A marketing resource for the small business owner
Need to Find a Quality PPC / ADwords Agency? 5 Questions to Ask!
Aug 3rd
Are you in need of professional assistance on your Pay-Per-Click (PPC) accounts, specifically Google AdWords? Not sure where to look or what questions we should be asking? Can we help? Answer: Choosing a good Pay-Per-Click (PPC) provider is not something to take lightly. As you would with an internal hire, finding the right PPC company involves both time and patience and a clear communication of expectations by both parties.
Whether you hire a single PPC consultant or go with a larger firm with dozens of certified specialists in PPC campaign management, there are certain places to look AND certain questions to ASK that will make the process go much easier.
Since your current need is primarily Google AdWords, our first recommendation is the Google Partner Search. This simple search engine is maintained directly by Google and lists all those who have been certified by Google to manage AdWords campaigns. With the ability to search providers by your projected campaign spend, locally within your area, or by industry focus, this is the first place you should look to find and generate a list of qualified Google AdWords PPC management professionals.
Note: The Google Partner Search also includes a handy Search by Partner Name field which allows you to check the certification status of any company who “claims” they have a Google AdWords Professional Certification.
Once you’ve generated a list of possible PPC candidates, it’s time to interview them. Understanding their level of expertise, their cost structure, past results, and approach to your accounts is IMPERATIVE going forward.
Here are five suggested questions to ask any potential candidate:
1. How long have they been doing PPC campaign management? Look for at least five years of experience and ask for a DOCUMENTED history of success. Request at least two examples of past and current clients who are willing to speak with you directly.
2. Who is running your campaign? Are you getting a dedicated representative who is a GAP (Google Advertising Professional) or certified by Google as an expert in Google AdWords campaign management?
3. What reporting should you expect? What metrics will be given “on-demand” and will you have full access to reporting functions? What type of reports will you receive on the status of your account daily, weekly, monthly? Make sure you discuss transparency so nothing comes as a surprise down the road.
4. How do you measure success? What metrics do you believe are the most important in determining the success (or failure) of a PPC campaign? Will you be provided with detailed assistance fleshing out goals for this campaign and adjusting them as necessary?
5. Who keeps your accounts? The worst thing you can do is hire a firm who sets-up and manages PPC accounts for you, then KEEPS these accounts when they are done or you decide to go in another direction. Make sure you confirm that these accounts are YOURS once you part ways. Otherwise, keep looking for a provider.
This isn’t an exhaustive list and for those of you with suggestions or additions to this list, please feel free to use our comments below. But from a bare bones standpoint, doing the above will insure you get off on the right foot as you look for a quality PPC vendor.
With the average CPC on Google surpassing $1.24 in 2010 and expected to rise between 5-8% in 2011, getting ALL you can out of your current accounts is vital. Make sure you choose your next PPC manager wisely. Mistakes are costly!
Looking for SEO Tips in Cumming and Alpharetta – Great SEO Tool for Optimization Help
Jun 28th
Want to get a some ideas for optimizing your web site? This is a very thorough tool. You can check out your competitors, too!
Just type in your URL to get some ideas. Tells you what you’re doing right and what you’re doing wrong. Check it out.
Strategic Marketing Strategies to Defeat the Goliath in Your Market
Jun 14th
This month is all about marketing, new marketing strategies and cost effective marketing tactics that will help you defeat the Goliath in your market!
New opportunities in online marketing are literally around every corner. How do you get a comprehensive view of the important ones and prioritize accordingly?
To ensure your proficiency in Internet marketing, the folks over at Hubspot have designed this multimedia eBook which, as David Meerman Scott says, “identifies nuggets of inspiration to drive success at your business.”
Download the eBook Now!
This complimentary 34-page guide covers a range of topics, including:
* How to Get Found Online as a Local Business
* How Do You Use Your Email List Effectively
* How to Optimize Your Press Release
* How Do You Keep Up with the Competition
* How Do You Make the Most of Web Ads
* How Do You Write an eBook
* How to use the Web to Optimize Your Offline Events
Enjoy the read,
George
The Ultimate Marketing Plan is Here!
