Tag Archives: internet marketing for small business

How to Get on Google: 3 proven tactics to drive new business.

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Google-RankingYou already know that having a presence on Google is critical for maintaining a steady stream of automatic leads.

But did you know there are three different ways to attain the coveted position of page one on Google?

Here’s the lowdown on your options.

Get On Google, Fast: Pay Google Directly.

Also known as setting up a Pay Per Click or Adwords account, paying the search engine giant directly is the fastest and easiest way to get to page one.

How it works:

You create a Google Adwords account, create your ad, set a daily and monthly budget and supply them with your credit card number.  Each week they will bill your card for the amount of clicks your ad received.

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Your ad will then display near the top of search results.  Where you show up exactly, and how often depends on your ad budget and what your competitors are spending.

What you need to know:

You need to do 2 things to maintain your page 1 position.

  1. Check your ad regularly and implement the not so optional suggestions.
  2. Continue to pay

Fail to do these 2 things and you will drop into oblivion.

Get on Google: organic ranking

Organic ranking is when your website shows up on page one without directly paying.

How it works:

Typically Organic Ranking is achieved with Search Engine Optimization services, which is when your online presence is optimized based on best knowledge of Google’s algorithm.

Google has a mathematical algorithm which dictates where your website displays in their ranking. There are many factors that go into this algorithm including how your website is coded, how many visitors you get to your site etc. To be ranked high, your site and presence on the web needs to adhere to and be optimized for all factors in this algorithm.

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What you need to know:

Organic ranking typically won’t change too drastically, even if you stop marketing for a particular set of search terms. So, while it may take longer to achieve page one ranking, the payoff is much higher as the benefits of page one last far beyond the initial investment.

Typically results can take up to 90 days to appear.

Get on Google: Google Places Account

The third way to get on page one is to claim and optimize your Google Places account.

This means you’ll show up in the maps search section of of a search results page.

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How it works:

You’ll need to claim your Google Places account – which requires a physical address, as they will send you a postcard to verify.

Once you have claimed your account, you’ll need to spend time filling out your profile and soliciting reviews.  Where exactly you’ll rank depends on what your competitors are doing, as well as how active your places account is. For best results get as many people to review your business on your places account as possible.

We have covered three ways to get on Google. The tactic that works best for you will depend entirely what you’re trying to achieve and what resources you have to allocate to your objectives.

For best results, a combination of all three tactics is recommended for best possible internet marketing results.  But, the best thing to do is start anywhere you can right this minute.

Your Turn!

I’d love to hear your questions or challenges – Tell me in the comments below.

And, if you enjoyed this post, please share it!

Laurel LindsayLaurel Lindsay is a Calgary Internet Marking Consultant & President of The New Media Group Inc. She has over 8 years hands-on Internet Marketing experience.

Laurel is enthusiastic and passionate about helping people live better lives by leveraging the power of the internet.

 

Top 7 Ways To Ensure A Successful Internet Marketing Campaign

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Image courtesy of FrameAngel at FreeDigitalPhotos.netFrom a desire to enhance your quality of life by providing automatic, qualified leads from the internet, we’ve analyzed our most and least successful online marketing campaigns.

From this analysis, we’ve determined the top 7 ways you can help your internet marketer create and execute a successful and profitable internet marketing campaign on your behalf. So take out your pen and get ready to make some notes! Here they are.

1. Have a USP.

Many companies we work with can’t tell us why it is that a consumer should choose their business over the competition. This makes it extremely difficult for us to “sell you” to your target market. If you don’t have a USP (unique selling proposition), you’d be better off investing your internet marketing budget in a business or marketing coach prior to launching a new marketing campaign.

2. Know your target audience.

Do you know who your ideal customer is? The product or service that makes you the most profit? What your customers are most concerned with, and how you help solve their concerns?

The more you can tell your marketer about your target audience, the better the odds will be of them delivering your dream clients on a silver platter.

3. Commit.

We’ll generally start an internet marketing campaign with a keyword research report which will show us the demand for what you’re selling. Your internet marketer will need 90 days of solid effort targeted on one set of keywords in order to get you on page one of Google. So, it’s really important you’re committed to that course of action.

Changing the target product, service or keyword mid-stream will dilute the internet marketing efforts and net you almost no results.

