Feed: Find Local USA and Mobile Marketing - AggScore: 50.1

Top 10 Local Marketing Secrets Revealed FREE

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Click the link to get your own copy FREE.


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Grab your FREELocal Advertising Ebook - Top 10 Secrets

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Click on the link below to get your copy now


CLICK HERE to get the FREE Ebook download, "10 Steps to getting found ONLINE"

Create a great professional business video to market yourself!

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Here are some points in creating a video to market on the social web





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How to Use Twitter for Marketing & PR Small Business Tools

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How to Use Twitter for Marketing & PR

Twitter is like a cross between instant messaging (IM) and a chat room, because it is an open forum, but you restrict it to the people with which you connect.

There are Three things that take place on twitter.

1) You post news/announcements
2) You converse with others
3) Others say what they want about YOU (your business/brand)

How to use twitter effectively?

Announce specials, deals or sales.  If you are a retailer or anyone who often has special offers, you can use Twitter to announce these deals instantly to a large audience.  You know those commercials from Southwest Airlines about that "Ding" application you could download and would then alert you about specials on flights?  Well, Twitter can be used as a kind of free version of that.  Dell and Woot have done just this type of marketing, with a lot of success.

Promote blog articles, webinars, interesting news and more.  Its really easy to post a link to something in Twitter, and I often post links to blog articles on this blog, or other news articles relevant to HubSpot.  A good idea is to post articles on other websites that are relevant to your business, like a customer success story or other PR coverage.  If you have other content that is appealing to your audience like a free webinar, post links to those too.

Live updates on events or conferences.  If you participate in a large trade show or run your own corporate event, you can use Twitter to announce last minute changes, cool events that are happening ("Just announced, David Meerman Scott book signing in the exhibit hall until 11am") and more.  It is a great last minute marketing tool

Monitor your company / brand on Twitter.  A while back we noticed that Guy Kawasaki mentioned Website Grader on Twitter.  Well, of course we had to let him know a bit more about Website Grader and maybe ask if he would also blog about it?  The result was this blog article on Website Grader which drove a good amount of traffic and leads.  (See below for a cool tip on how to easily monitor people talking about your company on Twitter.)

How to post URLs.  Twitter is based on 140 character updates.  If you have a really long URL, that doesn't leave much room for  Most people on Twitter use www.TinyURL.com to take a long URL and make it short.  Give it a shot if you have a long URL that you want to market on Twitter.

symbol before someone's Twitter username is how people have "conversations" in Twitter. This makes their username a link to their profile so other people can follow the conversation (sort of).




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Small business advertising on facebook

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Various Steps to Facebook marketing for small business.  Here are the details.


Facebook’s advertising platform is a vehicle worth exploring. The tool allows you to place small display type ads in the right sidebar of Facebook pages and profiles.

setting up and running successful campaigns isn’t as straightforward as it could be.

Facebook advertising is the ability select who sees your ad using a number of variables, including keywords. You can target by geography, age, gender, education, relationship status, workplace and keywords.

http://www.facebook.com/help/?page=863

The first thing you must do is decide whether you want people to be directed to your own web page or something on Facebook like a Page, Application, Group or Event. If you are already the administrator of your Facebook Page, Group, Event, or Application, you can select it from the drop down option. The thing that’s nice about using ads to promote your pages and events is that Facebook puts a “Become a fan” or “RSVP to this event” button right in the ad.

Your headline (25 characters) should grab attention immediately with a benefit. You’ll get another 135 characters to describe and entice in the body of the ad. You also have the option to upload an image. Take this option. It may be the most important aspect of your ad so choose wisely. Facebook users are very image driven (it’s the largest photo sharing site in the world) and the visual graphic you choose will make or break an ad. This is an element you must plan on testing (see below)

You can choose between a cost per click (CPC) model where you pay only for clicks or a cost per thousand (CPM) model where you pay per 1000 ad views.

To start your campaign you must determine a bid per click and daily budget. You can set both of these numbers very low, but don’t expect much. Initially you are just testing so you’ll want to set your click bid somewhere around the Facebook suggested amount and a daily budget you can live with.

Test

No matter where or what you should always test your advertising. Online applications like this make it pretty darn simple. You can and should create multiple ad versions. Once you create an ad you will have the ability to create similar ads and run those as well.

Analyze

Facebook has a tool that gives you some information on actions taken inside the Facebook platform. So, if you are running an ad for an event or Facebook page you can use the Facebook Insights tool to monitor interaction.




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What is online social marketing? Can it help grow my business?

