Odds and Ends

What Are The Little Things Needing Your Attention?

Growing up in a household of 12+(their was always an extra relative or two); each week the girls in the family were assigned a  task: Laundry, Kitchen, Bathroom, etc., and the all encompassing "ODDS and ENDS".

Since my mother never remembered who the Odds and Ends was assigned to; She would just yell out:

"ODDS and ENDS" which meant the person with this job for the week would try to hide. (LOL)

Let me be truthful: I hated when "Odds and Ends" was my assignment for the week. You see: all the other tasks could be completed and you had the  balance of the time for your yourself, but "Odds and Ends" meant you were on-call. It didn't matter if you were trying to read, watch TV, or play outside; When she called out "ODDS and ENDS", your life became hers!

This is the way most businesses operate. There are so many pieces and little oddities which must be taken care of in order to be successful.

Have You Taken Care of Your ODDS and ENDS?

1. Are You Using Internet Marketing For Your Business?

2. Have You Checked Out Your Google Places Listing?

3. Have You Submitted Your Business To The Online Directories?

4. What About Optimization for Your Website?

5. Do You Know How Your Competitors Are Using Internet Marketing?


Order Your Free Website Analysis Report Today

For the business owner; these little tasks have not yet appeared on your radar. But they definitely should be.

The internet is not going away and more and more local business owners are using the internet to market their business.

 Start off 2012 with a clear plan to take care of your "ODDS and ENDS"

Mobi Domains and Contact Forms

Help! My .Mobi Domain Will Not Let Me Add Forms

Ok, so I added a (dot).mobi domain with website tonight, turned on the instant mobilizer and WOW! my website is not mobilized.

Hold on not so fast; If you have done this you know how cumbersome it can be to navigate an entire site from the mobile phone.

What's a person to do?

If you're like most local business owners you don't need your entire site on the mobile, just a few images, a contact form, maybe a call-out or two about special offers, etc.

Now to the meat of the issue:

1. Godaddy 
Logon to your Godaddy account and upgrade your .mobi to add website tonight.

This service is great to add images, content, your phone number, etc.

2. WHAT IF YOU NEED TO INSERT A FORM

This is where it get's tricky;  I use a service, AWeber, which is great as  it gives me the code in different formats. All I have to do is insert the code  into Website Tonight's Design Page, Right?  WRONG!

You see, a .mobi domain will not code  Aweber's forms, so you are stuck with an upgraded plan with no way to collect names, emails and  phone numbers from potential customers.

3. I HAVE FOUND A SOLUTION

I decided to  search for a service which would allow me to insert forms into my .mobi domain.

I chose Formstack  for a couple of good reasons:

Watch this video.

It is quite simple for us "non-web developers."
1.  Formstack has a 14 day free trial
2.  They have a monthly plan which is quite reasonable
3.  Form Submission Data, meaning it collects and holds your data
4. Lots of other features you may like.

Don't believe me?  check out my .mobi domain:  http://www.localbusinessconsulting.mobi

So far I am pleased with the Formstacks' service.

Google Local Listings

Are  You Using Google For Your Business?

It has been said that "a picture says a thousand words", So instead of a lot of text in this post; I decided to just add a video... Would love to hear your comments.

Welcome To Local Business Consulting

Order Your Free Website Analysis Report Today

Amazon Tripadvisor and Fake Reviews

ARE REVIEWS IMPORTANT TO YOUR WEBSITE RANKINGS?

I just finished reading the reports on how Amazon and TripAdvisor have paid other companies to post fake reviews to their websites.  If these ONLINE GIANTS ARE WILLING TO FORK OVER BIG BUCKS FOR REVIEWS, IT MUST BE IMPORTANT!!

What about your business on the web? Do you have a place where your satisfied customers can go and rave about your great product or service?  If not maybe you should look into a couple of online search engines and directories which allow for this enchancement to your business listing.

Since GOOGLE is the largest search engine in the world; let's start with them.

Google has a service called Google Places, which allow any small business to create or claim their business listing.

Once you are all set up Google looks at your business and ranks it based on locations and business category. Google uses a ranking called the Local Pack 7 - which means when  a search is done for a product or service; Google returns it's top 7 results on the first page listed as local search results.

Take a Look At this Graphic:



A QUICK SEARCH ON YARD SERVICES IN BELTSVILLE, MD RETURNED ONLY TWO GOOGLE PLACES LISTING.

If you own a lawn service business this is a great opportunity for you to be listed on Google's First Page

Once you get your business listed on Google the real fun begins with asking your satisfied customers to go online and post great reviews about your product or service.  Google loves this and will push your business listing to the top based on how many reviews you have.

Go ahead type in a search term for you business and take a look at the results.  Is your business listed?  If not, get started today!

If you need help in setting up a Google Places Account - Local Business Consulting  offers this service.

Contact Us Today and let us help you STIMULATE YOUR ECONOMY







What Is Organic Traffic?

Organic Does Not Mean Fertilizer

How is everyone on this wonderful Memorial Day?

