Local Market Sense

Online Marketing has changed how we do Business

admin — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:53:41 +0000

Online marketing has completely changed the world of business. Decades ago, all that was needed was a storefront, some ads in the local paper, and maybe joining a couple networking organizations. Then we just waited, and hoped, people needed what we were selling. Today’s business marketing is about nurturing relationships with our customers and our prospective customers. It is no longer profitable to market your business with a brochure that is nothing more than an advertisement. Your customers want to engage with you and express how they feel about your products and services. Business survival today depends on reinforcing relationships between you and your clients through trust and respect.
Whether you choose to embrace online marketing or not, it will still have a huge impact on your businesses’ success. Businesses have the chance to reach a more interested and active audience. Online marketing gives you the ability to target individuals who are already seeking out your products and services. Businesses tend to be fearful of social media. It used to be that every company had to have a website. Well, now every company needs to be active within social media. How could you not when there are 1 billion Facebook users?
Today’s marketing is about being creative with your ideas and concepts, and provoking an emotional response from your audience. For example, companies that blog get 55% more website visitors, and 57% of businesses have acquired customers through their company blog. You have to give your target market what they want: educational books, how-to videos, planning tools, answers to common questions, etc. The more you give your target market the more you will get in return which builds trust and credibility. Online marketing isn’t just one of the marketing tools used today for businesses; it is the marketing tool of today and the future.

Understanding How Internet Marketing Really Works

admin — Tue, 14 May 2013 16:04:56 +0000

A big misconception about Internet marketing is that it’s just about having a website with lots of information that is easy to navigate. Business owners sit back and scratch their heads wondering why their site is getting no traffic. It’s because your site isn’t visible to your target market. It’s not enough to have a site. The site has to be optimized so that it’s recognized by the search engines. Competition within the business world has changed. If you want to beat your competition then you need to have the most relevant, most accessible, and reliable online content for those seeking your product or service. The business that ranks the highest in search results wins.
If you think you can get away with posting useless, poor quality content to drive your business farther up in search results you’re wrong. Search engines, like Google, protect your customers. They only show them quality content that includes keywords that they’ve used to perform a search. Google thoroughly checks websites, links, and other content before sending traffic your way. Depending on what Google sees, this will determine where your business is going to rank during searches.
Internet marketing is relationship based. You have to get to know your audience. Find out what their needs are, and how you can create a quality experience for them. In order for your business to reap the benefits of an online marketing campaign, you need to be where you target market is. There is no one-way to reach your target market. The strategy lies in the combination of different platforms like email, SEO, website design, and then finding the right balance between them. The question has never, and will never be, “do I need an online marketing strategy for my business?” The question you should be asking yourself is, “what kind of Internet marketing technique should I be using for my business?”

My Business has a Bad Online Reputation

admin — Tue, 07 May 2013 16:40:56 +0000

Today’s consumers will Google your company before they do business with you. Because of that, you can’t afford to ignore your online reputation. If there is negative information or reviews about your business online your potential customers are going to find it. As a business owner, it is your responsibility to be proactive and manage your online reputation. If you come across a bad online review about your business you need to respond. Showing your potential customers that you care about the experience they have with your business is important. If you have to apologize, then do it. Make it right with the unhappy customer. Taking ownership of a mistake your business made will strengthen your online reputation, and attract more loyal customers.
You can improve your businesses’ online reputation by creating your own positive content and driving the negative content down in the search engine rankings. Most internet users will not search past page 2. You should be constantly spreading the good word online about your business. Many businesses’ don’t bother with online reputation management because they think it is too time consuming. If you have to try and fix a bad online reputation it is going to be a lot more work for you than regular online maintenance. If you don’t have time, then outsource it. Whatever you choose, you have to do it.
Raising your businesses’ brand awareness can be helpful in improving your online reputation. People feel apprehensive about doing business with an unknown company. By advertising your business online with quality online content, you will become more trustworthy in the eyes of consumers. Is there anything else more valuable to your business than its reputation? If you aren’t actively managing your online reputation then you are waiting for someone to destroy it. First impressions are everything in business. Consumers will never forget them.