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The top 10 reasons to engage your new and future customers with social marketing.

These then are my top ten reasons to take social marketing seriously:

   1. Social marketing is a logical extension of the multichannel marketing strategy of diversification. Social media sites can extend a company’s web presence far beyond the limits of its e-commerce, lead generation or information sites.
   2. Social media builds awareness of products and brands by attraction rather than interruption, and by pulling rather than pushing. Consumers enjoy the discovery process and don’t feel annoyed by it.
   3. Social media employs a community and list building paradigm that’s much more comprehensive, natural and intimate than conventional databases and autoresponders.
   4. Social media marketers engage customers in dialog. They talk with the customer rather than at the customer as is generally the case with conventional media. Social media can also facilitate post-sale support and dissemination of valuable product tips to customers.
   5. Social media used properly can build frequency less expensively than conventional media educating and informing the consumer over time.
   6. Social media can help reach target markets that are too difficult or expensive to reach using conventional means.
   7. Reach doesn’t determine cost, so social media can target a narrow vertical market while at the same time casting a wide net. Efficiency doesn’t really matter much in the context of social media reach.
   8. Search engines like social media, and social marketing leverages free high-quality search exposure which is preferable to paying for low-quality pay-per-click or banner advertising.
   9. Social media sites and your e commerce websites are available 24/7 more or less indefinitely. It’s much like having an ad run in every issue of a publication or like having a catalog or sales letter retained until the customer is ready to make a buying decision.
  10. Using social networking sites it is often possible to connect directly with B2B decision makers without interference from protective gatekeepers.


if you want to learn how these steps can create a booming business for you, download the FREE EBOOK on how to marketin online and generate new sales for your business.


Some more definitions

• Social marketing is the systematic application of marketing, along with other concepts and techniques, to achieve specific behavioral goals for a social good. ...
  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_marketing
• Marketing and advertising that reaches potential consumers via social networking website, such as MySpace, Facebook and Bebo. They appear at the edges of users' profiles and can be targeted based on keywords in their profiles to match their stated interests or recent activities.
  www.mediasmart.org.uk/parents-media-glossary.php
• Planning, execution, and evaluation of programs to influence the voluntary behaviour of target audiences in order to improve their personal welfare, eg encouraging people to give up smoke.
  wps.pearsoned.co.uk/ema_uk_he_hollensen_globalmark_4/64/16425/4205002.cw/content/index.html
• A marketing message designed to promote a social concern or polit :www.glencoe.com/sec/busadmin/marketing/dp/ad_serv/gloss.shtml
•  

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Local online advertising Tips at Find Local USA

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So you have a brick and mortar business or you have a service business and need more customers?  Making sure you have local visibility is very important to your business success.  But who has time for the largest mixers or chamber meetings?  If your a small business; leveraging time with internet marketing at the local level is your answer!

But how to do it?  The first question is, do you have a website?  IF you don't - you need to create one!

Local advertising is a great way to reach new customers.  New sites like groupon are exploding as users clamour for one day deals offered by local and national retailers and service businesses.

If you have never heard of groupon, its a business that attracts users to daily deals in specified areas.  The concept has created a company with many deals being offered.

But it is more effective for the local restaurant then say a "real estate" agent.  And its for lower priced items, not automobiles from a used car lot.  And there are other local coupon discount websites you can join, and each redeemed "coupon" costs you money as a business, which is great for attracting new customers.

Search engine local directories are also another great way to attract customers.  This is especially important when you consider much of the growth in local search is coming from local users.  There are specialty local gps enabled geo targetted advertising platforms that create an online "virtual" township of businesses.  The leader here is 4square.  Facebook also has a location based retail web technology where users can "check in" to your establishment.

There is alot to learn about local online advertising for your business.  To recieve our FREE ebook on how to understand local advertising "CLICK HERE for the link"




CLICK HERE to get the FREE Ebook download, "10 Steps to getting found ONLINE"

Viral Videos on Youtube can explode your business

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There is a well known company who manufacturers blenders that created some viral videos by accident.  In the process of creating a professional video, the owner decided to prove that the product was so good that he put some object in it to prove it would be ground to powder.  (google this if you are curious)

The video went viral and got millions of views as users started sharing the content in all forms.  Of course, the company created more videos and the most popular was the grinding of an Apple Iphone.  Sales skyrocketed!

So what does this have to do with your business?  You don't sell blenders, you provide financial services in your community or pizza to your small town.  Its very relevant becouse this is a form of FREE PUBLICITY you can use online.  FREE ONLINE PUBLICITY to make your small business a national name.  If done right, the local news will even pick it up and papers will be calling to interview you!

