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June 21, 2010 by

Dallas Social Media – It Is More Than Facebook And Twitter

When many small business owners in the Dallas-Fort Worth area think about social media, they automatically think about Facebook and Twitter.  I usually ask them why, apart from the popularity, they want to “stampede” into Twitter and Facebook if they are not using social media right now for their businesses.  Usually the responses are something like:

  • “Well everyone I know is telling me to get on this site.”
  • “The entire world is on those.  I should be able to get a piece of the pie, right?”
  • “My kids are all over these sites.”

Not that these are bad reasons, but social media requires so much more than just jumping on these sites!
There are many things to consider, especially the “BIG PICTURE” of actually using social media intelligently instead of it being simply a business fad.  Here are some questions to ask yourself:

  • Do I have the time to contribute value on a consistent basis to these sites?
  • Am I willing to interact with prospective customers/clients and “deal with people” (instead of looking at everything like a numbers game)?
  • Am I willing to hold back on “hard selling” on these types of sites?
  • What are my strengths when it comes to an online presence?
  • Am I willing to go the extra mile to earn trust in order to build my authority?
  • Am I willing to be 100% transparent in my actions?

Many business owners, when actually faced with these questions, cannot say “Yes” to these questions or define their strengths.  If that is your situation, especially the “time” question, then you may not be able to derive value from Facebook and Twitter.  There are “social media”, however, which are more set-and-forget and do not require as much consistent interaction.  These include:

  • adding helpful, “non-spammy” videos to video-sharing sites like YouTube
  • creating a podcast series or a weekly/monthly radio show on a site like BlogTalkRadio.com
  • writing helpful “how-to” articles and submitting them to sites like Ezinearticles.com
  • many others

Determine which of these options plays to your personal strengths.

There are a few more things to consider, especially if you prefer to pay for advertising.  You can use social media to reach your designated audience on a site like Facebook; but you have to know your numbers.  This means:

  • knowing the expected pre-tax profit you will receive over the average lifetime value of one new customer.  For example, a pizza place in Dallas may make $3 profit (average) per new customer.  If the average new customer makes 10 orders over his/her lifetime, then the pizza place expects a lifetime value pre-tax profit of roughly $30.  An attorney in Dallas, whose average new client uses his/her services 3 times at an average profit of $1000, will have a lifetime pre-tax profit of $3000 per new customer.  Make sure that you have a good estimate of your numbers, backed by real numbers
  • having a very good idea of the demographics of your ideal prospect.  For example, you may determine that your ideal prospect has a college degree earned in Texas, earns between $80,000 and $100,000 per year, has a certain political leaning, and has more than one child still in grade school.  You can then extrapolate that information to the fields which Facebook ads allow you choose.  Nonetheless, you also can advertise your videos on YouTube and you also can simply pay for advertising on regular (non-social media) websites if you know that your ideal customers spend time on those sites

Finally, you do not have to jump into Facebook and Twitter right away for two reasons:

  1. There may be too much “clutter” on Twitter and Facebook in your niche for you to establish yourself as a trusted authority.  Perhaps a second-tier social network (instead of Facebook) or a second-tier microblog (instead of Twitter) may have the audience you want to reach without having as much competition
  2. If you offer services in a specific geographic area then you may want to find social media sites which cater to your niche and/or the specific area.  For example, if I offered dog training services in Dallas then I could spend time finding an active Dallas-specific forum and/or a Texas-specific dog lovers social network.  This is hyper-targeted social media, and you should be able to do well if you play by the rules of the specific site where your audience is spending time

Again, there are several considerations to make regarding one’s social media presence.  Just remember that you do not have to rush right away into Facebook and Twitter.  If you do, then chances are that you will not see a ROI worth your time unless you simply are lucky.  By being artful and having a basic game plan you should begin to do well in social media.

If you need help determining your social media strategy, especially if you need help with Dallas social media, then please contact us for more information.

You are encouraged to share this post with those you think would enjoy it, and you are welcome to ask questions on this post or by e-mail at info@morethanseo.com

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June 18, 2010 by

Online Marketing At Offline Events

Many people who run local businesses, and do not have much sophistication in terms of internet marketing, tend to rely on what has worked in the past including what older family members have suggested.  This usually means that the local business owners go to live networking events to build their businesses.  Their justification is that it is difficult to beat a “face to face” way to build one’s business.

There are some drawbacks to this approach in today’s era of new technologies.  Primarily, a local business owner must DO MORE than simply attend the event today in order to grow his/her business.  After attending business networking events, chamber of commerce breakfasts, and other events where local business owners try to increase their businesses I have noticed a few areas in which they can improve.

