Happy Holidays!

Did You Know that “Local Citations” aka Directory Listings can help your SEO ranking?

While many of your potential customers search Google for information on local services, inevitably a large portion of them find their way to a local business directory aka “citation”. Many of these directories spend substantial dollars on branding/marketing their sites to drive traffic, and Directories also do well with organic search rankings for your important search terms. So even if you can’t get your site ranked high for a specific search term, you can appear on a local directory site that ranks for that term. Perhaps even more important is that links to your site and mentions of your business aka “Local Citations” can help your site rank well in both “national” organic search as well as in the Google Places results (I still can’t get accustom to saying the “Google+ Local” results). Again, this is Google Gold! I have put together a list of the best local business directories for your SEO efforts. While other agencies have put together similar lists, invariably they focus on a mish mash of sites, many of which are irrelevant. As we all know Google wants you to be relevant and if you are linked to none relevant sites this hurts your sites grade. I wanted to go for only those that are truly important and worth spending time or money on.

If you would like me to add your site to ALL 55 sites, there is a monthly fee. I will also monitor and add new content or promotions as you need them. It is very important to maintain these directories as they purchase updated information and sometimes change the directory listings and use bad or old information.

Why Do You Need to Monitor Directory Listings? Let’s say you moved and you are in the process of updating your directory listings. You start with Yellowpages and move down the list. In the meantime Yellowpages purchases updated information from Citysearch which you have not had change to update yet, PRESTO – your Yellowpage ad now has the old information again. Or let’s say you hire an outside source to do a PPC campaign and they provide a tracking number. This temporary tracking number could end up being the one listed as your main number on the directories. This can skew the metrics of how the campaign is/was performing and if the number is not in service anymore, well you get the idea. I have relationships with these directories and can provide premium listings at a reduced rate which add video, images, review links, slogans, along with a number of other information so you can stand out from the crowd All at a fraction of what a premium listing would cost by individually listing with each directory. I add your directories manually and monitor them weekly, keeping your information fresh and accurate.

What are your thoughts on directory listings? Have you had good or bad results? If you had a magic wand what would you change in the directory listing world? Please leave your story below.

All Web Design Services are NOT Created Equal

You have probably read a lot about internet marketing and how important it is to keep things fresh with relevant and awesome content for your site and blog. If this is such a well-known fact, I have to wonder why so many blogs are left unattended and web design services ending projects when the site is only technically completed? Today after speaking to a colleague it all became clear.

Let’s call my colleague Jon. Jon called his web design service 8 weeks ago to ask why he had no google plus button on his site. He was told by the social media services department they would take care of it. One week later he called to ask why his blog seemed to be VERY similar to one of his competitors. The Social Media services department said they would look into it. Five days later Jon called to inquire why his site seemed to be so slow loading. The Web Design Services department told Jon there was nothing wrong with it and it was his browsers problem. I asked Jon what had happened with the Google Plus button and what explanation did the social media services department provide regarding the blog issue. Jon added that he had called yesterday to tell them he was not showing up organically anymore. Jon simply decided to stop calling them.  Jon sighed, ”Calling them is a waste of my time, I don’t understand the lingo enough to argue the issues.”

So I asked Jon, “How much do you pay you Web Design Service a month to ignore you?” One of Jon’s eyebrow lifted as he looked my way… Jon grabbed his cell phone and cancelled his contract with his design service, who will remain nameless. VIRAL VIDEO TO COME!

If your Internet Marketing Agency is not providing you with the results or the attention you deserve, call someone else! Customer satisfaction is the cornerstone of my Web Design Service. Only when you are successful are they successful. Don’t throw your hard earned money away.

Have you had a similar experience? I would love to hear your story.

Are you using your FACEBOOK page or is it just sitting there void?

