We will strive to keep this page updated with an abundance of information about online marketing for small businesses in Putnam County NY, Westchester County NY, and Dutchess County NY that visitors can view for free. Make sure to take advantage of these free resources and check back for updates! Even if you are not a local business, use our resources and feel free to contact us with questions regarding online marketing for your small business.
3 Tips to Turn Your Online Webpage Visitors into Dollars
1) Offer an Extremely Intriguing "Call to Action." A "Call to Action" is exactly what it sounds like. You need something on your website to make visitors immediately take an action to become a customer. This may be a discount, promotion, or free gift. It can also come in other forms such as what I refer to as the "fear factor." This is making visitos feel as if purchasing your product or service is imperative to their safety. This is a tactic that home security companies use, or credit monitoring agencies use. Anyone can offer a discount as part of their online marketing plan, but what you have to master is making it so the customer takes the action right then and there.
2) Build a Secure Website. Identity theft is a huge problem and if we are going to convert visitors to customers with our online marketing plans, they need to feel as if they are safe providing their information to you. Make your website "SiteLock Secure". You can put the logo on your webpage and it will update with the date each day to show that it has ran a security scan. This shows visitors they don't have to worry as much about malware, hackers, and spam. It is also a good idea to try and get a logo from the Better Business Bureau on your site.
3) Provide Testimonials from Past Customers and Provide an Area for Feedback. Before online users give you there hard earned money, they want to feel confident your goods and services will satisfy the highest standards and they will be provided the highest customer service. There is nothing better than being able to see what past customers have to say. Online marketing is a lot about reviews and the online reputation of your small business. Solicit testimonials from past customers that you can put on your site, but also provide a forum where customers can leave comments. Ensure that you respond to any negative comments in a professional manner. Not everyone is going to be happy all the time, but if a customer sees that you will strive to continuously improve your product, they are more likely to spend their money with you.
2) Build a Secure Website. Identity theft is a huge problem and if we are going to convert visitors to customers with our online marketing plans, they need to feel as if they are safe providing their information to you. Make your website "SiteLock Secure". You can put the logo on your webpage and it will update with the date each day to show that it has ran a security scan. This shows visitors they don't have to worry as much about malware, hackers, and spam. It is also a good idea to try and get a logo from the Better Business Bureau on your site.
3) Provide Testimonials from Past Customers and Provide an Area for Feedback. Before online users give you there hard earned money, they want to feel confident your goods and services will satisfy the highest standards and they will be provided the highest customer service. There is nothing better than being able to see what past customers have to say. Online marketing is a lot about reviews and the online reputation of your small business. Solicit testimonials from past customers that you can put on your site, but also provide a forum where customers can leave comments. Ensure that you respond to any negative comments in a professional manner. Not everyone is going to be happy all the time, but if a customer sees that you will strive to continuously improve your product, they are more likely to spend their money with you.
Five Ways to Optimize Your Website for High Search Rankings
1) Stay away from a lot of flash and animation on your small business website, it might look great but is not very helpful to your online marketing as Google and other search engines do not crawl flash well.
2) Use keywords in your web address and page titles whenever possible. For example, a current client of mine is MCAS Roofing & Contracting which operates in Westchester, NY. Instead of having his website as MCASRoofing.com, I also created www.westchesternyroofers.com. I make the MCASRoofing.com redirect to the www.westchesternyroofers.com site. This way the keywords are in the address, and it gives his online marketing and SEO a leg up on the competition.
3) Use descriptive anchor link tags on your website that incorporates keywords. For example, if I wanted to put a link to Contact Us, many people would leave it at that. However, instead I would put Contact for Online Marketing Help in Putnam NY. This uses my keywords and location; search engines will look much more favorably on it.
4) Make sure your content is unique. You can get ideas from other sites on topics, but write the content yourself and don't replicate it throughout your website. Search engines look for innovative content. There is a direct relationship between the creativity and relevance of content and high search rankings. You often hear the phrase "Content is King"; it might sound like a punch line, but it is the truth. Nothing is more beneficial to online marketing than great content.