In no particular order:

  • Many people need to work on their “calls to action” in their 30-second opportunities to promote their businesses
  • Some people need to overcome their fears of public speaking as they squander their promotion time by mumbling or otherwise being unconvincing
  • They publicly make inside jokes which are lost on 95% (or more!) of the audience
  • Basic business manners sometimes get violated at these events as well

These are the basic, everyday things which need improvement.  Should you be one of the people who need help in these areas then do yourself a favor and address them ASAP.  Improving them will help your reputation, confidence, and overall results virtually every time.

In addition, there are several things which can be done to incorporate online marketing into “offline” (real world) events:

  • In many Chamber of Commerce breakfasts, there is a sponsor who is given a certain amount of time to promote his/her business.  Rarely, if ever, are these talks recorded on video.  Even a basic “Flip” camera can suffice!  These talks should be recorded and then edited for possible distribution to the video-sharing sites like YouTube.  What you want to show on the video sharing sites is a quick example of “social proof” that you are the expert in your area (niche and/or geographical); and you want to show that others trust you and believe in your abilities.  This needs to be conveyed to the world at large, such as a popular video-sharing site, in order to convince others that you are an expert
  • Many people at various networking events have terrific brochures.  These brochures offer useful tips, some basic instructions, and other helpful information.  Yet these brochures are oftentimes NOWHERE to be found online!  You can add these brochures to document-sharing sites, converted into slide presentations and shared on slide show-sharing websites, and converted into articles and submitted to the article directory sites.  Each of these will be discussed in future blog posts
  • Often, business owners meet a “warm prospect” at a networking event.  Unfortunately, they miss a golden opportunity to further enhance the prospect’s likelihood of becoming a customer/client.  As a representative of your business, consider having a USB memory stick already pre-loaded with a podcast (MP3 file) and/or video with more detailed information about your business and the benefits you offer.  When the warm prospect is leaving the event, chances are that he/she has some piece of technology on the way to his/her next stop which allows your memory stick to be used.  An audio CD or a CD-ROM may suffice as well.  Yes, you will continue to hand out your business cards to the casual prospect; but the ones who express interest right there should be given something special.  Tell the person to play the file on the car/train/bus ride from leaving the event instead of listening to music or the news on the radio.  Also encourage the person to share the information with anyone else they know who is interested in what you have to offer

Hopefully these three suggestions will give you some ways in which to broaden your message long after the event is completed.  They, and similar ideas, will help you reach more people and leverage technology to assist you in prospecting even when you are not there in person.

Should you need help in any of these areas then feel free to contact me.

Filed Under: Tips
June 17, 2010 by

Free Event Listing Sites – Why They Are Important

Online free event listing sites are an overlooked and important tool for anyone involved with internet marketing.  Whether you work for a company which puts on a series of live events open to the public, you run a small business and have an annual event which you use to give your business exposure, or are a SEO consultant the event listing sites are helpful in a number of ways.

Before you going right into simply listing your event on one of these sites, there are some “big picture” things to consider:

  • In Google’s Keyword Tool, entertainment-based terms like “things to do” have HUGE amounts of demand.  Whether local residents use the search engines to find unique things to do, or tourists use the search engines to find things to do in the local area, there is demand in all types of local markets.  For example, the term “Dallas things to do” – according to Google – gets over 40,000 searches per month.  This represents nearly half a million searches per year!
  • Many people need to be broken out of their “hypnotic trances”, as they risk forgetting the event due to their everyday lives.  You need a way to reach them multiple times in order to increase the likelihood that they will attend

With that said, here are some of the benefits of the free event listing sites:

  • Many of the free event listing sites have several ways in which others can help you spread the word by allowing them to share your event on Twitter, Facebook, and their e-mail lists
  • Some of the sites allow you to create, and embed on any web property, a “countdown widget” in order to help generate the emotion of anticipation
  • Should you have recurring events, such as a weekly event, then some of the sites will allow you to create repeat listings
  • You can promote the event listing like you would promote a normal web page (e.g. social bookmarking and pinging)
  • In most cases you will have a profile page which lists your upcoming events.  You can drive traffic from third-party sites and leverage the search engine ranking power of the site to help your profile page for SEO purposes

Hopefully you will accept the value of what the free event listing sites can offer you and any organization which you are helping.  If you need help with these sites, or want advanced techniques to give your events more exposure to those who are inclined to attend, then feel free to contact us for assistance.

