Google is now prepping its own deals site, dubbed Google Offers, according to Mashable. Google Offers looks and operates much like Groupon or Living Social. Its all in the continuing effort to engage small businesses. Read the full article- including Googles reply to testing Google Offers on Mashable
http://mashable.com/2011/01/20/google-offers/
Showing posts with label small business blog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label small business blog. Show all posts
Friday, January 21, 2011
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Free Online Marketing Tools Small Business Owners Can Use Now
Being a small business owner usually entails working on shoestring or nonexistent marketing budgets. With so many PAID marketing options, what can you do now to generate some exposure for your business and reach potential new customers?
There are a plethora of free online marketing tools at you disposal, and some require a commitment of your time in order to reap the benefits. Here are a few tips you can do today to promote your site. Cost: $0
Google Maps- List Your Business in Google, even without a website. It is very wise for local businesses to be found in the local results in major search engines. These local results are free to be included in and simply require you to fill out a form to let the search engines know about your business You will need a physical street address, but you can appear on top of page 1 in Google local search results. And you can even attract and track customers by incorporating Local Merchant Coupons- see below
Google Coupons Add Coupons to Your Google Maps Listing - Free! Google users print your coupons and bring them to your business. Coupons will appear alongside your business listing on Google Maps. Adding coupons to your listing in Google Maps may bring new customers to your business. http://www.google.com/local/add/coupons?hl=en-US&gl=US
Yahoo Answers- show your expertise by signing up and answering questions related to your area of business expertise and service
Linked In Polls If you are not on Linked In – do it now. Its all about networking, especially if you ar ea service oriented provider.
Create a Blog using WordPress or Blogger. Develop a corporate and/or personal blog that educates and entertains. And update it regularly (at least once per week)!
Citysearch.com, Openlist, Menupages and other local directories. Do you have listing already? Most businesses can have a free basic listing name, address and phone……if you want a full business profile with photos you will need to upgrade to the paid profiles. But you can usually upgrade for as little as $99/month. Certain verticals thrive on sites like these…take a look around and see if your competition is featured – that’s a sign.
Social Networks- Facebook, Twitter. Build your brand via social networking. Consider Twitter in order to put a person behind your thoughts and insights. A greatway to announce lastminute vent updates and news. Monitor what new customers and loyal customers are saying about your business and get active in damage control and customer service!
There are a plethora of free online marketing tools at you disposal, and some require a commitment of your time in order to reap the benefits. Here are a few tips you can do today to promote your site. Cost: $0
Google Maps- List Your Business in Google, even without a website. It is very wise for local businesses to be found in the local results in major search engines. These local results are free to be included in and simply require you to fill out a form to let the search engines know about your business You will need a physical street address, but you can appear on top of page 1 in Google local search results. And you can even attract and track customers by incorporating Local Merchant Coupons- see below
Google Coupons Add Coupons to Your Google Maps Listing - Free! Google users print your coupons and bring them to your business. Coupons will appear alongside your business listing on Google Maps. Adding coupons to your listing in Google Maps may bring new customers to your business. http://www.google.com/local/add/coupons?hl=en-US&gl=US
Yahoo Answers- show your expertise by signing up and answering questions related to your area of business expertise and service
Linked In Polls If you are not on Linked In – do it now. Its all about networking, especially if you ar ea service oriented provider.
Create a Blog using WordPress or Blogger. Develop a corporate and/or personal blog that educates and entertains. And update it regularly (at least once per week)!
Citysearch.com, Openlist, Menupages and other local directories. Do you have listing already? Most businesses can have a free basic listing name, address and phone……if you want a full business profile with photos you will need to upgrade to the paid profiles. But you can usually upgrade for as little as $99/month. Certain verticals thrive on sites like these…take a look around and see if your competition is featured – that’s a sign.
Social Networks- Facebook, Twitter. Build your brand via social networking. Consider Twitter in order to put a person behind your thoughts and insights. A greatway to announce lastminute vent updates and news. Monitor what new customers and loyal customers are saying about your business and get active in damage control and customer service!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Should you hire an Online Marketing Temp?
Ask small-business owners to name their top priority and they’ll tell you it’s making sales and growing their businesses. Trouble is, small-business owners shoulder so many day-to-day tasks, there’s little time to master online marketing – and no time to make a potential mistake that impacts your bottom line
PPC, SEM, SEO, Twitter &Tweets, Long Tail, Broad Match, CTR, CPM, CPA, Local Search, HTML Email, Analytics, Meta, Conversions, ROI, Contextual, Ad Network, LeadGen,- what does this all mean for your business?
Once it was a simply a matter of having a website. You figured out a simple web design or outsourced it to a specialist. Having a website does not mean you will be found online. Your site must be 1.Optimized and 2.Marketed /Targeted.
It makes sense to outsource some of your online marketing to a specialist. It is vital to have a knowledgeable person deal with one of the most visible features of your business- your online brand. Online Marketing today is specialized: SEO, SEM, Email Marketing, Video/Podcast /Bloggers, Social media. Where do you start and how much to spend? All media has value, but not all media is right for your business.
As an online marketing temp, I conduct a detailed needs analysis of your business. I help small business owner enhance their site; improve their search engine presence through viral marketing, seo and targeted content. It is a tedious process but the benefits are worth it. Having an Online Marketing Temp to work with you a few hours each week or each month, you can achieve maximum results without spending a lot of money, or making a hiring commitment. A media plan written for your business allows you to “focus”, review and plan accordingly. If you need online marketing guidance I provide onsite or virtual temp services by the hour , 5 hours or more. Contact info@iwanttoadvertise.com
PPC, SEM, SEO, Twitter &Tweets, Long Tail, Broad Match, CTR, CPM, CPA, Local Search, HTML Email, Analytics, Meta, Conversions, ROI, Contextual, Ad Network, LeadGen,- what does this all mean for your business?
