right (i.e. to educate your customers instead of just selling them something), everybody wins.  You are perceived as a thought leader and your customers become more knowledgeable.

 So whether you are considering starting a blog for your business or thinking about whether to write that new article or to go to the beach….well go to the beach.  But while you are sitting on the sand, watching the sunset, write down notes for your next great blog article.

 Sign up to our rss feed to get automatic downloads of 366 marketing’s blog. Also follow 366 Marketing on Facebook to get random marketing thoughts and other business advice from across the web. Get a free hour of Marketing Consultation from 366.

Filed Under: advice, small business, Small business Marketing, social media
June 16, 2011 Leave a Comment

Business Marketing: Design vs. Substance

366 marketing online marketing

Shh, I am going to tell you a secret.  

You ready?  

Selling the steak makes a lot more sense than selling the sizzle.  This is doubly true in regards to online marketing.

I know it sounds weird.   Especially to those who aren’t used to someone in marketing telling them something that would have the boys at Sterling Cooper spinning.

But what is the sizzle with internet marketing?   It is the flashy website with a ton of production value.  And cool widgets that move and flash and dance (hopefully metaphorically). Video, flash, but not a lot of, well steak. 

And the steak is relevant content.

I want to be clear that this post is not  to beat up on my graphic and designer friends.  Design is very important.  And clearly very hard.  I know this since I can’t do it very well.

However it isn’t as important as people tend to think.  Functional trumps pretty every day of the week.

Here’s why.

Beauty is Less than skin deep:  You can have the most beautiful website in the world, but if people don’t find it relevant it doesn’t matter.  Google values links over everything else.  If you aren’t relevant you won’t get links, hence you won’t be valued by Google.  (Hint: value translates into a higher ranking). 

Search engines don’t have eyes.  The way Google or Bing sees your site is not the same way a human sees it (at least not yet).   You have 2 markets to appeal to, humans and search engines.  Both value good content.  Only one values design, and even to them it is secondary.  So where do you think the most value should be placed?

Pretty doesn’t convert.  How a website functions and how easy it is for someone to use drives conversion on your site.   Conversion is when someone does something that you want to happen, i.e. buy something or signup for a newsletter.  Having the newest gizmos or a cool feature can distract from conversions instead of enhancing them.

If people can’t figure out what to do on a site the website isn’t doing its job.  Build for function first and foremost.  Design is just the icing on the cake. 

Or steak. I think I confused my food analogies.

If you want to learn more about how 366 Marketing can help you with online marketing check us out here.  Please follow us on Facebook for more impromptu tips on online marketing, and occasional ones on cooking.

Filed Under: Small business Marketing
April 11, 2011 Leave a Comment

Are You Marketing Your Business Like a 3-year-old?

marketing like a childI like to cook, so I do a lot of the shopping.  As I walk down the aisle looking for the right ingredients for whatever marinade I have decided will save my often overcooked pork chops, I see toddlers grab their parent’s hand and drag them to what they want.  What they want is usually chocolate based and heavily fortified with sugar.   Occasionally this tacit will work, but most of the times it fails.

Why? Because the parent is not in the “buy my kid something to rot their teeth” mindset. 

And I got to thinking that is the way you market your business?  Are you walking up and pulling on your prospects hand and pointing to what you want them to buy? 

Of course not, you say.   Well ,i don’t think I am…..Well maybe you aren’t literally grabbing them, but perhaps you are figuratively.

Answer these questions.

•   Are you sending unsolicited emails?  
•   Are you calling them again and again?  
•   Is your mailing list from the phonebook?

Why are you harassing people that won’t or can’t use your product or service instead of focusing on providing your service to people who can and will use?  It’s a waste of time, money and effort.

So what should you do?

Get a website:  It is 2011, people.  Some cats have websites.  And not like famous cats either, regular cats.  I understand if you don’t have the time or knowledge, there are lots of people around you that do (just saying…)
The main advantage of having an optimized website is that people who need your service can see what you do and see if they want to give you a call or contact you.  How great would if for your phone to ring instead of constantly dialing out. 

Use Social media:  People are out there talking, they need your help.  Why won’t you go help them?  And you don’t have to be on every site, pick one to start with like facebook, or LinkedIn and work on building your network. 

Help people and direct them to your site and your idea/product.  Post information that deals with your industry.  Be careful not to just use a bullhorn to announce your business.  You are here to help, after all, not just sell.

Get Involved:  Join the chamber of Commerce, get involved in your community, and volunteer to lend your services to an organization. 

People want to work with companies who care about the community and other things beside the bottom line.  

Reward your Current Customers: Give people the tools to share your ideas and business and give them the motivation to share you with the world.  Whether it is a loyalty card or just the fact that they “know a guy who can help”

Hope these suggestions help you get more inbound leads and help your marketing efforts.

If you would like personalized Internet Marketing consider contacting 366.  Also sign up for our Small Business Marketing Newsletter.

Filed Under: small business advice, social media
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