The Internet, And The Future Of Bumper Stickers

April 18, 2015 by Taylor Reaume

Oh where, oh where have the corporate bumper stickers gone?

It used to be that in the good old days of marketing, not so very long ago, businesses could simply go to any trade show and hand out bumper stickers with their name and corporate logo on them, and that would be about it for any outbound marketing effort. Add on some type of contest like the radio stations did, and you were really going above and beyond.

But look around these days and you don’t see anything near the proliferation of bumper stickers that there used to be.

Oh sure, you can still find witty and religious sayings, magnetic ribbons for various diseases, words of support for politicians and sports teams, “my child is an honor student” and those omnipresent stick figure families.

But when was the last time you saw a bumper sticker with the name of a local business on it? If you have seen one, odds are that it was probably on an older vehicle and had a purpose of helping to keep the bumper on the car!

Well, times have changed, bumpers have changed and the marketer’s idea of only using bumper stickers to attract prospects and customers will have to change, too.

Those once-plentiful signs of company pride used to be a popular form of traditional — or push — marketing. The objective was to push information, the company’s name or branding statements out to consumers, and they would be more inclined to frequent your business.

Now it’s a much more in-depth and delicate wooing process for companies to capture the attention of prospects and win their consumer hearts. It demands the strategic use of Internet marketing.

The good news is that businesses of every size can utilize Internet marketing. The bad news is that businesses of every size have to utilize Internet marketing, or they will simply lose out to their much more aggressive and Internet-savvy competitors.

This form of marketing is known as pull marketing. It’s a little similar to fishing, where you put something of interest out there to attract some attention, and let it slowly lure in a prospect. The differences here are that you have to use lots of lures and you sometimes have to gain the fish’s permission to participate in the process.

The Move to Social Media and Online Marketing

One similarity between bumper stickers and pull marketing is that you have a very short period of time to garner some attention. Just like passing another car and noticing what the slogan is, your online communications have to be sharp, focused and consistent.

Get to the top of the search engine rankings or nobody can find you, have a succinct Facebook message or it’s gone in 60 seconds as new posts appear, catch attention in six seconds with a blog title or your prospect moves on. It’s a fast and furious world, and you’ve got to be on the top of your game.

Here are just some of the amazing statistics about the opportunity represented by social media and online marketing:

» Social media is huge and it’s still growing: In January, ClickZ highlighted a report from eMarketer that found that social media will have 5.4 million more users by 2016, on top of the 180 million Americans who already rely on it for social interaction and information.

The top five social media outlets are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Tumblr. If your business doesn’t have a presence on these five as a minimum, you could be missing out on customers, regardless of your target age group.

Amazingly enough, there will be 4.9 million social network users younger than 12 and 21.1 million teenagers engrossed in social media. Older Millennials are the most active social networkers, and even 17.1 million 55-64 year olds frequent Facebook.

No matter who you need to communicate to in order to present your features and benefits, you had better include social media if you plan to accomplish that goal.

» Young adults are watching less TV: According to Nielsen’s 2014 fourth-quarter analysis of television viewing habits, young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 are actually watching less television.

If this is your target group, it’s going to be harder and harder to find them without incorporating an Internet element to your marketing strategy.

The primary reason for their decreased interest in traditional television is their increased interest in digital devices. They are surfing the web, using social media, and Googling answers to every question that comes up in conversation. They use their mobile devices and smartphones extensively and, if they want information on a product or company, they want it now. If it’s not easily available, they are more than willing to move on.

» Social media is the new “back fence”: If people wanted to communicate with their neighbors just a few years ago, they could simply walk to the back fence and exchange information. They might ask about local businesses, relate good and bad experiences, or even provide a referral.

Now all of that is accomplished online through social media networks, bloggers and influencers. Consumers are now in the habit of searching online for answers and information first before making decisions from where to eat to where to have surgery.

In fact, Power Reviews found that 86 percent of consumers say reviews are an essential resource when making purchasing decisions. They trust peer recommendations more than they trust advertising and, if they do have a question or concern for a business, they want to be able to get a response quickly.

Does it seem like too much effort to learn about the new “pull” marketing? The return on investment for the time and energy needed is that you get to stay in business and keep attracting customers. Not such a bad return.

So, are bumper stickers totally useless now? Well, not exactly. But I’d recommend adding your web site with a call to action and a coupon code.

— Taylor Reaume is an e-Business coach and founder of Search Engine Pros. He can be contacted at taylor@thesearchenginepros.com, or 1.800.605.4988. Click here to read previous columns. The opinions expressed are his own.

Blog Marketing | Web Marketing

Facebook Marketing Power Tips For Santa Barbara Businesses

March 28, 2015 by Taylor Reaume

Are you marketing your business effectively on Facebook? There are so many ways your company can use social media to build awareness with a target audience. It may seem like Facebook is all about cat videos and selfies, but don’t be fooled. Facebook is a powerful marketing opportunity that can build your business when used properly.

One reason for Facebook’s effectiveness is that consumers now want to be more involved in creating the brand story. While business marketers used to be able to “push” information out to consumers on a need-to-know basis, consumers now want to “pull” information in and make decisions based on what they find.

