Reachlocal Reviews – The Whole Story?
Feb 20th
Before you join Reachlocal, watch this revealing video to review and compare the service for yourself. Here’s a look at the local online advertising company, aside from the negative and positive reviews on the web.
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12 Keywords You MUST Rank #1 For on Google
Jan 30th
When business owners talk about ranking #1 on Google, they usually think there’s one magic keyword that will send them endless amounts of traffic and customers. Over the years, speaking with a few thousand professionals, I can tell you that the overwhelming majority feel they only need to rank for one or two keywords, too.
If you’re in that boat or not getting the results you want from the internet, listen-up.
The harsh reality is, in order to absolutely own, dominate, and saturate a local market to become the “go-to” and most recognized business owner, you MUST be everywhere a potential new customer would search online. Google is only one part of the equation but we’ll use it in this blog example.
Getting your business website to the top of the organic listings (left side) of Google is where you can own the lions share of the search traffic if you understand how Google ranks pages.
As mentioned in previous blogs, the top ranked website on Google gets over 70% of the overall clicks for any given term. If you’re not #1, you’re not in the game! Just having a first page ranking doesn’t mean squat anymore.
Here are 12 primary keywords that you MUST rank #1 for to monopolize the local, potential customer search traffic
- (Your Business Specialty) (Your town) — example –> Divorce Attorney Detroit
- (Your Business Specialty plural) in (Your town) — example –> Dentists in Atlanta
- (Your Business Specialty plural) (Your town) — example –> chiropractors Boston
- (Your town) (Your Business Specialty) — example –> Charleston financial planner
- (Your town) (State Abbrev.) (Your Business Specialty) — example –> Charleston, SC financial planner
- (Your town) (Your Business Specialty synonym) — example –> Los Angeles Dentistry or Houston Lawyer
- (Your zip-code) (Your Business Specialty) — example –> 30044 Realtor
- (Your Business Specialty) (Your zip-code) — example –> Plumber 30067
- (Your zip-code) (Your Business Specialty synonym) — example –> 48161 chiropractic
- (Your Business Specialty synonym) (Your zip-code) — example –> chiropractic 48161
- (Your Business Specialty) offices (Your zip-code) — example –> dental offices 30303
- (Your Business Specialty) offices (Your town) — example –> dental offices Miami
Now, in truth, this is just a starter list. Ideally, you want to rank at the top and blanket the search engines for at least two dozen keywords and related phrases. We didn’t even go laterally into solutions you might solve in your business that internet users search for.
How many of these keywords above does your business website or content rank #1 for? If you’re like most, you might rank #1 for a couple or you don’t rank at the top for any.
This is far from market domination and better strategy must be employed if you want to realize exponentially more new customers monthly.
Even though, there are minor variations in some of those keywords (like a one letter substitution), this makes the keyword different and you must optimize separately for it.
Since 2005 I’ve been teaching this same exact keyword domination strategy.
And, you know what? It’s worked every time for professionals that have applied these focused marketing methods. It will also work 10 years from now because it’s foundational unlike the latest and greatest short-lived tricks other local marketing “gurus” teach.
You must own a couple dozen keywords if you want to pull serious windfalls of traffic without spending any money on traditional advertising. With that said, should SEO be your only strategy?… Hell no!
You must combine SEO, social media and other forms of internet marketing for maximum effect.
We have a lot of local business clients that get an extra 20+ customers from Google / month just by using the highly-effective SEO strategies we perform to rank for dozens of keywords locally. There’s an art and science to getting to the top AND staying there permanently.
If you recognize that you need help with your internet marketing strategy and want to own every keyword with absolute certainty, we’d like to show you a reliable and proven way to be the MOST recognized professional locally.
If you’re interested in joining the top 1% of businesses, you can get started here.
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Get More New Client Referrals by Asking
Jan 8th
Ah, referrals. I can’t think of a more powerful selling tool. It’s a fact: People would rather do business with people they know–or know of–than with strangers. When you’re introduced to a prospect through a personal recommendation, that prospect has a vastly higher comfort level than, say, a buyer you find through cold calling.
After all, few things are more reassuring than a positive endorsement from someone you know and trust.