Once it was a simply a matter of having a website. You figured out a simple web design or outsourced it to a specialist. Having a website does not mean you will be found online. Your site must be 1.Optimized and 2.Marketed /Targeted.
It makes sense to outsource some of your online marketing to a specialist. It is vital to have a knowledgeable person deal with one of the most visible features of your business- your online brand. Online Marketing today is specialized: SEO, SEM, Email Marketing, Video/Podcast /Bloggers, Social media. Where do you start and how much to spend? All media has value, but not all media is right for your business.
As an online marketing temp, I conduct a detailed needs analysis of your business. I help small business owner enhance their site; improve their search engine presence through viral marketing, seo and targeted content. It is a tedious process but the benefits are worth it. Having an Online Marketing Temp to work with you a few hours each week or each month, you can achieve maximum results without spending a lot of money, or making a hiring commitment. A media plan written for your business allows you to “focus”, review and plan accordingly. If you need online marketing guidance I provide onsite or virtual temp services by the hour , 5 hours or more. Contact info@iwanttoadvertise.com
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Twitter and Business
Online Media Daily feature on the evolution of Twitter for business.About 56% of Twitter users say they use the online social communication site for business purposes.... you can read the article at http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=101018
Monday, February 23, 2009
Small Business Challenge : Internet Marketing in the Travel Sector
Recently I visited the New York Times Travel Show to find out how are small businesses in the travel industry marketing themselves during the down economy? The New York Times Travel Show, Feb. 6-8, is the largest consumer and travel trade show of its kind in the U.S.
The entire travel industry has felt the impact of the recession. Hardest hit are smaller tour operators focused on one specific destination, as well as some destinations with a glut of accommodations- like Vegas. The challenge is how do you market your business, sell services in a down economy when you have a product that is not a “need” but a “want” ?
Many businesses represented at the show indicated online advertising and social media will play a key role in their 2009 marketing plans- regardless of the economic slowdown.
As an Interactive Marketing Consultant for the tourism industry I see trends such as: moving some money from Pay per Click to Lead Generation. Bidding on Google can be quite competitive and small budgets go fast. When clicks don’t convert it can be hard to have a strong presence in Google Adwords. Surprisingly many of my smaller travel clients are finding Google is not performing for them. Part of this is due to a lack of knowledge on how to mange bids/keywords and ad groups- which can be a full time job. Anyone with $ 50 can create a GoogleAdwords campaign, but that doesn’t mean you are equipped to manage a campaign.
People want tangible results. In lead generation or CPL you only pay per lead received. You also receive the actual email address and contact information of the person that clicks on you unique landing page (part of the lead gen campaign). At the end of the campaign you now own the database of leads. Once you have that “contact info” you can market to them again and again at no cost. I work with lead generation programs in addition to other interactive advertising programs for tourism clients – feel free to post a question
The entire travel industry has felt the impact of the recession. Hardest hit are smaller tour operators focused on one specific destination, as well as some destinations with a glut of accommodations- like Vegas. The challenge is how do you market your business, sell services in a down economy when you have a product that is not a “need” but a “want” ?
Many businesses represented at the show indicated online advertising and social media will play a key role in their 2009 marketing plans- regardless of the economic slowdown.
As an Interactive Marketing Consultant for the tourism industry I see trends such as: moving some money from Pay per Click to Lead Generation. Bidding on Google can be quite competitive and small budgets go fast. When clicks don’t convert it can be hard to have a strong presence in Google Adwords. Surprisingly many of my smaller travel clients are finding Google is not performing for them. Part of this is due to a lack of knowledge on how to mange bids/keywords and ad groups- which can be a full time job. Anyone with $ 50 can create a GoogleAdwords campaign, but that doesn’t mean you are equipped to manage a campaign.
People want tangible results. In lead generation or CPL you only pay per lead received. You also receive the actual email address and contact information of the person that clicks on you unique landing page (part of the lead gen campaign). At the end of the campaign you now own the database of leads. Once you have that “contact info” you can market to them again and again at no cost. I work with lead generation programs in addition to other interactive advertising programs for tourism clients – feel free to post a question
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Starting My Blog-
I have long put off jumping in to the social media pool. Reluctant to have one more "to do" on my list, I have been content with email, and my favorite business social networking sites.
As an Internet Marketing Consultant for small business owners I am asked everyday about blogging, twitter, pod casting, mobile, video , etc. How does it work, I want it- how do I do it- why should I do it? So it only makes sense I should join in !
I have seen some great examples of bloggers that use this to the full advantage. Everyday I come across informative blogs, and I am racking up a hefty list of favorites
It is my goal to share my insights and experience with you on this new media journey. Through trial and error I hope to share insights with my fellow bloggers and other small buisness owners that are "new" to this media.
As an Internet Marketing Consultant for small business owners I am asked everyday about blogging, twitter, pod casting, mobile, video , etc. How does it work, I want it- how do I do it- why should I do it? So it only makes sense I should join in !
I have seen some great examples of bloggers that use this to the full advantage. Everyday I come across informative blogs, and I am racking up a hefty list of favorites
It is my goal to share my insights and experience with you on this new media journey. Through trial and error I hope to share insights with my fellow bloggers and other small buisness owners that are "new" to this media.
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