How Facebook Marketing Works for Local Businesses | ReachLocal Blog

Creating an online presence with social media is an important investment to make when trying to drive interest to your business and website. With over 2 billion active users, Facebook is a great place for any business looking to engage with their audience and expand their reach online. By employing a Facebook marketing strategy including a paid plus organic approach, a company can engage with prospective customers, create engaging content, and target a specific group of people with real-time results.

Check out what customers say about the impact that working with ReachLocal for Facebook marketing has on their business:

1. Facebook Advertising Reaches Your Target Audience

“It works. It’s getting to the right market. It’s getting to the people that need to see it so that they know where to go. I like working with ReachLocal because it’s a no-brainer. I don’t have to worry about [posting] day-to-day. I don’t have to pay attention to what’s happening week-to-week because ReachLocal is doing that for me.”

– Diana Wagner, Audiology First

2. It’s Effective at Driving Traffic to Your Website

“I’ve seen more traffic to my site than ever before with social media, Facebook and all the avenues that they are creating that I haven’t had before. I’m getting a lot more traffic than ever before.”

– Frank Cardia, Cupertino Plumbing

3. It Creates Brand Awareness

“So to sum up what ReachLocal has done for Pinnacle’s business: it’s definitely generated more traffic, it’s created brand awareness, and we’ve signed a lot of leases.”

– Jennifer Staciokas, Pinnacle

Are you interested in learning more about how ReachLocal’s Facebook marketing solutions can drive engagement and awareness? Visit our website to see what ReachLocal can do for you, and download our free ebook below to learn what you need to know about Facebook advertising.

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How Facebook Marketing Works for Local Businesses | ReachLocal Blog was originally posted by Marketing In The 21st Century

Ethical Marketing in an Age of Creeps

The phrase “ethical marketing” has always struck some folks as an oxymoron. Isn’t “marketing” just another word for lying, deceiving, and manipulating someone into buying a product or service? Yeah, no. There have always been plenty of good folks in the selling and marketing game. They just tend to be a little less noticeable than
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Ethical Marketing in an Age of Creeps was originally posted by Marketing In The 21st Century

Web Personalization: The Future of Digital Marketing and Sales Is Now

In the beginning, the business website was a mere brochure. Low value, low shareability, low findability. Around 2005, a big shift happened thanks to content. Cutting-edge business websites became educational resources with valuable content that ranked well in search engines and benefited from the sharing functionality of emerging social media. Soon, “cutting edge” became the
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Web Personalization: The Future of Digital Marketing and Sales Is Now was originally posted by Marketing In The 21st Century

Out of Office: How to Keep Business Going & Leads Coming In

Are you going on vacation this summer and worried about how your business will get new leads while you are soaking up the sun? If you have the right strategy in place, you won’t have to worry about staying top of mind with potential customers while you’re out of the office. Enhance your digital marketing strategy to keep leads coming in while you are “Livin’ la Vida Loca” this vacation season with these tips.

Targeted Email Marketing

Email marketing is a great tactic to add to your digital marketing strategy to automate your efforts. Create an email marketing campaign to ensure that you are reaching out to consumers while you are out of town. In these emails, share your social media pages, company culture events, or highlight a new product or service. Stay away from spammy messages and create a personal tone for your emails that brings consumers in. Evaluate your results on link clicks, open rates, and other data conversions. Email marketing is a great route to take if you won’t necessarily be in the office but would like to still have communication with potential leads.

According to ExactTarget, 91% of consumers use email at least once daily. By utilizing email marketing campaigns, you can get information like promotions, upcoming events, and more in front of a specific target audience when they may be considering purchasing your products or services Be sure that your campaign is optimized for mobile devices and most email platforms so you have a high impact and expand your reach.

Paid Search & SEO

SEO and paid search are complementary tactics that can help you get seen on search engines. Through utilizing keyword data from paid search, you can see your highest-converting keywords, which will then help you decide which words to optimize pages on your site around.