First let me give a shout out to our veterans who serve all over the world to protect and defend the United States from enemies far and near.  I have two sons in the military and am proud of their service to our country.

When most of us think of organic we think of all the health food proclaiming to be organic this or organic that.

My discussion today will about search engine traffic and what it means when you read or hear about traffic which is organic.

Organic Traffic is when people click on your website without you have to pay for it. This is good news for us small business owners with a very limited advertising budget.

So, then, the question I know you are asking is how do I get organic search traffic.  I am glad you asked.  One of my favorite ways is to make sure I am taking advantage of all the free online business listings that are available.

If you haven't added your business to online directories, here are a few: Just click their links and check them out

Manta

Merchant Circle

Yelp

Localeze

There are literally thousands of them out there - most of them are free with a premium service to those of us who have a little monthly cash to throw their way.

Here is a graph from my Google Analytics Page

Definitions:

 Direct Traffic: Traffic which comes when http://www.localbusinessconsulting.co is typed in the browser or clicked from a link

Referring Sites: This can come from many places and these can be both paid and free ex. I run Facebook Ad and if someone clicks on the ad this is considered a referral. Also is some clicks my link from my Facebook Fanpage this is also considered a referral.

Search Engine: This is the one I really love. Say someone is looking for internet marketing help; They might use this search term in Google and either my website link will show up or my Google Places listing will appear.

Run your own test and put  in a search term which describes your business? Is your company listed?  If so, you are making the right steps to ensure potential customers can find you.

IF NOT? Don't wait! Get started today implementing some of my strategies to get your company listed and found on the internet.

My best and most recommended way to get organic traffic for the local and small business owner is Google Places. Or course, Yahoo and Bing also have local listings for business, but since Google has most of the search traffic; this is the place to start.

If you need a little help and have questions, drop me an email.

For a free internet marketing report and a free consultation on your online marketing needs.

Local Business Online Advertising Nightmare

I KNOW YOU HAVE SEEN THESE TERMS

As a local business owner you have heard the advertising, seen the TV commercials about how you need to be on the internet!

Yes, I agree a business owner needs to take advantage of the internet for their online marketing and advertising.

If you take a look at the graphic I created then you know these maze of terms should be able to help you, but your focus is on your business and making it successful.

So, I would like to help you understand what these terms mean, and how they can help you in your advertising needs.

1. Google Places- free business listing for local business owners(absolutely free)

2. Free Websites - there are hundreds of companies offering free websites and free hosting of your website. Some of these are very good. I recommend you take a look at this one if you don't have a website. 

3.  Social Media Networks-there are literally thousands of social media networks out there - the top three are Facebook,Twitter,and LinkedIn. These sites offer you the opportunity to reach millions of potential customers, add new connections, and create your business profiles. As this can be time-consuming to manually post to all these networks, there are Social Bookmarking sites available.
Check this one out -  

4. Search Engine Optimization- This is the process where search engines(Google,Bing,Yahoo to name a few), review your site by something called "crawling". The search engines look for keywords, content, and backlinks to your site.  From this information they determine how to rank you in their search engines(will you show up on page 1 or page 101). You can see how important having your website optimized helps in getting new clients.

Side note: if you have a website with flash images and no text content you will never be picked by the search engines.

5. Directory Submissions - a business owner can signup and submit their business listing to these sites.  Most of them are free for a basic listing. Some have a premium service for more expansive listings.


6. Youtube and Adwords - I decided to combine these two because they are so closely related. I know you have heard of youtube and probably have visited to watch a video. The great thing about Youtube is they now allow you to promote a video and even promote your ads which show up on "partner videos". This is where I also speak about Adwords. Since Google owns Youtube they have combined advertising on both. You can create a Google Adwords account and run ads on both Google and Youtube. This is great way to get your business seen. This can be costly if not implemented correctly.

  A good internet marketer can work to keep your costs to a minimum.

6. Blogging - Now here is a great way to keep your business and any updates to your products and services on the forefront. Just like websites, blogs are picked up by the search engines and ranked based on content. There are also blog directories which search for new blogs and new content.


I hope this information was helpful. I encourage you to take advantage of the online advertising opportunities available, as you can be sure your competitors are!


Why not sign-up for my free internet marketing report today?
I will give you:
- insight on your business segment
- information on how your local competitors are using the internet to gain market share.
- website, keyword, and content analysis


Contact Us Today
Click Here to Request your Report!

Are You Using YouTube for Your Business

YouTube Is A Great Place To Advertise

Many local business owners are seeking new ways to push their products or services to where their potential customers are.

Did you know YouTube is ranked #3 for the most searched places on the internet?

Now that you have watched the video, do you have questions?
I know I didn't when I first investigated using YoutTube for business.
Here is what I discovered:
You don't have to be  video expert
You don't even need your own videos.
This is a powerful advertising tool


 Contact Local Business Consulting  today to have a YouTube video targeting campaign started.


Our goal is to help Stimulate Your Economy


We can set up a video targeting campaign for your business.



Contact Us by Email Today

Is Your Business a Kinetic Military Action?

