digital marketing for small business v3

Digital Marketingfor Small BusinessJim Locke, PrincipalResultWorx Technology Group

Do you market online NOW?

•Do you have a website?•Do you have an e-mail newsletter?•Do you have a blog?•Are you active on any social networks?

▫LinkedIn▫Facebook▫Twitter▫Other?

•What about mobile apps, text, QR codes?

Some Interesting Facts

•Welcome to the Social Media Revolution!

A Few More Statistics• Social networks and blogs are the 4th most popular

activity online (more popular than personal e-mail)▫67% of users are active in a member community▫10% of all time on Internet is spent on social

networks• 80% of companies use LinkedIn as a primary tool to

find employees• 77% of all active Internet users regularly read

blogs• 70% of consumers and businesses use search

engines to find local businesses• 25% of online ads are viewed on Facebook;

Greater than Google, Yahoo or Bing.

Yet…

•44% of small businesses STILL don’t have a website!

Why Market Online?

•The Internet levels the playing field, providing broad market reach to all participants

•Low Cost•Opportunities to educate and inform

clients▫Good content improves search engine

results•Opportunities to establish yourself as an

expert in your field

The Shift to Inbound Marketing

•Outbound Marketing▫Print, Radio, Television, Direct Mail, Pay-

per-click▫Goal: Catch the customer’s eye

•Inbound Marketing▫Blogs, Social Media, E-mail, Video,

Podcasts, Text▫Goal: Give the client valuable content

that drives him to your site and encourages them to come back

How do you market?

Getting Started…

•Reserve your “brand” name•Manage your reputation•Local Search•Profiles and Pages•Blogging•E-mail •Building Communities•Internet Advertising

Reserve your “Brand”

•Names on social networks are going FAST!

•Reserve your business and personal brands

•Use a service like KnowEm to check name availability

•DO IT TODAY!

Manage your Reputation

•Do you know what others are saying about you and your business online?

•Google your name and business name•Setup Google Alerts to monitor your

reputation•Use tools like SocialMention to see what is

being said about you on social networks•Respond to positive and negative

comments alike – It is considered Customer Service!

Local Search

•According to Google, 73% of all searches are related to local content

•43% of Internet users search for local merchants when considering a purchase – ComScore

•How visible are YOU?▫Use tools like Yext and

AmIVisible to find out…

“Places” You Should Be

•Online Directories▫CitySearch, Whitepages, Yellowbook,

YP.com, Superpages.com•Local Search

▫Google Places, Bing Local, Yahoo Local•Social Sites

▫Facebook Places, Foursquare, Yelp!▫Encourage customers to “check in”

Profiles

•Establish profiles for yourself and your key employees on LinkedIn and Facebook▫Tip: Link to your website▫Tip: Get LinkedIn Recommendations

•Establish profiles (or pages) for your company on LinkedIn and Facebook

•Profiles should be similar on all services▫Building a Personal Identity▫Building a Corporate Identity

Company Pages•Establish a page for your company on

Facebook▫Your Facebook Page is a social gathering place

for clients, customers and prospects▫Use invitations and short term pay-per-click ads

to gather at least 25 “fans” quickly▫Get one TODAY, even if you don’t have a

webpage!•Establish a company profile on LinkedIn

▫Link your employee profiles and Twitter account to the company page

Blogging

•Blogging is an excellent way to establish yourself as an expert and inform and educate clients

•Content may be syndicated to other sites (e.g. your website) which will improve your ability to be found easily on the Internet

•All blogs and websites should include an e-newsletter and RSS feed

Microblogging

•The most popular microblogging service is Twitter and it connects to many other social networks, directories, profiles, etc.

•Twitter experts recommend that you update your status regularly

•Services like Twitterfeed, SNSAnalytics, Ping.fm and Dlvr.it can make it easier and update multiple sites at once

E-mail

•An E-mail newsletter is very effective for driving traffic to your site.

•Utilize an e-mail news service to ensure compliance with the CAN-SPAM Act

•E-mail signatures▫Follow Me▫News Feeds from your blog

Building Community

•Use Facebook, LinkedIn or other platforms to build communities around issues or clients▫Allow clients to interact and support each

other▫Provide information and guidance▫Communities can be open or closed

•Create groups on popular social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn to get started

What about Pay per Click Ads?

•Pay per click (PPC) advertising (e.g. Google Adwords) is based on keywords▫Dominated by large companies▫Can be expensive▫If you get the right keywords, KEEP THEM!

•Only read by 25% of people who search the Internet

•Social Media PPC is a different ball game…

Social Media Advertising

•Targets people based more on who they are rather than what they are searching for.

•Sold on pay per click or impression basis•Easy to measure and manage

▫Run several campaigns in rotation and tweak

▫Focus on a promotion, event, etc.•Inexpensive – About 1/3 the cost of

AdWords

Putting Social Media to Work•Pick your tools carefully and integrate them

into your work life; Start with▫Google Reader, HootSuite, Delicious, MailChimp

•Use a blog to write once, syndicate the rest•Drive prospects to your site with valuable

content; Collect basic contact information•Limit the time you spend on social media•Register for local search•Measure your results

For the Trail Blazers…

•Consider building your own mobile application

•Incorporate QR codes into your marketing▫Put them on business cards, brochures,

flyers and other direct marketing pieces▫Add them to your direct mail campaigns

•Build online places that offer▫Check-ins, coupons, etc.▫Encourage customers to post reviews

Resources•Download the Digital Marketing Toolbar

▫News, resources and information to get you started with Digital Marketing

▫Download profile worksheets and presentations▫Learn about Digital Marketing “in plain English”▫Much more…

• Join our Digital Marketing Group on LinkedIn®

•Follow us on Facebook or Twitter•Ask about a free consultation

Please feel free to contact us:

Jim Locke(626) 689-4491jlocke@ResultWorx.com

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