SEO experts can regularly optimize your site so it stays relevant, no matter what changes in the search landscape so you don’t have to worry about what will happen to your site if Google releases an update while you’re away from your business. These are helpful strategies that you should add to your marketing campaign for long-term use because having a prime SEO strategy isn’t only important when you are looking to track leads while you are out of town, but also for your business as a whole. As shown by Search Engine Land, a paid search and SEO strategy can help increase conversions and reach the most relevant people to your business.

Lead Management

Use lead management software that gives you real-time alerts via email or your smartphone so you don’t have to be in town but can still stay updated on what’s happening back at the office. It is important that your team is prepared on how to follow up with consumers so be sure to have a management plan in place to convert first-time buyers and recurring customers. Track results from all your marketing, manage contacts and leads, and automate lead follow-up and nurturing.

By getting clear insight into which marketing channels, like paid search, social media, and local listings, brings in leads, you can build further campaigns based on what works for your business when you’re back in town.

Staying confident in your marketing strategy doesn’t have to stop while you are away taking time for yourself. Help your business succeed by using software and marketing strategies that will make the most of every opportunity and help grow your business.

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5 Search Marketing Trends You Need to Know

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Out of Office: How to Keep Business Going & Leads Coming In was originally posted by Marketing In The 21st Century

What’s Your Version of ‘Autosave?’

I remember when autosave didn’t exist in writing software. In the old days, if your computer temporarily borked, you might have lost some important text if you didn’t recently save your work … I still compulsively click “Save” out of habit when I write and edit. Luckily, if you’re working online today, such as in
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What’s Your Version of ‘Autosave?’ was originally posted by Marketing In The 21st Century

Marketing Doesn’t Have to Be Sleazy: 5 Real-World Examples

In my youth, a former coworker once told me, “I’d never date anyone who works in marketing.” When I inquired about his reasoning, he replied: “It’s just so sleazy. Choosing that line of work says a lot about a person.” Since I was young and impressionable, that sentiment stayed with me. So I was naturally
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Marketing Doesn’t Have to Be Sleazy: 5 Real-World Examples was originally posted by Marketing In The 21st Century

How to Use YouTube to Target Your Audience

The modern living room is changing. Families are still gathering around on couches and chairs to watch TV shows or even videos. However, what they are watching and the medium they are watching on is what has changed.

Digital video streaming services such as YouTube, which has seen the number of views on TVs double year over year, are taking away from the time spent watching broadcast TV. On just mobile alone, YouTube reaches more 18-49-year-olds than broadcast or cable TV. So, how do you reach an audience that is watching less TV than they used to? The answer is YouTube advertising.

So, what are some ways you can use YouTube to target your audience?

Understand Why Users Visit YouTube

To understand how to effectively use YouTube advertising, it is important to understand why people visit the platform. The three most common reasons that people visit YouTube are:

• When they need help with a task
• When they want to be entertainment
• When they want to learn something new

The way that YouTube allows you to target your audience is largely based off of the way that they are searching within the platform and the videos they are watching after the search. This means that understanding which category your audience fits into in the above three categories is crucial for ad success. And, it can help you determine what type of content you should include in your video ad.

Understand Where Visitors Can See Your Ad

Beyond knowing how your audience uses YouTube, the placement of your ad is also crucial to your success. As I am sure you have seen, there are ads before videos that you are able to skip after five seconds. These types of ads operate on what is called a True View payment system. Even if someone hits the skip button on your ad, you still received at least five seconds of free advertising. This means that if you are going to use a True View ad option you should put a logo or branding within the first five seconds of your video.

Another ad option that is available is Discovery ads. While still considered a True View, these videos do not appear before a video is streamed. These ads show at the top of a results page or as a suggested next video. The suggested next video feature is great for those going to YouTube to learn something new if your ad can help them with a particular topic.

