5 Items To Include In a Marketing Strategy

Those of us that are in business realize that new customers and clients just do not fall into our laps (most of the time).  We have to work to attract new business.  I like Jim Rohn's conversation about a boy with a paper route.  We all need a game plan in life and in business.  Imagine if a youngster with a paper route did not have a plan.  Now imagine if he had the wrong game plan.  Let's say instead of planning his route by street or house number, he delivered the papers alphabetically!  Oh my! That would add a few hours to the route and the business would fail miserably.  The same is true for our business' marketing.  Not only do we need a plan, but the plan must make sense and be productive.  Here are 5 items that should be in every small business' marketing strategy:



1. Networking:  Our business world has moved online, but there is still no replacement for a warm handshake, smile, and eye contact.  In-person networking is one of the best ways to get the word out about our businesses to explain what we do and what a good referral looks like to us.  I highly recommend joining a local chamber and finding a couple of networking groups that you can actually commit your time.  Just joining isn't enough though.  It's important to actually build relationships within the group(s) to attract new referrals so that people know, like, and trust us.


2. Social Media/SEO: By now I think everyone knows that if they are not using social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc) that they are getting left behind. EVERY industry leader (regardless of the industry) is active on social media.  People check their social media accounts several times per day and it's invaluable exposure for any small business to interact with their potential customer base on a DAILY basis.  I put SEO (Search Engine Optimization or Google ranking) in this bullet because it's extremely valuable, but not every business will benefit from it.  It's 100% necessary for service industries like plumbers, landscapers etc, because people use a Google search to find these services. Businesses on the first page of a Google search will earn the business; Simple as that.

3. Email Marketing: Using email services like Aweber to stay in contact with current and potential customers is important because people check their email several times per day.  This "touch" keeps us in sight and in mind with our followers.  It's important to remember not to sell to your email list, but instead, provide value and help them.  This will gain their trust. Obviously sharing coupons and specials is okay, just avoid begging for business.

4. Direct Mail: Yes direct mail still exists and it's actually quite effective if done correctly.  A personal trainer sending out post cards that arrive just before the New Year (when resolutions are being made) can produce a staggering ROI.  I recommend hiring a professional like Bright Side Print and Promotion or WelcomeMat Services to help with these types of campaigns.  Believe it or not, not everyone spends hours online and some prefer their information through the mail.  It's a must that a small business capitalize on this fact.

5. Blogging: I recently added blogging to my social media package because I found that most business owners did not have time to do it themselves and I know the value of blogging.  There is no better way to educate your potential client/customer than through blogging.  Again educating and helping people leads to trust and people love to spend money with those they trust.  There is also an SEO benefit to it because the search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing) love when you A: Help the user and B: update the content on your website on a regular basis.  Here's the best part: You can talk about topics in your blog in networking meetings (30 second commercials), share your blog on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Pinterest), email your blog to your subscribers, and mail your blog as a post card.



Putting these 5 things into action immediately and doing them consistently will have any business reaping the benefits by having customers approaching them instead of having to beg or wish for business.  As always, please feel free to elaborate below or add any other ideas with comments below. Thanks for reading!

How To Choose An Seo Company

Just like there are many factors that go into seo, there are several factors that go into how to choose an seo company.  They are not all the same.  The key is finding someone that is honest, trust worthy and has proven results.  Here are a few questions and factors that will help when a business owner decides it's time for seo (search engine optimization).

Questions to Ask

Are they local?   Now this is not the end all be all, but simply picking up the phone and calling a few seo companies is not going to cut it.  Being able to sit down and discuss your business and what kind of client/traffic is best for you to make a profit is key.  It's tough to dig in over the phone and develop a relationship.  An in-person meeting is also ideal so that the seo company can explain their strategy and what keywords would fit your niche best.  After all, you need to be able to trust this person/company with your most precious online real estate...your website.


