I Do Web Marketing

Facebook recently announced their newest addition, Facebook Places. Facebook Places is an application that allows users to tag their location or “check in” and create a trail of their locations throughout the day. This application will show users what their friends are doing and where they are. Facebook Places can be accessed from a cell phone and, as always, comments can be made on these location posts.

This new application will certainly be a hit with many Facebook users, but will also greatly benefit businesses. After claiming their locations, businesses can use Facebook Places as another form of word of mouth advertising. When Facebook users tag themselves at a particular business and even comment positively or negatively on that business, the opinions of other potential customers will be influenced. Businesses can even offer special deals to Facebook Places users as they do with users who become a fan of their company page. Companies that incorporate the Places application into their marketing plans will find themselves reaching their potential customers even better than before.

As always, some Facebook users are concerned about the effect that this new application will have on their privacy. However, this application requires users to tag themselves or “check in” at a particular location in order for the information to be revealed on Facebook. Users who do not want their information shared should check their privacy settings, but they can also choose not to participate in this new application.

But what effect will Facebook Places have on other location based sites like Foursquare? The Facebook network is much larger than the networks of location based services such as Foursquare, Yelp.com, Gowalla.com, and Whrrl.com, so some might think that these companies will be greatly threatened by the addition of Facebook Places. However, Facebook Places appears to be doing the opposite. Shortly after the announcement about Places, Foursquare experienced a huge peak in signups. Instead of crushing the smaller location based sites, Places appears to be attracting attention and getting people interested in location based applications of all sorts.

As Facebook continues to expand into other areas, smaller sites will have to keep on their toes in order to keep themselves unique and original, but they should not fear being squashed by the Facebook giant. The key for sites like Gowalla and Foursquare will be to differentiate themselves from Facebook Places. They will need to offer their users a different incentive for using their site in order to keep business thriving.

Will Facebook Places be something you utilize? Why or why not?

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Justin McGill is a web marketing professional and runs a successful Small Business SEO Firm. He is the founder and CEO of SEORCHERS (read: [surch-ers]) - a local web marketing firm specializing in organic search engine optimization (SEO) with a focus on converting visitors into clients. He is available for SEO Consulting and now you can connect with him on Google+!.

Today, my company launched ExpandYourWebPresence.com. It is a web builder program for people looking to have a website that can actually produce results.

Small business owners understand the importance of balancing the various aspects of managing a company while remaining within budget and providing quality customer service. For those just starting out online, creating and managing a website can seem like a daunting prospect, especially when added to the day to day demands of running a business. Those without extensive knowledge of web design may feel as though the world of e-commerce remains closed to them unless they’re able to pay big bucks for help. There is another alternative, however. Businesses looking for web experts that can help them with website creation and design can find the expertise they need at a price they can afford when they use a web builder such as Expand Your Web Presence.

Expand your Web Presence takes the hard work out of website design while still giving business owners the flexibility they need to build a site that presents their company in the best possible light. Clients can choose a theme and provide the content, leaving the rest of the work in the hands of design experts. The team at Expand Your Web Presence will optimize the website for conversions and will include search engine optimization techniques to help make each site as prominently visible as possible on the web. Each client will receive technical support, design assistance, and optimization services geared toward web traffic generation and conversions included in the low monthly fee.

Every great website relies on design elements including content, keywords, image placement, and effective calls to action in order to attract site visitors and give them an enjoyable online experience. With Expand Your Web Presence, businesses will see all of these elements incorporated strategically into their website for their most effective overall design. Want to add a video, create an image gallery, or upload a form? Need to add weekly blog posts or change featured products? Expand Your Web Presence can take the content you provide and incorporate it into your site quickly and seamlessly.

Businesses that already maintain a website may be ready for a face lift. Expand Your Web Presence can help them pinpoint and improve design elements that contribute to the bounce rate or to lost customers while also generating more traffic through proven search engine optimization techniques. They can also help improve security features and build or change forms. If conversion rates leave something to be desired, Expand Your Web Presence will help improve usability, optimize landing pages, and perform periodic updates in order to keep customers on task and encourage them to complete desired actions.

Whatever web design projects businesses encounter, Expand Your Web Presence offers the expertise necessary to build a custom website, provide excellent ongoing service, and keep monthly fees affordable.

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Justin McGill is a web marketing professional and runs a successful Small Business SEO Firm. He is the founder and CEO of SEORCHERS (read: [surch-ers]) - a local web marketing firm specializing in organic search engine optimization (SEO) with a focus on converting visitors into clients. He is available for SEO Consulting and now you can connect with him on Google+!.

My Company, SEORCHERS, is launching a new web developer product this coming Monday. We are going through great lengths to ensure the launch goes smoothly and effectively. This includes several hours of my own time doing research for product launches. I have taken tons of pages of notes, and compiled a total launch strategy for our Small Business Web Design product and would like to provide an overview for those of you in a similar situation.

Launching an online product can be an intimidating prospect for some. Questions such as how to get the word out, where to advertise and whether people will respond positively or negatively in the blogosphere can create a stressful working atmosphere. On the other hand, some put too little thought into what their online product launch plan will be. Just slap a press release up online and it’ll get picked up eventually, right?
Neither the stressed out approach nor the “slap it up” approach guarantees a successful online product launch for your business. Your goal should be to put information in front of people who will read it, remember it, and promote it. By following the steps below, you’ll accomplish all three of these goals without holing up in your office for the next six months.

