 | 3 Ways To Use The Internet As A Referral Source For Any Business.posted by Glen Evans, Valued MemberTuesday, April 26th 2011 @ 3:42 PM |
Every business owner knows the value of a customer referring their friends and family. Customers who use your services have tremendous power over your success or failure, so catering to customers and making sure they have a great experience is very important.
The Internet has expanded this power, but many business owners don't fully comprehend the reach and instantaneous ability it represents.
The biggest change, in my opinion, has been how people begin searching online for solutions to problems. Often, many searches for local business begin with Google before a customer calls. Using their laptop while at Panera, or using their Droid phone, they type their want, need, or problem and Google shows them how to solve it.
A mistake business owners make is believing customers are typing in their business name to find them, when in fact, they often type a service (ie accountant) plus a locality (centerville, bellbrook, etc).
Google delivers many results, but often rewards businesses who play by their rules. What are their rules? Content.
When you realize this, it should change how you market your business. Yes, your current customers can and will spread the word about the services you provide by word of mouth, but also via Facebook, Twitter, and other social sites.
So, what are the three ways you can use the internet as a referral source? I will answer this with a simple example. Let's pretend you have a photography business specializing in baby pictures.
The search terms or keywords a local prospect might type in are "baby pictures in Centerville," or "baby photographer in Centerville."
A great way to help your business expand it's presence is by doing this:
Go to Animoto video. Upload a few of your client's pictures and be sure to include the name of your website at the end. Easily throw some music in the video and save it.
Copy the link and
A: Post it to your Facebook account and title it...Baby Photographs in My Centerville Photography Studeo.
B. Upload it to You Tube and include your link in the description box and write a coherent sentence about baby photogrpahy in Centerville (leave your phone number there too).
C. Send a link to your client via email and tell her she is welcome to email the video to all her friends and relatives.
You have just placed content into the search engines, linked back to your site, and provided an easy way for your happy client to spread the word about you.
Your objection at this point may be: That works great for photographers, but I'm a (enter your profession here).
This can be used for any profession. Let's say your business receives a lot of questions about something specific you do. This is a great chance to place the answer on video and put in on your blog, Facebook page, and email it to your current clients.
The thing here is you want to be seen as helpful and not sales or pushy. Everybody is sick of being marketed to, but they do appreciate helpful advice. Google and search engines reward this kind of sharing by sending new people to visit your video, blog post or Facebook entry.
Do you like this idea? I have 40 more in my new book I am giving away for free. Take a free membership and I will give you the links to learn more ways to market your business.
| 3 Reasons Local Businesses Should Bother With Internet Marketingposted by Glen Evans, Valued MemberThursday, April 14th 2011 @ 3:44 PM |
I have had the opportunity to talk to many local business owners, and have learned some very interesting views on what they believe internet marketing really is.
Some local owners believe internet marketing is:
- Buying Yellow Page ads online
- Buying a super expensive website that nobody visits
- Telling everyone to "Like" their Facebook fan page
- Sending emails shouting "SALE!"
- Tweeting about what is going on in their store
While all these methods have to do with the internet, each misses a very valuable point regarding what the internet really offers.
Local businesses are applying offline methods to their online marketing and are discovering it isn't working.
In the past, local businesses could buy time, advertise on TV and radio (mass marketing), and watch the customers come into the store.
That is no longer happening. As advertising costs increase, my clients have noticed they are seeing less in the way of new customers. Not only are Americans watching less TV and listening to more satellite radio, they are ignoring marketing messages that don't apply to them.
Now, when they want to know something or figure out a problem, they seek the information online. Picking up their cellphone, billions are instantly finding information they need and calling those people in their area who can help them.
When they search, will they find you? The answer: it depends.
Consider this:
- Have you written articles that have your local keywords sprinkled throughout?
- Do you write on a blog regulary on topics you can address and help clients solve problems with?
- When people search online, are there educational videos produced by you so that search engines can direct your prospects to your website or store?
- Do you email your past clients or customers with helpful information that you have produced on your blog?
What am I talking about? Distribution!
Here are the three reasons local businesses should bother with local internet marketing:
- The marketing channels have become free or nearly free, and no longer controlled by local television or radio stations, or books that happen to be yellow. More and more are "tuning in" online, spending time on Facebook, watching You Tube videos, and using text messaging to communicate (consider that there are 4.6 billion mobile phones worldwide and texting is used more than calling). Will your customers or clients find you there?
- The opportunity to build a loyal base of customers and stay connected (for pennies) is now available to you as a local business owner. You can build a tribe or small army and continually connect with them through email or texting...as long as it is helpful to their lives (NO SALE! MESSAGES). Instead, you should write about their problems and how you solve them. Send a very short email and let them know you posted a helpful article on your blog and include a link so they can read and comment on it.
- You can do it yourself and save a ton of money on marketing. Once your blog is set up, learning how to create little videos is not hard to do. I have had local business owners say, "I want to use the internet, but I don't want to be part of the marketing." What? It is YOUR business, you must be part of the marketing. Afterall, your customers or clients come there because of you!
When you continually add content, in as little as 5-30 minutes a day, Google and other search engines reward you. You are given local expert status in no time at all, and you are seen as being helpful to your local searchers who have a problem they need solved.
No printing costs, very little to no money spent, and continuing contact with a loyal client base. What local business owner couldn't handle that?
I am giving away my new book for free "The Ultimate Local Marketing Makeover" to anyone who wants it. In this book I share 40 tips to help you turn around your marketing and use the internet to promote your business. All you need to do to get it is to sign up for my free local marketing website at LocalMarketingMakeover.com
