Still Don't Have a Google+ Page for Your Business?

I work with hundreds of small business owners or their representatives/managers.  Throughout our various meetings during the year, we discuss their digital presence, or where they "rank" on Google.  There is so much confusion for the small business owner and they really don't have the time to constantly study and stay up to date on the changing landscape of the internet.  So, they rely heavily upon my experience, knowledge and assistance to make sure they have their bases covered online.

One thing I have identified for the majority of my clients is that they have not claimed their Google+ page.  I know, you are thinking, "What is that?"  Right?  Well, Google entered into the social media game and over the past year and a half or so Google+ has morphed into a primary player in the social media game.  Also, since it's owned by Google, it is becoming more and more critical to a small business that they have and manage their Google+ page as it is affecting the rank of their website in the organic listings and ads on the Google SERP.

So, what are the benefits to the small business owner?  Here are just a few:

• Ratings & Reviews are all linked back to a page that the business owner can manage, approve or disapprove. Any business owner will tell you that the ability to manage and respond to reviews is critical.
• Coupons & Offers can be posted and shared directly through Google and in the Google local listings through the Carousel feature.
• When searching a local business, the consumer can link directly to the Google+ page and see all those reviews and offers.
• Although Google says that having a Google+ page bears no weight in the SERP results, when logged into my Google account I see more and more Google+ posts in the SERP rankings.

So, hopefully you, as a small business owner see the benefit of claiming and managing your Google+ page.  I'm here to help and assist.  I don't profess to know everything, but I have great resources and can get answers to any questions you may like answered via this blog.

Thanks!

I have a website, now what?

I work with hundreds of small to medium business owners or their managing agent as a component to their overall marketing and advertising strategy. Some use my services completely and some just dabble enough to notice the expense but not the results. That's right, results take an investment.

While working with several of my clients it's become apparent that many business owners are finally beginning to think they should have a business website. That is progress, right? However, after the website goes live, then they kind of sit back and think, "Now what?" Well, here's the "now what"!

Having a website is great, particularly if it's an effectively built website designed to convert a browser to a buyer. Website brochures are obsolete. Now, let's go over what to do after getting the website live. If you aren't a business owner who has time or knowledge to do these things yourself, there is help out there. So, here goes:

- Put the web address on every printed material that could end up in a potential customer's hands or the hands of a current customer

- Create an email signature that includes your URL

- Have an SEO professional analyze the site from the perspective of the search engines

- Link all social media to the site and share the site on all social media outlets

- Have any vendors you associate with to put a link to their site to your site

- For quickest rise in rankings, invest in online pay per click ads on Google, Yahoo & Bing - it is important to implement all three major search engines for a fast start

- Submit your URL to Google & Bing - all the rest will follow

- Choose a few listing directories and list your site for free - suggestions are: Yelp, Yellowbook.com, WhitePages.com, Angie's List, Local.com, Yahoo Local, City Search, Manta.

- Set up Google Analytics and apply code to the website so you can monitor traffic

I wish you the best in your business and hope I have given you a little bit of advice to help you monetize your website and increase revenues. Because, after all, you have a website to make money.

Learned a few things today...

I have said for many years that if I learned something today, it was a good day. Well, today was a good day. In fact, it was a very good day because learned several things. I'm only going to blog about a couple of the things I learned today, simply because they relate to my livelihood and are of interest to me.

The company I work for recently added a new product in my area that I am selling. We now have a really nice community magazine publication that I'm selling ad space for, something that is totally new to me. As I've gotten into presenting the magazine and talking about it more with business owners and their staff, I've learned a few things about magazines in general, people and a different conversation that make sense... to me anyhow.

Magazines are usually sold to subscribers, right? Magazine ads are sold to businesses who want to brand their business and cause "top of mind awareness" amongst the readership, right? Well, at least this has been my personal take on magazines forever. I subscribe to several magazines. In fact, I have one laying by my chair, another in the bedroom and others in each bathroom in our home. Magazines have always been a part of my life so I enjoy them. Well, I did until I learned a little about how some magazines are sold and "circulated".

Ah, there's that word circulation. Circulation by definition as it relates to printed media means "the distribution of copies of a periodical among readers". Now, today though I learned that not all circulation statements from magazine publishers means the same thing. For instance, there are magazines I see all around town, in banks, insurance offices, realty offices, doctor offices, etc. In fact, these things are everywhere! I believe it is actually on purpose so they are easier for me to find. They are a great lead source for me! See, circulation means a totally different thing to that publication than it does to the one I am selling. Let me explain.

Here is the circulation process of the magazine I am selling. The magazine is printed with an address and name on the back each month. The magazines are taken to the post office and every copy is mailed out to a specific list by zip code, age, annual income and home value. Next month, the same process or "circulation" if you will, is followed again. In fact, there are so many of these magazines being "circulated" or "distributed" that the numbers rival those of the WSJ.

Let's think about the circulation of the publication I see laying around in banks and insurance offices. The magazines are printed, lots of them I've heard, and then they are bundled together. Those stacks or bundles are then delivered or "circulated" out to all the advertisers who have paid to have their business represented in the magazine. For about two months, those magazines "circulate" around the lobby. Then after a couple months, a new magazine is ready to start "circulation" and the old stack is "circulated" right into the trash can. That's right folks, off to the landfill with all those "circulated" magazines. Then the vicious circle begins all over again with the next publication.

How sad! All those trees! All that garbage! I learned a lot about circulation today. I learned that when a company states that they circulate a number of magazines, we should ask them how many are being mailed to a person's home, and not just a person, but a person who can use or may use the services or products I offer from my company.

I await your comments.

Your Brand & Online Display

What is online display you ask? Well, online display is sort of like having a billboard on the internet except you can actually measure how many times these billboards are seen. You can also measure how many times click them to your website and engage with your business. Types of online display ads can include banner ads, rich media, video, and more. Let me explain.

I have the ability to help you create ad content that is dynamic in nature in that it actually moves on the page. Now, I'm not talking about pop-ups and crazy things moving around in your ad, but rather a subtle movement that catches the eye of the viewer. This is what gets their attention as the images change and move about. Besides, who wants a blah old ad anyhow, right?

Once your ads are created, we load them in to a display network, one of the largest in the US through the Microsoft network and other well-known websites such as yahoo.com, yellowbook.com, parenting.com and thousands more. We also allow you to choose some geographical targeting. This means that if you only want customers within your town, county, state, etc. you can have your ads display only in those areas. A potential customer for your business may live out of the area but may be searching for your type of business in your area and still find your ads. The cool thing though is that as that one customer travels throughout the internet, your ads keep following them so they see your ads over and over again burning that impression into their brain so that when they need your type of business, you are top of mind!

Let's go over a few statistics related to online display:

The current global display advertising market is predicted to reach $25.27 billion this year, with a 36% growth to $34.4 billion in 2013.

The overall internet advertising market, which also includes paid search and internet classifieds in addition to online display ads, will increase around 31.5% from $72.18 billion in 2011 to $94.97 billion in 2013.

If you are planning on creating, enhancing or expanding your brand, online display is strongly advised. In today's modern age, no one can argue that the majority of consumers are online. They may not necessarily buy online, but they are researching and shopping online and online display is part of a branding campaign and will encourage engagement with consumers.

I offer various packages of online display that will help you create, enhance and expand your brand recognition. You may reach me at 304-885-4403 or by emailing info@blazonbrilliantly.com www.blazonbrilliantly.com