In an era of growing Facebook and social media use from both regular folks and big businesses, trying to find a place for your business online can be a challenge. Business owners must figure out how to make the most of all that Facebook has to offer.
1. Start a Facebook Page and Use It to Find Customers: All you need to sign up for a Facebook account is an email address and a desire to network. Then, you can create a Facebook page in a few easy steps. You need to set up an account specifically to use in marketing your practice or firm. The fact that people list their physical location on Facebook means you can easily see if someone commenting on a page is a potential customer. Facebook does allow you to send geo-targeted status updates and inbox updates – inbox updates appear in a secondary tab in the Facebook message inbox.

2. Provide Useful Information to Potential Customers: You can share as little or as much information as you want on your Facebook Page. Depending on where you want to target online traffic or what field of practice you are in. Your information should include the basics like physical addresses, phone numbers and email addresses, or a profile of you and/or your fellow attorneys. But before you start sharing status updates, photos, and other media on the internet, make sure you figure out what your marketing strategy is going to be. You must think systematically about what you post, this information is what appears to users in their news feeds and generates the most conversation. Are you going to ask questions of your customers? Are you going to provide tips? Are you going to send out promotions?
3. Engage Your Customers: Businesses with the largest number of fans update their statuses on a regular basis, post videos and ask questions, and then respond back via posts or comments. A good practice uses status updates daily — sometimes several times daily — with news, tips, holiday wishes and sales pitches and responding to fan comments. These conversations are important and if you don’t attempt to sustain those conversations fans will stop paying attention to you. Facebook requires active participation on your page; you will be rewarded with more online traffic, and eventually more clients. Remember, while Facebook marketing is powerful, it costs time (and money if you use Facebook advertising to promote your page). It is more cost effective to hire an agency familiar with your industry to post all RSS feeds that will also place on your Facebook, Google+ and other social media sites.  

You need to include Facebook into your marketing plan. 

It needs to be part of a marketing strategy that incorporates all media elements that make social marketing successful.
4. Measure Your Results Based on Your Goals: Facebook allows you to have an opportunity to get to know potential and current clients in a very personal way. You can even survey your clients and discover how they use your Facebook page. Remember the viral nature of Facebook — what starts out as a simple post can end up with hundreds of comments. If you post stories on Facebook that link to your web site, does it drive good traffic? Is your phone ringing with new business?

5. Optimize Your SEO Traffic: Just because you have a web site doesn’t necessarily mean a potential customer can find it, or that it is easy to use or have information they are looking for. Facebook is an excellent tool to increase online traffic and I can help point out a few key ways in which your page design can affect your search engine optimization. For instance using the “About” text box, which is the highest place in the page to add custom content, keyword-dense content will contribute to your online traffic. The “Info” area is also a great place to add this type of content, especially as overview, mission and other web sites relevant to your site. There are many additional ways to make your Facebook page pop during search engine queries, these are the basics.

6. Consider Buying Facebook Advertising: Another way to drive potential customers to your Facebook Page is to buy advertising (the equivalent to Googles PPC) on Facebook. You can very specifically target ads to a variety of demographics, including, country, state and city, gender, age, workplace, and much more. Using your industries statistics or a vertical or niche you have decided to target is easy with Facebook advertising. Experiment with different targeting campaigns, and different styles of ads, will give you that magic combination, which will make your phone ring with new customer.
7. Plan Events for Your Fans: Use your page to let clients know about events going on at your practice or firm, such as clinics, workshops, court dates or other public events. Fans or friends of your Facebook page can then see the events and RSVP, allowing you to get a better idea of how many people are going to show up. These can be free or paid events, think of the possibilities!
What About You?
Do you have a Facebook page? Why is Facebook Blue?
Are you still waiting for your friends to join so that you have someone to talk to?
I am really looking forward to hearing your experiences and stories. Please leave a comment below!

Guerilla Marketing for Hi-Tech Sales People

21 principles that you can use to eliminate cold prospecting and wasted advertising dollars.

Most sales people spend all day dialing for dollars, chasing prospects who are mentally if not physically backing away from them, and they waste most of their time chasing deals instead of closing them.

