What I mean, when I say that, is Feed The Customer!  On the Internet that means, feed their current desire.  Which means, find out what they’re looking for and then feed it to them!

If your small business sells red shoes and your keyword research shows that yellow shoes are in higher demand, wouldn’t you look for a yellow shoe distributor?  Wouldn’t you add yellow shoes to your inventory of products?  Your audience is looking for them.  That’s the “fetish” this month, this quarter, this year.  Whatever.  If your audience wants it, if they’re hungry for it, feed it to them!

Here’s a great article at Suite101.com about putting the customer first in your Internet marketing campaign.

As the owner of an Internet Marketing firm that focuses on small business websites, we WANT our clients to engage in the Internet marketing process.  But in order for them to do that, they must know what’s going on, they need the information in order to make the best decision.  That’s where our monthly marketing reports come to play.  So, let me share with you what we focus on.

Keywords Report

One factor many website owners forget about is the continuous change that is the Internet.  Here’s a little tip I can give you.  Go to Code Monitor and sign up.  It’s free.  Enter in a competitor’s website and just wait.  In your email you’ll receive a notice every time that competitor makes a change on his website.  If that competitor’s website is in the top 3 on a Google search result, I can pretty much guarantee that they are changing their website often.  At least once a week.

Our Keywords Report helps you to add new data to your website by giving you 3 new keyword phrases that your website can market.  The idea is to keep adding, changing and upgrading your website.

Competition Report

Knowing what your competition is doing (and what they’re not doing) is a key factor in Internet marketing.  But what do you need to know?  Well, you need to know how many pages their website is marketing, how large is their social media marketing, what kind of traffic is that website bringing them, how many incoming links do they have and what keywords are they getting traffic for?

But you also need to know who your competition is.  Don’t get caught up in the thought that the store down the street is your competition.  On the Internet, your competition are the websites that are coming up for the keyword phrases you are marketing.  So, go to Google, type in a keyword phrase your website is marketing and hopefully you’re in the top 3.  If you’re not, who are?  Those are your competitors.  Find out what they’re doing and you’ll have a better idea of how to plan your Internet marketing campaign.

Your Website Pages

A few months ago Google changed many of their ranking rules (algorithims) and basically, they’re placing more emphasis on individual pages.  So, this forced us to place more emphasis on individual pages.  Everything from the links in and out, the page speed, cache dates and much more.

In this report, we outline each individual website page along with information about the keyword phrases it’s marketing, how it’s doing as far as bringing in traffic, it’s cache date and soon we’ll be adding page speed information as well.  The point is to give the website owner the information they need to make a decision on if and what type of changes a website page may need.

Recommendations Report

There isn’t one single day that goes by that something new isn’t introduced for website owners.  It can be a new social media site, a new method of communicating with visitors, a new form of video or audio, etc.  Just check out Killer Start Ups – you’ll see how creative folks are getting!

This report is our way of letting our customers know what new technology they may find useful for their website.  We try to cover everything that is the latest in Internet marketing.  (Did you know that Facebook is growing faster than Google?)  We want our clients to know that.  It’s to their benefit to take advantage of this information.  And to be honest, if the client does well with their website marketing, then we do well.

If your SEO firm is not providing you with this kind of information, ask them if they can or just call us at Eckweb Designs, Inc. We will help you to succeed.

Twitter, complicated?  I don’t think so!

But, I know for myself and for the small business owners who are using it that it does work so I know that I’m not just making things up!  So, I think there’s some TwitterPhobia going around.  Basically, if you don’t know what it is, you decide it’s not for you.  Ignore it.

Well, if you find yourself to be somewhat Twitter Phobic, let me try to help.  I’ll give you some tips and ideas on why you should be using Twitter for your small business marketing campaigns.  Hopefully, I’ll get through to a few of you out there!

1) Many small businesses are local.  For your local customers who use (and love) Twitter, I highly recommend that you also use Twitter.  Introduce yourself, let these local folks know why you want to follow them.  For example, if you’re a local Greek Restaurant, you’ll want to introduce yourself by saying you’ve got a special offer for Twitter followers or local customers.  Let them know you’re looking to give them the best Greek Food in the area!

There are several directories that will hook you up with local Twitterers.

http://www.chirpcity.com
http://www.nearbytweets.com
http://www.tweepz.com

2) Twitter is not only for YOU sending out messages, you can also monitor to see and read what others are saying about your company.  What if you noticed that someone tweeted that they walked into your store the other day and no one helped them?  Wouldn’t you want to tweet back to work out the problem?  What if someone tweeted that your company gave great service, wouldn’t you want to tweet them and thank them?  What if no one is talking about you? – Doesn’t that tell you something?

3) “Listen in” – on your competitors.  What if the competition on the other side of town is Twittering?  Who’s following them?  Who are they following?  Find out what they’re talking about and put yourself in the conversation.  Showcase your expertise.

4) There are literally hundreds of new Twitter tools and more being introduced every single day, I mean every single day!  Check out Mashable.com and KillterStartUps.com – you’ll find so many Twitter tools, it’ll make your head spin.  Take some time out with your staff to review and discuss these tools.  Select the ones that will benefit your business and of course, keep checking daily for new and improved tools.  You’ll find that the information you can get from Tweets can be invaluable for your business and put you ahead of the pack.