5) Provide users a reason to check back on your webpage regularly. Publish a weekly blog at regular intervals. For example, every Wednesday your users and fans will know you have new information published. It can become as regular as picking up their Sunday paper. If they know when there will be updates, they will know when to check back. The more visits, and more returning users, the better your SEO. This will have a positive impact on your online marketing.
2) Use keywords in your web address and page titles whenever possible. For example, a current client of mine is MCAS Roofing & Contracting which operates in Westchester, NY. Instead of having his website as MCASRoofing.com, I also created www.westchesternyroofers.com. I make the MCASRoofing.com redirect to the www.westchesternyroofers.com site. This way the keywords are in the address, and it gives his online marketing and SEO a leg up on the competition.
3) Use descriptive anchor link tags on your website that incorporates keywords. For example, if I wanted to put a link to Contact Us, many people would leave it at that. However, instead I would put Contact for Online Marketing Help in Putnam NY. This uses my keywords and location; search engines will look much more favorably on it.
4) Make sure your content is unique. You can get ideas from other sites on topics, but write the content yourself and don't replicate it throughout your website. Search engines look for innovative content. There is a direct relationship between the creativity and relevance of content and high search rankings. You often hear the phrase "Content is King"; it might sound like a punch line, but it is the truth. Nothing is more beneficial to online marketing than great content.
5) Provide users a reason to check back on your webpage regularly. Publish a weekly blog at regular intervals. For example, every Wednesday your users and fans will know you have new information published. It can become as regular as picking up their Sunday paper. If they know when there will be updates, they will know when to check back. The more visits, and more returning users, the better your SEO. This will have a positive impact on your online marketing.
7 Reasons Your Small Business Needs and Online Marketing Blog
1) Blogging gives you the opportunity to create invaluable content to share with online users.
2) Users can easily comment and "like" posts on your small business blog, this gives your small business more exposure on social media.
3) Blogs create an opportunity to use your keywords and embed links in your posts, something that is very important to SEO.
4) Blogs show your customers and online users that you know what you're talking about. Everyone loves an expert.
5) Blogging increases the exposure your small business has on the internet.
6) Once you become well known on your blog, you can guest blog for others and have guests blog for you. This will create additional links to your website, and yes, helps your much emphasized SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
7) Blogging on a weekly schedule helps drum up a fan base. It helps you to gain a positive online reputation for your business.
2) Users can easily comment and "like" posts on your small business blog, this gives your small business more exposure on social media.
3) Blogs create an opportunity to use your keywords and embed links in your posts, something that is very important to SEO.
4) Blogs show your customers and online users that you know what you're talking about. Everyone loves an expert.
5) Blogging increases the exposure your small business has on the internet.
6) Once you become well known on your blog, you can guest blog for others and have guests blog for you. This will create additional links to your website, and yes, helps your much emphasized SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
7) Blogging on a weekly schedule helps drum up a fan base. It helps you to gain a positive online reputation for your business.
10 Tips to Help Your Online Marketing by Getting more Facebook Fans/Likes
1) Link your fan page with your personal profile and invite all of your current friends to become a fan of your page.
2) Put a QR Code on your menu or brochure that customers can scan with their smart phone and automatically be directed to your Facebook Page. I like to use Free QR Code to generate the code for free as part of online marketing.
3) Frequently update new posts on your Facebook Page so that your followers always have new content to review.
4) Use Facebook Social Plugins such as the "like" button and "comment" button on your website.
5) List your Facebook Page on other social media application profiles such as Foursquare, Google+, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
6) Respond to the comments of your fans so they feel they can use your Facebook Page as an avenue of communication.
7) Do not spam your Facebook page with adverstisements and promotions. You can include these, but keep it to a minimum. Instead use the page to share news, content, events, and pictures.
8) Create an exciting and catchy cover photo.
9) Post a sign in your store that lists the address of your Facebook Page, you can even include the QR Code.
10) Offer one time discounts to customers that "like" your Facebook Page.
2) Put a QR Code on your menu or brochure that customers can scan with their smart phone and automatically be directed to your Facebook Page. I like to use Free QR Code to generate the code for free as part of online marketing.
