WSI Market Edge Blog

As of November 1, Google rolled out it's the latest shift in its local search strategy and introduced it's re-vamped version of Google Places called Place Search. As a business focused on outshining it's local competitors in search, the shift will soon be felt.

 

Getting found by your customers on Google may be a whole new ball-game and re-visiting your local search strategy is something your company may want to add to its digital marketing "Must Do's"

 

The changes in Google Place local search.

First off, the local search box has been eliminated and it now blends local and organic results. This will affect many small and medium sized businesses that have been ranking in the top ten on the first search results page and now might find themselves pushed to the second results page.

 

Another Google enhancement will predict your location and generate local results even without including a city name or location in your query; it's a feature that may be convenient, but may also correspondingly affect your business' ranking on the search engine results page.

 

When you check out Google you will also see that the map has moved to the right hand side of the results page.

 

How to get ranked with the new Google Places Page

With these newly implemented changes from Google, it seems it might be harder for businesses to get ranked well if you don't have a properly-implemented Google Places Page. This is precisely why WSI is calling for our own internal Think Tank: discussing the possible effects this may cause for businesses of all industries is a top priority for WSI Consultants. The digital world is endlessly evolving and it's our goal to ensure your business is growing along with it. It is - after all - critical to your business' online presence that you claim, optimize and participate on your Google Places Page!

INTERNET MARKETING!,  I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE TO START….

 

“I don’t understand Online Marketing and I don’t have time to learn.

Worse yet, I think my competition does and

If I don’t do something soon I am going to get buried alive”

 

“SEO, SMO, SMS and QR Tags; what the heck does any of this mean?”

“Everybody is trying to sell me Pay Per Click and banner ads. Will this even work for me?”

 

“I need more customers generating more sales and I think the internet could make a difference.”

“Can I even do any of this myself?”

 
WHERE DO I START?     Market Edge Consulting.

A reasonable investment in time and money can provide you the answers to all these questions and deliver:

• AN ONLINE BUSINESS PLAN DEVELOPED SPECIFICALLY FOR YOU.
• AN ACTION PLAN YOU CAN FOLLOW TO GET RESULTS.
• THE ABILITY TO MEASURE YOUR SUCCESS AND RETURN ON YOUR INVESTMENT.                                                                                                                              

Market Edge Consulting has more than twenty years of marketing experience and the latest in online marketing technology and skills. We will invest the time to learn about your business and develop an online strategy that can improve your bottom line.

 

We will deliver a written strategy that is affordable, understandable and actionable.  We will provide you the resources you need to make your plan a reality.

 

If you need reliable information and a real understanding of what the internet can do for your business then Market Edge Consulting will give you what you need to make a measurable difference.

 

Call Doug Jacke at Market Edge Consulting to receive a quote and make an appointment.

 

Plus: If you book before November 1 we will provide a free online analysis of one of your competitors.

Contact us at: djacke@wsimarketedge.com or call 727.415.2047

 

Social Media; DO SOMETHING, right?

Many of our clients say, "I know I should be using facebook, but I am not sure what I can do to help my business..." or we hear, "I tried LinkedIn but I stopped after a couple of weeks when no one linked to me"

The marketing of any business is an active, strategic process. The on-line marketing of a business is a dynamic, immersive process. In comparision to mass marketing, the cash on line marketing saves is many times off set by the time required to do it right. Be committed, be strategic even the you are smallest competitor in the market you can distinguis yourself and succeed.

Doug Jacke Market Edge Consulting www.wsimarketedge.com

We have found that many of our clients are paralyzed by lack of information. They know they need to be marketing themselves on line but have no idea how to begin. They need a trusted advisor.

Market Edge is offering a "Trusted Advisor" package of initial training and consulting designed to help businesses get on track with on line marketing. Get more information from our website www.wsimarketedge.com

SOCIAL MEDIA;

CORPORATE RISK & MARKETING OPPORTUNITY

 

Whether you believe it or not your company is on a collision course.

 

• 500 million people use facebook.  Are any of those people your customers? Employees?

• 27 million Twitter messages were sent today. Were any of those about you, your company or your brand/product?

• Linked In has 35 million active accounts. Are any of your salesmen using Linked In? Customers? Competitors?

• Do you know the importance of Digg and Delicious and how to incorporate them into an on line marketing strategy?

• Do you know how many of you competitors are using Crowd Sourcing to lower costs and increase profitability?

 

Most importantly, does your company have “Social Media Policy” in place that properly controls your on-line message and eliminates abuse by employees?

