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Be Your Own Groupon

admin — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 19:14:33 +0000

If you’re reading this, you’re probably familiar with Groupon, or Living Social, or any of the other coupon-based email marketing businesses that have popped up recently.

If you’re not, the concept is pretty simple: your business offers a deal on a product or service, Groupon (or whomever) distributes that deal to its subscribers, then those subscribers can purchase the product or service for a limited time. Those who buy the deal then redeem it directly from your business.

The business principles are also pretty simple: customers get a good deal, you get the Groupon’s distribution channel and extensive reach, and Groupon gets a portion of the sales (usually 50%, but they do allow some negotiating based on the product/service).

It’s the classic gotta-spend-money-to-make-money principle: you discount something and then split the revenues, but hope you’ll be exposed to a wider audience, earn repeat business, generate some good reviews, etc etc, for your investment. Additionally, because the customers pay immediately, the deals may expire or the customer will forget to use them, and then all those sales just become free money.

It’s a system that has proved itself time and again, and we’ll probably see more Groupon-like businesses pop up in the coming months.

Which leads to the question: why can’t you distribute your own deal, and not have to split the revenues?

You can! Your reach may not be as extensive, but if you’ve done proper social media marketing you probably have a fair amount of facebook and twitter followers–make status updates and tweets promoting your deal. If you collect customer data, you may even have a database of emails and can do e-mail marketing to distribute your deal. And if you’re willing to spend a little, you could always run a pay-per-click advertising campaign to promote your special on each of the major search engines.

Next, you’ll need a way to collect payment. Easy enough–set up a landing page on your site for the deal and integrate it with Google Checkout to process the payments. The interface is simple and the fees are on par with industry norms.

Then all that’s left is some web development to provide printable coupons, integrate a timer, or whatever else you need to pretty up the offer.

Make your status updates, tweet, send emails, post ads and link them back your deal’s page, and voilà, you are your own Groupon! You’ll also have the framework in place and can repeat the process without having to go into Groupon’s long queue (as long as 6 months), or compete with other similar businesses.

Sound like something you’d like to try, but don’t quite have the technical know-how? Contact Localis and we’ll be glad to help.

Utilizing Online Reviews for Your Local Business

admin — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 06:20:01 +0000

In an article posted in June of 2010, Local Search industry experts ranked 69 factors that influence a business’s local search ranking, and the “General Importance of Customer Reviews” came in at #6. So reviews are pretty important, from a technical, SEO standpoint.

From a business image standpoint, reviews are important as well. All of the major local listings (Google, Bing, Yahoo, Yelp, etc.) provide a means for customers to leave reviews. It’s a perfect example of the Web 2.0 concept, where users are creating the online content that other users read and use to make purchasing decisions. The local listings become a mini-social network between your business, your past customers, and potential future customers researching your business.

Small businesses need to take advantage of this framework for both the technical and social advantages it provides–so how should they do it?

Here are 3 strategies for soliciting reviews, depending on your audience:

1) High-Tech: If you maintain a customer database, periodically email your customers with links to your listing on Google, Bing, Yahoo, Yelp or others and ask them to review the service or product you provided. They’ll get the email, click the link, write something nice about you, and it’s done. Quick and easy, but opens the door for bad reviews if you’re not familiar with everyone on the email list.

2) Mid-Tech: If you have an accessible computer in-store, ask exiting customers to take 5 minutes to sit down before they leave and write you a review. This approach involves a little more work, but has the added benefit of being able to target customers that you know are satisfied with what you just provided them.

3) Low-Tech: Provide comment cards for customers to fill out, then transcribe the reviews (or have a 3rd-party such as Localis) into your online listings. This involves the most work, but provides a line of communication for less tech-savvy customers, and allows you to filter which reviews get posted online.

The 3 methods above show how customers can leave you reviews–but will they? To answer that, you may have to “incentivize.” Here are a couple ways to go about that:

1) Incentive for the customer: Depending on your business and profit margins, you may be able to offer a discount on the product or service you provided, in exchange for the review. This would definitely help secure reviews from exiting customers, and may even reflect positively in the review they give you (everyone likes a deal). If that’s too rich for your blood, you could lump a month’s worth of reviewers together, and do a raffle offering a free or discounted product to the winner. This would bring the winner back for repeat business, and could change their mind had they originally left you a so-so review.

