Why Your Business Needs Google! [ stick ]

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“Each month, online consumers perform over 3 billion local searches for nearby products and services.“per Localeze.com

Google search traffic accounts for over 80% of all traffic so it’s pretty important that Google knows about your company.  The rest of the traffic is spread over Bing, Yahoo and others.  Recently Google, responding to complaints about results that were not relevant to a persons search, drastically changed their first page of search results.  If the search is for a business that is located near a specific geographic area then a large portion of the front page is devoted to a list of local businesses.  Google has created over 50 million new pages devoted to local businesses and most likely Google has one for you! Google is saving you a place!

How important is being set up on Google Places?

Amazingly important.  Take at look at this video and see why.

Being seen on Google Places is free. You just need to set it up properly and know some tricks. Do you believe this is important to your company?

LocalHumm.com (Hummingbird Marketing) is devoted to Businesses desiring more local business.  Our technological internet knowledge and our love of learning anything techie and  new, especially cost effective, means that we have a tool box of information that can propel your business up front and center when new clients are looking for your type of expertise.  Just give us a call and we’ll do the rest!

local marketing, mobile marketing

Video Important to Draw in New Clients!

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Online listings with video receive 70% more views.

According to Angie’s Listing service listings with video receive more views and that translates into more business.  You know it’s true for even yourself, right.  People have become more accustomed to being entertained and are more visual learners.  We love watching good stories.  Google places also allows links to videos.  And guess wha site is number two in searches, yes, that’s right, youtube.

Every company needs a youtube account with at least two videos, short in duration, just being informational about some expertise or about your company.  Keep it under two minutes and put it up then link to it from your other websites.  Also, there are a number of citation services that allow a video link so make sure you add it there as well. 

The youtube video also needs to be properly set up.  The title should contain the keywords you want.  The description needs to be very informative and keyword rich because the spiders do not index the video itself only the supporting information, so the more the better.  Then, of course, the more people that like it and link to it the better.

Hummingbird Marketing, working with Professional Videographers will help businesses put together videos ranging from online commercials to short informational business owner talks.  Need help in this department?  Contact us and we’ll get you published!

 

local marketing, mobile marketing, social media

Social Media Manager Required

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According to the latest news reports becoming a Social Media Manager is an up and coming job that might interest those experienced facebook, twitter, linkedin, myspace, foursquare users.  An opportunity to spend facebook time now may bring in a nice paycheck. 

Businesses that want to grow online will need to manage social media and this could be as simple as posting to their facebook fan page or tweeting out their daily specials.  But with the growing social medial space hiring to take on this role is becoming very common.  This is like hiring a personal assistant to comunicate to your customers all the information your want disseminated.  Your very own assistant!

Reviews, social media

You Know You Are In The Lead When…

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I love to hike and especially early in the morning getting that great workout done early so there is so much more time to do other things.  When you hit that trail early and you feel like you are the first person on the trail there is a good way to know that you are the first.  Do you know what that is?

Problems with being first into a new gadget

Sometimes the problems of being a first user of a new product is just bad style.

Being ahead of the curve in other areas like technology is another passion.  Experiencing the new toys and gadgets expands the horizon and opens up creativity.  It’s like watching the Jetsons all over again.  Sometimes though, being in on the forefront of development turns out differently than you imagined.  Although I didn’t buy a betamax, pair of crocs or baby a tamagotchi (pet pet pet) many did.  Too many. 

So back to the question, do you know how to tell when you are in the lead, leader of the pack, ahead of the curve, on the bleeding edge, crazy, stupid or all of the above?  It is really quite elusive….

When you are leading the pack you may run into spider webs.

Spider Webs

SPIDER WEBS!!
If you run into spider webs then you are certain that you are in the lead.  No one behind you will hit those same cobwebs.  No one is ahead of you at least for that day.  You are in the lead.  So take a breath, rejoice in the feeling of being first and know that no one behind you will feel the same whispers of web skirting across your skin, the same accomplishment.  Be happy and chart your course.

What other clues do you run into when you are leading the pack in your business?  Please share because otherwise no one else may know how special it is to be there.

local marketing, techie

How To Use QR Code As Feedback Review

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The QR code and the potential uses confuse people so much.  When we mention it or start talking about using it the eyes of the person we are talking to start to glaze over.  They are interested at first because once they know what the name QR code is they start to see this black and white patterned square all over the place.  A lot of the major advertisors are using it in their flyers and we are seeing the code printed on poster boards around businesses.  But we have not yet see an easy review system using the QR code but that will surely change.  In fact we have an example right below.

Say your business, knowing online reviews are making or breaking your new business flow, wants to make it super easy for your clients to give you a review.  We know that most people who are happy with a business will not take the extra step to actually submit a review to any of the online review sites.  But we also know that those folks who are not happy will definitely flame you online at some point.  Solution:  make it easy for everyone to write a review right then and there when they are happy (or not).  So picture this on a poster board on the window or on the counter….

Shows a great example of a feedback program

Make feedback easy for customers using QR reader

Customers scan the code using their cell phone and they will be provided with a page where they can select their rating and type in their review.  Much simpler equals more reviews.