The first place they are likely to look for information, whether it’s deciding on a restaurant or looking for a doctor, is online. And they’ll use their social media circle of friends as part of the research process, too.

Since the conversation can no longer be one-sided, social media is also used to create a dialog. There is no better, faster or more cost-effective way to reach prospects and customers than online.

While Facebook is one of the older forms of social media, it is also one of the most effective and widely accepted. Here are a few recent — and stunning — Facebook statistics that should capture your attention:

» Monthly active Facebook users: 1,310,000,000 — That’s a lot of opportunity!

» Mobile Facebook users: 680,000,000 — Plenty of reason to make sure your Facebook page is mobile-friendly.

» Increase in Facebook users from 2012 to 2013: 22 percent — It’s still growing.

» Total number of minutes spent on Facebook each month: 640,000,000 — It’s engaging.

» Percent of all Facebook users who log on in any given day: 48 percent — People are involved.

» Average time spent on Facebook per visit: 18 minutes — Once they visit, they stick around.

Facebook is so ubiquitous that many Millennials check their FB page before they even get out of bed, but it’s not just for use by businesses that target a younger audience. The fastest-growing demographic on Facebook is 40-60 years old.

In the old days, we used to keep in touch with friends via phone or letters; now we use social media to say hello, share information and build relationships.

It’s Not Just for Cat Videos

Did you know that Google “crawls” the Facebook Fan pages to look for indicators that could propel your business to the top of its search engine results? The same rules apply here as they do for website pages — content must be optimized, engaging, relevant and shareable. The good news is that these strategies don’t just build rankings; they also build relationships.

Let’s say you’ve started a Facebook page, added some nice photos, wrote an “about us” piece, included location and contact information, and have links to your website and other social media pages. So how do you garner likes and build a community?

First, make sure you promote your page everywhere and ask people to like it. Recommend that they share information with friends who might be interested in what you offer.

Your page needs to be dynamic, with new information added on a consistent basis. The social media world moves quickly. Information only stays at the top of the page for a few minutes. Unless you have said something that catches consumers’ attention and makes them stop, they move on to the next item. That’s why it’s important to be on Facebook every day with something new.

Constant reminders about your company, products and services, and the benefits you offer will start to build top-of-mind awareness. If you don’t think you can find the time to interact every day, take some time at the beginning of every month to outline thirty ideas or points you want to make. Some can be seasonal or talk about sales items, but most should just be a way of engaging your audience.

Here are a few power tips that can make your Facebook page sing:

» Consistency: Your message needs to be consistent across all online platforms. Have a marketing strategy with the “talking points” or main issues you want to present to your audience and stick to them. Don’t assume that one or two sentences every day is enough to form a complete impression. You might need to think of 10 different ways to say the same thing so that your audience can understand.

» Content: Content for Facebook must be optimized the same way your website is. What are the keywords your audience searches for, and how can they be included? Don’t just sell, sell, sell — use your Facebook posts to educate, engage and entertain. Ask for “likes,” tell a few jokes, post interesting tidbits they might want to share.

» Drive Traffic: Invite your community to click through to your website on a consistent basis. Tell them about your newsletter, a complimentary PDF you offer, or the latest blog article.

» Contests: These can be a good way to generate attention and gather leads. But don’t just spend money on a contest and move on. You must have a plan in place to use those leads, and try to convert them to a sale.

Above all, remember that this is a two-way street. You must also monitor your Facebook page on a regular basis. React if someone makes a comment, respond if there is a question, and say thanks if you get a compliment.

For a good example of a Facebook page that works, check out GoGoleta. Note the use of attractive photos, regular updates and posts that provide helpful information.

If you’d like more Facebook and online marketing tips, be sure to click LIKE on Search Engine Pros Facebook Fan Page.

Make Facebook a central part of your online marketing strategy. Boost your “likes” and your “followers,” and you’ll boost your sales and profits.

SEO Marketing | Web Marketing

7 Lucky Tips to Improve Your SEO

March 17, 2015 by Taylor Reaume

St. Patrick’s Day is for the wearing o’ the green. While we like that, Search Engine Pros believes in the making o’ the green when it comes to implementing search marketing strategies for clients. We always tell clients that great SEO marketing isn’t a matter of luck. It’s a combination of knowledge, dedication, and persistence. As a web marketing agency, we’re providing these six lucky tips to help improve your search engine optimization:

Relevance: What you write on your blog must be relevant to the searcher’s keyword. Content optimization builds your site’s relevance. In addition to providing interesting content, it must be posted using meta tags, alt tags, headings and intrasite links.
Longer Content: Despite supposedly shorter attention spans, longer content of 1000-2000 words shows up well in search engine rankings and also serves to demonstrate your authority. The only caveat is that the piece must be of high quality, or you will waste your own time and that of your readers.
Back links: Search engines look for pages and sites that are connected to one another through links. This can be done by testimonials, reviews, blog comments and social media shares that let the search engines know that your site is respected by other web denizens.
Social Media Marketing: Your marketing plan should interweave SEO and social media to expand your online reach. Social media posts which point to relevant website information or blog posts increase the amount of shares and “likes” for existing content.
Build Relationships: Increase your trust factor by showing that others respect what you have to say. Over time, you will become more well-known by the company you keep in your link-building and social media strategies.
Authority: Good content attracts attention, but being relevant builds authority. With a high search engine ranking and high number of links, prospects will tend to trust your online business presence more.