So why is it that, while we all covet referrals, we don’t pursue them as much as we should? I think it’s largely a matter of developing good habits.
Change Your Thinking
Imagine your business as an infinite web of relationships. Every one of your business contacts has the potential to connect you to dozens of other contacts. The relationships are out there, but they’ll likely remain out of reach unless you actively pursue them. It may never occur to your current contacts to broker an introduction. It’s up to you to put the idea in their heads.
Don’t feel sheepish about asking for referrals; there’s nothing pushy or smarmy about it. People won’t give you referrals unless you deserve them. In fact, getting a referral is the highest compliment you can receive. Let your customers know you prize referrals, which you’ll earn by providing excellent quality products and services.
Make It a Habit
I know one entrepreneur who built a successful business almost solely on referrals. How’d he get so good at it? When he was an eager young sales apprentice, his manager trained him well. Every time he glanced at his watch, which he did often in his zeal to stay on schedule, it meant it was time to ask for a referral. Eventually, it became second nature.
Here are more easy ways to start developing good referral-building habits:
- When you begin working with a new client or customer, make referrals part of your initial agreement. “If I do a great job for you–and I will–you agree to give me X number of referrals.” Chances are your customer will be impressed by your dedication and drive.
- Whenever a customer compliments you, respond with a thank you, quickly followed by a referral request. For example, “I’m so pleased you’re happy with my work. Do you know anyone else who can benefit from my services?”
- Use every client meeting as an opportunity to collect referrals. To keep yourself on track, jot a reminder down in your meeting preparation notes. Make it one of your standard talking points.
- Set a weekly goal for yourself. Keep track of the number of referrals you ask for each day. You don’t need to limit your requests to clients; you can also ask business associates, acquaintances and prospects.
- Make the most of every networking opportunity. Step out of your comfort zone at networking events and set a goal to talk to at least three new people. Plan in advance what you might say. We’re all drawn to interesting, enthusiastic people.
- Always be specific when asking for a referral. Looking for high net worth individuals? Say so. Interested in midsize companies? Let them know. If you don’t tell your contacts who your target customer is, you’ll waste time pursuing leads you can’t use.
Give and You Shall Receive
One of the most powerful ways to elicit referrals is to give them generously yourself. Whenever you have the opportunity to refer an associate or bring two contacts together, do so. And when you’re attending the aforementioned networking event, make a point of introducing people to one another. Most people will appreciate the referral, and it may inspire them to respond in kind.
One last thought: Always thank someone who has given you a referral. Send them a note, keep them informed of your progress and maybe even treat them to lunch.
What’s the close ratio on referred business, compared to other prospecting methods? I don’t have a definitive answer for you, but I’ve seen estimates that range from 50 to 500 percent more. Those are big numbers. Whatever that number is for you, you can bet it’s a whole lot higher than cold calling, advertising, web marketing or virtually any other sales technique you might employ.
The referral is the number-one tool in your tool kit. Get in the habit of reaching for it often–say, as often as you might glance at your watch.
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Original article found at – http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/177640
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SEO for Local Small Businesses
Nov 26th
Search engine optimization (SEO) for local small businesses is absolutely essential for getting more traffic, exposure, and new clients from the web. Even with the social media boom, it’s important not to forget about how important scaling the great wall of Google can be.
As you’re probably aware, the top listing on Google gets over 70% of ALL clicks for any given keyword or phrase. If your business website is not at #1, you’re not even in the game.
I have what I call the 1:1 rule which basically says that people are lazy and will not navigate past 1 click or 1 second to find their solution online. Here’s a great video and demonstration I did about it on an earlier blog post.
So, how do you grab the #1 slot on Google?
The answer may be simpler than you think. First, you must make sure your website is optimized in terms of on-page SEO.
After that, you need to start an aggressive campaign of anchor text link-building to your main web property. This falls in the realm of what’s termed off-page SEO.
Factors that influence on-page SEO are things like the website meta-title, meta keyword tags, meta-description, and relevant site content. It’s important to note that you, as a small business owner, should find a webmaster that can do this work for you. You should NOT spend your time, energy, and focus on technical stuff like this.