3) Frequently update new posts on your Facebook Page so that your followers always have new content to review.
4) Use Facebook Social Plugins such as the "like" button and "comment" button on your website.
5) List your Facebook Page on other social media application profiles such as Foursquare, Google+, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
6) Respond to the comments of your fans so they feel they can use your Facebook Page as an avenue of communication.
7) Do not spam your Facebook page with adverstisements and promotions. You can include these, but keep it to a minimum. Instead use the page to share news, content, events, and pictures.
8) Create an exciting and catchy cover photo.
9) Post a sign in your store that lists the address of your Facebook Page, you can even include the QR Code.
10) Offer one time discounts to customers that "like" your Facebook Page.
Your Facebook Fan Page is an essential part of your small business online marketing plan. Learn to optimize its results by finding new fans and encouraging customers to like your page.
How to Increase Your Twitter Following
The more Twitter followers you have, the more potential customers you are reaching. Increasing your Twitter following also helps your online marketing plan with its Search Engine Optimization because there is potential for more people to share your links, retweet your posts, and visit your sites. Obviously the key to keeping Twitter followers is good content, but how do you get Twitter followers in the first place?
1) Use Keywords in Tweets: People often search for topics on Twitter. When they find somebody talking about a topic they are interested in, they follow that person. By using your keywords in Tweets, not only are you helping SEO, but you are helping to find new followers that will be interested in what you have to say.
2) Follow Those in Your Industry: Find as many people in your industry as possible that you would like to follow. When you follow somebody, they will often return the favor and follow you as well. This also goes the other way, if somebody new follows you, return the favor by following them as well.
3) Search for Topics: Find keywords that are relevant to your industry, search them on Twitter under the "Discover" tag. People will use a "#" in front of a word so that it is included in a discussion. For example, Innovative Ad Solutions LLC is interested in online marketing, so we can search on Twitter and it will return all Tweets that are talking about online marketing.
4) Use the Hashtag: Using the hashtag as part of your Tweet will ensure your Tweet is part of relevant discussions. Those that are interested in the topic will then find your account easier. For example, "online marketing" is a keyword that fits my industry. When Innovativeads1 posts to Twitter, we either include "#onlinemarketing" within the Tweet if it flows well as part of the content, or we will put "#onlinemarketing" at the end of the Tweet if it doesn't fit within the content. Once you find relevant discussions, follow those that are involved in those discussions. They will then be more likely to follow you. Try and focus on individuals rather than businesses unless you are focused on B2B online marketing.
5) Use Twitter Code on Your Sites: To find Twitter followers to help out your online marketing plan you need to make it as easy as possible for people to follow you. First off, many other social media accounts allow you to list you Twitter Username. So make sure you check out Google+, LinkedIn, Facebook, Foursquare, and any other social media apps you are using as part of your online marketing. List your Twitter username. Also, directories that list your business often have a spot for your Twitter username. Take advantage of this. It is also imperative to embed Twitter Buttons on your website. Put them all over your page. Check out Twitter Buttons where you can get the code if you do your own site building. If not talk to your web master. They are easy to use. Also, review our website for examples of how we use Twitter Buttons. Specifically, check out the Contact Us page where you can see all the social media buttons we use.
1) Use Keywords in Tweets: People often search for topics on Twitter. When they find somebody talking about a topic they are interested in, they follow that person. By using your keywords in Tweets, not only are you helping SEO, but you are helping to find new followers that will be interested in what you have to say.
2) Follow Those in Your Industry: Find as many people in your industry as possible that you would like to follow. When you follow somebody, they will often return the favor and follow you as well. This also goes the other way, if somebody new follows you, return the favor by following them as well.
3) Search for Topics: Find keywords that are relevant to your industry, search them on Twitter under the "Discover" tag. People will use a "#" in front of a word so that it is included in a discussion. For example, Innovative Ad Solutions LLC is interested in online marketing, so we can search on Twitter and it will return all Tweets that are talking about online marketing.