Don’t just select one point and focus on that. Each of these must be combined into an all-in-one, connected, online marketing plan. Each area needs to be functioning smoothly so that the sum of the parts is greater than the whole. You won’t need the luck to improve your SEO when you have Search Engine Pros as your marketing expert.

How to Get the Most Out of the Internet Marketing Maze

March 12, 2015 by Taylor Reaume

The way companies market their products and services has changed over the last decade. To keep up with competitors in your industry, you need to figure out how to use cost-effective online marketing methods.

To someone who is just looking at online marketing for the first time, it may appear to be an overwhelming and confusing maze. There are plenty of wrong turns you can make, many of which lead to a scary place with your online marketing strategy. The good news is that the Internet marketing maze is something you can perfect over time.

Here are some simple ways to maximize your Internet marketing strategy. The Internet marketing campaign tips below will help build your online presence.

Consider the Bigger Picture

As you start to build your online marketing approach, it’s very important that you consider the bigger picture and your extended plans. This is vital because your entire online presence needs to be cohesive and symmetrical. If you lack cohesiveness between different parts of your online presence, you’ll have a very difficult time trying to maximize your efforts.

Keep in mind that to truly dominate the Internet marketing maze, you’ll want to gear your approach in a way that will accommodate Google search engine algorithms. In being search engine optimized, otherwise known as SEO, with Google, you’ll greatly increase the likelihood of your customers and prospective clients coming across your online networks.

So how does the bigger picture and SEO come together? It’s quite simple.

SEO is measured through a variety of factors. Some of the most important elements include:

» Keywords placed throughout the website

» The name of the website

» Name, address and phone number of the business

» Social media accounts

» How polished the website coding is

When you consider all of these factors, you can see why it’s very important that you avoid switching around the name of your business. The more that you consider the bigger picture and plan for the future, the easier of a time you’ll have when it comes to navigating through the Internet marketing maze.

See What Others Are Doing

Another great way to find out what you should do for your Internet marketing campaign is to look to others and see what they’re doing. This will work if you have competition in your niche market that is successfully implementing its own Internet marketing campaign.

Some of your competitors’ online marketing techniques to observe include:

» How their website looks and is presented

» Which online resources they use, ie. Facebook, Twitter, blog, etc.

» How they interact with their clients online

By seeing what works for your competition, you can narrow down the efforts that you effectively put in place for your own marketing approach. There is no time to waste when it comes to being a small business, so learning from the mistakes of your competition will help increase the likelihood of success.

Tailor Your Approach to Your Market

Keep in mind that every company is different. Even though it’s a great idea for you to look at your competition to see what they’re doing, that doesn’t mean this should be something that you settle on. In other words, you may need to tailor your online networking approach to more directly market your clientele.

A prime example of this can be seen between two shoe companies. While both companies may borrow ideas from one another for most of their marketing techniques, the approach may change for Company A if they sell flip-flops, whereas Company B sells winter snow boots.

Another reason that you’ll want to tailor your approach for your specific market is because it will keep you and your audience more interested. Although you might come across, and want to share, a picture of a cute cat that has been shared a million times online, that doesn’t mean it’s something that your target market will take interest in. That’s why the companies that are most effective with the Internet marketing maze know exactly what it is that their audience wants to see. If you can do this, too, then you’ll notice much better results.

Track Your Results

One of the biggest mistakes that companies make with their online marketing includes the failure to observe and track results. Some businesses will just put their market approach in place and assume that things will work. Even some companies that find success will fail to realize that they can change other parts of their approach to try to maximize things in the best way possible. The truth is that you will need to observe your efforts and track your results throughout the lifetime of your online marketing approach.

Change As Necessary

As you track your results, you’ll learn what works and what doesn’t for your online marketing campaign. For the things that work, consider keeping them in place to get the most results possible. However, you’ll want to change things that do not work in hopes of making them better. The more effective that you are with tweaking your system, the higher probability it is that you’ll have an inclusive Internet marketing approach that is successful.

If you’ve heard that marketing online is difficult, you aren’t totally off. But while it may be difficult to navigate your way through what seems like a hopeless maze, stay confident that there are certainly ways to be successful with enough hard work and effort. By following the tips mentioned here, you’ll be able to successfully start your approach at online marketing.

Analytics Marketing | Web Marketing

Top 3 Website Visitor Tracking Tools

February 17, 2015 by Taylor Reaume

If you want your website to get as much traction as possible, you need to know what interests your visitors.

If you fail to acquire this knowledge, you may end up putting too much effort into areas that do not interest your audience, while failing to properly develop the more interesting content that is popular on your website.

You don’t have to have a website very long before you encounter options for tracking certain statistics for your page.

