Santa Barbara Social Media Marketing Made Easy

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Need help with your Santa Barbara social media marketing strategy?

Consumers now co-author the stories brands’ tell. Push is now pull and monologue is now dialogue.

Social Media is the newer, better, faster way to reach customers.

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To grow your presence on the web, you need a smart social media marketing strategy. Many folks are turning to online marketing platforms to grow their business because over 81% of buyers make purchasing decisions online. As the web has grown and Google has become more sophisticated, the field of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) has been merging with social media marketing, as well as traditional marketing, with emphasis on branding, framing, story telling, user engagement, viral marketing, and public relations.   For example, Google is now crawling the Facebook Fan pages, which means that the words you use on social media have an impact on your SEO.

Social Media Marketing

Did you know that the fastest growing demographic on Facebook is 40-60 years old?  In the old days, we used to network in the coffee shops, nowadays, it’s all happening on social media sites.  Social media sites are like personal newspapers of people’s lives.  Some call it “lifestreaming”.

Smart companies are building massive emotional equity with social media sites.  Educational marketing on these social sites, if executed properly (value adds, not pitches), will significantly boost your income.

Permission based marketing is more important than ever today.  Boost your “likes’ and your “followers”, and you’ll boost your sales and profits.

Someone with experience in SEO, is someone who understands how people search for information (on the web and in other ways) and ensures that they or their clients are visible in the unpaid (organic) listings. A social media marketer is someone that ensures your business presence stays top of mind on social sites like Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin.

Get people to know, like & trust you!

Santa Barbara Social Media Marketing Made Easy

Q: Does a Santa Barbara social media marketing firm help with maintaining my Local Listings?

A: Santa Barbara social media marketing firms in general do not help with local listings.  However, at Search Engine Pros, WE DO!   Your social media manager will help build positive content on your local sites such as Google Local, Yelp and many others.  Local Search enables users to find businesses and services within a specific geographic region. A Local Search Listing gives your business instant locally targeted exposure online.  It’s important for your business to find a smart Santa Barbara social media manager that knows how to create and submit your Local Profile live to Google Maps, Yahoo Local Listings, Bing and YellowPages.com –many Santa Barbara social media manager falls short here.  Submitting to local sites will help your business tap into local search engine traffic and deliver more potential customers in your local area. Local Search Optimization is an ongoing tasks that takes many months to start generating traction.  In our Santa Barbara social media workshop, business owners report that the day they got into the number ranks on Google Plus Local was the day everything changed, and they started getting 5-10 calls per day.

Q: Does a Santa Barbara social media marketing firm help create social sites?

A. Yes.  Your Santa Barbara social media manager will also help you create and optimize Social Sites like Facebook. There are a number of other social websites that your social media manager can create. By optimizing your content, you tell search engines which keywords are important to you. Search engines can only give your web page a high ranking for a certain keyword if your web page is relevant to that keyword. Make sure you have your target keywords in your titles, h1 tags, page URLs, metas, body area, breadcrumbs, and image alt tags.

Facebook and Twitter are in many respects becoming more important than your actual company web site these days.  As search engine specialists, we’re helping you in a unique way with your social media strategy.  We’re different because we think from the search engines perspective, and we know that it’s not enough to just have a compelling copy.  Marketers create compelling copy.  Create compelling copy that is optimized for both humans AND the search engines.

Q: Do Santa Barbara social media marketing campaigns increase the number of friends I have on Facebook and Twitter?

A. Yes. Your social media manager connects you to centers of influence in your industry, and adds value to them by retweeting their articles and doing other value adds.  More twitter followers means more brand visibility and traffic.  Your Social Media Manager posts niche related news articles on your twitter for you. More tweets = more viewership and traffic.  Need to add Facebook Friends? No problem, we’ve got you covered. More facebook friends = more viewership and traffic.

Q: Do Santa Barbara social media marketing campaigns include DIGGS?

A. Yes.  Your Social Media Manager will DIGG Your articles. Diggs are the most popular social bookmarks to have on your article.  Digg.com is one of the social bookmarking sites that search engines pay attention to the most.  They increase the popularity of your article which in turn increases rankings.