In addition, do understand that all marketing efforts create a snowball effect of delivering leads over a period of time. We generally need the entire 365 days to deliver ROI. So will your marketer.

4. Delegate and Trust.

There’s a reason businesses turn to professionals to solve their internet marketing needs. It’s because we have the track record that proves we can get the job done.

We’ve achieved amazing results based on executing internet marketing strategies that work. Therefore, we recommend you give your marketer the permission and license to execute these strategies on your behalf.

Of course, they’ll require you to vet and approve all our efforts on your behalf, but please don’t cut them off at the knees by requesting fundamental changes to their efforts unless you find it offensive or misrepresented.

We’ve had internet marketing clients that request fundamental changes to our strategies and then complain they aren’t getting results. With all due respect, if you focus on your business and let them focus on theirs, the results will be much better! We promise.

5. Get back to them quickly.

Our internet marketing campaigns are set to run on a flawless 30 day production cycle. This cycle has been perfected and optimized over the years to deliver the best results in the shortest amount of time. This is how most internet marketers are able to provide consistent growth for their clients.

Please help your marketers help you by getting back to them within 24-48 hours of us requesting your feedback. This will help them stay on track for you.

6. Measure Results.

A good internet marketing company will agree on what success looks like for you, well in advance. Please help them by measuring your results internally, so you can be sure of your return on investment, and they can be certain they’re achieving what you want us to.

7. Help your marketer help you.

They may request that you place posters (that you’ve approved) in your place of business, or send images or any other materials to use in campaigns for your business. Please do your best to accommodate these requests. By failing to deliver the materials needed for your internet marketing campaign, you effectively leave them powerless to help you, and neither of you will feel good about the results you get.

 

Now that you know what your internet marketer needs from you – and why – the whole thing probably makes a bit more sense. Take a minute to note down which ones need a bit of work, and commit to making a difference to your business this year by changing the things that might be hindering your marketing campaign’s effectiveness.

Learn more about Internet Marketing and what it can do for your business.

Your Turn!

I’d love to hear your questions or challenges – Tell me in the comments below.

And, if you enjoyed this post, please share it!

Laurel LindsayLaurel Lindsay is a Calgary Internet Marking Consultant & President of The New Media Group Inc. She has over 8 years hands-on Internet Marketing experience.

Laurel is enthusiastic and passionate about helping people live better lives by leveraging the power of the internet.

How to Choose a Website Design Company: Don’t get ripped off!

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website-design-calgaryEveryone seems to have a website these days, but what you may not be aware of is that the web design and development industry is still completely unregulated.

What that means to you, the consumer, is that there isn’t a standard set of ethics that website design companies are forced to adhere to. So, you must learn to protect yourself instead of trusting that companies are being governed.

In order to ensure you’re dealing with an ethical web design company, be sure to ask these 10 questions before you commit.

 

1. Who owns the website I am paying for?

Shockingly, a lot of web design companies will license you the website you’re paying for instead of transferring ownership to you. This means if you ever change providers, you can’t take your site with you.

Ask the company to show you specifically in your contract where the website ownership is stated.

 

2. Do I receive a backup of all the files necessary for my website to work?

Make sure you get this on cd, as it enables you to take those files to another web design firm if you would like to.

 

3. Will I receive access to my ftp and hosting control panel?

Just as important as your web design files in terms of changing providers with ease, make sure you get the following:

a) FTP login url, user name, and password

b) Hosting Control panel url, user name, and password

 

4. Who owns my domain name?

Your domain name is www. yourcompanyname.com, it’s best to register this and manage it yourself at a company like godaddy.com but if not, make sure you are shown the documentation that lists you as the “registrant” and “admin” contact.

5. Are any guarantees my website will rank on search engines?

Often times there will be additional charges for this service that aren’t included in the website design and development price. It’s much better to get a full idea of the costs before you sign up.

 

6. Is there a long term contract I will be asked to sign?

Make sure you are comfortable with committing to this company for that period of time. Also ask about their contract cancellation policy.

 

7. Are there monthly or yearly fees? What service will I be receiving for these fees?

Some companies will charge ongoing maintenance fees, which don’t get you anything if you aren’t updating your web design regularly.

 

8. Who will be responsible for creating/providing my website content?

The content of your site is the text, images, links, videos etc that will be going on your website.