Even if you don’t actively search for any type of tracking tools, it’s likely that you’ll get bombarded with a variety of offers to try free services and programs.

The problem is that there are disparities between these services, which could mean the difference between success and failure when it comes to learning more about your site.

With so many options to choose from, we’ve narrowed down our choices to three of the best in the industry:

» Clicky.com

» Google Analytics

» Bit.ly

Here is a further look into what each of these services offers. As you read through this, be sure to keep in mind your specific needs for your website. You’ll likely come across something that will be sure to fit all your requirements.

CLICKY.COM

Features

If you have a small- to medium-sized website, Clicky.com might be your perfect choice. This application is ideal for blogs, websites and even e-commerce platforms that utilize HTML-based development.

Clicky.com

Clicky offers a variety of different tiers, but the one that seems to be the best deal is Clicky Super Pro. With this service, you’ll be able to get feedback on up to 100,000 pageviews per day. You can also cover up to 10 different websites with one Clicky account.

With recent updates, Clicky has even gone on to handle analytical information fromTwitter, which is ideal for those who have a large online following to track. One of our favorite features of Clicky is the ability to set and monitor goals, which is perfect for those who need a bit of added motivation as they try to dominate their online market. You’ll be able to track a variety of different statistics, as well as look back to see which campaigns worked and which didn’t.

Clicky reports also are easier to read than others we’ve reviewed. The reports have an eye-candy look and feel that helps busy executives save time by speeding up the decision-making process.

Support

Because of the number of users who rely on Clicky.com, you’ll also be able to find multiple outlets for support. If you need to contact customer service, you can do so through an email to the support team. There is also a user-moderated online forum and FAQ center, which is very helpful. You can use this area for requesting input for your ideas and getting feedback from others who are in the same boat.

Price

Clicky.com is $19.99 a month, which is standard for analytics programs. However, if you are willing to pay upfront, you can do so at $119.99 annually. That equals about six months free if you pay up front, which is well worth it in the long run. In addition, there are updated services, such as Clicky Pro and Clicky Enterprise, that account for even more detailed online profiles.

GOOGLE ANALYTICS

Features

As one of the more well-known programs out there, Google Analytics is often the choice that many users make when setting up their first website or online presence. There are plenty of good reasons why Google Analytics is an excellent option for first-time users.

Google Analytics is quite easy to use, and it gives you plenty of feedback that will be beneficial as you start to tweak and alter your websites and social media profiles. One of our favorite features is the ability to track audience characteristics, which is an analysis of behavior patterns of your users. For example, you can see where traffic is going on your website, which can help as you formulate new objectives.

Support

The good news with this program is that it’s from Google, so there is going to be plenty of community-driven support available. When it comes to getting feedback from Google itself, however, you’ll likely come up a bit short in comparison to other programs. But because there is so much input from other users out there, it’s likely that you’ll find assistance with any issues that you come across with your Analytics program.

Price

One of the biggest reasons that people go for Google Analytics is because it’s free. Couple that with how easy it is to use and the number of tracking options, it’s obviously worth implementing if you are new to analytics software.

BIT.LY

Features

You might be familiar with Bit.ly as the incredibly popular platform that shortens links and makes it easier for you to post websites into Twitter and other social media outlets. Since 2012, Bit.ly has offered its own analytical tracking data software.

The biggest feature with Bit.ly is that it easily takes your shortened links and tracks data to determine what is working best for you. And since Bit.ly already has a strong emphasis on maximizing social media, the program will further assist you with making the most with your Twitter, Facebook and other platforms.

One of the biggest reasons to use Bit.ly is that it ranks among the top options for user interface and ease of use. Although there is a bit of a learning curve, you will get tons of feedback and information that is easy to understand right on your dashboard. You can then use this information moving forward while branding new social media approaches.

Support

Bit.ly has a growing community of users who are active in forums and other user-driven networks. In addition, Bit.ly offers direct client support, which is completely different from their original Bit.ly applications. Bit.ly is growing, which is why it’s certainly worth considering now for your online presence.

Price

Bit.ly might be best used for enterprise customers with large numbers of viewers and followers. With that in mind, there are different price tiers for each customer and the type of support they need. To find more about Bit.ly and how much it may cost for you to run, you’ll have to inquire. The good news is that this inquiry comes with feedback from a Bit.ly rep, which is something you’ll no doubt find of value.

Before launching your Internet marketing campaign to build your online presence, be sure to implement one of these powerful analytical data tracking systems. Instead of wasting your time sifting through other options out there, shorten your list of choices to Clicky.com, Google Analytics and Bit.ly.

Blog Marketing | Reputation Marketing | Web Marketing

Can I Sue Someone for Leaving a Bad Yelp Review?

January 24, 2015 by Taylor Reaume

For a small business, Yelp reviews can have a huge impact on your local reputation. In a world where everything is sociable and shareable, many people look to Yelp to find out information about the quality of small businesses in their neighborhood.

For those that have a bevy of positive reviews, this can build confidence among consumers and lead to an abundance of new sales. However, for a business that has bad reviews on Yelp, the results can be disastrous for their reputation.