4) Use the Hashtag: Using the hashtag as part of your Tweet will ensure your Tweet is part of relevant discussions. Those that are interested in the topic will then find your account easier. For example, "online marketing" is a keyword that fits my industry. When Innovativeads1 posts to Twitter, we either include "#onlinemarketing" within the Tweet if it flows well as part of the content, or we will put "#onlinemarketing" at the end of the Tweet if it doesn't fit within the content. Once you find relevant discussions, follow those that are involved in those discussions. They will then be more likely to follow you. Try and focus on individuals rather than businesses unless you are focused on B2B online marketing.
5) Use Twitter Code on Your Sites: To find Twitter followers to help out your online marketing plan you need to make it as easy as possible for people to follow you. First off, many other social media accounts allow you to list you Twitter Username. So make sure you check out Google+, LinkedIn, Facebook, Foursquare, and any other social media apps you are using as part of your online marketing. List your Twitter username. Also, directories that list your business often have a spot for your Twitter username. Take advantage of this. It is also imperative to embed Twitter Buttons on your website. Put them all over your page. Check out Twitter Buttons where you can get the code if you do your own site building. If not talk to your web master. They are easy to use. Also, review our website for examples of how we use Twitter Buttons. Specifically, check out the Contact Us page where you can see all the social media buttons we use.
Online Marketing Starter Guide Power Point Presentation
Check out our overview for the do-it yourself online marketers. Our online marketing power point presentation can give you an outline of the steps you should take to begin marketing your small business successfully on the internet. Click the link to download the slideshow.
Choose the Right Keywords for your Online Marketing Plan
- Brainstorm; make a list of all words and phrases that are relevant to your industry and your business.
- Run these keywords through a keyword tool. One that I love is Google Keyword Tool
- Analyze the results. If the keywords you have chosen to potentially be part of your online marketing plan have high competition, find ones that are more specific. It is better to be ranked first for a "niche" keyword then not show up at all for a broad category. The users you do drive to your site through using more specified keywords will stay longer (lower bounce rate) and thus help your SEO. For example, if I was a used car salesman choosing a keyword for my online marketing, I might want to use the keyword "used cars"; however this keyword has a lot of competition. Instead, if I use the keywords "used sport cars" I have a better chance of a high ranking. The users that do come to my site will stay longer because they were looking for sport cars and found exactly what they are looking for.
- Remember to add your location. Unless you are a business that is looking to provide services worldwide (which many small businesses do not), add your location as part of your keywords. Continuing the above online marketing example, instead of just "used sports cars" I would write "used sport cars Putnam NY". The location is key to online marketing and can help improve your local rankings, which is what is most important.
- Choose keywords that can easily fit into informative, logical, well flowing content. If they keywords you choose as part of your online marketing plan can't fit into well with your content they will be of no use. You need to be able to embed them within your content to optimize your search results.
- Ensure the keywords are relevant to your site. Online marketing and Search Engine Optimization rely heavily on the "bounce rate". This is basically the percentage of users that come to your site and then "bounce" away without continuing on to other pages on your site. If your keywords are chosen simply to attract visitors, without taking into consideration how relevant they are, you will have a high bounce rate. This will hurt your Search Engine Optimization, result in lower search rankings, and ultimately hurt your online marketing rather than help it.
- Analyze the keywords your competitors are using. There is nothing wrong with learning from your competitors. You can incorporate the good keywords into your small business online marketing plan, and also analyze the poor keywords and steer away from them.
- Contact Us with your list of potential keywords and we can help you pick the best ones. We can also generate the list for you and make the final decision if you choose to sign up for our "Small Business Online Marketing Starter Package" for only $567!
The online marketing ecosystem is all about understanding how great content can lead exponentially to new customers.
The Be's of Online Marketing for Small Businesses
- Be different. Offer customers and potential customers a reason to follow your online marketing. Give them something that your competitors aren't. For example, instead of writing a "How To" post, record a "How To" video and host it on your website through YouTube. People would rather watch an interesting video then read a lengthy post.
- Be alert. Stay alert to what others are doing and learn from your competition. This may seem contradictory to the first point of being different, however, being different doesn't mean you can't learn from the successes and failures of your competition. Stay up to date with the online marketing of all the other businesses in your industry. Try and identify why their successes are successful and why the flops are failing.