2) Incentive for your employees: If you have a larger business, with multiple employees serving specific customers, try to make it a contest. Most good reviews collected wins, and the winner gets some perk from the business–gift card, name-on-the-wall, something. This approach could improve your business’s overall customer service image, and you could use it as a measure of employee performance.

One thing to be cautious of: there’s a concept called “review velocity” which refers to how fast reviews for a certain business are being posted online. They start coming in too fast and the search engines call BS, they think an owner or employee is just writing fake ones to gain a better ranking. This can hurt your search ranking. So if you find yourself in the fortunate position where 10 people want to write you a good review in one day, send them to different sites. Google, Yahoo, Yelp, Citysearch–spread it out–Google will eventually pull in all that data to your Google listing, and you’ll also catch the eye of users that don’t start at Google.

Ok, so now that you’ve got reviews, and they’re helping your business technically and socially–are you done? Not quite–remember how above I described the review framework as a “mini-social network”? Well this is where “your business” gets involved in that network. Most of the major sites allow for an “owner response” to a review, or a way to flag reviews as “helpful” or “inappropriate.” Utilize those features! It’s only a “network” if everyone involved is participating, and this is your chance as business owner to communicate and spread a little influence.

- Did someone leave you a good review? Flag it as “helpful” and write a response review thanking them. They’ll be back–people like to know they were heard.

- Someone leaves you a bad review? Apologize, and invite them back to rectify the situation. They may come back, they may not. But a potential customer reading that response may appreciate your effort, and come to your business despite the bad review. There’s goodwill to be gained by staying active.

- Someone leave you a bad review, that’s absolutely false? Competitors sometimes do this (terrible, I know). So flag it as inappropriate, and explain in a response how the event described did not occur, and will never occur at your business. Again, goodwill by staying active.

If you take the steps described above, you will improve your business’s image and its ranking in the local search results. This will without a doubt lead to more customers. And if you need help, contact Localis and we’ll be glad to handle your online review efforts.

Search Engine Rankings – Nov 2010

admin — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 16:53:23 +0000

The search engine rankings for the U.S. in November were recently released by comSore, and for the 16.0 Billion searches performed in November, the rankings are as follows:

Google: 66.2%
Yahoo: 16.4%
Microsoft: 11.8%
Ask: 3.6%
AOL: 2.0%
(Source: “comScore Releases November 2010 U.S. Search Engine Rankings“)

What does this mean for small businesses trying to get found online?

1) You have to be on Google. This is obvious, as Google is dominating with 66.2% of all searches. Small businesses need to have Google Map Listings and have the listings optimized for the products/services they provide, in the areas they provide them

2) You can’t ignore Yahoo/Microsoft. This might not be as obvious. When you compare Google’s 66.2% to Yahoo’s 16.4%, and Google’s 66.2% to Microsoft’s 11.8% individually, you may look at those numbers and decide to focus your search marketing & online advertising efforts on Google only. This would be a mistake–Microsoft was up 0.3% from last month, and Microsoft’s Bing will be installed as the default search engine on a number of Verizon Android-based smartphones, so they’re gaining ground. Also, in terms of advertising, the Microsoft & Yahoo ads are using the same system, so an ad placed in that network would be seen by 28.2% (16.4+11.8) of online searchers–can your business afford to ignore 28% of potential customers? Exactly.

Need help with your local listings or advertising campaigns on Google, Bing or Yahoo? Localis can help–contact us and start growing your small business today.

Statistical Importance of Local Search

admin — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 19:17:06 +0000

A recent article found here quoted Microsoft as having recently said that 53% of mobile searches have local intent. The article also points out that 70% of mobile users complete their search tasks (ie search for something, go find/buy/use that thing) in about an hour. That’s a quick turn-around from prospective customer to buying customer.

What does this mean for small businesses? In order to capture this mobile search traffic, businesses need to have map listings on the search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo). They need to list themselves in other major local directories (Yelp, Superpages, Kudzu, etc.). And if they’re advertising, they need to be running geo-targeted ad campaigns that display on smartphones and other mobile platforms.

Is your businesses doing all of the above? If not, you could be missing out on a large amount of prospective customers that are looking to buy your products or use your services right now.