When small business owners see that a person has left a negative review on Yelp, a variety of different emotions are likely going to run through their minds. Thoughts that range from “That person doesn’t know what they’re talking about” to “It must be one of my competitors trying to slander my company” — they are all likely.

As your blood starts to boil and you only get more angry, it’s also likely that you consider what sort of legal action you can take against the person who has left a negative review.

One of the first reactions is to take the reviewer to court and sue them for leaving a bad Yelp review.

Cases like this are popping up all over America, with mixed results for both business owners and reviewers. Here is a look into whether a business can sue someone for leaving a bad review on Yelp, and what is needed on behalf of each party to stay legally protected.

Reviewer Is Protected Under the First Amendment

It’s important to understand that, under the First Amendment, a customer does have the right to leave a review based on his or her experience at a particular business. The First Amendment protects citizens and allows them to speak freely, which can include both positive and negative experiences.

While the First Amendment does ensure free speech, it doesn’t prevent false or untruthful comments that hurt a company’s reputation. This means that the comments made by a reviewer on Yelp must be proven as truthful or honest, based off their experience with a particular business.

For example, in the Arizona case above, a woman went online to share her experience with a vehicle repair company. Kendra McConnell claimed that after leaving her Jeep with Premier Coach Works in El Mirage, they failed to do an adequate job of repairing her vehicle. In her review, she stated that the company failed to return phone calls, overcharged for services and did not properly repair the vehicle as promised.

This sort of situation can certainly be a challenge for both parties. For the consumers, they feel as if they’ve been cheated and have the right to leave a review based on their experience. But for Premier Coach Works, the company feels victimized by the impact that a negative Yelp review can have on its business.

Business Must Provide the Burden of Proof

In deciding whether a company can sue reviewers for their negative comments online, it comes down to the ability of that company to prove the statements made were untrue. For example, in the Premier Coach Works case, it was up to the company to prove that McConnell was not being factual in the comments she made.

As a consumer, knowing that you can be taken advantage of by a company can be a scary thought. Luckily, we now live in a time in which nearly everything can be recorded and used as justification for improper services. For example, a customer can use emails, text messages and legal tender to prove the commitments were not upheld by the company they used.

If the evidence proves that the comments on Yelp were factual and honest, there are no grounds for the reviewer to have to remove the post. In addition, the business cannot sue the reviewer for those comments.

While businesses may hear this and think they are now at the mercy of their customers, this isn’t necessarily the case. Just as consumers can use evidence to argue their reasoning for a negative review, the company can use the same information to defend the reputation of their business. In the event that the case moves to a courtroom, the same information can be used to persuade a judge to have the review on Yelp removed if the post is not truthful.

Both Parties Can Come to an Agreement

Yelp was created with the intention of being a platform on which consumers could state their insight and experiences with local businesses. The truth is that this helps to protect consumers, and it also holds businesses to a higher standard to ensure that they’re providing the best service possible to their customers.

Because of the damage that negative Yelp reviews can cause, however, there is now concern for customers making untruthful comments about their experiences at a given business.

In the case of McConnell and Premier Coach Works, the two sides came to an agreement outside of court. In many instances, this could be what ideally occurs for businesses and Yelp reviewers.

If you want to prevent the headache that comes from a negative Yelp review, there is a simple solution: Make sure you give great service to every customer who walks through the door. However, if you’ve done all you can and you still feel you’re receiving unjustified negative reviews on Yelp, it’s important to know that your business is protected.

Evidence is everything when it comes to these sorts of cases on Yelp. So whether you are a business or a customer, make sure you are prepared to defend yourself and the actions you take online.

Facebook Marketing | SEO Marketing | Social Media Marketing | Web Marketing

Boost Your Holiday Traffic With These 4 Online Marketing Tips

December 27, 2014 by Taylor Reaume

We are getting ready to turn the page on the calendar and it’s hard to believe that we are in our final month of 2014. It’s been a great year for us here at Search Engine Pros, and we hope that your year was equally as rewarding. As we take the time to prepare for 2015, we’d like to wish you and your family a happy holiday season and a safe New Year.

Now might be a good time for you to look back at 2014 and think about whether or not you were getting the type of online traffic that you had hoped for your business. If you didn’t get the type of traction that you had wanted, then you may realize that you failed to reach your expected earnings as you tally up revenues in the fourth quarter of the year. Luckily, a new year is just ahead, and you can start fresh with an improved marketing plan that will make 2015 an incredibly rewarding year.

With the help of web marketing, you can take your business to brand new levels of exposure. Before online search marketing, it was much more difficult for small businesses to compete with large companies. However, there are now a variety of tools that an online marketing team can implement to increase the presence of your brand.

Strategy Development Goal Marketing Vision Planning Business Con

If you are looking for a boost in holiday traffic that will carry over into the new year, here are 4 tips to consider.

1. Spruce Up Your Website

Many companies realize that they have to have a website if they want to get recognized online. But not all of those companies realize that a standard website isn’t going to be enough in today’s responsive world. Instead, it might be time to revamp your approach by stripping down your website and building it to maximize search engine optimization results.