Jun 11th
As you probably already know, Dan Kennedy is the best-selling author of at least 13 business books and the thoroughly updated, 4th edition of one of his first – and most popular – books, The ULTIMATE Marketing Plan, has just been re-released.
Marketing for the Digital Age!
In this thoroughly revised and updated edition, Dan integrates such tools as social media, networking, and strategic memberships into a complete plan that will strengthen your customer bases. You’ll find NEW examples and marketing techniques. Dan offers an approach that will catapult your company to the cutting edge.
In the lightning fast world of today’s business, doing things the same old way is a recipe for disaster. Plod along with the same old, tired marketing techniques, and the customers will fly past you. Dan’s revised and updated 4th edition of his classic book – The ULTIMATE Marketing Plan – is packed with Success Strategies for Today’s Marketplace
Google Launches Business Photos
Jun 1st
Last year Google teased Place Page owners with a possible Google Store View allowing customers to virtually walk into businesses while using the Google Street View function of Google Maps. The testing was short lived and we were left thinking it was discontinued.
Well Google seems to have had a change of heart. They’ve officially launched this feature and it’s being called Google Business Photos. Currently it’s only available in certain cities in the US, Australia and Japan. The US areas include: Orange County, CA; the San Francisco Bay Area, St. Petersburg, FL; San Antonio, TX; and Phoenix, AZ.
When businesses apply to have the photos taken, Google sends a free photographer to their business to take the needed pictures. Currently Google is only hitting the most popular search for places – like restaurants, hotels, retail shops and other storefront businesses.
If you’re interested in getting in on this feature, then watch the video below on Google Business Photos to get the whole story:
5 Website Tips to Lower Visitor Frustration
May 30th
- Put accepted payment methods on the product page along with its description. Most ecommerce sites remember to put credit card and PayPal icons in their footer, but some don’t like to because they’re not attractive. If you’re selling something on your website – just do it. If you make it too tough for someone to buy something from you, they’ll leave you store for the next click in Google’s search results.
- You ask them to fill out a form, but you make the experience like a trip to a new doctor’s office. Everyone one of us has felt the frustration of filling out a two-three page health form. YIKES! If you are in the habit of asking a visitor to “give blood” on your website in exchange for something you’re offering… you risk two things – they leave or they’ll enter in bogus information. Neither is good. Keep it simple. Only ask for the essentials. And if you absolutely need to collect more than the basics (name/email)… please tell them why.
- Mystery and intrigue belong in a good movie or book, not your website. Therefore, if you conduct business locally or globally, make this obvious right away. If you provide a toll-free phone number for customer contact or call-in orders, put it your header in a larger font size as well as in the footer. If call hours are specific, don’t hide that information on the Contact page. Place hours or your company’s time zone next to the phone number.
- Here’s one of my favorites. Be logical “and obvious” where you place social marketing icons for plug-ins that share information or link to Twitter or Facebook. Some sites put “Share this” on every page of their website. It’s unclear if they want the entire site shared or a single product or the content from the page. Related: Offer a reason why your site visitors might be interested in your Twitter or Facebook activities.
- Keep your navigation simple. Align your major content points with your main navigation and have other ways (in-text linking or side bar navigation) for the other “drill-in” content areas.
- Sell your solutions/products by writing engaging content that is written as if to solve the visitor’s problem. Think of what the visitor is really looking for or wanting to buy and/or the problem they are looking to solve and position your product as the solution.
Unfortunately, when you build your own website – no one ever gives you a user manual that has simple strategies to follow for website success. Most people design their websites as a business card/catalog… but it really is so much more.
Ciao!
Want your news site included in Bing News? Here’s what to do!
May 1st
Bing News is one of the most popular online aggregators of news and is certainly worth your attention. Unfortunately, unlike other popular news aggregators who make it very simple to submit your news through a single interface, you’ll need a slightly different approach with Bing.
As of this writing, there does not exist a direct way to submit your news stories individually into Bing – but there is a method to include your site as a whole. Before you submit, however, we suggest you implement the following preliminary steps that can increase your chances of being listed.
