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10 Ways to Grow Your Local Business for (Almost) Nothing

Most local businesses don't have big budgets. But that doesn't mean that their marketing efforts have to stay small. There are plenty of strategies that local businesses can use to drive customers to their stores while getting the most out of their marketing dollars. It's always wise for businesses to keep up with trends and use modern marketing techniques, like guest wifi marketing, instead of being stuck in the past with traditional marketing methods. We launched our first list of free and cheap marketing tactics back in 2017. Now, we're updating that list with the most powerful and cost-effective ways to grow your local business today and beyond. Be Active in Online Communities Being helpful was a tactic we talked about back in 2017, and it's still relevant today. Online communities like Nextdoor are now even more popular and filled with thousands of people who could be looking for your expert advice. Online communities that are specifically related to your industry are a great way to establish your authority, as the editorial team at WPBeginner notes. Some of these communities are obvious. If you run a hospitality business, Tripadvisor is a must. Don't join just any community, however. It's important that you only invest your time in places where potential customers are active. Bean Ninjas' Meryl Johnston recommends trying out several communities to get a feel for which ones suit you and your business. When you've found one or two communities that work, focus your attention on being as helpful as possible to other members of that community. When it comes to posting, our advice hasn't changed since 2017: Be as helpful as possible without expecting anything in return. Just make sure you link back to your company's website in your profile. Create a Business Profile on Facebook Facebook remains a pivotal platform for local businesses today. In fact, it's possibly even more important now than in 2017, given Facebook's increased emphasis on local communities. Facebook visibility can also improve your business' rankings in Google, writes entrepreneur Alyssa Gregory. All of the content that you post to Facebook, including your page itself, can be indexed by Google and show up in results pages. It's essential that you create a separate page for your business, says social media strategist Saige Driver. You won't be taken seriously as a local business if you're posting from your personal account. Filling out your business profile as much as possible is also important. This includes photos of your business, contact information, a link to your website and your operating hours. Then, Post Interesting Content to That Account As we said back in 2017, it's not enough to create a Facebook account. You need to keep posting high-quality, engaging content that your audience loves. Writer Christina Newberry recommends that business owners take a quality-over-quantity approach to content creation. Focus on helping customers and building a relationship rather than trying to hammer home a sales message. Your audience will be much more likely to engage and share [...]

A HOT!Content Quick Start Guide

HOT!Content is certainly a lot more than a daily collection of articles. There's a lot you will learn over time, so here's a Quick Start Guide that will help you get the most from HOT!Content right away: Activate. Your first step is to "introduce" or enable HOT!Content to work with the pages and sites (including Google, Facebook, Yelp and more) that will be important to your LOCAL SEO success. There are these SEO Driven Web Services that'd be able to help you give you that kick-start you'd need. You will always maintain complete control - HOT!Content will never publish or interact with these sites without your express permission. Claim Google My Business. You will be able to "claim" your Google My Business ("GMB") page once you activate in Step 1. It's so important to your LOCAL SEO that it merits its own step! Claiming your GMB requires a bit of know-how. So, again, don't hesitate to contact us for help. Post. LOCAL SEO in a nutshell means getting found online by your customers and prospects - no matter where they are looking. Publishing content of interest increases the likelihood that you will be found. Think of posting as investing in your online presence. Marketing experts recommend posting 5x/week! Get started here or simply by clicking on "POST" in your HOT!Content email. Respond to your consumers. LOCAL SEO values reviews highly and HOT!Content's Reputation Monitor captures all consumer reviews posted by customers of your business. Be sure to respond to each review, even if it's just a "thank you." No reviews? Get in touch with us and we'll explain how to encourage people to say nice things about you online. Promote your business. HOT!Content is a great way to target ads at just the people you want to meet. Let us help you build a campaign that will achieve your objectives, within your budget. Questions? Comments? We're here to help: Email: support@engage121.com Facebook Messenger: @engage121