2. Get Help When You Need It

With a marketing group that is familiar in SEO, you can have a customized online presence that is tailored to your every request. With the advice of these marketing experts, you’ll get some of the top web design ideas that will interest your audience and keep them on your page. In addition, these web marketing methods will help with your online search engine rankings by accommodating to required expectations. If any part of your online presence is outdated, you may be hurting your SEO wherewithal. This is why it’s important that you make a beneficial change that will quickly boost your presence and maximize your online efforts.

3. Re-Target Your Marketing Approach

Along with other methods of online marketing, you’ll also want to evaluate your marketing plan to see how well it is targeting your audience. In many cases, we’ve worked with business that have a viable approach in place. However, once we dig a bit deeper, we realize that their SEO marketing plan is limited and they aren’t getting the sort of exposure that they desire. To make the shift, your new approach should include an emphasis on social media marketing. The way that customers interact with companies is drastically changing on a day-to-day basis. This is why you need a marketing agency thatcan help you keep up with these changes on social media and other online avenues.

4. Track Your Results

No matter what sort of marketing service you implement, it won’t matter if you don’t know how it’s working. This is why it’s vital that you track your results and use analytics to formulate any changes that are necessary. If you are unfamiliar with tracking analytics, your marketing agency can assist you. The more that you track your results as to what is working for your online approach, the better of an idea you will have into what works. You can then use this information as you move forward and tailor your online marketing toward your target audience.

Q: Is it too late to jump start my online marketing for the holiday season?

A: Traffic from Google Adwords can be sent to your web site in less than an hour.

Q: How does online marketing compare to other forms of advertising?

A: Online marketing has changed the way that people connect with businesses. Instead of sending out mail flyers or other physical services, online marketing lets businesses communicate with their clients instantaneously. In doing so, your business will be able to bring in new clients and build your reputation as a reliable brand that people can trust in.

Here are some fantastic events to attend that will be sure to grow your company by leaps and bounds.

Social Media Strategies Summit: Las Vegas 2015 – Anyone who is anyone will want to make sure that they visit the Social Media Strategies Summit in Las Vegas. This year, the event will be from February 10 – 12. You can learn more about how to market your brand online at this great conference.

Social Media Marketing World – There will be over 2,500 people in attendance at the Social Media Marketing World from March 25-27. The event is held in San Diego, so be sure to get your ticket early to be part of one of the biggest social media events around the nation.

Blog Marketing | Event Marketing | Web Marketing

Event Marketing and Event Promotion Ideas

December 23, 2014 by Taylor Reaume

Think back about 10 years and try to remember how you used to garner interest about an event that you were throwing in Santa Barbara.

How would you get people’s attention? How would you maximize the number of people who knew about the event? Would you be able to easily track attendees? Could you easily let people know of changes if something came up?

Chances are that these hypothetical questions gave you some real-life headaches.

Luckily, planning and promoting events has completely changed thanks to the help of social media and the Internet in its entirety. If you’re a savvy with your Internet promoting methods, you can track, measure and inform your audience with up-to-the-minute results in ways like never before.

As you read through this insight on how to promote your Santa Barbara event on the web, a few parameters that you should consider are:

» Keeping your target audience in mind

» Knowing who your sponsors are

» Determining the best outlets for reaching your audience

» Understanding how to handle issues or concerns that may come up along the way.

As you make note of these considerations, here are some tips for promoting your Santa Barbara event on the web, and utilizing all of the resources at your disposal.

Do Some Preliminary Research

Before you begin your marketing efforts, it’s important that you first do a bit of research to determine where your efforts will be best spent. After all, it’s pointless if you put all of your efforts into marketing something that other people will never take interest in.

While you’re doing your preliminary research, find keywords that you can target and use online. If you are able to link keywords with a “Santa Barbara” tag, then your event will be much more easily discoverable by users who are looking for it. Those keywords will be influential throughout the rest of your campaign, so understanding how to use them is worth the time investment in the first steps of online promotion.

Build Your Presence

Once you have your keywords figured out, where do you use them? This is where you are also going to want to find out where your online presence is best met with your typical users.

For example, you may notice that most of your users are on a social media site like Facebook or Twitter. You might also recognize that having a website or blog is better for reaching people who are not familiar with social media. Or you may even want to consider an email list to directly reach people on a regular basis.

Whatever your potential market is, this is where you should build your online presence.

The great news is that building your online presence isn’t going to dig deep into your budget. Social media accounts can be set up for free, and a website or email client is something that will be very cost-efficient. Not only is online promotion more convenient that more traditional methods, but it’s also cheaper as well.

Start Networking

Once you have everything in place, it’s time to start networking with people and building your online promotion. The best way to start with this is to connect with people who you know personally. Inform them of the event in Santa Barbara and ask them to share with others who may be interested. You will be surprised to see how quickly this can spread, which will make your networking efforts incredibly worthwhile.

Keep Things Fresh

To make sure you are staying at the top of search engine results, your promotional efforts should also be geared toward keeping things fresh and updated throughout all of your online networks. You will need to consistently update your social media posts and add new content to your website. Not only does this keep people interested in the event that you are promoting in Santa Barbara, but it’ll also help you increase your wherewithal in SEO results.