First, sign-up for a verified Bing Webmaster Account. As with Google Webmaster Tools, the Bing Webmaster Account has similar functionalities that will allow you to monitor your site’s performance in Bing. It’s also your lifeline to Bing if/when they want to contact you about your site in the future (including letting you know if you got into Bing News).
Second, open a support ticket at Discover Bing. Click on the “Bing” option in the list of options to create your ticket.
You’ll then be prompted to provide your full name, email address for contact and email address associated with the account you’re inquiring about.
Next, select “Other” from the drop-down menu then use the description box to include information about your Web site as a news source.
In order to increase the chances of getting your site included, you should address the following in the description box:
- An introduction, historical background and credentials of your Web site.
- Credible ranking of the site in its field, if any.
- Name the local area or audience scope that the site covers. Be sure to provide the state/city names and zip codes for the stories or describe the groups of users.
- Provide statistics on the site – including traffic, Alexa ranking, etc. (Anything that shows that your site is credible and popular)
- Mention if the site is mostly news-related and if not, explain the unique news angle.
- Give the URL of your main news entry point, as well as entry points of major channels.
- Provide an RSS link to your site.
- Be sure that your site complies with technical requirements on the Bing Webmaster Tool Blog and state in your request that your site complies.
Finally, click “Continue” and you’re done! If you get approved, you should receive a notice within about a week.
It is our belief that by addressing your request for inclusion with a specific eye to the above particulars, you should be in a good position to be accurately reviewed for inclusion in Bing News. Good luck!
11 First Page Dominator Strategies for Creating Effective Lead Capture Pages
Apr 12th
Time to go NINJA!
It's Ninja Time - 11 Stars are Flying!
If you have a website – then you need at least one lead capture page. This is NOT your “contact” or “contact us” page. No way! That’s where so many business owners make a huge mistake.
Every bit of traffic building you do… whether it is through your link building campaigns (articles, videos, content) or from your Google Adwords account must be designed to drive visitors to your lead capture page. You should always send them to a lead capture page first, to make it easy for them to respond. If you send them anywhere else – you fail. If you send them to the home page of your website and it is not a lead capture page, you’ve failed, plain and simple.
The lead capture page is designed to do ONE thing. Capture a lead. That’s all. If you try to make a sale at the same point, you will likely lose the lead. They won’t enter their contact information.
- First and foremost – you must have good material out on the Internet that they will find, read and click through. So start with writing and optimizing good articles, putting together good videos or writing good ads for Google… something that will not only get their attention, but compel them to click on through to get what it is your offering.
- Congruency is absolutely MISSION CRITICAL. Make sure that the first part of the copy on your lead capture page – exactly matches the promise from the source that drove them to that page. For example, if the link in your article promises a free report titled XYZ – make sure that the lead capture page matches that. You would be surprised how often business website owners describe and offer something specific and then have it lead their prospect to a landing page that’s slightly different OR bury the free report offer at the bottom of the page somewhere. If they got to scroll to see the offer… you fail. If your information isn’t congruent with the source of their “click”… the reader “disconnects” from your material… “this isn’t what I was looking for…” and in under 5 seconds – they’re gone!
- The value proposition must be crystal clear to the prospect. What exactly will they be getting in exchange for providing their contact information? Even if you are giving them free content, you must still sell them on the value of the content.
- You should also be clearly expressing privacy issues. Let them know they won’t get bombarded with a zillion emails from you – and then keep your promise. Nothing is worse than signing up to get a free report and then getting an email every single day that’s pure selling and zero content. If you’re going to send them emails… then send them something of value. For example – if you’re an attorney, you can offer them a free report that gives them ideas on how to solve a legal issue or problem… and send them additional tips via email as a follow-up to the report.
- Also – be short and sweet. Face it – your prospects are busy. It’s so easy to click off the page, without entering the required information. So stay on point. Say exactly what you need to say to get them to respond. Nothing more. Nothing less.
- Don’t ask them for too much information. Experience tells me that name and email are good enough to start the relationship. I’ve seen lead capture pages that ask for seven different pieces of information. The more you ask of them, the less likely they will fill the form out. Once you lose them, you’ve probably lost them forever. Ask yourself – would you fill out a 10 question form to get something? Truth be told – if the information is REALLY IMPORTANT… I might. But a good rule of thumb to follow – just get their name and email for now.