Q: Do Santa Barbara social media marketing campaigns include YOUTUBE optimization?

A.  Yes, your Santa Barbara social media marketing manager will help you get more views and make comments on your Youtube Videos. Youtube is the 2nd largest search engine behind Google, and more Youtube votes increases your rankings in the Youtube Search Engine.   This will in turn increase the popularity of your video and help to increase rankings.

Successful websites launch with 100 helpful articles In order to rank well on the internet’s largest search engines, you site must contain informative, original content that contains the relevant keywords from which you’d like to capture traffic. Part of the success of your business depends on your ability to generate top ranks on Google and other major search engines.

Get an entire marketing department for the price of a part time employee!

Santa Barbara Social Media Marketing Pros

Step 1. Design a web site that captivates, informs and motivates your target audience to take action.
Step 2. Develop an annual content publishing plan detailing specific steps to success.
Step 3. Delegate execution of the plan to a team that delivers a true return on investment.

Ready to get started?  Inquire with Search Engine Pros today – your Santa Barbara Social Media Experts.

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The Internet, And The Future Of Bumper Stickers

Bumper Stickers

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, TwitterInstagramPinterest 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.

How to Get the Most Out of the Internet Marketing Maze

Inside The Maze

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 doing

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. FacebookTwitter, 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

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

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.

— 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.

Boost Your Holiday Traffic With These 4 Online Marketing Tips

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Santa Barbara Web Marketing Questions
PPC (Pay Per Click) Google Adwords

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.

Web Marketing Events

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.

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Accelerate Your SEO Marketing for Christmas Now

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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.

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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.

Santa Barbara Web Marketing

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.

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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.

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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.

Get Your Online Marketing Plan Ready For The Holidays

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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.

Holiday Marketing Plan

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.

Happy Thanksgiving

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.

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  • 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 marketingSEO marketing, PPC (Pay Per Click Google Adwords) and SEO/web designVisit 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.

Ready to get started?  Fill out this form to receive a free website analysis and rank report.

Smile, It’s Contagious!

7 Ways to Improve Your Content Marketing Strategy

Content Marketing Strategy

There is no denying the importance that a first impression can make. And in today’s tech-driven world, in which impressions can be made in an instant, it’s vital that you are using content that is making a positive and lasting mark on your audience.

If you notice that you aren’t getting the type of traffic that you’d like, it might be time to evaluate the quality of your website. In your evaluation, ask yourself:

» Does the site look physically appealing for viewers?

» Does the site load quickly on different browsers and platforms?

» Does the site offer content that attracts people and sticks in their minds long after they’ve left?

If your answer is no to any of these questions, it’s time for an overhaul of your content marketing strategy.

The good news is that there are plenty of options from which to choose when trying to improve your strategy. The bad news is that the multitude of options makes it hard to narrow down the choices that might be best for you. To help with the process, here are the top seven ways to improve your content marketing strategy for your brand, product or service.

View from a Customer’s Perspective

Before you start doing anything with your new content marketing strategy, it might be time to look at your entire approach from a different perspective.

There is the possibility that you’ve been looking at your content strategy for too long as a member of the business. This may lead you to become biased or judgmental to certain parts of your website. In doing so, you’ll lose out on the perception that your viewers and customers have.

To do a better job of viewing your website from a customer’s perspective, be sure to ask plenty of questions and be open to honest feedback from others. If you fail to realize that your audience isn’t interested, or maybe it simply isn’t seeing your content, then you will have an incredibly difficult time trying to maximize your marketing strategy efforts.

Know What You’re Getting Into

If you plan to improve your online content strategy through blind luck, you may want to think again. Instead, you’re going to want to ensure that you put in plenty of research into your content marketing strategy before you get yourself too deep into anything. Reading this article is a great start, but there’s plenty more that you can do as well.

For beginners, look up the keywords that you plan to use and how you think those will be most useful with your specific site. By using a program like Google AdWords Keyword Tool, you’ll be able to create strings of keywords that are likely to bring back the best results for your website.