You dont need fancy equipment to shoot video and edit it.  Raw video sometimes does a better trick then some directors cut.  But being creative and thinking outside the box will lead user to be curious what the video is all about.  And going viral with video is really the only method of going viral.  you dont go viral with a tweet or a fan page, unless your famous already or have alot of followers.

We suggest you talk the folks over at www.BusinessVideoFast.com if you would like to have someone come in an shoot a viral video concept for you.

But what about if you don't want a viral video.  Maybe you want to show the public your operation.  A tour of the facility?  How your small business creates fashion accessories?  Or how you select the ingredients for those baked goods?  Video is your way of creating a late night tv show 24/7 for low or no cost.  And you can embed it everywhere.  It is visible on mobile devices (Iphone and Ipad users good luck) and is a great way to gain search engine ranking.

YES SEO VIDEO helps your website and your reputation!

To find out more benefits and ideas, please download our FREE EBOOK, small business marketing and video solutions for your business. 




CLICK HERE to get the FREE Ebook download, "10 Steps to getting found ONLINE"

Can twitter help business owners find new customers?

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Twitter is a several year old website that carries the short form conversation of millions of people across the world.  From breaking stories and linking others to news and information - to disclosure and media publicity stunts, its become a big conversation of the internet.  And search engines are now  showing real time results from this network to to users searching for relevant content.  But how does this all help a small business owner.  how can a Real Estate agent, mortgage loan officer, insurance agent, or attorney use this tool to find new clients?

Twitter has millions of users, reaching all over the blog.  There is now software and websites that provide marketing to clients using twitter to find new customers.  These companies often cost several hundreds of dollars a month to bundle services including twitter.  As a heavy syndicator of content for our clients, we use these tools ourselves.  Small business owners and self employed business owners usually don't have the time or inclination to use these products that may sometimes cost a bit too much.

So how does Twitter help the self employed and the average small business?  We feel its most effective as part of an overall strategy of marketing small business services.  Two things happen in twitter

1) You update customers "followers" on status or new information about something relevant to THEM, that has something to do with your business or product

2) YOU listen to the conversation going on from your customers.  For a small business this is not a big problem since you don't have alot of followers.  Larger enterprises literally commit an employee to this job.  Monitoring the conversation etc.

Who has time for all this?  If your a one person operation, not any!  Which is why you implement this as part of an overal strategy.

The good thing is that you can do this process "once setup" over your mobile device, in the down time.  While boarding a flight, in a cab, or finishing that morning cup of cofffee.

There is an important statistic to point out here.  Research has shown that links on twitter are 4 to 10 times more likely to be clicked on by your followers then the same link distributed across facebook (not including ads or promoted tweets)

for more information on how twitter can help your small business, please download the FREE Ebook, Twitter for Small business and Self Employed.




CLICK HERE to get the FREE Ebook download, "10 Steps to getting found ONLINE"

Can YellowPages.com help my business find new customers (clients)

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Many small business owners and those in the service industry always wonder how the internet can help them find new customers.  There are several large aggregates or directories and at the top is yellow pages.  The question is, how does this help the average business.


Being a small business owner, i spent an hour on the phone recently with a rep from the company and found out some interesting information.  Basically the directory charges you for the tiers of visibility they offer on their website.  


These charges are in the vicinity of 200 dollars a month or so.  They also include video features on the pages for extra charges but we recommend our associates at www.BusinessVideoFast.com, mainly because you would own your own video forever.  YP yanks your video if you stop the service.


Are these charges worth it?  Only by calling them and finding out what they can offer you.  Basically, they are trying to send search results to their best PAID clients.  They can break down how many searches they are getting based on KEY WORDS you want to use for your local area.  From the searches, they can tell you how many users are looking for your TYPE of business or service.  Of course, there is now guarantee the users on their site will even see or click your business listing.

The results will vary according the the area of the country your business is located in.  More competitive results and more searches occur naturally in more populated areas.  


There are two levels to all this business of yellow pages and other directories and paying them for the services they offer.  You gain visibility on these directories but most searches DO NOT OCCUR in these directories.  THEY START at GOOGLE or at BING/Yahoo.  Google and Bing do index the results from these directories but for the money there might be better ways to achieve local results and more customer reach.  What would the alternatives be?  Check out the FREE EBOOK to FIND OUT what we suggest you can do to use small business marketing dollars more effectively.




CLICK HERE to get the FREE Ebook download, "10 Steps to getting found ONLINE"