Find an expert to get things done fast. You’re savvy enough to know that time is money.
Once you have everything on-page optimized and containing the keywords you’re looking to rank at the top of Google for, you can now advance and work on off-page SEO. By far, this is THE most critical aspect that determines how well your company website ranks online.
To really maximize your off-page SEO to the fullest extent, you have to build incoming links from blogs, articles, forums, press releases, videos, and other valuable web real estate. These should be pointed back to your website address.
You don’t just want any old links, though. You need anchor text backlinks. These are simple keywords that are clickable, which link to your site.
Here’s an example —> chiropractic marketing
Lastly, it’s essential that you’re sharing your website and fresh content on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Digg, etc. The more that you share your content, in conjunction with others sharing it on social media (ie… re-tweets and Facebook shares), the higher you will appear on Google.
This isn’t a theory either. Social sharing is now having a dramatic impact on rankings and SEO.
Here’s another key tip.
When you do get Twitter re-tweets, Diggs or Facebook shares / likes, ideally you want them from authority profiles and / or companies. Google favors this and weighs the individual influence of each entity. Most small businesses are unaware of this fact.
So, not all social media sharing is equal. Google understands certain brands and people carry more authority and it rewards those that are recommended by them.
As you know, the web is evolving very fast.
If you don’t keep-up with the changes you risk your website and content sinking in the vast sea of the internet like an anchor. If you’re looking to transform your weak presence online and create new possibilities in your business marketing, this will do it fast.
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How NOT to Piss-Off Your Friends on Facebook!
Nov 12th
There’s a predictable science to pissing off your friends and other users on Facebook. Unfortunately, many have mastered this art with jedi-like precision. This post shares 9 practical tips about how NOT to annoy your friends on the social networking giant.
1. Use @Name and Photo Tagging Wisely
A couple things worth mentioning here. Doing this is sometimes ok if it’s real and genuine. It’s fine to mention a friend’s name in a thank you, if you’re quoting something they said, or re-posting information, etc. It’s not ok to tag them and put a link to check-out your website / fan page if you’ve just been accepted you as a friend.
If you’re going to tag another person in a photo, don’t do it if they look like they just got out of bed! Be respectful and think whether you’d want someone to tag you when you’re not at your best. Remember, every @name or photo tag will post on their wall or in their pictures for all their friends to see. You don’t want to unintentionally embarrass your peeps.
2. Don’t Add friends to Groups Without their Permission First
I’ve spoken about this before. It’s one of Facebook’s worst ideas thus far. It really doesn’t matter what cause your promoting or spreading awareness about, if you add someone to a group without permission you risk getting deleted / blocked by the user. This is just rude.
The right way is to send a message to the friend you’re looking to invite and politely ask them if they’d join your cause. Maybe give them some background about it and why you feel it’s important.
3. Don’t Spam and Post Links on Personal / Fan Page Walls
This is one of the most common things you’ll notice on Facebook. Other companies, brands, and marketers posting promo links on other users and fan pages walls. This is done in an attempt to siphon-off targeted traffic but usually backfires, getting you blocked by the user or group.
4. Don’t “Like” Every Post / Status Update
I would guess that every regular Facebook user has that one person that clicks LIKE on every status update you post, every photo, etc… Here’s the deal, though.
It’s a genuinely cool feeling that people listen to what you have to say and give feedback. However, if you click “like” on every single post, that tells users there’s a good chance you’re not reading every post or listening to what they’ve said!
Personally, I don’t like every post enough to click the Facebook link even with some of coolest people I respect, follow, and consistently turn to for advice. It’s unnatural. That’s just how it is and most people are similar.
5. Don’t Place Links in Friend Request Messages
If you send a friend request to someone with a promo link in your message, your acceptance rate dramatically plummets. You look self-serving and not really interested about who you’re connecting with. Don’t do it.
6. Don’t Reply to Mass Broadcast Messages
We’ve all seen these. Sometimes it’s inevitable but spammers get onto your friends list. Then, they send a mass message or general broadcast to a few hundred folks, then those people reply to all. ARGHHH, Charlie Brown!!
Sometimes this mindless chatter goes back and forth and practically fills-up your Facebook inbox. In my book, these individuals just won a ticket on a high speed train to the town of Deletion!
