Tag Archives: Google

Google Places Is King when it comes to Local Online Search

Posted on by
3

Are you still doing the same old traditional advertising and marketing? Sure, I still believe you need to use several differnet mediums to connect to your target market but I am about to tell you a new way that is going to change how you market to your clients. Have you heard of Google Places? I know most of you have heard of Google, but Google Places is still unknown to most businesses. Most of us realize that about 80% of our business comes from a radius of 7 miles, which means local search is king. You see, Google realized that as well and they went out and created 50 million listings that range from all sorts of businesses. Have you claimed yours yet? My guess is probably not because as of this writing my research concludes that only 2% of U.S. listings have been claimed.

Now what exactly is Google Places and why should you care? Well, let’s answer the first question about what is Google Places. Google Places essentially is a local search engine run by Google. For instance, let’s say you were looking for a gym in Dallas TX and you go to Google and type in the search box “Gyms in Dallas TX.” Google then realizes that you are doing a local search and based on your current zip code that they have on file for you, Google then displays results for gyms in the Dallas area that are listed. You may have recognized this by the little tear drop and letter associated with the exact spot on the map. Now, I know what your thinking, “Okay, but so what, nothing too spectacular there.” Well ,it gets better I promise, which now leads me to why you should care.

Google Places is King and here is why you should care:

  • Place search results will automatically start showing when google predicts you searching for local
  • More information than typical organic results
  • Sometimes have pictures or videos
  • They show reviews
  • Linked to directions and maps
  • In many cases the search results are above organic rankings
  • Maps drive sales
  • Maps are the new “Yellow Pages”
  • Maps are mobile
  • To be effective in the future you will need to fuse mobile and search

And that is just the start of local search and Google Places. More and more people are using local search and social media to decide where they want to spend there dollars. Where else could you go and find reviews, pictures, and videos. Sure, you can have a website but people will need to know to typ in your URL or maybe you will be lucky to be on the first page of search, however, if you are listed in Google Places you show up regardless.

Now this is just the start like I said there is much more to be discussed and I plan on doing so in future posts. So, what are you waiting for, go claim your Google Places listing and start using local search to drive your business.

If you want to learn more how I can help you with your local search you can contact me here or sign up for my services where I can do it for you.

To your success,
Coach Dave

Social Media Marketing Tips

Posted on by
Reply

How can you accomplish your online branding goals as efficiently as possible?

Social Media Marketing (SMM) has become a popular alternative for online business branding. Companies don’t think of social sites (i.e. Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, Linkedin) as “websites for kids”. They are valuable Internet marketing and networking resources for business. On the other hand, there are 4 major issues involved with diving into SMM without the proper knowledge and strategies. These can “make” or “break” your success in social media marketing:

GETTING STARTED IN SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

Make wise choices from the beginning and move forward with a “plan of action”!

Prior to getting started in social media marketing, you need to nip the urge to join every single social site on Google. It does not hurt to have a presence everywhere on the Internet, though there is no advantage in wasting time setting up a social account that is not used. The site owner may delete it – OR – it will get outdated and look unprofessional. Plus, there is no way that you can “work” them all unless you have a team to help you. You will still want to be discerning and make a “plan of action”. You need this to properly brand your business through social media marketing. You also need this “plan of action” in order to “position” your company correctly from the beginning. This concept holds true in Internet marketing in general.

PROPER SET UP

Meet your social market where they work and play on the Internet!

You need to learn how to “set up” and “position” your company with the “best” social networks and websites. Some initial positioning details to consider: (a) determining which are the “best social sites” for your niche and interests, (d) choosing the right user name for your individual profile links, (c) choosing the most attractive profile information and media to share, (d) developing a knack for filtering activity according to what is appropriate at a particular social site, (e) establishing a time schedule that permits working as many networks as possible, (f) choosing the best initial connections … and so on.

Keep in mind that “Account Settings”, network protocol, niche and viral marketing all go hand in hand throughout time.

Additionally, some social sites have a more playful environment than others; even those with a professional focus. You need to select websites that not only fit your company’s focus, but also the personal interests of the individual(s) that will “work” the social media marketing process for you. Note: Don’t let the “playful” networks defer you. One of the goals of social media marketing is to reach your target markets where they work and “play” on the Internet.

IMPLEMENTATION: WHAT TO DO & WHAT NOT TO DO

Don’t just “wing it”; move prepared to market effectively for your business.

Your activity should include a predefined social media optimization (SMO) strategy. This SMO is a combination of search engine optimization (SEO) and social media marketing (SMM). It expedites the professional results that you require for your business. It is easy to assume that SMM is simply setting up social networks and marketing. Although this is part of the process, social networking is not all that is involved in social media marketing. It is suggested that you have a website and a blog. You need to search engine optimize any personal resources prior to SMM. You need a second set of keywords that do not conflict with your personal virtual properties, though compliment your efforts.
Content is key to this offsite marketing process, therefore blogs, articles, comments, discussions, images, videos, link … everything SMM needs to correspond with the SEO.

There is a fine line to what is considered advertising and marketing; spam or valid content. Some social sites are flexible and others are not. You need to move into a virtual realm with a professional plan of action and work the network according to the infrastructure provided, though with intent to produce rapid conversions.

TESTING, TRACKING & REFINING

You will need to test, tread, track and refine before you can run with a strategy.

As with an offline business plan, your online branding strategy will need “tweaked” and updated for the following reasons:

(a) The Internet is constantly changing, you will need to update accordingly.

(b) Search engine rankings, blog / website traffic and subscribers mean absolutely nothing if you are not able to convert this activity into sales.

You cannot move forward if your plan of action is not working for you.

PRIORITIZING TASKS: MONEY & TIME MANAGEMENT

As the old saying goes, “time is money” …

If you get one major point from this article, prioritizing “time” and “money” is what you should remember. Internet marketing is not easy for most; especially when you are merging into unfamiliar arenas. Time and money are the “double edge sword”. Handling your own online branding is only time and cost effective if it is making you money. The reality is that you will not drive conversions nor make money at first because it takes time to learn Internet Marketing. This is time that busy professionals do not have, therefore you either have to put in the extra hours or hire an expert to do the work for you. If you choose to do your own search engine optimization and social media marketing, then you need to prioritize whether the bulk of your activity is on the Learning, Researching or the Implementation (Content, SEO, SMM) at any given time. The advantage is that you can adjust this as needed.
Regardless, a proper online branding strategy will include both the technical and social, therefore they are all one in the same, time consuming, process.

Online business branding and social networking appear to be easy, on the surface, though not a simple process. There are defined strategies that should include both search engine optimization (SEO) and social media marketing (SMM) in order to create a process called social media optimization (SMO). This SMO is actually the online marketing that you want to do for your business. When done correctly, the SMO will produce immediate responses that are easy to track, increase sales and creates a popularity that contributes to fast branding success. You can change the sales / marketing conversions for your business within a few days or gradually “divide and conquer” your competitive online business arena. In other words, your business can market as aggressively or conservatively as needed. This is based on how your company is equipped to handle growth.

In this generation of Social Media Marketing and Search Engine Optimization, it is to your benefit to learn how to properly brand your business online or find someone that knows how to do this for you.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/social-marketing-articles/social-media-marketing-tips-3046506.html

About the Author

————————————

About the Author:

Lea Charlton has been a leader in the Organic SEO arena since 2004. She specializes in Social SEO Marketing and Consultative Training Services for busy professionals needing fast branding success and social strategy solutions.