KMA FOR SHORT

I have been listening to and reading about the Obama's administration description of our miliary's involvement in Libya.



The phrase has now become famous or infamous depending on your point of view.

This phase "Kinetic Military Action" or KMA for short peaked my interest in using the phrase from a business standpoint.

OK, let's dig deep:

Kinetic: pertaining to motion, caused by motion, energized.
Military:pertaining to war or soldiers
Action: something done or performed.

Now you may know the meaning of each of these words; but put them together and you get a unique way of looking at your business from a militaristic point-of view.

Do you see your business as a military campaign? If not why not. Even Facebook and Google uses the term "Campaign" for their Pay-Per Click Services.

Do you see your competitors as your friends?
Are there "Actions" you are performing everyday to increase your business, get your brand out there, and bring in the customers?

So you can see how I view this "Kinetic Military Action" as a business concept we engage in everyday. We may have a different name for it, but we are implementing it all the same.

If you view your business as a military campaign; there will strategy, resource allocation, best weapons to use, and even a coalition of sorts to help you accomplish your goals.

HOW ARE YOU USING KMA TODAY?

Where in Greater DC series - money back in a short sale

7 Things You Can Do Today to Increase Clicks to Your Website

1. Submit your business listing to online directories
2. Write and submit a press release
3. Create a Google Places account
4. Review your keywords and alt tags on your website
6. Create a Facebook Fan Page
7. Submit a service or product to Facebook Marketplace

Don't Let the Sun Set on Your Dreams

Do you have great photos for your business. Local Business Consulting will take those photos and create you a video for your business.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Local Business Report Sample

Online Advertising Made Easy

For small and local business owners, online advertising is a mystery you just don't want to discover.

Let Local Business Consulting make your transition from print media and the yellow pages to the internet easy and cost-effective.

How much do you spend a year on the yellow pages and drop-mailings a year to get your business new customers?

Want if I told you, you could cut that cost by 40%!
Think of what you can do in new hires, new equipment, etc. with that extra 40%

Contact Local Business Consulting Today and receive a Free Internet Marketing Report on your Business Segment.

http://www.localbusinessconsulting.co
pcook@localbusinessconsulting.co

From: http://www.pitchengine.com/localbusinessconsulting/online-advertising-made-easy/126419/

Testing Out Online Video Creator

I am considering creating a video for my business and have come across a couple.
I created this video in about 10 minutes.

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.



So What do you think?
I would love to hear from you on whether this is a good idea.
The cost to remove the branding is around $249 yearly.
Do you think this is too expensive
Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Local Business Constulting

Local Business Constulting

Google Places Account Should You Have One?

When I first learned about Google Maps and how it allowed for businesses to claim their listing; I knew this would change how Google would view page ranking. Then Google changed their service from Maps to Places.
Here is how this works; Say you have barbershop in "smalltown" USA.
Google knows the general location of the computer when a person  searches for the keyword barbershop and will return listings for barbershops within that geographical area.

Here is where Google Places comes in and can help you out if you own a barbershop in "smalltown" USA.
Go ahead and try this and you will see listings alphabets A-F beside them.

They show up on the first page don't they? And you immediately notice them.

So why wouldn't you as a barbershop owner not want you business name to be on that first page of a Google Search?

If this is you, barbershop, auto repair, whatever. You need your business listed if you expect more customers coming thru the door.  After all 70% of online searches are for products or services.  Will Your They Find YOU?


Contact Local Business Today for a free consultation
Local Business Consulting Fan Page

What Do You Need to Market Online

In my years of using Google Adwords, I have discovered several important things.
1. It is not as easy as you would think
2. There is a lot of sweat equity involved in research, testing, and researching again.
3. Shoud you choose network placement or organic keyword search?

I have tried both and found that with network placement you get more bang for the buck, however, it's difficult to tell exactly how your ads doing, and with the thousands of google network partners, choosing the right one can be tiresome.

My suggestion is to try both and go with the one that works for you.

PCook
Local Business Consulting

Small Business Consulting

What are you doing in 2012 to bring more exposure to your business?

Are your competitors getting more business?

Here's a hint: They are capitalizing on Internet Marketing

Now is the time to make  a decision on (internet, social media, or whatever they are calling it this week)

Do you know where to start?  There are so many options, but which one is right for you and your business?
Here's some tips:

Make a decision on your end-game.  I know, I know, increase your sales!!!

What I mean is besides the obvious, do a google search and see if your business shows up. If it doesn't, then the first thing you need to do is get your business listed with Google Places.

How about Facebook?  Do you have business fan page?


Do you have a LinkedIn account?

Are you listed on the online directory search engines? - The days of the Yellow Pages are gone!!

Sounds, like a lot huh?  Don't be discouraged, these things can be accomplished, with a little time and not a lot of money.  In fact I would be willing to give you a free report and a free consultation. Then I will do all of the above for just $100.00
You can sign up on my Facebook  Fan Page localbusinessco for your free consultation today!!

Looking forward to hearing from you!
PCook