- Use a lead capture page to start to build a relationship with the prospect. Let them know what they are in for with you. Tell them how often they will hear from you. Tell them what additional type of content they will be receiving. If they are receiving a specific 7-day course, tell them that. If it is a sporadically published ezine, tell them that. If it’s just a free report, with no followup (bad idea) tell them that.
- Write To Sell, DON’T Write For The Search Engines. Focus on copywriting that sells, NOT on SEO keyword copy. Use sales structure like AIDA: Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action. This is NOT the place to worry about using the correct keywords. That is irrelevant. You aren’t looking for SEO placement. This is all about sales. You are looking for one person at a time to respond to your ad.
- Use Good Headlines. Include a headline that captures the essence of your offer, some benefit driven bullets, and maybe a few paragraphs of compelling reasons why they made the right choice signing up. Probably less is more. Most important is to reassure them they’ve made the right decision by choosing to trust you.
- Testing is important as with any marketing. If you’re getting traffic, but no one is providing their contact information – then your lead page needs to be modified. Perhaps the most important variable to test is the title of the free thing you are giving them to sign up. Test different titles/headlines and test different content topics/themes. You’ll probably find that one specific combination resonates much better with your target market.
- Include a compelling “call to action”. Without one – you fail. Your lead capture page must ask for the reader to take a specific action. Don’t assume they will automatically fill the form out, just because they clicked there. Tell them exactly what to do to get what you promised them.
A Quick Little Marketing Trick That Can Transform Any Business
Mar 24th
I just went for my monthly haircut. I typically have a few options locally available to me and my decision is usually based on convenience (who’s the closest, who’s the cheapest, how can I get it done the fastest…). I say this because so many so small businesses are notoriously bad when it comes to establishing local marketing campaigns.
I’ll make this short. I sat in the chair. The young lady began to cut my hair and I asked her a simple question. “What are you doing today to ensure that I will be back in 3-4 weeks?” She looked at me and didn’t know how to answer. Small Bz mistake #1. Then I asked her a second question. “What are you doing to make it EASY for me to refer others.” Again, no answer. Small Bz mistake #2.
Here’s the short answer. For question #1 – the answer has to be directly related to “WIIFM”… “what’s in it for me to come back”? Soooo many business owners look at a customer the wrong way. They look at a customer as a “sale”… not a “customer for life” – and their job, quite frankly is to “take me off the table”, remove the competition from my mind… and lock me in. If her answer to my first question was – we offer a loyalty program where you can buy 5 haircuts at a discounted price – but – only if you buy them upfront. So – instead of making $15 from me today – they’ve got me locked for 5 haircuts over the next 5 months at $50 or $60, but I pay today. The real answer is – I will come back, if they made me this type of offer. And taking this one step forward – what if they said this – if you refer three others, we’ll discount your package even further. Now they’ve taken the crucial step of empowering me to refer and giving me a bonus to do so.
The true value of what I bring to this organization is so under-utilized. It’s about TCV – Total Customer Value…and realizing what I really represent to their organization over just a haircut. My TCV to them is the total $$$ I will spend with them over the course of my relationship with them… and not spending it with their competition. AND – referring others, friends, family… and my immediate family – wife and kids. What they fail to realize by not “taking me off the competitive table” IMMEDIATELY is that they not only lose me… they lose the potential of an immediate growth opportunity of capturing the business that my wife and kids could bring to them.
Anyway – without risking a “ramble on” here… I think the biggest mistake they’re making at this business… Small Bz mistake #3… is not empowering their beauticians, their salespeople, the one’s who are the first and last point of contact with me – with the tools to help them grow their business exponentially. The “I’m not sure” answer is hurting them beyond their wildest dreams.
That’s just plain dumb.
First Page Dominator.net Website Gets a Facelift!
Mar 5th
FirstPageDominator.net gets a facelift
It’s true – we’ve given ourselves a face lift and it’s a good thing.
Check it out when you have a chance at www.firstpagedominator.net
Simple, clean and slick.