Use the Power of Online Video Marketing

admin — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:59:56 +0000

Online video marketing can give your company a face and voice that is more relatable and human. If done correctly, it can be a very powerful component to an online marketing strategy. Make sure your videos are interesting and that they have a point to them. They shouldn’t be too long and they should be simple. People aren’t going to watch a lengthy video or one that has no clear idea to it. The goal of online video marketing is to get your target market to take action after viewing the video. You could have a link to your website within the video or a link to a landing page where people can sign up to receive your newsletter.
Once you have created your online videos make sure you put them in places that are visible to your target market. You can put them on your website, your Facebook page, Youtube, etc. Video marketing is a proven method for driving brand awareness and sales. 85% of U.S. Internet users view online videos. It is projected that by 2014, online video will account for over 50% of all Internet traffic. Online video marketing has become the number one area where marketers plan to increase investment.
Online video marketing helps businesses reach a wider audience and intensify their marketing impact. It can deliver an effective, concise message about a businesses’ local focus. 80% of Internet users recall watching a video ad on a website they visited in the past 30 days. Of those, 46% took action after viewing the ad. Video online marketing increases sales and leads. Businesses that use video marketing see higher engagement rates, higher click-through rates and higher conversion rates. It allows you to sharpen your company’s message and target it more precisely.

There’s a Time & a Place – Social Media & Small Business

admin — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:42:42 +0000

It’s no secret that if you’re not using social media for your small business you’re missing out on a massive marketing opportunity. Small businesses’ that spend six hours or more a week using social media saw 52% more leads than those who didn’t. In order to reap the benefits of social media, your first need to understand how to use it correctly for your small business. For social media to be successful, you need to commit to posting regularly with quality content regarding your business. How do you know what is quality content? You first need to understand your brand and who your target market is. What are you company values? Whatever you post, it must be in a voice that is consistent with whom you are.
People get bored, and have very short attention spans. Especially online! Make sure you change it up when you are posting content. Don’t just always post photos for instance. Try to add in videos or questions for your target market to participate in a conversation with you about. Staying up-to-date with what is happening in the news around you will make your posts more relevant. Keep your online voice open and friendly. You want to encourage your target market to interact with you.
There’s a time and a place to make extreme statements. Social media is neither. You will turn off potential customers if you put out there where you stand personally on a specific topic. If you are going to utilize social media for your small business then you have to be devoted. If you go head first in to social media only to abandon all efforts in a couple months, you are saying to your target market, “We really care about you; just kidding.” Remember everything you say online can’t be taken back. You can disagree, but don’t be impolite. Otherwise, you will be spending your time on damage control instead of gaining new prospects.

What is your Businesses’ Online Brand?

admin — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 17:21:03 +0000

It doesn’t matter what products and services you are selling as long as your brand is about connecting with people. Today’s consumers want to know that you’re interested in the same things they are. They want to know you support their causes, and are speaking about the issues that matter to them. With that being said, you need to figure out first what drives your potential customers. Only then can you really engage your customers online.
Even with social media, you must still remember you are representing your businesses’ brand and should still keep the interactions with your customers professional. You want to present your knowledge to your target audience in a way that appeals to them while also establishing yourself as an expert on the subject. In order to do this, you want to remain consistent online with representing your brand. You need to be as loyal to your customers as they are to you. This means remaining active online by posting relevant content frequently.
Your businesses’ brand is its’ identity. Today’s consumers are smart. They can figure out whether or not you care about them and their world. Everything you say and do represents your brand. Your businesses’ story is your brand so make it memorable. Try to convey your story through visual concepts because consumers are more attracted to them than any other form of marketing. Be open and honest with your target audience so they know what to expect when they walk through your door. The best way to destroy your brand is by giving consumers a story online that isn’t consistent with the experience they have with your business in person.
The greatest act of service you can do for your customers is to make them feel valued and appreciated. Go out of your way to show them you care. It doesn’t matter if you’re products and services are more expensive than your customers; if you make someone feel valued they will be loyal to your brand. Not only will they be loyal to your brand, but they will go out of their way to refer you to other people who will then also become part of your loyal customer base.

Is your Online Marketing Campaign Working?

admin — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 16:03:23 +0000

It’s great to have a really good idea for an online marketing campaign, but if you can’t track the success, or lack therefore, then what’s the point? If you are going to spend the time marketing online then you need to know how to track specific areas of your marketing campaign to see what areas are effective and which are ineffective. One simple, yet overlooked way to track your online marketing campaign is to ask your customers where they heard about you. If you have multiple marketing strategies in place, this is a way to find out quickly which one is driving in the most traffic. Take note of the gender and age of your customers and what particular marketing campaign attracted them.
Phone tracking can be a good marketing tool as well to track how many phone calls are made as a direct result of which marketing tool. It can give insight into your marketing strategy so you know what is generating the most traffic. Links can be added to your social media profiles so you can measure how many clicks they produce. Google analytics can be placed on your website to monitor how many people visit your site, what keywords they used to find your site and how long they spent there.
Tracking your online marketing strategy not only tracks ROI, but also provides businesses with valuable information about their customer behavior which can be used to improve future campaigns. There are a variety of high quality tools available to track an online marketing campaign. Utilizing these tools will provide greater control and efficiency in your campaigns. You can’t expect to make a profit if sales are down and you aren’t analyzing your online marketing campaign. Start tracking your campaigns today so your business can experience its full growth potential.