If you’re having a hard time finding content to continually update, consider a news release to get people excited. There is plenty of viral content that consists of, “Top 10” lists or photos of cats eating cheeseburgers, so having something that is relevant to Santa Barbara will really interest your audience and grab their attention.

And if you need help with creating this new and exciting content, you can also consider hiring someone to manage this task for you.

Implement Media

People want to see what it is that you are putting together for your Santa Barbara event. With the Internet, you can provide media that will give them exactly what it is that they want.

For example, you can provide insider photos or videos of the process that it takes to put together your event. By showing people the process, they will take more interest, but the event will remain in the person’s mind. And if this media goes viral, it could mean getting thousands of views in a short period of time.

Instant Communication

In the event that someone has a question about your Santa Barbara event, it’s vital that you respond and communicate with them as quickly as possible. This can be done through automatic email responses, RSS feeds or even instant messenger services. It’s also important that you respond to social media posts and comments quickly as well.

By communicating with your audience quickly, they will see that you are attentive and interested. It will also help to generate a positive vibe about your event, which will work in your favor as you try and draw in more people to the event.

Provide Easy Access

Finally, you need to ensure that the online promotion of your Santa Barbara event includes easy resources for people to find out more information. This should include an email address, links to other online networks, as well time and date information regarding the event.

The easier that you make it for people to find out information about your event, the less likely it is that there will be confusion during the process.

The way that you prepare for your event in Santa Barbara has changed. Instead of relying on outdated techniques and methods, consider the tips here for promoting your Santa Barbara event on the web.

SEO Marketing | Social Media Marketing | Web Marketing

Accelerate Your SEO Marketing for Christmas Now

December 2, 2014 by Taylor Reaume

By Taylor Reaume @ NOOZHAWK.COM

The holidays are right around the corner, which means that now is the time for companies to ensure that they have a marketing approach that is geared toward bringing in the most clients possible. Not only will having a tailored marketing approach this holiday season help you close out 2014 with a bang, but it’ll give you a big boost as you prepare to ring in 2015.

If you don’t know by now, marketing has changed drastically over the last few years. The emphasis on online marketing has quickly grown to be much more valuable than nearly any other advertising tool. In order to make online marketing work for your business, it all starts with your ability to be found through a search engine like Google.

You still have a few weeks until Christmas, but now is the prime time for consumer shopping online. Therefore, here are some ways that you can accelerate your SEO marketing for Christmas now, to ensure that you get the most amount of traffic that you can during this incredibly popular time of year.

Revamp Your Website

If you can’t find the perfect gift to give yourself this holiday season, look no further than your website. If it has been a while since you last updated your site, now is the time to make some very critical changes that will help you with search engine optimization.

There is a common misperception that just having a website is good enough to help you with your online presence and SEO listings. However, this isn’t the case. Instead, you need to ensure that your website is built with a strong foundation that will make it easier for viewers to find.

To improve the foundation of your website, make sure that URLs are cohesive and consistent, include valuable metadata, and work to keep everything organized along the way as you continue to build your website. Not only will putting in some effort on your website look better and be more cohesive, but it’ll also help it run faster as well. Google shows preference to websites that can load quickly, which is why it’s important that yours does just that.

If you’ve already invested in your website, you may not want to keep pouring money into it if it’s not working for you. However, you can rest assured knowing that your site is not something that should be overlooked, and instead it might be time for you to spruce things up. After all, the Internet isn’t going away, and revamping your website at the end of 2014 will have lasting positive benefits.

Create Holiday Content

Content is king when it comes to SEO results. Therefore, you want to ensure that you have creative and relevant content throughout your website. The more content you upload, the better your SEO results will be.

If you are having a hard time coming up with creative content this holiday season, it might be time for you to spruce up your blog. With a blog, you can write about anything that is relevant to your website, and this will help with SEO.

Since it’s the holiday season, be sure to include something about the holidays in your blog content. Not only does this keep things relevant and give you something to write about, but it’ll also get your viewers in the holiday spirit as they read your content.

Keep Things Consistent During Christmas

Consistency is key as you begin building your online presence with the hopes of dominating search engines. As you start to build up your website, be sure that URLs for your website are consistent.

Consistency will help you with your SEO rankings, but it also helps with cataloging your entire website. Google and other search engines require you to setup an XML site map, and they give priority rankings to websites with a consistent internal linking structure. The truth is that requirements for search engines are always changing, and a more organized website will make it easier for you to make adjustments in the future.

Do yourself a favor and start with consistent cataloging now, and you’ll have a much easier time with marketing your website in the New Year as well.

Consider Christmas Keywords

As a business owner, it can be hard to see things from the perspective of customers and clients. To dominate SEO marketing during the Christmas season, however, this is exactly what you’ll have to do.

Sure, there are plenty of fancy programs out there that will help you with keywords, and many of them are worth investing into. However, if you are on a budget with your business, you only have to think like a consumer to find relevant keywords.

To help accelerate your SEO marketing, consider the keywords and phrases that you believe your clients will be looking for. In doing so, you’ll notice more hits and traffic to your website.