Get Started with YouTube Ads

Whether watching YouTube on a TV or picking up their mobile device to watch a video during a commercial, there is a large audience on YouTube, and they are just waiting to see your ad. If you need help getting started with YouTube ads, the friendly people at ReachLocal are here to help, so contact us today.

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How to Use YouTube to Target Your Audience was originally posted by Marketing In The 21st Century

Sign Up for the Free Copyblogger Workshop on Persuasive Presentations

On Monday, I unveiled our new Copyblogger book club. We’ve been having a great time working through Ursula Le Guin’s Steering the Craft, and we’d love to have you with us! On Tuesday, webinar “gun for hire” Tim Paige swung by the blog to talk about one of the things that can make webinars so
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Sign Up for the Free Copyblogger Workshop on Persuasive Presentations was originally posted by Marketing In The 21st Century

Join Us Live to Learn Smarter Ways to Sell with Webinars

When I first heard about “webinar hired gun” Tim Paige, I really was a bit skeptical. I’ve read and watched a lot of sales education, and most of it is a horrible fit for me. Either the tactics feel weird and manipulative (and I’m never going to get the personality transplant I’d need to implement
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Join Us Live to Learn Smarter Ways to Sell with Webinars was originally posted by Marketing In The 21st Century

Summer’s Approaching! 4 Tips to Amp Up Your Social Media Strategy

Summer will be here before you know it, and now is the perfect time for your business to get creative online while school is out and vacationers come rolling into town. Whether you are a service business, healthcare provider, or auto dealer, it is important to have a clear, consistent social media strategy. We know it can be easy to give into negative marketing habits that can hinder your business, but don’t worry too much; take a deep breath of fresh, summer air and read these tips on how to amp up your social marketing strategy.

Choose the Appropriate Channels  

Think about the top social media sites as real places where you communicate with people throughout the day. Facebook is personal, and as a business, you are reaching out and engaging with consumers from their home. Twitter is the coffee shop you visit before work in the morning, full of constant conversation and information about the latest news. LinkedIn is like the office; professional but full of connections both personally and professionally. Instagram would be the art gallery you relax at after a long day and is full of creative posts.

A social media platform that works great for one business may not necessarily work as well for yours. However, it is important to be active on social media so you can create an online presence that helps you reach new audiences. Do you not know which platform may be best for your business? We have marketing experts that are ready and available to help you decide.

Create a Consistent Posting Schedule

The easiest way to break a bad social media habit is by creating a posting schedule. You can even make it easier for yourself by designating specific days for the same types of content. For example, Mondays could be #mvm – Motor Vehicle Monday – for your auto dealership where you post a picture of a car on the lot. Don’t always post the same exact message across all social profiles but be consistent with branding characteristics such as company descriptions, logos, and with your online personality.

Take Advantage of New Features

Social media is always changing and new features are constantly emerging. It seems that just about every other month some platform is adding a new feature that promotes innovative ways to engage with users. Posting content is only the first step, but if you take your strategy to the next level, you could find that your audience will appreciate the effort.

For example, Instagram and Facebook have both utilized Story features where businesses can now post behind-the-scenes or promotional content for a limited time onto their pages. Just about every popular social platform also offers a Live Feed feature where users can film their events and notify their followers so they can watch in real-time. Through the use of gifs (moving images) and hashtags, businesses can get creative in their posts to make their content rise above the rest. By staying on top of topics trending online, your business may be able to reach new, like-minded consumers that you hadn’t been able to reach before.

Determine Which Content Resonates with Your Audience

Play to your audience. Why do you think your followers chose to connect with you originally? Was it for your promotions, thought-provoking content, or engagement with other users? A well-developed social media strategy finds a way to balance all three categories so they are applicable to the interests of any current or future consumer.  

Develop your business’s online voice and tone so you can communicate with your audience authentically. Share content from complementary businesses or community events pages to promote other pages and increase engagement. Social media is a community of people, and sharing posts from other users is a key part of interacting and engaging with the public.

