Marketing Nashville - How to Get Found on Google Local
by Seth Holdren on April 13, 2009
in Marketing Nashville, Online Marketing
If you do a local search for a business, you will notice that the search results will usually show a map of the city, and then 10 listings, usually A through J.
Even if you are just your average local small business in Nashville, you can usually get ranked on page one of the local business listings.
This is becoming more and more important in online marketing. So your friends at Marketing Nashville are here to help you learn how to do this yourself!
Marketing Nashville - 5 Steps to Local Optimization
1. Find which keywords get the most traffic. (You want to use targeted keywords that are directly relevant to your business.) Use this tool: https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal
2. Use the highest traffic keywords in the main title of your Google Local listing. If your best keywords are “Dentist Nashville” then use that as your title instead of your business name. Sometimes it’s ok to include your business name after the main “keyword” title, but only if it makes sense and isn’t too long.
3. Fill out every detail in your Google Local account. Include your hours, payments accepted, photos, video, coupon (make one up if you don’t have one). Leave no category blank.
4. Use your main keyword for your first business category. You are allowed five categories. Use other relevant keywords to fill out the other four categories. Use all five!
5. Get reviews. The key is to get multiple reviews trickling in over time. Simply ask your best customers if they would mind doing a review on Google for you. Then send them a link to your company Google profile and they can do a review. The best time to ask is when you’ve received a compliment or thanks. Most good customers are happy to do this. All they need is a Google account, and they can remain anonymous if they wish.
That’s it!
Depending on your business category, you might find that you can get to page one after only one or two reviews. If you own a restaurant, bar, or nightclub, you will require many reviews (perhaps several hundred.) However, even this is possible. One idea is to use email marketing to get your loyal customers to do reviews on Google. You could even offer an incentive of some kind, but be careful to remain ethical.
Warning: Do not “fake” your reviews.
Do not fill them out yourself, and do not get your employees to do it, or any other crazy scheme you might hatch.
Reason? This will backfire on you. It will be obvious, and you also might find that your account could get shut down for trying to manipulate the system.
Ask for reviews, but keep it honest and ethical. Do all these things and you’ll go far.
Results can take anywhere from a few hours to several weeks or even months.
Happy optimizing, and happy Marketing Nashville!
Online Marketing Nashville
by Seth Holdren on November 23, 2008
in Marketing Nashville
If you are interested in dominating the internet marketplace in your industry, you’ve come to the right place.
Here is what you need to do to get started:
1. Do your market research. Online, this usually begins with keyword research to find the highest volume search terms for your market.
2. Focus on conversion. After finding online distribution channels that generate traffic and visitors, you must design your website to convert these visitors to clients, sales, or fans. Whatever your goal is, focus on getting your visitors to actually do what you want them to do. How do you do this?
3. Create a valuable offer. Discovering what you can offer that your target prospect will value is usually quite simple. You can simply ask them. Or survey them. Come up with three of your best ideas, and run it by a few trusted clients or customers. Then you have your offer.
4. Use a call to action. Online, you have to show your website guests what you want them to do next. This can be done without being salesy, but you must call your visitor to action in order to maximize conversion. Walk them down the path.
5. Make a connection. Website visitors are very skittish, and they will quickly click away forever if they don’t trust you. The fastest way to gain trust is to inject your personality into the top of every single page of your website. Say, “Hi, I’m Melvin, and this is my website.” Make a personal connection in order to increase response.
Better “Mann”
by Seth Holdren on November 15, 2008
in Online Marketing
Online marketing get get you in deep, fast. It can also get you mired out on the flats at low tide.
Merlin Mann wrote this post called Better. Will you try to be better?
The bullets:
- identify and destroy small-return bullshit;
- shut off anything that’s noisier than it is useful;
- make brutally fast decisions about what I don’t need to be doing;
- avoid anything that feels like fake sincerity (esp. where it may touch money);
- demand personal focus on making good things;
- put a handful of real people near the center of everything.
Hey Merlin, do you have a LinkedIn account? “Hell no,” he says.
Well, I do have a LinkedIn account and it works well for me.
But the point is this: Stop wasting time. Ask yourself if something will provide returns. If not, quit doing it.
If you don’t go into your online marketing pursuits with this mindset, you will end up trapped in the fireswamp. No way out; except it’s 15% interesting, so you just keep wandering….
Wander not, grasshopper. Focus your online marketing energies, and it will pay off for your business.
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