- Be social. Online marketing is all about the social aspect. Interact with your followers and give them a reason to share your content and offers with their friends. Reacting to questions and comments is key to online marketing. Remember to be personal, and don't take offense to criticism. React to it respectfully and be open to learning from it. One like on Facebook, one re-tweet or following on Twitter, or one +1 on Google+ can lead to numerous new followers. You can then convert these followers into customers with a compelling offer.
- Be exceptional. Provide an exceptional value to customers. Give followers something they can't turn down. Even if it is something for free, this is how you rope them in and give your small business a chance to shine. A small investment by giving something away can go a long way with future revenues. They are also more likely to share exceptional values with those in their online communities. If your competitors are providing something of value to customers, take it one step further with your online marketing plan. For example, if you are a local barber and your competitor is offering $5 OFF for first time customers, offer a FREE haircut to first time customers. You can also use Living Social, Groupon, or Google Offers to issue a variety of offers to targeted groups.
- Be catchy. Taking your business viral with your online marketing plan is all about being catchy. This can be done through a creative business slogan, a fun mascot or character, a funny video, or a multitude of other ways. Incorporate this into all aspects of online marketing including content titles, websites, blogs, and social media accounts. Be careful to ensure you remain politically correct as not to offend people. One misstep could be very harmful to the online marketing of your small business.
More Online Marketing Tips for Small Businesses
- Every time you make drastic changes to the layout of your small business website, ensure you resubmit your sitemap to Google, Bing, and Yahoo.
- Run a press release at least every two weeks. Use www.free-press-release.com or PRweb.com if you want a better service that comes at a cost. Ensure to use your keywords and embed links within your press releases.
- Frequently change the content on your website, Twitter, Facebook, Google +, LinkedIn, and Blog. If the content isn't new you will lose your search rankings which will drastically hurt your online marketing plan.
- Create a compelling offer as part of your online marketing plan that drives users to your goods or services immediately. You want them to act now, not at a future date. The quicker you convert potential customers to sales the more sales opportunities you will have in the future.
- Actively manage your social media accounts, it is better to have two or three applications that you can stay on top of than five or six that you don't always have fresh content on. Online marketing is all about being active.
Improve Online Marketing by Using Better File Names
- Remember, search engines crawl the code of your webpage, not the webpage itself, so take advantage of the files you upload to your site.
- The name of the files you upload to your website become part of the site's code. Take this into account when creating the webpage and uploading any images or videos as part of the overall site design.
- Do not use traditional file names such as "logo.jpeg"; instead use creative ones such as "online marketing logo.jpeg".
- File names should include your keywords whenever possible. The opportunity to use keywords whenever possible is extremely important to online marketing and your search rankings.
- Use these techniques for all pictures, videos, pdf, and other files; either ones that are part of your webpage design or files that are available for download by users.
Cross Linking Your Website Online
- Write some articles for websites that relate to your industry, embed a link to your website where you offer free content.
- Write a blog and within the blog posts embed links to your website.
- Review other businesses online, when you "post as" your business there is often a spot to link to your own website.
- Join your local Chamber of Commerce, they often will put a link for you on their website.
- Submit your website to as many directories as possible. Many directories are free and others you have to pay to submit to. There are also services that will submit to a multitude of directories for a fee, this will ensure you make the directory much quicker and will really help the online marketing for your small business.
- Comment on facebook pages for other businesses relevant to your industry, then refer their followers to your website for free content.
- Work your link into your posts on Twitter
- Answer questions on websites that are relevant to your industry. Yahoo offers a section where users can ask questions and anybody can answer them. When you answer, refer users to your small business's website.
- Once you become well known online, you can "guest blog" for other authors.
- Make sure you are not spamming when following any of these tips. The key is to work your link into a relevant and educational posts where you share information, offer free content, respond to comments, or answer questions. Nothing is worse for your small business's online marketing plan then bombarding users with links to your website within irrelevant posts.