5) Let others know you’re Tweeting.  Put a “follow me on twitter” logo on your website, on your blog, on your business card, on your storefront window, on your menus, on your brochures, everywhere!!

I hope these suggestions will help you overcome your Twitter Phobia!  Believe me, it’s a new way of communicating (well, not so new maybe – to me it’s very much like texting) but for businesses, it’s a new way.  And what is business all about if not “communicating” with your clients?  Don’t all business owners want to keep up that communication?  So, check it out and let me know how you do!

But, having vented those sentiments, I have to acknowledge that apparently there are many more people out there who ARE interested in hearing all about this.  How do I know?  The traffic on social media programs like Twitter tell me so.

I know we like to blame the media for promoting certain pieces of news but with the real time social media tools like Twitter influencing news stories (and everything else it seems) we can’t blame the media anymore.  They’re just responding to what they’re seeing and reading.  And what they’re reading is that millions of people are lamenting the death of Michael Jackson.  So, the media is just responding to what the audience wants.

This just goes to show that no matter how YOU may feel about a topic or service or product, as a business owner YOU need to LISTEN to what your audience wants.  If you think that the majority of your audience are searching for divorce services, but in reality the majority is searching for mediation services, then why don’t you offer (and advertise) mediation services?

Use the great tools at Twitter and Google to find out what your audience is looking for.  Begin tailoring your website to those needs and you’ll see traffic coming to your site with very little effort on your part!

No point in building a rack or pages on your website to sell red shoes if your audience is looking for yellow shoes instead!  That can be a costly mistake.  (Hence, that’s how all those shoes end up at the discount stores!)

Anyway – how can you know what your audience is looking for?  And now?

Well, Twitter is a “now” type of tool.  I mean, you see what people are typing in now.  So, it’s a great tool to find out what others are searching for.

Here’s how…

Twitscoop.com is a great tool to find out what people are searching for.  Here’s how you use it.

1) Type in a phrase (in quotes) about your services, in the form of a need or want.  For example, let’s say you sell Name Tags – here are some sample searches you can do…

a) “searching for” + “name tags” – no results

b) “searching for” + “nametags” – no results

c) “looking for” + “name tags” – got 2 results, one mentions celebrities and name tags (hmm – that’s an idea, create name tags using celebrity images)

d) “great” + “name badges” – got an advertisement from namebadgeworld.com – hmm – interesting and free way to market!  Also got links to other sites selling very different looking types of name badges.  Great ideas!

Get the idea?  This short survey on Twitscoop.com which took about 5 minutes, showed me that there is a need out there for unusual and different name tags.  People are admiring name tags and badges that are not the “same old same old”.  That tells me (if I’m selling name tags) that I need to get creative and begin making different name tags, ones that stand out and showcase today’s meetings and the desires of the people in those meetings.

This concept will not only show you what your audience wants or needs but it will bring you AND your audience together.  What a concept!

The idea was taken from AvanteGardens.com – basically what they did was to add a marker on a Google Map for each location where they’ve handled the flowers for weddings, special events, etc.  When you click on a marker it shows you the name of the facility and it also shows you a photo of the flowers.  Very clever marketing!

Not only are they letting you know who has used them (building trust and value to their brand) but they’re also showcasing their products!

It’s a great idea but how can YOU use it?

Let me know!

What?

I know when I first started Eckweb I attended every single networking group within a 20 mile radius for 3 years.  I wrote as many blogs and articles as I could, I searched for every available type of self promotion that I could find.  I mean, it took time, yes but it also helped me to find the words that I needed to give my presentation.  It gave me the opportunity to see how others saw the SEO services industry.  This insight was my education on how to speak to my potential audience.

So, it’s no wonder that when I speak to small business owners about adding content to their websites – they don’t know how.  They don’t know what to say.  They can speak the language of their industry, but they can’t speak the language their customers are speaking.  In my humble opinion, you can’t sell if you don’t know what you’re selling and if you don’t know what your customers are looking for.

So, the next time you’re given the opportunity to take advantage of some self promotion, go for it!  It will pay off in the long run!!

These online social media programs are the same thing – at least for businesses they are. The problem is that sometimes the business folks are mixed in with the social folks. So, the "conversation" that you see on the screen ranges from "Deciding on tuna or chicken sandwich for lunch." to "Found some great ideas on small business marketing – click here." So, yes, at this point we do have to weed out what we need from what we don’t need (or care about). But the reality is that the benefits are there.

Nothing tells the truth better than numbers, so here are some stats from 4 websites that we’re marketing. All four websites are participating in social media programs. All four have blogs that they keep up and all four contribute regularly (at least 2 articles per month) to their blog and social media campaigns.