7. Don’t Invite your Friends to Play Games / Apps Every Other Day
Come-on, now! Be respectful of your friends and understand the apps that you’re playing before allowing them access. Some have settings you can turn-off to be respectful to your friends and others do not.
I don’t want to play Farmville or Mafia Wars so stop inviting me and blowing-up my news feed!
8. Don’t have a Cluttered Wall Full of Junk
I see quite a few brands and prominent public figures that allow any old thing to be posted on their wall. This is suicide because it detracts from the message of the company. It’s real annoying to visit your favorite public figure’s page, then have to sift through a bunch of crap on the wall to find what they had to say.
Moderate and filter what you allow on the wall. Do it often, too! If you don’t have the time, then hire someone to manage it for you.
9. Comment on your Status Updates as Facebook Users Respond
I don’t care how famous you are, or if you’re a company as large as Apple. The worst thing you can do is post something, then get 1,000 comments and likes, then never comment on that same post where so much interaction has occurred.
If brands and celebs consistently did this one thing alone (actually engage full-on), they’d build so much more good will with their audience and dramatically boost their revenue.
No one likes to comment where there isn’t any feedback by the fan page owner. People also don’t like to feel like there’s no one listening on the other end. This is pretty common sense.
Listen, one of the keys to profitably kicking-ass with social media is to treat your personal friends, business page fans, and follows like you treat people offline. There are certain rules to good communication and rapport building but for some reason many ignore them when it comes to meeting other Facebook users.
Always be courteous and considerate toward your audience.
QUESTION: What do others do on Facebook that annoys you the most? Leave a comment below and let the community know.
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OrangeSoda Reviews – The Whole Story?
Oct 5th
Before signing-up with the local internet marketing company OrangeSoda, check-out this revealing video that reviews and compares their service. Here’s an in-depth look, aside from the negative and positive reviews online.
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Is Google DELETING Reviews Like Crazy?
Jul 23rd
I wanted to inform you about this recent article that was written by TechCrunch to explain the recent removal of legitimate Google reviews from your Places page. My inbox has been flooded by concerned clients and other business owners.
This better explains the situation:
http://techcrunch.com/2011/07/21/google-places-stops-stealing-reviews/
They even reference a pizza place in Chicago that went from 1,110 to 171 Google Places reviews. Most doctors, professionals, and marketers I’ve spoken with are down about 65% from where they were… Absolutely crazy!
What are your thoughts on this whole ordeal?
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Yodle Reviews – The Whole Truth?
May 30th
Before signing on the dotted line with Yodle, watch this eye-opening video. Compare and review the service and what they deliver for yourself. Here’s an in-depth look at the local internet marketing company.
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Want your online marketing and traffic generation COMPLETELY done for you you monthly? Click here for more information on how to fully automate the internet marketing and growth of your business.
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Don’t Fall for This Google SCAM!
May 26th
If you own a local small business, you may have been called or contacted by another company claiming to be “hired by Google.” They typically let you know that someone is posting either negative feedback about your business or bad links to virus sites.
Then, conveniently enough they offer you a solution for only $97 after they pull the scare tactic!
DON’T FALL FOR THIS. IT’S A SCAM!!
Many times companies like this prey on your ignorance. They are certainly NOT employed by Google so don’t be fooled.
You should report them immediately to the Better Business Bureau and Federal Trade Commission for their illegal and unethical activity.
A few times / week we get emails from subscribers that have had this happen to them so we wanted to pass it along to you.
Stay tuned to our ASN blog for any new developments about this in the future. We’re going to take the lead and start to expose these frauds as they come to our attention.
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Want your online marketing and traffic generation COMPLETELY done for you you monthly? Click here for more information on how to fully automate the internet marketing and growth of your business.
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Is Social Media Just a Bunch Of Hype?
Apr 5th
Is social media a bunch of hype or is it the biggest shift since the industrial revolution? This eye-opening video details out social media facts and figures that are hard to ignore.
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Want your online marketing and traffic generation COMPLETELY done for you you monthly? Click here for more information on how to fully automate the internet marketing and growth of your business.
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