Stop stressing about your social media strategy and take a vacation this summer by utilizing these few, easy tips. Do you need further help kickstarting your social media campaign? Contact ReachLocal to learn how we can help your business’s social media.

 

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5 Steps to Get Started with Facebook Ads

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Summer’s Approaching! 4 Tips to Amp Up Your Social Media Strategy was originally posted by Marketing In The 21st Century

How to Overcome Webinar Offer Anxiety and Get Your Audience to Buy

Think back to a webinar you attended in the past. You signed up for that online training for a reason, right? Maybe you dug the topic, or you really liked the host. Or maybe you were genuinely interested in buying what that webinar might be selling, but you wanted to learn more about the product
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How to Overcome Webinar Offer Anxiety and Get Your Audience to Buy was originally posted by Marketing In The 21st Century

Announcing: The Copyblogger Book Club!

I’ve wanted to start a Copyblogger book club for a long time now. My team and I read dozens (maybe hundreds) of writing, marketing, and strategy books every year. And every year, a few stand out as being particularly useful. Now that we’ve started the Killers and Poets Facebook group for our community, we have
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Announcing: The Copyblogger Book Club! was originally posted by Marketing In The 21st Century

ReachLocal Infographic: How Can YouTube Advertising Help Your Business?

In this day and age, it is imperative to reach potential consumers where they are spending most of their time, which is online. Over 1.3 billion people visit YouTube for entertainment or to find information, and fortunately, there is a marketing tactic that enables businesses to reach those prospective buyers there: YouTube advertising.

YouTube advertising allows your video advertisements to reach your target audience whether they’re on desktop or mobile. Check out our infographic below to see how YouTube advertising works, and how you can use it to build awareness and drive consumers to your business.

Do you want to learn more about YouTube advertising? Click here to get further information about how ReachLocal can help your business effectively reach your target audience on YouTube.

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5 Ways Your Competitors Are Out-Advertising You

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ReachLocal Infographic: How Can YouTube Advertising Help Your Business? was originally posted by Marketing In The 21st Century

Getting Comfortable (and Effective) at Selling Your Product or Service

This week, we have some resources to help you actually Sell the Thing. Because you can create magnificent content all day long, pull together a wonderful audience, and produce a glorious product or service. But if you lack the skills to Sell the Thing, you don’t get the benefit of all that hard work. On
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Getting Comfortable (and Effective) at Selling Your Product or Service was originally posted by Marketing In The 21st Century

What Ethical, Effective Selling Looks Like

There’s a well-loved myth out there that if you do something reasonably remarkable and distribute passionate content, you’ll automatically have an audience who will support you in style for the rest of your life. You don’t have to do anything scary. Like sell, for example. Now if that works for you, that’s terrific. So does
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What Ethical, Effective Selling Looks Like was originally posted by Marketing In The 21st Century

3 Simple Ways to Get Started with Relationship-Building Webinars

While we are often introduced to new and shiny marketing technologies, webinars are still great ways to interact with our audiences. They help you build relationships, teach, and discover and drill down on your audience’s wants, needs, objections, and problems. But the thought of producing webinars can be overwhelming if you don’t have experience with
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3 Simple Ways to Get Started with Relationship-Building Webinars was originally posted by Marketing In The 21st Century

Best Practices for Review Response

There’s a lot you can learn from online reviews, and they can be a valuable tool for improving your customer service. Handle them incorrectly, however, and you could be left with a PR nightmare. There’s no need to be intimidated: review response can be expertly handled if you understand a few key points.

It’s important to understand that today’s consumers are savvy. They don’t want templated responses but instead prefer to feel like they are communicating with an actual person who hears what they’re saying and cares. Some automation up front isn’t necessarily a bad idea, especially depending on how many reviews you receive on a daily basis, but personalization is the key to creating a meaningful exchange that promotes goodwill and understanding.