Go ahead, this QR code is live.  Scan it and your smart cell phone will be taken to a sample review page.  Come on try it!!  If you don’t have a QR reader or a smart phone then this link will take you to the example page.  http://localhumm.com/feedbackexample/

There is a free onlie QR code generator provided by BeQRious.com at http://beqrious.com/generator

Go ahead and play with it.  What do you think of this?  Please comment and share…

mobile marketing, techie

Reviews Effect Reputation, Sometimes Fake

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MSN exposes fake reviews on travel sites

Fake Reviewer in Action

It’s so important to build a good reputation online.  This reputation is mainly built through customer reviews.  It’s so important that as a business you really should have a management plan or policy to monitor your reviews online.  The best way to insure that your business gets it’s real actual face out there is to get your customers to post reviews.  We all know that most folks won’t post reviews that are favorable but if they have something bad to say they will post it.  So all businesses will have negative reviews.  The only way to successfully combat that is to have and continue to get more positive reviews, thus a review policy. 

At this MSNBC site take a look at the video that takes the lid off of fake reviews.  They actually talk to a man who used to make his business writing fake reviews.  If you don’t have 7 minutes to watch it all fast forward to about 4 minutes to see the fake review section.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/41755033#41755033

Please let us know what you think about this.  We at Hummingbird Marketing can propose an easier review management process, just give us a call…

local marketing, Reviews

Local Search Ranking per Google

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Google put out a youtube video that talks able Google hotpot, tags and boost.  Jeremy Sussman is a Product Manager for Google and is interesting to listen to.  These add-on fee (although some are low) can be added to your local place page so that the place page will appear in a more varied and highlighted way.  Google tags shows little yellow price tags.  Boost will show the listing up above the organic results. Hotpot is a new reviews engine that will then offer suggestions based on what you’ve already rated and will show you ratings by your friend.

Take a look and learn a little.

local marketing, mobile marketing

LA Times not Nice to Customers

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Our house gets the LA times daily and we are automatically billed our renewal each 8 weeks.  The last billing, I noticed, was more than it typically is.  We’ve been LA times subscribers since 1988 and for the last year our bill was running $48 but this last amount was $57.60.  I went online to find out why and looked into other billing options.  I found the following:

Los Angeles Times subscriptions:
everyday for 52 weeks was $155.48
Sunday only for 52 weeks was $52
Four days (Th-Sun) for 52 weeks was $78

When I called to ask why our amount was increased I was told that their costs were going up for publication services so all the costs were increasing.  The told me I was getting the special discounted rate for long time subscribers of $7.20 a week for everyday service.  I then asked why I saw different costs on the website and was put on hold for a moment then the agent said that he could offer me a special $2.99 a week.  Now for you math-challenged that amount is $4.21 less each week which adds up to $218.92 a year!!  I asked why I wasn’t offered this amount before since I was a “good long term customer” and is this lesser amount only for new customers?  No I could qualify especially since I’m a good customer.  I poked for other things not yet said like it is really seven days a week that I get the paper delivered?  Is the special for only one week?  etc… I couldn’t find anything.  The only thing is this is a promotional rate good for six months although the 52 week price is listed as well.  So if you want to lock in the lower price for 52 weeks (one year) then you have to pay it up front.  Still the best deal around that I can find.

But I then went just a bit further down the “going green” path and asked about the four day a week price.  They offered me at first $3.75 a week for 4 day (Thur-Sun) then when I spoke to the 4-Day a week specialist I was quoted $2.50 a week a discount off the regular $3.50.  Funny how the prices are a bouncing ball huh?!  I then brought up the web price of $1.50 a week and was then offered that.  What?!  This from a company I’ve been in business with since 1988!!  I would have immediately hung up on another company believing they were a bunch of crooks with their changing prices!!

Bottom line, I switched to the 4 day a week delivery service and prepaid for a year in advance (I hope the company doesn’t go out of business) for the grand total of $78 for the entire year!!  We will be reading the other three days newspapers online.

I SAVED OUR HOUSEHOLD OVER $295 DOLLARS A YEAR!!

Local Tidbits

I Got Caught in a FourSquare FlashMob!

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4sq flash mob swarm badge

check in 4sq along with more than 50 others and earn on

Saturday, 2/26/11 my husband took me to the last UCLA mens basketball game played in the Pauley Pavillion prior to it’s 16 month remodel. All the big wigs were there and there was also a special tribute to John Wooden. Best of all, UCLA beat Arizona, who was favored, by a wide margin. It was a great game, very exciting. I was sitting four persons away from the Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa who was sitting with his son. I posted a “mayor sighting” on FourSquare and unlocked the FlashMob badge. There were over 50 people who also checked into FourSquare at the same event so they called it a “flash mob.” What a fun game this FourSquare smart phone app is. And it’s been taking me on some adventures.
I recently went to Trader Joes in Manhattan Beach, Ca and when I checked in I saw a “special nearby” notice and looked into it. I then walked over to Old Navy to unlock the special since I was in the neighborhood. I was amazed that nearby specials can be so riveting and am convinced that these sort of game/advertising is the next real successful wave of mobile marketing. It is a real game changer.
So be careful of getting caught in a MOB unless it’s a Flash Mob!

mobile marketing, Uncategorized ,

Mobile is Going Places – Check out Augmented Reality

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There is a cell phone ap called Layar that is changing the entire way we view the world around us.  With it’s GPS and it’s ability to apply digital layers on the scene in front of you the capabilities of exploring an area are not exponentially greater than ever before.  Using your smartphone camera as an eye you can pan your phone around you and apply different layers on the view and be presented with information about rental properties, restaurants, subway, historical buildings, shopping, local happenings, anything.  Take a look at layar.com video.  The future is here…

mobile marketing, techie
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