 

A corporate “Social Media Policy” as important as your harassment or confidentiality policy in the employee handbook.  Most companies will wait until their first disaster before enacting a plan. The cost of waiting far outweighs a proactive investment now.

 

The best news is that if you embrace Social Media you can protect yourself now AND develop strategies that will grow your business long term.

 

It makes sense for your company to be actively watching and listening to the conversation on line. 

 
WSI now offers consulting packages designed to protect your company from social media abuse while using this powerfu new tool to build your business on-line.  

You've seen the image of an Ostrich with it's head in the sand.
He thinks if he can't see the danger it does not exist. Is the ostrich any less silly than the business owner thinks if he ignores the internet it can't hurt him?

If your business is not well defined or strongly positioned in the on-line social realm, one disgruntled employee or unhappy customer posting could devastate your company’s reputation. When is the last time you didn't check out a new business on-line before deciding if they were trustworthy and credible?

Negative publicity is negative credibility
What if the only, non-website, testimonials you found for that company were negative? Would you do business with them or look elsewhere for a less risky prospect?

Now imagine if potential clients discovered that your company was socially responsible?
What if they found info about key personnel that verified company credentials and, oh by the way, showed a bunch of happy customer testimonials? What if they could virtually meet you and begin to build trust before ever meeting you in the real world? Would one or two negative postings have as much impact? That is the power social media has today. You know it takes time to build a great reputation and moments to ruin it. Fortify your reputation against the unavoidable now. Market Edge consulting offers complete courses that can protect you business while usung this powerful tool to build it as well. 

You've heard that an ostrich sticks it's head in the sand when threatened. He thinks if he can't see the danger it does not exisit. Is the ostrich any less silly than the business owner thinks if he ignores the internet it can't hurt him?

If your business is not well defined or strongly positioned in the on-line social realm, one disgruntled employee or unhappy customer posting could devastate your company’s reputation.

 

When is the last time you didn't check out a new business on-line before deciding if they were trustworthy and credible?   What if the only, non-website, testimonials you found for that company were negative?   Would you do business with them or look elsewhere for a less risky prospect?

 

Now imagine if potential clients discovered that your company was socially responsible? What if they found info about key personnel that verified company credentials and, oh by the way, showed a bunch of happy customer testimonials?  What if they could virtually meet you and begin to build trust before ever meeting you in the real world?    Would one or two negative postings have as much impact?   

That is the power social media has today. You know it takes time to build a great reputation and moments to ruin it. Fortify your reputation against the unavoidable now.

                                                                            

Is this what you really want the world to see when they look for you on-line?

 

As you begin to think about your goals for 2011 it is important to know what your competition is thinking. Here are  the most important online opportunities businesses are considering:

*  84% believe they need to shift significant marketing dollars to internt.

* 92% will be starting or increasing their email marketing efforts next year.

* While Google is king, search engines like Bing are growing in importance.

*  Upcoming technology for 2011; mobile marketing and geo-location.

*  Personalization on websites using unique urls, geo-location, search terms.

* 84% paln on employing alternate online channels; social, video, mobile messaging, and more.

* By 2012 70% of US cell users will have smart phones: mobile marketing.

* As the model matures social media, especially Facebook and Twitter will be aprt of most marketing strategies.

* Web analytics will be SOP.

* 67% will employ on demand support for their on line businesses rather than relying on in house staff.

Remember at WSI We Simplify the Internet.

Consumers today are using the internet, and evolving social tools, to gain power and leverage. Even older consumers regularly conduct product searches, get advice through peer reviews and competitive shop before they buy. More and more even even highly personalized trnsactions are happening on line with customers only choosing to visit the store after the transaction is complete.

Once the transaction is complete that same customer is likely to return and submit their opinion of the product or service, good or bad, for the rest of the market to absorb.

According to the "Your Brand at Risk or Ready for Growth' report from maketing research company Alterian, these trends led to cynicism and a lack of trust in consumers. Nearly every respondent in the survey stated that they did their own search prior to buying with 71% saying they gather information from as many sources as possible to assure themselves of making the right decision.

Socail networks come in to play when respondents said the most important advice comes from friends and family.

The solution accorcing to Alterian is to make sure that every interaction feels like personal contact. Gice consumers control of information and make it easy for them to connect with all the data they need to make the right decision. 

In Search Engine Optimization you want your content to include keywords searchers are looking for, BUT....

What is the useof a popular keyword that  offers high levels of traffic and commercial value if there's no possible way to get a page one ranking?  Your strategy is to find the middle ground between traffic and competition where you can dominate.

Let the big guys fight over the obvious keywords, find keywords with lower levels of
competition.  Fight the battles you can WIN!