How will they do it?  A reputable seo company should be able to explain their strategy in a way that the business owner can understand what they are getting for their investment.  If I hire a plumber, I don't necessarily need to know step by step what the procedure is, but it's good to have an idea where my money is going.  This being said, seo is VERY competitive and there may be certain aspects of the process that they will not share with you, but they should be able to paint a clear picture of how they plan to get your website up in the rankings.



Do They Have Clients on Page 1?  When hiring anyone to do anything, wouldn't make sense to see some of their work?  Of course right?  Well choosing an seo company is no different.  A fair request is to ask to see some keyword phrases that they have ranking in a good position (top 3) on page 1 of Google.  For instance, Dallas Seo Team has several clients ranking at the top of page 1:

Type the keywords that are in quotes into Google:

"Mckinney dwi lawyer"- Underwood Law (yourcriminaldefenseattorney.com)
"Albuquerque gym"-The Open Gym
"Tenant background search"- Tenant Background Search
"defensive driving richardson tx"-Comedy Guys
"Plano Personal Trainer"-Neff Fitness

Now that is a company worth hiring because they have proven results.

Questions that sound good, but are not really relevant (don't need to ask these):

How long have you been doing this?  Sounds crazy right?  Think about it for a second though.  Seo is a relatively new practice.  If a company has been in business for 20 years, but the latest algorithm change by Google took place last month, what good is all that "experience" if they don't know about the change.  Seo is ever-changing and a good company is only as good as how well they keep up with constant change.  A marketing degree today is worth more now than 10 years ago (Facebook didn't even exist).

Have you ever worked with a _________(fill in your industry/profession)? The reason why this question doesn't matter is because ranking in the search engines is all about quality links to your website regardless of the industry.  If you are a pest control company and you ask an seo company if they've ever worked with someone in your industry, it's the same as him/her asking you if you have ever dealt with bugs in an seo webmaster's house.  Same bugs regardless of the owner.  Well, you still have to create good links and content regardless of the industry.  A quality seo company will only rank 1 industry per city anyway.  It should make you uncomfortable if, in the same example, the seo company has 10 pest control companies under contract.  Then where will they find room on page 1 to rank you?

Signs of a quality seo company:

No long term contracts (more than 1 year): Quite simply there is no vested interest to rank you high in the search engines if the seo company is getting guaranteed money over a long period of time.


Does not offer Guarantees:  This is another tough one to swallow, but with Google changing their algorithms (what helps websites rank) constantly there are no guarantees in seo.


Upfront about length of time:  It takes at least 3 months (sometimes longer for more competitive keyword terms) to get a really good ranking in the search engines.  A good seo company should set that expectation up in the beginning. Good, clean (white hat) seo takes time (like getting into shape the correct way). 

Carefully picks out keywords:  Keyword research is vital in getting a return on investment with seo.  If no one is searching for your keyword phrase, you will not get business from searches.  Your seo company should help guide you in picking keywords that actually have search volume.

I hope this helps in your decision making process when choosing an seo company for your business.  The best part about ranking organically in the search engines is you no longer have to pay for each click!  Please feel free to comment below if you have any other advice or questions I did not include.

What is SEO?

What is SEO?  Technically it stands for Search Engine Optimization.  Huh? What does that mean?  In normal people terms, it simply means to help your website rank better in search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing.  Think about this:  When is the last time that you did a Google search and went to page 3 or 4?  Never right?  Most people make their decisions based on what appears on Page 1.  More specifically, the top of page 1.  

If you have a website and it is not on page 1, it is the same as having a wonderful store or billboard in the middle of the forest where no one can find it!

A lot of people think they can do this on your own, but look at EVERY business on page 1 and you will notice 1 thing:  All of them have hired a company to do it for them.

This, in my opinion, must be outsourced.  If you want to attract more customers, you must rank well in Google, Yahoo, and Bing.  I highly recommend Dallas Seo Team because they take a customized approach to helping their clients.  I hope this helps you and your business!