HOT!Content is DIY

HOT!Content is a comprehensive solution for local businesses; but not all local businesses! HOT!Content only makes sense for those businesses that can afford the time and effort to do-it-yourself. And, no one should underestimate that cost! Since you have not (yet) activated your HOT!Content subscription, we are thinking you may be one of the many local businesses that need an expert to manage your LOCAL SEO for you. We would like to introduce our Digital Marketing Assistant to you. A couple of quick comments: You will enjoy your own dedicated Assistant to work with you - personally. Your Digital Marketing Assistant is comprehensive and will expertly manage all 6 primary elements in developing your LOCAL SEO success. The use of the best marketing tools from the complex sentence generator - seo tools centre. We manage LOCAL SEO for more than a thousand local businesses. One of our Assistants knows and understands your industry, and your business. There are components of LOCAL SEO success that are only available to our Digital Marketing Assistants. Make sure you are doing all you can to achieve success by exploring our full service solution. It's affordable! Unlike other digital marketing services you may have heard about, we know local business and we understand your budget. Your best next step is to request a LOCAL SEO Assessment. It's no cost, only takes about 30 minutes, and we promise, you will learn a lot! Questions? Comments? We're here to help: Email: support@engage121.com Facebook Messenger: @engage121

How Are You Doing?

You have been working hard on improving your LOCAL SEO. Are you interested in an objective analysis of what progress you are making? Engage121's LOCAL SEO Assessment can help. An Assessment can be completed in less than 1/2 hour and will cover all key elements contributing to your LOCAL SEO, including: Google My Business Website Links Online Content Directory Listings Consumer Reviews Social Activity Are you just getting started working on your LOCAL SEO and want to develop a baseline understanding of your current situation? Or, have you been diligently pursuing LOCAL SEO success and want to evaluate your progress? A LOCAL SEO Assessment is quick, and there is no obligation of any kind. And, we will provide you a follow-up report at no cost. Request a LOCAL SEO Assessment here. Questions? Comments? We're here to help: Email: support@engage121.com Facebook Messenger: @engage121

How Is Your LOCAL SEO?

According to Melbourne SEO services, LOCAL SEO is the ability of a business to be found online. It's important! And, for a business focused on a local market, LOCAL SEO success means a lot more than just being on Google. Businesses need to show that they can connect with the customers that are visiting their website, for example, a restaurant will still need an online presence so they can advertise what they are bringing to the table (pardon the pun). Taking a look at a Restaurant Website Design Company to help with their SEO and how their page is laid out can promote them in the way that they need to make an impact. So, how are you doing? First, do you have a website - and, is your website structured correctly to work for you? If you have any questions or concerns, contact us. We can help. Next step, consider the following questions: Is your business "claimed" on all the relevant search engines (Google, Facebook, Bing, Yahoo! and more)? Are your "backlinks" correct on all the online business directories (YellowPages, Zillow, Foursquare)? If it isn't, then consider getting help from a reputable link building agency like Freshlinks. You can see Freshlinks backlink pricing at their website. Are you utilizing content strategically (on GoogleMyBusiness and social sites like Facebook? Creating and posting PR and newsletters? Encouraging consumer reviews?) This may seem obvious, but is your contact information current and have Privacy protected search engine which is an import factor with the major search engines! Have your customers mentioned you positively and prominently on the consumer review sites most relevant in your industry (Yelp, Trip Advisor, Google, Facebook)? Are your social sites (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) active and up-to-date? Your Engage121 Team offers a no cost, no obligation LOCAL SEO Assessment that will provide you an objective view of your online presence - and some of our ideas for improvement. To know more regarding SEO learn more about Mark Luckenbaugh. Questions? Comments? We're here to help: Email: support@engage121.com Facebook Messenger: @engage121

What’s Different About LOCAL SEO?

What's different about LOCAL SEO? "What" and "where" – that's the difference between brand SEO and local SEO. For your franchise system's brand presence you want people to know what you do. But, your franchisees want people to find them locally – in other words, not only what they do, but equally importantly, where they do it! LOCAL SEO ensures your franchisees are where they need to be online. To be found locally, you need to cover all six factors that most impact LOCAL SEO. You can do it! Get a great start with HOT!Content. Or, our Digital Marketing Assistants can do it for you. Contact us and we'll be glad to review your options. Questions? Comments? We're here to help: Email: support@engage121.com Facebook Messenger: @engage121

What is LOCAL SEO?