Website 1 – contributes an average of 20 articles per month

28.33 % came from direct traffic
28.79% came from referring sites
42.88% came from search engines

The referring sites are…
stumbleupon.com
promotionworld.com
ladieswholaunch.com
twitter.com

Website 2 – contributes an average of 5 articles per month

10.54% from direct traffic
31.05% from referring sites
58.40% from search engines

The referring sites are…
knolstuff.com
blog
linkedin.com

Website 3 – contributes an average of 2 articles per month

7.51% from direct traffic
4.93% from referring sites
87.56% from search engines

The referring sites are…
knolstuff.com
blog
ezinearticles.com
goodsearch.com
geckoe.com

Website 4 – contributes an average of 2 articles per month

28.74% from direct traffic
2.01% from referring sites
69.25% from search engines

The referring sites are…
blog
knolstuff.com
goodsearch.com

What’s interesting to note is the direct traffic stats. 2 f the 4 websites above DO NOT participate in any other marketing besides Internet marketing, not even pay per click campaigns. So, the "direct traffic" visitors are probably coming from referrals from clients and/or referrals from visitors to the social media campaigns. It’s hard to tell but it’s interesting to note that factor.

So, you see, there’s no doubt that there is traffic being brought in to websites via social media. So, is it worth it for you to take 30 minutes each day to write a short article about what you already know? And then submit that article to multiple sites? If you really don’t have the time, consider using a social media marketing program like we have at Eckweb Designs. It does the work for you.

So, how can you, as a small business, compete on the Internet? Easy – Long Tail Marketing!

Long Tail Marketing is the concept of targeting keyword phrases that are less competitive. True, these keyword phrases are also less popular. But the chances of your website getting on the first page of the search engines with the long tail keyword phrase is much greater. And let’s face it, if you’re not on the first page, you’re not going to get visitors from that keyword phrase.

I’ve been struggling for months to get a client of ours on the first page of Google for the phrase name tags. I can get him there at least once a day but I can’t seem to keep him there! It’s frustrating to say the least! So, I know the potential for the visitors to his site for that keyword phrase is high but at the same time, while I’m working on that highly competitive phrase I still need to get visitors to his website. And long tail marketing is an excellent SEO strategy.

Let me give you some stats based on the last 30 days…

The numbers don’t lie. All these websites are getting MORE visitors from their long tail keyword phrases. It makes sense, their positions in the search engines for these long tail phrases are higher so the chances of getting visitors are higher.

You may be asking yourself, so why doesn’t every small business website follow the long tail marketing method? Well, there’s a catch. In order to get the larger number of visitors to your website, you need more pages. If a highly competitive keyword phrase on page 1 of Google can bring in 1000 visitors to your website, and a less competitive keyword phrase on page 1 of Google can bring in 50 visitors, then you need 20 pages, each one marketing one of these "less competitive (aka long tail) keyword phrases" in order to bring in the same number as the highly competitive keyword phrase.

And let’s face it, not many small business owners have the time to write so many pages. And not many small business owners have the money to pay copywriters for the service. But, as an SEO webmaster working specifically with small business owners I’m here to tell you that long tail marketing is your best, most effective strategy for website marketing. As your SEO firm to provide you with long tail keyword phrases, each month they should give you a few. And write – add new pages to your website. Write articles and post them on your blog, on Facebook. Let everyone on your Twitter account know about that article. It WILL bring in business and the side benefit is that the conversion rates are usually higher on the long tail keyword phrases. So, not only do they bring in visitors, but targeted visitors who are ready to buy.

Here are some examples:

Mickey Arledge sells name tags, awards and trophies and much more through several websites. He’s been in business for many years and there are thousands of people who know his name. So, why shouldn’t he own the domain mickeyarledge.com?

Joseph M. Maus has been a personal injury attorney for many years. His website does a great job of showcasing the services that he provides. But I’m sure that many people remember him by his name. So, why shouldn’t he own the domain josephmmaus.com?

Neil Leavitt provides family law services in South Florida and has been doing so for 30 years. Literally thousands of individuals and families know him by name. So, why shouldn’t he own the domain attorneyneilleavitt.com?

Ben Cranor is the heart and soul of Cranor Roofing and has been giving the area of Atlanta quality roofing services for a long time. His reputation and networking have earned him excellent status in the community, so why shouldn’t he own the domain bencranor.com?

What can these individuals (and you) do with a “name” domain? Do what Cathy Stucker did, she turned it into her own online business card. So many of us have too many qualities and qualifications to put on a business card, it simply won’t fit! BUT, you CAN put several domain names on your business card – one of them being your own personal online business card! Imagine going to your next networking group, you hand out anywhere between 10 and 50 business cards. Later that day, those business cards get piled on a desk and sorted through. Your business card has 2 domains on it. One for your business and one for you. It stands out from the rest. When the recipient of your business card looks up your domain names they will be exposed to your business and to you! They will be reminded of how gracious you were at the meeting (I hope you were gracious!).

And here’s a little tip – if you have a name that’s easily mis-spelled (I can’t tell you how many people write Esther C Cane instead of Esther C Kane) – buy the mis-spelled domain name as well and simply re-direct it to the correct spelling. That way you won’t lose out on the traffic from the folks who either don’t know how to spell your name or simply can’t spell your name.

The point is, when you sell your business, you’re not just selling products and services, you’re also selling the customer service that you provide and that comes from you and your employees. So, go ahead, put yourself out there!