Your Business needs to be on the First Page of Google

admin — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 16:47:09 +0000

There is a huge difference between showing up on the first page of results on Google and the second page. Less than 6% of people searching will actually scroll down and click to the second page of results. Keyword and keyword phrases have become extremely competitive, and it is far from easy to get one of the top spots in a Google search. It doesn’t mean that the businesses that are in the top spots on Google search are the best; it just means they understand online marketing better than the businesses below them. People generally will look at 2-3 of the results in a search and that’s it. If your business isn’t currently holding one of these top 3 spots then the majority of Google searchers are never seeing your business at all.
So, how do you get your business to show up on the first page of a Google search? You need to produce high-quality content. In addition to your website searchers want to see, for example, blogs and articles you have written, social media profiles, videos, etc. It’s not about trying to figure out Google’s search algorithm anymore to get on top. If your business wants to be number one in a Google search for your geographic area you better have compelling content online. People have short attention spans, especially online. Your target market wants to read content that is interesting, informative, and easy to understand. Your businesses’ content will need to be developed with your audience in mind.
You need to research and find out what are the most popular words or phrases that your target market is using to search online, optimize your website for your geographic area, create a business profile in online directories, develop compelling, quality content, and commit to working on your online marketing strategy every day. This is the only way to rank higher in Google search. Don’t forget to monitor what your competition is doing; as well as your businesses’ online reputation. If you commit to doing these things daily you will establish yourself as the authority in your field within your geographic area.

Small Businesses’ Make Decisive Mistakes Online

admin — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 16:51:12 +0000

It’s great to be passionate about your small business and want everyone else to be just as passionate about it. Small businesses’ tend to jump head first into online marketing and market to every person in the world because everyone is just as passionate about your business as you are right? Wrong. However, there is a targeted group of ideal clients online that are looking for you and are indeed passionate about your products or services. Online marketing isn’t going to allow you to sell to everyone in the world. What it does do is give you access to a larger group of ideal clients that you otherwise wouldn’t have been able to reach. Small businesses’ tend to make the mistake of not getting to know their audience, what they like, what they dislike, what your products and services mean to these people, and the benefits it can bring to them.
Small businesses’ tend to ignore what people say about them online thinking it won’t matter to other people. Trust me, it matters a lot to other people what your customers are saying about you online. People read and trust reviews. Negative online reviews about your business could be turning off potential customers before you even get to talk to them. Online marketing is very extensive and there are always going to be new tools and platforms. You need to stick with what works for your small business. Where is your audience online? That is where you need to be. If you target market isn’t using Facebook why would you spend your time marketing there?
As a small business you should be doing both online advertising and online marketing. They are not the same. Online advertising consists of web ads, banners and Pay-per Click campaigns. Online marketing is designed around campaigns that entertain, inform and educate targeted clients about your products and services so they become better qualified prospects and clients for your business. Don’t fail to test and track your marketing efforts. If you don’t, how will you know where you need to improve or maximize in order to get the best return on your advertising investment? If you want to succeed online you need to work at your online marketing strategy every day, setting goals, dedicating time, and getting to know your target market.

Being Proactive about your Online Reputation

admin — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 16:38:29 +0000

Every business at some point is going to receive an online complaint. It doesn’t matter whether it is justified or not, it can still hurt your business tremendously if it isn’t handled correctly. When you get an online complaint there are two ways you can approach it, either proactively or reactively. By being proactive, this means that you make an unsolicited response to the customer’s complaint online where a reactive approach would be not responding unless asked to. Does it really matter which way a business responds?
You can’t control what people are saying about you online, but you can control your personal brand online by not allowing other people to build your Internet reputation for you. If you aren’t actively building a positive web presence and controlling the content people can find out about you, you are leaving your online reputation to the mercy of unhappy customers. Being proactive about your online marketing is going to help you build a positive brand for your business. Being reactive, you’re always going to be racing around to keep your brand from sinking.
If you are successfully executing a proactive strategy for online reputation management you never should have to act reactively. Businesses’ that control their online brand and image aren’t taken by surprise when they stumble across a negative online review. The reality is that one blogger can take down a brand. You can’t be sitting around waiting for someone to trash your brand and then defend yourself. Smart businesses’ take the negative comments and make their brand better. It’s about building and nourishing your reputation rather than just reactively managing it.
When businesses’ proactively rectify a bad experience a customer has had, before that customer can trash them to thousands of people online, you know they understand the damaging effects that negative ratings and reviews can have on their brand and bottom line. Once an unhappy customer has posted negative comments online about your business, your only option is to react. The smart strategy is to prevent the negative content from ever appearing online by having a proactive, online reputation management strategy in place.