The more likely it is that someone is going to put in the string of keywords that you have, the higher likelihood that you’ll get visits to your site. Therefore, do enough due diligence beforehand to ensure that you know what you’re getting yourself into before starting your content marketing strategy.

Look for Cohesiveness Across Platforms

Remember earlier when we asked if your site looks good across platforms and on different browsers? Well, if it doesn’t, now is your time to get this figured out. You never know where your audience is coming from when it’s viewing your content. Visitors may be looking with their phones, their tablets or their computers, and there are also plenty of Internet browsers that they could be using as well. This is important because each browser works and functions differently, which may affect how your site runs.

Therefore, you should look for cohesiveness across all platforms for your website. The more smoothly your site runs on multiple browsers, the more likely it is that people will trust that they can visit your site no matter where they are coming from.

Allow Customer Feedback

Your customers want to let you know how you’re doing. If you don’t listen, you’re missing out on a prime chance to learn how to improve and make your company better. Therefore, a great way for you to improve your content marketing strategy is by letting others provide you with feedback.

Not only does feedback give you a better idea of how you can improve your image and what you can do better, but it also will help your SEO rankings. Finally, by having updated content in the form of customer feedback, other people will see that you make a diligent effort to provide the best service that you can for your clients.

Have A Personal Blog

A personal blog is another great way to improve your content marketing strategy. Since search engines like Google give priority to sites that are regularly updated, a blog is a great way for you to continually update your content. In addition, a blog is an ideal way for you to connect with potential clients who are looking to learn more about your business.

Get Social

Social media also take a big piece of the pie when you are looking for important factors for content marketing.

If you have Facebook and Twitter profiles, that’s a good start. However, do something about it and keep your account as active as possible.

Interacting with clients through social media will help to generate traffic to your site, and it’ll also boost your online web presence in the process.

Always Build Trust

No matter what you’re doing, your goal should always be to build trust with your clients. Every blog post, status update and change to your website should have your clients and customers in mind. Your content marketing strategy should be geared for the long run, which is going to require a lot of trust between you and your audience. Therefore, make sure that you continue to do the right thing in the eyes of your audience, and you’ll notice more loyalty on their behalf.

Content is king in today’s online world. But instead of just throwing any type of content out there, you need to have a precise strategy that will work. With the seven tips, you’ll be able to improve your content market strategy and build strong relationships with your audience.

— 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.

Do You Know The ABCs Of Web Strategy?

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In today’s tech-driven world, online marketing is a linchpin for success. The average consumer is changing how they go about finding products and services, with the Internet being one of the first places that they look. Therefore, no matter what sort of industry your business is in, its online web strategy is invaluable.

As important as a web strategy is, it’s also important to remember that it’s just one piece of the puzzle that makes up a business. And with so much else to take care of, it can seem nearly impossible to keep up with the ever-changing atmosphere of online marketing. But while it may be worthwhile to hire an online marketer or social media specialist to handle the day-to-day tasks, it’s still important that managers and owners have a basic understanding of web strategy and online marketing.

The “50,000-foot view” is common business-talk that refers to a general understanding of how part of a company works. For example, a business owner may not know every step of the process that a dedicated marketing team makes, but it’s still important for the team to know the general highlights and direction of the company. When it comes to online marketing, here is a general outline that highlights the ABCs of web strategy.

Know Your Audience

As with any approach, the first key is that you know where your target is. Therefore, your web strategy should have a firm understanding of your audience and how you plan to attract it. If you believe that you already know your audience, you may want to think again.

Most companies will begin by setting up an online marketing strategy that approaches their audience the same way that it would with offline efforts. However, it’s important to know that the Internet is changing the way that you reach customers.

For example, you may have a stand-alone retail store that nobody outside of your neighborhood knows about, but that doesn’t matter once you go online. Your target audience expands to people around the world when it comes to online marketing and approaching new customers.

By understanding who your audience is and whether it is local, regional, national or global, you can develop an online marketing strategy that directly approaches it. This is also the chance that a business can rebrand its image and find new ways to expand in ways like never before.