Filed Under: Tips
June 5, 2010 by

Plano SEO – What Gets Rewarded

If you are wondering what works for Plano SEO then take a moment to notice what gets rewarded.  Go to the search engines and type in a popular search like Plano restaurants, and notice which sites get commonly rewarded.  Here are a few that get rewarded with top search results during the beginning of June 2010:

  • Google Maps listings with 30+ reviews (many with more than that)
  • Town-mall.net
  • Yelp.com
  • Urbanspoon.com
  • Tripadvisor.com
  • Chowbaby.com
  • local.yahoo.com
  • Superpages.com
  • Planobusinesslist.com
  • a few other sites near the bottom of the rankings

Then do a search for Plano hotels, Plano apartments, Plano homes for sale, and a few other phrases which have high demand.  What you are looking for are sites which get rewarded for multiple high-demand searches.  Write down those sites and determine if you:

  • can add content there
  • can buy banner ads or other premium placement
  • can place Google AdWords “Content Network” ads on the site (text or banner)
  • are allowed to have people (such as loyal customers) to place reviews on your listings on those sites
  • have the ability to add multimedia (images, videos, audio) to your listing

Obviously, you want your site to rank # 1 for high-demand Plano terms.  Of course, you know that such a goal will take some time.  In the interim, you can add your content (plus links to your site) to these currently high-ranking sites.

There will be upcoming tips on how to get listed for local events and increase your popularity regardless of your SEO ranking.  In the meantime, be sure to get your content on these sites in order to “piggyback” on the popularity of those sites.

Feel free to contact us if you need help with this process.

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May 31, 2010 by

Some Unique Plano SEO And SEM Tips

If you are attempting to get more free online exposure for a Plano Texas business then there are some unique and fun things you may consider doing.  These tips are not mandatory, but they can be helpful to your prospective customers when they are online:

  1. If you attend Chamber of Commerce meetings (or other networking meetings in Plano) where you get a few seconds to speak about your business, then consider filming/recording your talk.  Of course, be sure to get permission!  If you are charismatic and offer good information to other business owners then such a video clip could be helpful on your website or on a video-sharing site like YouTube.  What you are looking to accomplish is to show “social proof” – that other people, like the website visitor, find you to be the authority on the subject
  2. If people have difficulty finding your office or store location then consider creating a video while driving to your location.  You also may be able to record a screen capture video of your zooming in on one of the Plano-related online Maps listings, especially if you can get to the “street view” so that people see recognizable landmarks when they drive to your location.  Such a video can be placed on your website and/or on a video-sharing site
  3. Be sure to add a “tag” to your video content with a zip code.  Many people look for local information by geographic terms; and they often use zip codes.  For example, if your business is a dry cleaners with a storefront in the 75075 zip code of Plano Texas, then be sure to add a “tag” to any videos you produce with “dry cleaners 75075”.  This will help your visitors find you and stand out in future local search algorithms

The “tags” also apply to other content besides video.

Hopefully these tips offer you some extra thoughts on how to market your business; and hopefully they will help you come up with other creative ways to offer useful, helpful, relevant content for those looking for your local products or services.

Should you need any help with Plano SEO or SEM (search engine marketing) then click the link or visit the “Contact Us” link near the top of the page.

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May 29, 2010 by

Online Marketing Resources For Businesses

There is a new set of resources (some free and some paid) to help you with your online marketing efforts.  Be sure to click the “Resources” tab on the navigation bar or click Online Marketing Resources For Your Business

Filed Under: Resources
May 28, 2010 by

Dallas SEM Is More Than SEO And Pay-Per-Click

Many Dallas business owners and executives are familiar with SEO which stands for “search engine optimization.”  The acronym “SEM” stands for “search engine marketing.”  Most people who explain the difference between “Dallas SEO” and “Dallas SEM” usually explain it this way:

  • Dallas SEM means placement on the search engine, whether it is organic (SEO) placement or paid marketing, such as on Google’s AdWords system

Their rationale is that the average person will not spend much time on the search engine, and that the person will click on the link which is most eye-catching, either based on rank or by the wording in the link title.  Until recently, this definition of SEM was relatively sufficient.
In recent months, however, Dallas SEM requires more from the marketer.  It also gives the business owner or executive more chances to get listed on the first page.  For example, Google has many other ways for a business to get on the first page besides traditional SEO and pay-per-click:

  • Maps listings
  • Being a part of any Dallas page on the local business directories.  You will be “lumped together” with your competition, but there are some fun ways to make your listing stand out on each of those pages!
  • News results, especially if you do a press release on your keyword
  • Thumbnails of your video which has the keyword in the title and tags.  This is not an exact science, but when it happens your thumbnail image stands out on the main search engine results page (SERP)… even if your video thumbnail is ranked at the bottom of the page!
  • Shopping results.  Physical products based on Dallas-related keywords, and sold on third-party sites, may appear on the search engine results page

There are other ways to get possible first-page results for your keywords.  Just make sure that you follow all ethical marketing practices and offer content which is authoritative, relevant, and trustworthy.