How can you accomplish a personal discourse? Here are six things to keep in mind when it comes to responding to reviews.

Know Your Customers

It’s important to have a basic understanding of the types of people leaving reviews and the comments your company receives. One way to do this is to keep a log of your past reviews for reference. Notice repeat reviewers, and look for patterns in your reviews. Is there a complaint that’s popping up repeatedly from different customers? Make sure that one gets your full attention.

Categorize & Prioritize

Look at it as a kind of triage: categorize your reviews by sentiment, urgency, and so on. Remember that your reviewers are your customers, and what they’re saying is important to them or they wouldn’t have taken the time to write a review. Handle the most urgent issues first, but respond to all of your reviews within a pre-determined timeframe.

Have a Plan in Place

Use the categorization to create an action plan that uses reviews to improve your business. Who should you notify? If the review is positive, does someone need to be commended? If it’s negative, you’ll likely need to let more people know, especially if it contains sensitive information or refers to specific employees. Sometimes the review will originate from an ex-employee, and you should have a plan for that possibility as well.

Know the Frame of Reference

Make sure you have a list of ongoing replies and an FAQ document of some sort from your company before writing a reply. Before writing a reply, check out the reviewer, learning as much as you can about the person in order to understand his or her point of view. See if you can view their social profiles. Have we talked before? Have they used our product or services? Knowing a little bit more about the customer can help you evaluate whether your reply needs to be public or private.

Offer a Personal Response

Here’s the crux of the matter: people want a personal connection with a human being. That’s why auto-response and templated responses do not work when it comes to reviews. Write a response that feels genuine, thanking them for taking the time to write the review and addressing any concerns they have in a supportive manner.

Make Sure Your Response is Appropriate

Think about this: the response you give is not simply going to the reviewer but to the entire online community. People who are interested in your business, people who are already your customers, and even your competition could potentially read your response. That’s one reason to always remain cordial, even in the face of criticism. Another thing to consider? When the review is positive, craft your response to include your business name, location, and any applicable promotions. When it’s negative, avoid including that information, or any other words that could land a bad review in a search result for your business. Sometimes, a customer needs a heartfelt apology. Other times, a friendly emoji will suffice.

Online reviews are an integral part of the decision-making process for most products and services, and your company’s reputation depends on how you handle those reviews. At ReachLocal, we believe that the human touch is important in creating meaningful, lasting and trustworthy connections with your customers, and we offer three different levels of personalized review management for businesses looking to improve and monitor their online reputation. Contact us to learn more about review management and how we can help you manage your business’s online reputation.

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Best Practices for Review Response was originally posted by Marketing In The 21st Century

10 Service Business Essentials that Help You Win Clients with Confidence

Here’s a scary thought: What if your content marketing actually works? What if you get all the clients you want? Will you be able to handle them? Those are important questions every service provider needs to answer honestly because there is often a disconnect between what we say we want and the actions we take.
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10 Service Business Essentials that Help You Win Clients with Confidence was originally posted by Marketing In The 21st Century

How to Get an A in Content Marketing

Polish up your apples for another week of content marketing school. 🙂 This week combined ways you can excel as a writer and a marketer. On Monday, Stefanie Flaxman wrote about a seeming paradox — how can we be prolific enough to succeed as professional writers and continue to improve our craft at the same
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How to Get an A in Content Marketing was originally posted by Marketing In The 21st Century

Aggressive Sell, Soft Sell … What Works?

Recently, a student of ours asked whether “we” (content-based marketers who might prefer a more subtle approach) can learn anything from “those” marketers who use somewhat obvious tactics like silly quizzes or hyped-up headlines. In the course of answering this question, the phrase “orange hat marketer” occurred to me. (Don’t worry; this has nothing to
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Aggressive Sell, Soft Sell … What Works? was originally posted by Marketing In The 21st Century