Determine What the Audience Wants …

The next step in the web strategy for 2014 should be determining what it is that the audience wants and how easily it will stay interested in what you provide. For example, some online strategies may be to post viral videos to social media accounts. Other businesses might rely on blogging or posting new information for their audience to see. Others may even rely on an email list that is used for a monthly newsletter.

There are a variety of different approaches that may work best for your audience, so determining what it wants will help you focus your approach.

Before you jump to the conclusion that more content is better, keep in mind that this may not be true for your specific market. While there are plenty of videos or memes out there that attract a lot of interest, your target market may not be interested in such “viral content.” Instead, your audience may want more relevant information to your industry and what it is that you provide.

Looking to get 1 million views on a video might be a viable online web strategy for some, but it’s most certainly not the only option. Therefore, know what will interest your audience the most and be sure that this is the type of media you use for your approach.

… And Where They Want To Get It From

It is estimated that Facebook has more than 1.2 billion users who have registered accounts. Twitter has roughly 200 million, and Instagram comes in at around 100 million. These are staggering numbers, but it also shows that there are great disparities between each social media site.

As nice as 200 million users is for Twitter, it has a long way to go before it passes the 1 billion mark like Facebook.

Keeping some of the numbers in mind, it’s important that your web strategy is available to your target market via resources that it uses most often. Facebook is obviously a good resource because of the sheer amount of people who are on it, but it’s not the only outlet for your web strategy. Instead, your business may be better suited with an online blog, YouTube video channel, or a simple monthly email.

If you are aiming your online marketing approach at places where your target audience won’t see it, then you are wasting your time. However, providing information to users where they already are looking will help to increase the online presence of a business.

Optimize for SEO

Anywhere you look for tips on how to make your web strategy better, you are going to hear that SEO should be one of your most important considerations. SEO, or search engine optimization, refers to the ranking that a website has on a Google search query. In order to get higher rankings through SEO, a business needs:

» Keyword-rich content that triggers search engine results

» A website that runs smoothly and functions properly

» Correct contact information for a business (called “NAP” for: Name, Address, Phone number)

» No filler content to take up space

Plan Ahead

Whatever your approach is for online marketing, be sure that you plan ahead. This will help you save time and be much more effective with your online approach.

By planning ahead and having a routine schedule for improving your website, you won’t have to worry about missing posts or running short of content. Instead, you’ll always have new material to help with SEO, while also keeping the interest of your audience.

Unless you are ingrained in the web strategy approach of your business, it can be hard to keep up with everything. But with this 50,000-foot view of the best practices of web strategy in 2014, it’s much easier to see how valuable each part of the process is.

— 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 additional columns. The opinions expressed are his own.

Why Your Website Strategy Doesn’t Get any ROI

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“Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.” – John Wanamaker

Let’s face it – you’re still not happy with the results your website is generating for you. You’ve changed designs, updated copy, and added new photos, but it still doesn’t seem to be gaining any traction. At Search Engine Pros we offer personal and ethical search engine optimization that utilizes the latest, most effective online marketing strategies. Based on our experience, here are some reasons why your web strategy may not be providing a strong return on your investment:

  • Lack of an Overall Strategy: Over 81% of consumers make buying decisions on the internet, and your business needs a total strategy to attract their attention. A sexy website alone isn’t enough to do the job. Your strategy must include all elements from “The Strategic Circle” for website marketing success.
  • Consumers Can’t Find You: A website that just talks about your business without any search engine optimization (SEO) will not appear in search results.
  • Nobody is Linking to You: Search engines look for websites that have links to and from other sources as a way of establishing credibility and topical relevance. Back links are online referrals for your business.
  • Not Functional on all Devices: Consumers are now accessing the Internet from PCs, laptops, tablets and smartphones. Websites that don’t translate well to all devices are missing out on potential traffic.
  • No Social Media: Your customers like to stay in touch and are using social media to do it. Be sure to have links to your Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages and keep them updated, too. Have a constant stream of outgoing information, try to link up with online influencers, and respond quickly to requests for information.
  • One Language Limitations: In a bi-lingual and multi-lingual world, a website that only provides information in English excludes a significant portion of the buying public. The key to International SEO is optimizing a page for foreign language natural search.
  • Not Driving Customers to Your Site: Sometimes a little extra push is all a consumer needs to be motivated to visit your site. Properly worded and placed pay-per-click (PPC) Google Adwords can provide just the right touch at the moment of decision.