This is the number one reason that website development is delayed or halted. Make sure you have the time to create or provide your own content or hire a web design company that will take care of this for you.

 

9. What is the project timeline?

Make sure the website design company’s delivery date will work for you. There are some companies that will take months to get back to you on one small detail.

 

10. Do you have any references?

Just about anyone with a laptop and some coding knowledge can design a website, but are their customers happy with the results?

Make sure to check out online reviews of the company and ask for references from their existing clients.

By asking these 10 questions, you could save yourself hundreds of dollars in redoing your website design and hours of hassle trying to recover what is rightfully yours. If the company is hesitant to answer any of these questions or gives you the runaround, pick up and move on to the next prospective firm. There are so many businesses out there that will be glad to answer these questions for you; dealing with one that won’t is simply a waste of your time and money.

 

 

Internet Marketing Tools Reviewed: QR Codes

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What are QR codes?

QR codes are interactive graphics. They are embedded with data that can be read using QR scan apps available on today’s smart phones.

Once a user scans the QR code with their smart phone, they are automatically directed online.

What are the benefits of QR codes?
1. As with all internet marketing tools, the easier you make it for consumers to get in touch with you, the better the odds they will. QR codes offer consumers an easy & instant way to take action on an offline ad. There are no phone numbers or website addresses to remember.

2. QR codes are also one of the most recent developments in internet marketing. By adopting this technology you can reach a whole new audience of tech savvy consumer.

3. Through the use of Google Analytics, you can track the response and ROI of your offline marketing. Analytics helps measure internet marketing campaigns by reporting on your website traffic sources and the behavior of your website visitors.

What are some strategies for implementing QR codes?

Internet marketing & QR Codes: Specialized landing pages


Say for example you have an ad with a QR code running in the newspaper. By creating a specific landing page for people who act on that ad, you receive two benefits.

A specialized page can more personally address the consumer based on where they’ve come from. Even stating “Thank you for clicking on our ad in the Calgary Herald” enhances the user experience.

In addition, if you make this page hidden from all other users in your website, you can confidently state that all the traffic to this page is as a result of the newspaper ad.
Internet Marketing & QR Codes: From contacts to customers

Not only does it look really cool, but adding a QR code to your business card increases the chances of your contact information becoming added to your prospect’s smart phone.

A way to do this is to have your QR code send the user to an online Vcard, which can be downloaded to automatically add you to their contacts.

Not only have you made a lasting first impression, but in contrast to having your stylish business card thrown in the garbage or recycled, you’ve now earned a spot in their smartphone. Now when they need your product or service, you’re right there in their phone.

Internet Marketing & QR Codes: From offline to online:
Placing a QR code on a flyer or poster in-store and link your QR to your mailing list sign up or Facebook page.

Capturing prospect’s data; whether it be their email address, or having them as a fan on your Facebook page is invaluable. Data capture is the most basic and critical of internet marketing strategies. It allows you to grow and nurture a list of prospects, and the bigger your list, the better your odds of converting prospects into customers through ongoing internet marketing activities.

In summary
QR codes are an inexpensive and cutting edge addition to your marketing or internet marketing efforts.

QR Codes offer enhanced tracking abilities and a compelling call to action for tech savvy users. QR codes transform prospects from passively reading an ad to actively participating in your internet marketing campaign.

Your Turn!

I’d love to hear your questions or challenges – Tell me in the comments below.

And, if you enjoyed this post, please share it!

Laurel LindsayLaurel Lindsay is a Calgary Internet Marking Consultant & President of The New Media Group Inc. She has over 8 years hands-on Internet Marketing experience.

Laurel is enthusiastic and passionate about helping people live better lives by leveraging the power of the internet.

How Internet Marketing Works

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The widespread adoption of New Media into our lives has drastically changed consumer behavior and with it, the need for businesses to adapt to a new way of attracting customers.

Consumers are now in control and perform the majority of their pre-purchase research and decision making prior to picking up the phone or stepping foot in your store.

What this means is, in order to maintain your success, you need to be present where your future customers are; online.

About the Author:

Laurel LindsayLaurel Lindsay is a Calgary Internet Marking Consultant & President of The New Media Group Inc. She has over 8 years hands-on Internet Marketing experience.

Laurel is enthusiastic and passionate about helping people live better lives by leveraging the power of the internet.