Example from one of our blog posts on innovativeadsolutions.blogspot.com. Notice how we embed the links within our informative content. The blog still flows well, we don't overdo the links, and we accomplish our online marketing goals.
Quick Tips for Writing Appealing Content
- Put Yourself in Their Shoes: Nobody knows your industry better then you do. Think about what information would be valuable to you if you were the customer. What would keep you coming back for more? The answer to this will be different depending on the small business, but one thing is for sure, spamming your customers is not the answer. Make sure the content is useful and then you can sneak in your advertisements and links, don't make it only about promoting your business because it will not be perceived well.
- Write an Outline: Before you begin to write, take the time to make a quick outline so that your posts are organized. This doesn't have to be anything formal, just some quick notes so you can ensure your content is structured and well though out.
- Take the Time to Think it Through: So many people post content just for the sake of posting it. They are in such a rush to publish new content that they don't take the time to think why they are publishing it in the first place. If the content isn't meaningful, your telling your followers that it is not worth their time to come back for more. Before publishing content, ask yourself how it will help your customer, the value it will provide them, and if there is a more efficient way to get your message across.
- Pay Attention to Detail: Remember that people are following your content because you are the expert and generally they do not know as much as you do. Do not take it for granted that something is not worth mentioning because you think it is a given. Explain yourself thoroughly and assume that the person who is using the content knows nothing about the subject you are discussing.
Spamming is the biggest sin in the online marketing world. The biggest tip I can give you about good content is to avoid spamming your customers. It is a sure way to online marketing plan failure!
Five Online Marketing Tips for Small Businesses
- Establish your goals: What is the purpose of your online marketing plan? Do you want to increase brand awareness? Do you want to drive traffic to your website? Do you want to sell your product online? Knowing the purpose of your marketing plan is the first step to ensuring you have success. Without a clearly defined goal, you will never be able to achieve it.
- Set your Marketing Budget: Knowing how much you can afford to spend is important to determining which services you can use in your online marketing plan. With a minimal online marketing budget you can still drive traffic to your small business and find new customers. There are a variety of sites and directories that are free of charge. For example, you can achieve a high ranking in Google’s organic search results by having good content on your website and choosing the correct keywords. These free options often require more work, but payoff big time in the end; not to mention the savings to your online marketing budget. There are also options where you can achieve much faster results from online marketing, but they come at a cost. Knowing your budget and time frame for results will help to draft your online marketing plan.
- Content is Key: It may seem as if this should go without saying, but I will say it anyway; make sure your business has a website. Nothing is more important to your online marketing plan. There are varieties of website building tools you can use and they require knowing next to nothing about computer programming. If you can’t afford to have a website designed professionally, learn how to use one of these tools. I like to use iPage which is the best tool I have found. The key to having a good business website is the content. Don’t just make your website a brochure. Provide information on your business, but also provide information on your industry. Give customers a reason to keep coming back. The more traffic your website gets, the higher you will rank in the search results, and the more new customers you will attract.
- Search Engine Optimization: Educate yourself on search engine optimization and determine how using it as part of the online marketing plan will drive customers to your website. You can either drive them organically or drive them by pay per click. When a user runs a search on Google, there are two types of results; advertisements and organic search results. To have an ad for your small business pop up you will have to pay Google a fee each time somebody clicks on your advertisement. This is easier to achieve, but can be very costly depending on your chosen keywords and the demographic you are trying to reach. Your business can also show up in search results organically, which is free. This requires ensuring the online marketing content is interesting and that the it contains your keywords. Google offers free instructions on how to drive organic results. Check out the Google Keyword tool to help choose the best keywords that relate to your product. http://www.googlekeywordtool.com/
- Get Your Name out There: There are a variety of online directories where businesses can list for free. Many of these directories already list your small business, and by claiming the business you can input a lot of important data such as website, address, contact information, operating hours, etc. The more directories that list your business, the more your name is out there, and the easier it will be for customers to find you. Make sure to take advantage of these directories as part of your online marketing plan because they are free!
Once you identify your keywords use them as often as possible. Everything that you post should include your keywords. Strategically work them in so that the content still flows good and it will be very helpful to SEO and online marketing.