As online marketing professionals, our role is (1) to help you gain a better grasp of what is often a complex maze of decisions; (2) to help ensure that decisions you make are carried out; (3) to keep your strategies up-to-date.

Our clients include small business owners, financial professionals, lawyers, doctors, and corporations – people who struggle for time to carefully focus on their online marketing goals.  The Accelerator Plans we offer are advanced marketing plans designed to optimize your internet presence and grow your customer base.  All project related information is stored in the project center. Google Analytics and Get Clicky tracking software are utilized to fine tune efforts each month.

Web Marketing Strategy

As your marketing partner, we’re experienced enough to be proactive, not reactive. Working with a marketing agency should be fun, not annoying, and tiresome. We handle all the time-consuming details in a cost-effective way for you. Remember that the true cost of working with our company is ZERO when considering year-end business growth figures. Inaction is much more expensive in terms of lost market share and lost revenues.

Search Engine Pros to Exhibit / Speak at Women’s Festivals

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Santa Barbara, CA – March 6th, 2014: Search Engine Pros, Santa Barbara web marketing firm, will be an exhibitor this year at Women’s Festivals 2014. Taylor Reaume, founder of the online marketing agency, will join an all-star roster of speakers at the Festival which will be held on March 7th and 8th at the Earl Warren Showgrounds, 3400 Calle Real in Santa Barbara, CA. Each year the Festival celebrates women in leadership by bringing together amazing resources, inspiring speakers and wonderful entertainment.

In adhering to this year’s theme of “Tech, Talk & Trade,” Reaume will discuss common pitfalls of web site marketing strategy, SEO marketing, social media marketing, and email marketing to help attendees develop a winning corporate internet marketing strategy.  He will discuss average budgets and online marketing costs associated with growing a business on the web using Google Adwords marketing and SEO campaigns. Reaume will also present web marketing pricing models and answer questions about how to get the best price on web marketing services. Attendees will leave with an understanding of the importance of search engine optimization and Google search marketing when growing a business online.

“I’m happy to be associated with one of the premier events in Santa Barbara for empowering women,” commented Google marketing consultant Taylor Reaume. “Today’s women in leadership roles need a solid understanding of how to use the power of search marketing to enhance the visibility and viability of their Santa Barbara companies. I’m hoping to provide advice on the best WordPress strategies, email marketing tactics, and online marketing plans that attendees can implement themselves to give their business a boost. Attendees who visit our booth will receive a 30 page web site health diagnosis and Google rank report.”

SEO, or search engine optimization, is the process used to affect the visibility of clients’ websites in search engine search results. The goal is to utilize tactics which result in higher or more frequent appearances of client information in the search results list. As a web marketing strategy SEO programs consider how search engines work, what the target demographic searches for, and the keywords used in the search process. SEO strategies may include social media marketing, a high quality SEO press release strategy, or Google AdWords marketing programs.

“Bring a resume by our booth if you’re a college student, or a freelancer writer / web designer. We’re looking for self starters to join our team of web marketing professionals,” said Reaume.

The Women’s Festivals celebrates the accomplishments and nurtures the dreams of women in an interactive, multi-cultural, and multi-tracked program and expo focusing on the critical areas of women’s lives: Personal, Professional, Philanthropic, and Planet. Their goal is to help facilitate premier gatherings for women’s self-empowerment worldwide. Interested parties can purchase tickets or connect online to get up-to-the-minute updates.

About Women’s Festivals: The Women’s Festivals is a sponsored project of the NAWBO-California Education Fund. Women and men from throughout the world will attend the Santa Barbara event on March 7, 8, and 9 at Earl Warren Showgrounds. The festival will include a professional business expo, awards program, and educational and enlightening discussions led by renowned speakers and authors. Visit the website and Facebook page or call 805-565-9967 for more information on attending or exhibiting at the Festival.

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