Hopefully any professional you hire or contract to help you increase traffic to your website will explain this to you.  It will open your eyes to additional marketing possibilities; and this knowledge will help you play to your strengths to best promote your business.

Filed Under: Tips
May 28, 2010 by

Plano SEO Tips

If you operate business in Plano, Texas then chances are that you would enjoy quality search engine optimization (SEO) placement on the major search engines.  The algorithms for local based terms, such as “Plano restaurants”, require some additional internet marketing techniques than just what you would use for generic/nationwide keyword phrases.

In addition to getting listed on the Plano-specific pages of nationwide business directories (e.g. Yelp.com, Insiderpages.com, etc.), you can do a few other things:

  • Get listed on Plano-specific sites such as Planoonline.com.  Always make sure that the site is getting listed in top Plano-specific searches.  Test out various Plano-specific searches which are generic, and note the Plano-specific websites which keep appearing.  Determine if you can get a free listing, post content, join a forum, or any other opportunity for you to place a link to your web property plus other information
  • If you like Pay-Per-Click advertising, take a look at Plano-specific sites.  Sometimes the site has a section of the site promoting advertisers through “Sponsored Links.”  You may be able to place your pay-per-click ad on the site through the advertising service which the site uses.  An example would be the Content Network of the Google AdWords service, although this is not the only option
  • If sites like the Plano Convention and Visitors Bureau (PlanoCVB.com) or other sites offer advertising or a link if you are relevant business then consider the option.  This is because the site has good rankings in the search engines as it is considered to be an “authority” site by the search engines

In addition, you can use Plano-specific keywords for typical SEO efforts.  Such techniques could include:

  • Article directory marketing
  • Blogging
  • Videos
  • Press releases

If you need any guidance on Plano SEO, or other internet marketing assistance, then you are invited to contact us for more information.

Filed Under: Tips Tagged With: , , , , ,
May 20, 2010 by

Dallas Online Marketing Tips

If you are looking for to improve your internet marketing exposure in the Dallas area, then here are some specific Dallas online marketing tips which you may find useful:

  • Get listed on the Maps listings.  This includes more than just Google Maps.  Consider getting listed on Yahoo Maps, Bing/Live Maps (MSN), Best Of The Web, and other maps listings on websites which your Dallas market trusts.  This tip is for all businesses with a street address, not just retail stores
  • Get listed on the various online local directory sites which have a Dallas category.  There are several types of these sites such as generic (e.g. Superpages.com), the “yellow” sites (e.g. Yellowpages.com), review sites (e.g. Yelp.com or Angieslist.com), GPS directories, 411 directories, and other national sites emphasize local area listings
  • Get listed on the various Dallas-Fort Worth-specific sites (e.g. Dallas.com)
  • Get listed on city-specific Chamber of Commerce sites should you be a member of the local Chamber
  • Get listed on the Better Business Bureau sites in your area
  • Get listed on niche-specific sites which allow for adding local listings (e.g. TripAdvisor.com if you are a hotel or restaurant in the DFW area)
  • Get listed on press release sites if you have local-specific news
  • Get listed on local event calendars if your business offers entertainment to the public (e.g. Guidelive.com)
  • Same for the event calendars on city-specific sites such as the local Convention & Visitors Bureau sites
  • Get mentions from Dallas-specific Facebook pages, MySpace pages, Twitter profiles, etc.

There are many other strategies to get exposure in the Dallas-Fort Worth market.  Nonetheless, the above list will help you get started in the right direction and improve your business’ online exposure.

Should you need assistance with any of these then you are welcome to contact us and ask your questions.

Filed Under: Tips Tagged With: , , , , , ,
May 8, 2010 by

What To Know Before You Build Your Online Image

Regardless of the business in which you are working (affiliate marketing, local service business, retail business, major corporation, etc.) there are a few basic rules you need to know BEFORE you start marketing online.  These rules deal with what is expected of you whether you use Twitter, article writing, video-sharing, etc.

Earlier this week I was invited by Bonamour to give a 30-minute an online webinar/seminar on the topic of what to do before building one’s online brand.  If you wish to see the video, you can click the video below.  If it does not work then go to http://www.livestream.com/bonamour and watch the May 6 2010 episode.

Watch live streaming video from bonamour at livestream.com


If you liked the presentation then please pass it along to those whom you believe would enjoy its contents, and please have them contact me for help on their next internet marketing projects.

Filed Under: Training, Webinars Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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