The Basics Of Getting Attention On The Internet
by Michael Griffin
If you want to get your business found on the internet, here is a summary of the things that will help you accomplish that. These steps are important to getting your business found and will deliver new leads to you.
Create a Google Places/Plus account, this is your first step. In fact, if you have been in business for a while, Google may have already done this for you and you just need to claim your listing.
Google – Google places and begin to fill out the form. Be sure to add pictures and categories. Categories are a big part of being found, be sure that you pick words that people are searching for. If you have videos those can help too. Add upto 10 pictures and 5 videos. When you upload your pictures and video be sure to geo target them. Youtube lets you put an address on your videos and if you store your pictures first on third-party picture sites like panaramio you can do the same thing.
Your places listing is vital to being found online, if you need help with it feel free to call for a free consultation 812-987-2915.
A Bigger Footprint On The Web
Create some other accounts. There are a lot of sites that Google looks at to help rank your position in the search, Yelp, Foursquare, Merchant Circle, Yahoo local, and Bing local are a few of these sites. Having a presence there will help you. If you are a restaurant be sure to add Zagat to the list.
These sites will help your ranking climb. Be sure to get your free listings and don’t over look local directorys as well. In Louisville an esample of this is LouisvilleMojo.com
One last note on entering your business data. Be sure to keep the address and phone number exactly the same anywhere that you use it. This data is how Google will link everything together so keep it the same.
Setup Your YouTube Channel
Getting some videos online will help you a lot. Setting up a YouTube channel is easy and if you set it up with your business name it would be a good thing.
Making videos is not difficult either. One idea is to write down 10 commonly asked questions and then answer each on camera in about a minute. Give your business name at the end and you are done. This can be done with a simple camera that needent cost more than $100. The Kodak Zi8 is an example of a good camera for the job. Many phones also have decent cameras built in and these can be used as well.
When you save the video to YouTube be sure to put your business name and address in the notes and if you have a traditonal website list it first in the description.
If you don’t want to get on camera, there is a site called Animoto.com where you can upload some pictures and combine them with text that you create and the system will automatically make videos for you. While not as effective as the on camera videos, don’t discount them, they will help you attract the attention that you want for your business.
You’ll want to add a new video at least once a week.
A Twitter Account
Setting up a twitter account is likewise easy. Then populate it with short messages at least 3 per day. Many of the messages should link back to your website, if you have one.
A Facebook Business Page
If you don’t have a Facebook account, it’s time to set one up. Then at the bottom of it create a page. This is your business page and it is completely separate from your Facebook account. You should post at least once a day to it. Pictures are important and get a lot of attention.
Posting Automation
Services like Hootsuite provide automated posting for Twitter and Facebook. You can load up your posts for the week and let Hootsuite distribute them for you. Then you can take say an hour a week and create the items you want posted and load them in, then Hootsuite will post them for you at the times you want.
Your Own Website
All of the above will put you on the net and begin to get you found. If you don’t have your own website, you should get one. The above plan, while it can be used alone, is more effective when combined with your own site. You can probably get a site built for you for around $500.
Mobile Website
Your new website should also be mobile ready. Many searches today are being done on smart phones and this trend is only increasing. If your site is not mobile ready it will be difficult to view on the smaller screens, requiring the user to scroll and resize in order to see your data. A mobile website is not difficult to do, but it actually is a separate site although if properly done will be integrated with your main site. Again this service will likley cost around $500. Mobile sites can easily be added to any existing site that you have.
If you have questions about any of this please give us a call or contact us at mike.griffin@louisvillemarketinglabs.com and we’ll be happy to answer your questions.