• Optimize Your Website for Conversions

This step has to come well before your product launch because all the promotion you do will ultimately lead potential customers back to your website. Put some effort into visual design, usability, and conversion optimization in order to make it as easy as possible for a customer to convert once he’s reached your site.

• Create an Offer They Can’t Refuse

This will be the basis for your promotional campaign. Think through answers to questions like these: Why should a customer buy your product? How will your product make his life better or easier? What problems can your product provide solutions for?

• Plan Your Communication

Once you know what you want to say, determine what venues you’ll use to communicate your message. You can begin with an online press release, but don’t stop there. Use your existing email list to communicate with customers, providing helpful tips and information along with your sales copy. Blog about your product on your website, post a video on Youtube, hold a webinar, and offer a discount for people who respond within the first two weeks. If you have the ability to incorporate a direct mail campaign, I would absolutely NOT avoid using this marketing strategy.

• Incorporate Social Media

Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter can be powerful resources, but don’t place all your eggs in the social media basket. Include Facebook updates and Twitter posts in your overall communication plan and include links to your product page that will get people onto your website where they can find out more. Remember, though, that the businesses using social media successfully are those that maintain a continual presence and that take part in existing conversations in order to offer useful information, not just sales pitches. In other words, make social media a regular part of your online marketing strategy; don’t just use it to promote new products.

• Ask Others to Review Your Product

Instead of being intimidated by the blogosphere, use it to your advantage by asking the most influential bloggers in your field to review your product. You’ll also likely receive additional exposure when lesser known bloggers pick up the topic from popular blogs and highlight it on their own sites.

When you follow these steps throughout your online product launch, you’ll receive maximum exposure for your effort. Keep your new information in front of readers’ eyes and you’ll see the results in conversions on your website. Remember, recent studies have shown that people need to see something seven times before they end up making a purchase. Once you’ve done your initial launch, you need to continue to market your product!

Have any of you recently employed a product launch? What were some obstacles you had to overcome?

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Justin McGill is a web marketing professional and runs a successful Small Business SEO Firm. He is the founder and CEO of SEORCHERS (read: [surch-ers]) - a local web marketing firm specializing in organic search engine optimization (SEO) with a focus on converting visitors into clients. He is available for SEO Consulting and now you can connect with him on Google+!.

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A recent comment left by a reader of this blog asked that I put together something more direct about mobile marketing. I figured it would be a good topic to cover because I am a big believer in mobile marketing. In fact, I recently took ownership in a small start up called DrinkersList. It’s a bar marketing platform that has evolved into a fully integrated mobile, email, and social media marketing solution for bars and restaurants.

Here is a screenshot from my iPhone that shows how bars can market to their patrons.

These are not the only types of businesses that can benefit however, and this is not the only means of mobile marketing.

As people rely more and more heavily on mobile devices for web access rather than surfing at their desks, business marketing strategies must evolve in order to continue reaching audiences with their messages. SMS, or text message marketing has begun to fill this niche and now, with the introduction of Google’s new mobile ad campaign and Apple’s iAd, businesses can expect expanded mobile advertising options.

Choose Your Ad Platform
Google’s mobile advertising platform allows you to target specific audiences with keywords and with contextual targeting. As users browse the web, they will see ads relevant to the topic on which they are currently searching. Campaigns can be created for standard mobile phones or for higher end devices. Using a combination of text ads and display ads, you can reach the greatest portion of your target audience as they search the mobile web and visit mobile websites.

Google’s greatest competitor is the Apple iAd platform. iAd places mobile ads inside apps, enabling users to view advertisements without being redirected to a website. Ads can also be contextualized, making them relevant to the content the user is currently viewing.

Encourage Customer Interaction
As customers become more familiar with mobile marketing, they’ll expect greater relevance as well as the ability to interact with marketing messages. As you build your strategy, encourage people to engage with your brand by offering relevant content and giving the user a benefit-rich experience. Once a person has clicked on your ad, keep the conversation going by directing him to a mobile friendly website that offers seamless continuation of the conversation while also providing value in the ad experience. The user should feel engaged in your message as you encourage dialogue in order to build brand loyalty.

Be Willing to Grow
Mobile marketing sees new developments continually. As technology offers more marketing options, your business should be willing to adapt your strategy. This doesn’t mean you should jump on every marketing bandwagon that comes along, but it does mean that you shouldn’t become too dependent on any one idea. Choosing one technique to master can offer greater benefits than trying to merge ten techniques into a single campaign without doing any of them well. When your one idea evolves, however, be willing to evolve with it.

Mobile marketing gives your business the opportunity to reach customers with relevant content no matter where they are. By targeting specific customer niches with mobile specific ad campaigns, you’ll see a greater return on investment that will carry your business into the future of marketing.

How are you investing in mobile marketing? Is there something holding you back? If so, what are your concerns?

Be sure and subscribe for the latest web marketing strategies and updates!

Justin McGill is a web marketing professional and runs a successful Small Business SEO Firm. He is the founder and CEO of SEORCHERS (read: [surch-ers]) - a local web marketing firm specializing in organic search engine optimization (SEO) with a focus on converting visitors into clients. He is available for SEO Consulting and now you can connect with him on Google+!.

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