What I learned Last Week re Digital Marketing (mostly)

Facebook

If you've got a Facebook business page and you're investing a little time in it - i.e. adding images and posting every now and then - spend a little money on it - you'll be amazed at how effective a $5 ad can be to get your message in front of your target audience.

Website Stuff

Still banging the SquareSpace drum but - you don't need an image management tool for Squarespace; it automatically sizes images so you just upload whatever you have.  This is a huge timesaver and makes it easy for your blog posts to look way better.

Email Newsletters

If you have one - don't send it out on a Monday afternoon - ever - people don't like opening email on Monday afternoons.

Images

Images are incredibly powerful and possibly the best form of content you can have.  You should probably use that smart phone and get into the habit of taking pictures - you'll thank yourself later.

Pants

I also learned that the Spanish for underpants is la ropa interior!

If you'd like to apply these insights to your business (underpants aside,) contact me: andrew@simplyfriday.com and I'll show you how to get started.

Written while listening to: Drafting - Music to Write to - Create Flow

WordPress to SquareSpace - Before and After

Before on WordPress:

Elwood Benefits on WordPrss

After on SquareSpace

Elwood Benefits on SquareSpace

Now sure you might say - well they look like totally different sites - and yes - we took the opportunity to upgrade the design - but that's not what I want you to look at.

Before on iPhone:

Elwood Benefits WordPress on iPhone

After on iPhone:

Elwood Benefits SquareSpace on iPhone

Responsive Design

Unlike WordPress which just defaults to the top left of the screen and displays what it can, SquareSpace recognizes the screen resolution of the viewing device and reconfigures the entire page, and image size, to give the best presentation possible

.

Try it yourself

If you're using Chrome browser, install this free extension - Chrome Window Resizer - and start looking at the difference between the two sites at different screen resolutions.

Then go and look at yours.

If you'd like to know what it would take to move you over to SquareSpace, get in touch and we'll have a chat.

Local Listings - Your money or your time

Have you ever actually used a local directory to find something online?  Have you even heard of places like GetFave, Patch, Topix etc?

Local, Local, Local

Getlisted.org reckons there are now over 2 billion searches a month that have a local intent, i.e. they include things like zip code, neighborhoods etc.  As a result, Yahoo says there's over 150 million searches a month now taking place in over 40 local directories.

Why would you list in local directories?

What the local directories have that you don't is a deeper and stronger local presence.  They've spent years building up content that is driven by location data - so when people are using local terms or mobile devices  to search - those directories have an advantage.

So should you list in local directories?

Sure, why not?  Bigger is always better and the more search results you have and links coming back into your website the more visible you are but, as with everything there's a balance - so what level should you play at?

Moneybags

If you've got money to burn - say $30 a month indefinitely - then use the Yahoo Local works service - you can check out what your business currently looks like by going here.  They'll standardize the listings and add you everywhere - but here's the kicker; when you stop paying - they delist you.  Lame!

Sensible and Free

Use the getlisted.org tool , find out what you look like on the major sites and easily add your own data to the ones that you are not on.

Take care of your own site

No matter how many directories you're in, the website that appears at the top of the results page is always going to beat a directory listing.  Make sure that your own site is up to scratch - micro format your content page, make sure you're using local tags such as zip and neighborhood in your meta titles and descriptions.

If you'd like to learn more about this and  find out what you can do to improve your local visibility, get in touch - I'm happy to answer any questions you have.

You don't know what you don't know about Facebook

Here's what I have learned from watching clients on Facebook over the last couple of years:

1/ It takes waaaaay longer than you think to build an audience

2/ What you think is going to work doesn't

3/ It takes the act of doing and failing at it for a significant amount of time to find the unique "thing" that is going to work for your personality and your business.

4/ When you find that "thing" it suddenly gets a lot easier and more cost effective

Arthurian analogy

I'm not talking about Ads here - I'm talking about that panacea of social media marketing - the idea that you can promote your business for free just by having a Facebook page.

If you still believe that I have a grail you might be interested in.

So what can / should you do?

There's no doubt that the ones that stuck at Facebook are now beginning to see a return, the question is was it worth it? 

With limited resource you have to weigh up what is going to give your business the best bang for the buck.  Most clients I work with will see a greater return from an email newsletter than Facebook, but then, you're not most clients.

Do something

Digital marketing is not just the future, it is the now - if you're not building ways to speak to your new customers and developing relationships with your existing ones, you're an easy target for the competition.

If you can spare an hour a week, hell even 30 minutes, you can start building something that over time will eventually support and sustain your business.

Contact me: andrew@simplyfriday.com and I'll show you how to get started. 

Written while listening to: Sanity | July 2013 | Music to create flow

Are you Cool like Matt Elwood and Emanuel Shirazi?

When you Google your business does your image, business name, location and telephone number dominate the right hand side of the search engine results page?

Below are two screenshots from an incognito Chrome browser (i.e. unfiltered results)

Elwood Benefits on Google 

Shirazi Law Firm on Google

Pretty cool huh!?

But check this out:

View fullsize

Search results on mobile

That's the Google search engine results page on my iPhone.  The Shirazi Law Firm's G+ information is right at the top of the search results whereas the Elwood Benefits G+ information is slightly further down the page, but still - pretty powerful and compelling results!

The reason for the difference is that I am in Los Angeles, so Google anticipates that I will want the location and directions to the Shirazi Law Firm (also in LA) but that I probably want general information about Elwood Benefits (in Washington State.)

Takeaway for you

Google+ is not about Facebook or social networking - well, it is, but that's not the point today - today the point is - if you don't have a Google+ account and a local business page, you are missing a huge SEO opportunity.

If you don't know how to do it or just don't have the time - get in touch and have me do it for you. 

Written while listening to: Wishes & Lies | July 2013 | Music to create flow

Are you in a relationship? Tricky things aren't they.

As human beings we're obsessed by them, and not that I want to get all Cartesian this morning, I do want to hammer home the point that relationships are fundamental to the human experience; if there's a new way to create them with your customers - you should probably pursue it.

90% Of Customers Will Recommend Brands After Social Media Interactions

This was actually a pretty large study - 4,500 surveys and sponsored by some major brands. 

The big takeaway was that the social media accounts were the only place where people could actually interact with the companies and that interaction developed relationships, which led to sales.

Relationships require work

our social media stream is kind of like a public access television channel; most of the time it gets sent out and nobody watches it, but then someone hears about you and they decide to tune in.  But unlike the TV channel, when people look at your social media stream, they see your historical record.

Your Tweets, your images, your Facebook activity;  everything that you spent months creating with zero interaction or feedback is now reviewed and assessed by a potential customer in seconds.  And here's the best bit, unlike the TV channel, if they like what they see they can reach out through the same medium of social media and interact with you.  This is awesome!

But I'm not a big brand and I don't have time

I have several clients who initially  "hated" the idea of social media and who have now made it part of their working lives; it's only difficult until you decide you need to do it.

I work with business owners to fit them with the right strategies and tools to make social media part of their digital marketing plan.  If you're ready to get started - get in touch

Written while listening to:  Insanity | July 2013 | Music to create flow