Spread The Holiday Cheer

2014 was a huge year for social media, and you can expect things to only become more dependent on this type of media in 2015. Therefore, be sure that you take the time during the holidays to improve your overall social media influence.

If you aren’t using your social media profile for your business, you are missing out on a big opportunity to draw in new clients. Your social media profile can also help you with improving your image and the perception that customers have of your brand by interacting with them on a regular basis.

Finally, as you also look to improve your social media presence for SEO this holiday season, also be sure to make your website easier to share. If you can easily share your site through your social media links, you’ll notice an increase in views from your followers online.

The year is almost over, so now is your chance to end 2014 with a bang. Consider these tips to help you accelerate your SEO marketing for Christmas. If you do so correctly, you’ll also be happy with the benefits you’ll get after the New Year as well.

Facebook Marketing | Local Marketing | SEO Marketing | Social Media Marketing | Web Marketing

Get Your Online Marketing Plan Ready For The Holidays

November 27, 2014 by Taylor Reaume

Can you believe it? The holiday season is here, though it seems like 2014 just started. From the team here at Search Engine Pros, we’d like to take a moment to wish you a happy Thanksgiving, and a prosperous and safe holiday season.

For the companies out there, you likely know that it’s time that you start planning for holiday marketing. With an economy that is finally back on an upswing, it’s expected that this could be a record quarter for sales as we finish out the year. That is why it’s important that your business has a dedicated web presence this holiday season. If you don’t, then you’ll be missing out on valuable clients and an increase in customers during a golden time of year to do so.

If your current online campaign is leaving you with something more to be desired, then there is no time to waste. With a search marketing team on your side, you’ll be able to get back in the game and earn more recognition for your company.

When it comes to working with a web marketing company for the first time, you may not be familiar with what to expect. Here are some of the services that an online marketing team will provide you with.

A Personalized Website = 24/7 Employee

First impressions mean everything when it comes to your online presence. That is why it’s imperative that you have a fully personalized website that makes a lasting impression on your clients.

In order to implement a personalized website, you’ll need a marketing group that can provide you with top web design ideas. Your web design needs to be something that works best for you and that really shows off your company’s personality.

In addition, your website should also be optimized for future growth as well. The internet is always changing and the way people look for information is as well. Therefore, your web marketing approach should include a strategy to ensure that your site will last for years to come.

By building trust with your customers through your website, your marketing plan will be much more effective to build from.

A Diverse Marketing Plan

Having just a website isn’t going to be enough to get the type of sales that you are looking for. It’ll help, but you’ll also need a diverse marketing plan that uses a variety of different methods.

With an SEO marketing plan, you’ll be able to rank higher in search engine results provided by Google, the largest search engine on the web. With social media marketing, you can target customers on sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and more. Email marketing and list building are also essential elements to your long term success. The more that you build as an online presence, the more successful your marketing approach will be. Keep this in mind as you look for a marketing agency to assist you, and make sure that they have a comprehensive approach.

Diligent Customer Care

Working with a marketing service that you can trust will hopefully go well right out of the gate and everything will be smooth. But because we all know that business has plenty of variables, you never know what’s going to happen. That’s why it’s important to work with an agency that promises diligent customer care. There is no telling what obstacles that you may come across, which is why it’s vital that you work with a team that is ready to take on additional challenges with you. A reputable marketing company will evaluate what is working and what is not, and then help you make adjustments accordingly to better implement your strategy.

As the year comes to a close, we’ve had the chance to look back and realize how grateful we are and how much we appreciate everyone who has supported the growth of Search Engine Pros over the years. Many, many thanks to our wonderful clients for your continued trust in our team. Thank you to our dedicated staff for your exceptional focus, drive and determination. Your contributions make a real difference every year.

Q: Why is web marketing more important than traditional marketing during the holidays?
A: Black Friday was once thought to be something that was worth going out for in order to get great deals on things. However, with so much chaos that ensues every time, people are now starting to opt for more online purchases. That is why you need to ensure that you are online for people to find when they are looking for ways to beat Black Friday madness.
Q: Why is web marketing a better investment than physical mailers or advertisements?
A: When you use web marketing, you are building multiple different avenues to keep in contact with your clients. With an investment into online marketing, you can build email lists and social media accounts, which then will make for even more cost-efficient marketing in the future.
Q: How long does web marketing stay relevant?
A: It doesn’t look like the internet is going anywhere, so it’s safe to say that your online marketing approach will be relevant for years to come. By getting a head start on your online marketing, you’ll be able to get ahead of the curve and stay relevant for years to come.

About Search Engine Pros: Search Engine Pros is a Santa Barbara web marketing firm specialized in online marketing, SEO marketing, PPC (Pay Per Click Google Adwords) and SEO/web design. Visit the website and Facebook page or call 800-605-4988 for more information or to request a copy of 101 Ways to Drive Traffic.

Big budget results. Small budget costs.

Step 1. Design a site that captivates, informs and motivates customers to action.
Step 2. Develop a content publishing plan detailing specific steps to success.
Step 3. Delegate execution to a team with a strong track record for success.

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