Localis can help–contact us today and we’ll ensure you aren’t missing out.

Bing Making Moves

admin — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 22:48:02 +0000

Another update in the world of online search: Microsoft Bing will now incorporate Facebook information in its search results. See the full story here.

What does this mean?

1) Bing is making moves. While they’re currently third in search traffic behind Google and Yahoo, moves like this will help them gain a little more of the search engine traffic. Especially considering Facebook’s 500 million+ users.
2) Facebook business listings gained importance. With Facebook information now showing up in Bing search results, it’s now more important than ever to create a Facebook page for your business and execute a social media marketing campaign.

What does this mean in terms of Localis’ services?

1) Your business should be on Bing. Localis will create, optimize, and manage your Bing map listing, or a Bing pay-per-click advertising campaign, and the increased traffic on Bing will mean increased traffic to your business.
2) Your business should be on Facebook. Localis will help you set up and maintain a social media campaign. While this already had the benefit of close, personal communication with your customers, it now has the added benefit of giving your business more exposure in the Bing search results.

Contact Localis to get started today!

Managing Map Listings

owenmihalyfi — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 22:56:21 +0000

The importance of optimizing and managing your business’ map listings on Google, Bing, Yahoo, & others is undeniable. Here is a great article describing why simply claiming your listing isn’t enough — it’s just a first step towards a better local search ranking.

see: http://www.searchenginejournal.com/claiming-local-business-listing-is-only-the-beginning/24595/

Sound out of your league? Let Localis handle it. We will create, optimize, and manage your business’ local listings, and you’ll start seeing more search traffic immediately!

www.mylocalis.com

Bing Maps Gaining Relevance

admin — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 23:26:29 +0000

While Google Map listings remain dominant, this announcement shows that Bing is staying active in the race.
Does your business have a Bing Map Listing? If not, mobile windows phone users won’t be able to find you.
Contact Localis and we’ll optimize your map listing for front page results.
www.mylocalis.com

Coupons on your Google Place page

admin — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 04:01:02 +0000

Coupons are a great way to convert visitors of your place page into customers…now they can come from multiple sources. Let Localis create, optimize and maintain your Google Place page to ensure you’re converting those visitors–www.mylocalis.com
http://blumenthals.com/blog/2010/09/17/google-places-coupons-now-integrating-open-graph-coupons-from-citysearch/

Localis Launches

admin — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 17:51:07 +0000

August 2, 2010 — Las Vegas, NV – Localis, a provider of local search engine optimization (SEO) and online marketing services to small and medium-sized businesses, launched today to offer customized, results driven solutions.
Localis offers a variety of services and works individually with each client to determine the most valuable set of tools depending on each client’s needs and in-house expertise. Today, many small business owners feel that they don’t have the time or the marketing dollars to invest in search engine optimization or other efforts related to online marketing. Owen Mihalyfi, Chief Executive Officer of Localis, argues that they can’t afford not to.
Owen Mihalyfi says, “The numbers are actually pretty staggering. It’s been estimated that there are half a billion unique local searches per month on Google, and research has shown that over 80% of local, online searches are followed by direct contact. So if your local business is not easily found online, then customers are not finding your business.”
Localis solutions – from Local SEO and Pay-Per-Click Advertising to Social Media Marketing (SMM) and Consulting – help small- and mid-sized businesses optimize their current online marketing efforts. Moreover, Localis often brings new ideas to clients that may improve the effectiveness of all their marketing efforts, both online and off. Adam J. Welsh, Owner/CEO of Flagship Multimedia Inc., which operates the site www.eriereader.com, had this to say: “Localis has been a pleasure to work with. They possess the industry knowledge and patience necessary to work with businesses of any kind. We wouldn’t be where we are today without them.”
Localis’ services are designed to offer small- and mid-sized business exactly the right level of support that each business requires, depending on that businesses’ specific needs and preferences. “By using Localis to develop customized, local search engine optimization (SEO) solutions, small and mid-sized businesses can dramatically improve how customers find them online, and therefore dramatically increase business leads,” says Mihalyfi. “Most importantly, we are a true partner to our clients, helping them as little or as much as needed with their online marketing. We focus on delivering solutions that will bring customers to our clients, leaving our clients to focus on doing what they do best – running their businesses.”

Also found here.