We describe HOT!Content as much more than "content." It's the beginning of a journey towards LOCAL SEO success. And, if you are a local business, LOCAL SEO success is a very big deal! "SEO" stands for Search Engine Optimization, which simply describes whether, and how easily, your customers learn about you. Add "LOCAL" and we're talking about the many ways your customers not only learn about you, but also literally find their way to your place of business. No matter what business you are in, no matter who your customers are, they are online accessing information (and may be looking for you!) from a connected device, including a computer, but today, most probably a smart cell phone, which is why you need to make sure that your online presence is better than that of your competitors. This is where a whole host of companies, like this SEO Reseller, can come in handy for your business. For example, if you are the owner of an HVAC company and have found that you're not getting as many customers as you'd like to have, it could mean that there is a problem with your website and your search engine optimization in particular. When this happens, getting in touch with an industry-based SEO company that specializes in HVAC marketing could be the way forward, as they will be able to incorporate specific tools into your website that can help to drive you forward. Of course, there are plenty of other things you need to focus on too, especially when everything is done via mobile phones and tablets in this day and age. Let's go into just a bit more detail: Most information is found through a search engine; the most well-known example is Google, so, of course, your business needs to be prominent on Google. NOTE: You definitely need a website that is structured correctly to work for you. Any questions or concerns, contact us. We can help! But, LOCAL SEO, services of which are provided at Schure Consulting, means much more than Google. And, that's because there are many other search engines that matter. Consider: Facebook, Yelp, Google Maps, Trip Advisor, YellowPages and many, many more sites all have search engines. And, your business needs to be prominent on all of them! And, once your business is found, you need to present a consistent, professional, up-to-date and compelling face to your customer. Your online presence is the equivalent of your 21st century business card. While the traditional business card, printed by a company like Kaizen Print, still has its place, updating your companies online presence is the way forward. We can help you do this! Your business is being judged every day based on your online presence. If you're looking into an SEO company that will help your page get more leads, check out SEO Chester. Let's work together to make it shine. Questions? Comments? We're here to help: Email: support@engage121.com Facebook Messenger: @engage121

Let’s Get Started Writing A Press Release For Your Local Business

A story in local media shows your business is the local trusted expert. Have you considered submitting a press release about your business to local media, but you are not sure how to get started? The Engage121 team has the following suggestions to create your engaging press release. First, let's begin with the fundamentals. A press release is a short newsworthy communication directed at members of the news media to kick off a conversation with a reporter or editor about a product or service launch, company news or employment announcement. Press release distribution services are useful tool to generate media coverage to position your local business as an expert in your field and ultimately help your business grow and succeed! If you have a tech company or a manufacturing company, PR agencies can give results that fuel revenue growth. For example, when you hire a tech pr firm austin or where it is more local to you, they have the resources and teams to work to drive social media engagement, monitoring, and analytics; engage analysts and connect them with your brand to ensure they understand your core value and competitive differentiation, and much more. Is your story newsworthy? A newsworthy story contains information that your readers will care about. Local: As a local business, your story will be of interest to local publications with readers in your area. Influence: The larger the impact, the more people will be interested. Relevance: It is important to share how your story is relevant for your audience. Brand or Name Recognition: Brands and names that people know increase interest in your story. Tips for writing your press release. Press releases contain the following four parts: The headline/subhead The purpose of the headline is to explain your news and encourage readers to want to learn more. The body The body includes the pertinent information reporters will want and need to know, without explaining too much. It should answer the following questions: who, what, when, where and why. And, be sure to include a quote to add a personal element to your story. Lastly, grammar matters so please check for typos and grammar mistakes before sending. The About Us section Background information about your business should be included in the About Us section. This section is usually the same in every release and can include links to your website and social media sites so readers can learn more. Contact Info At the end of your press release, include your contact information so a reporter knows how to reach you for any follow-up questions! Want to get started on issuing your Local PR today? The Engage121 Local PR solution makes it easy for you to share your business news and announcements. As a HOT!Content subscriber, Local PR is available through your HOT!Content. Open your Hot!Content email to get started. Not a HOT!Content subscriber? HOT!Content is a daily email containing five interesting and engaging articles, images and videos - all ready to post to your social [...]

By | 2021-03-03T12:03:02+00:00 August 31st, 2018|Content Marketing, Digital Marketing, Local PR|