At the same time, most companies spend all kinds of money on advertising and don't get nearly enough bang for their buck.

Perry Marshall's "Guerilla Marketing for Hi-Tech Sales People" is an information-packed audio CD that discusses 21 principles that you can use to eliminate cold prospecting and wasted advertising dollars in today's fiercely competitive B2B marketplace.

If you’re making even ONE cold call a day, you’re wasting time and money. And if your company is like 99% of all other businesses in America, you are ignoring millions of dollars in untapped sales.

Do Your Customers Respect You  As Much As They Respect Their Doctor?

No? Why not? They don’t know him any better than they know you. You went to school. You have expertise. You know how to solve difficult problems. So what’s the difference?

You can get your copy - Learn More Link 

Google Plus is replacing Google Places!

7 Simple Powerful Reasons For Google Plus

Google Plus is a new face of social media, web strategy and internet marketing campaigns. When Google announced Google Plus almost everyone said “another social network?“, but 12 months later it has increased in popularity and has passed 300 million registered users.

1. Google Plus forms an awesome platform for both the business people and the average user. It is easy for your viewers to share your awesome content on the network if they like it. Google Plus share is equivalent to a Facebook like. Like Facebook, Google Plus will try to find your contacts and add them to your circles, discreetly.

2. Another key feature of Google Plus is that you can follow people and their content in a single group or different groups; this allows you to create a group of people sharing the same interest on your particular topic.
3. Another advantage of Google Plus is that if your content is shared on Google Plus, it gives a positive signal to the Google search engine that your content is quality content and helps you achieve a high ranking.

4. Circles: In Google Plus “Circles” is the equivalent of Facebook “Groups”. This allows you to place all your contacts in different circles such as clients, colleagues, affiliates etc. When you post certain content you can choose the different circles where you want it to be displayed. What you publish on Google Plus that is visible and public tells Google you are relevant. But without comments, it falls on deaf Google ears.

5. Hangouts: This is where you can create your own video chat rooms with up to 9 participants. This is a great place to educate your clients, share ideas with peers or tell client stories and case studies. Google Plus has made this easy to do. This feature has forced Facebook to up its game and produce an equivalent feature. Think about the time-saving AWESOME customer service you can provide with this feature – FREE! Think outside the box for a moment – think of the possibilities… Live face-to-face video on the web is transforming customer service, much like the computer did for authors; saving a tree or two in the process. All that traffic from your Google Plus page, Google Gold.

6. Search Engine Friendly: Because Google controls this social platform Google uses it for capturing signals for their search engines. This captured data will enable them to serve up more personalized data to its search users and paid Google “Adwords aka Pay Per Click aka PPC” clients. The advantage to your firm participating on Google Plus is that you are providing content and information that will improve your search engine results (sometime called SEO or Google Gold.). For those of you who participate in pay per click campaigns, this can lower your cost per click.

You can also rely on these organic search traffic results to drive free traffic to your site because 90% of all search results happen when your website appears on the first page of Google. Do we have to say that is important? Ok, one more time - well that is just more Google Gold.

7. Yeah, It is Google Gold!
Google sees Google Plus as the lynchpin for the future of an inevitable increasing social web. The investment by Google in Google Plus of over half a billion dollars provides a hint as to how important Google sees Google Plus in the future of the internet.

What do you think about the change from Google Places to Google Plus?
I would love to hear your comments.

5 days to success with Google AdWords - Get a Quick Primer

Google has a system that makes it possible, for the first time in the history of the world, to deposit five bucks, write a couple of ads, and instantly get access to over 100 million people - in less than 10 minutes.

It's called Google AdWords and it's hot. In fact it may be the first and best thing to do to get traffic to your site.

But it's not always as easy as I just made it sound - AdWords has some nuances, and most people have a rough time at first.

Well my colleague Perry Marshall has written a very helpful e-course called "5 days to success with Google AdWords" and there's no charge for it. You can find out about it clicking the smiley face below!