Local Search Connects Business with Consumers

Archive for the ‘Internet Marketing Strategies’ Category

Local Marketing

Nothing can turn strong copy into a 97-pound weakling faster than a flawed review process. The result is severely handicapped marketing efforts and, alas, fewer sales.

How can you avoid this dire marketing situation?

By having a smart and consistent review process that preserves the selling power of your marketing communications. Following are 7 essential tips for reviewing and approving copy.

1. Review the copy from the customers’ perspective.

On the first pass, read the copy (all of it) without your red pen in hand or editing hat on. That’s how your customers or audience will read it. Now, what do you think? Does the concept work? Did the headline grab your attention? How was the tone? Does the copy flow? If you begin by editing the first sentence or sweating the details, you will do your clients or customers a disservice.

2. Don’t get hung up on grammar and usage.

If you think the copywriter broke a writing rule, 9 times out of 10 there was an excellent reason. Copywriters are sales people in print, so if we take liberty with the English language, it’s for effect. Plus, be aware that copywriters (and proofreaders) review and correct the copy before you see it. For example, I consider spelling, grammar, style issues, trademark usage, and more to ensure the quality control of every piece of copy I write.

3. Avoid copy by committee.

There’s that old joke that says if you want to kill an idea or project, start a committee. Copy by committee is no different. Conflicting and misguided comments put the copywriter and creative team in the awkward position of trying to please everyone except who matters most — the intended audience. One way around this is to circulate informational copies to people who would like to see the copy. They can make comments without being part of the formal approval process.

4. Minimize the rounds.

Provide complete feedback on the first round, forwarding all your comments, suggestions, and changes to the copywriter. That way the copywriter can consider everything when he or she rewrites the copy and you can shorten the review cycle. Copy is typically stronger when it’s created in three or fewer rounds.

5. Provide specific comments.

When you provide specific comments, the chances of succeeding on the rewrite improve dramatically. For example, instead of saying, “This isn’t strong enough,” say, “The tone needs to be more authoritative” or “These are additional benefits the copy should cover.” Often times putting your comments in writing will help you be more specific than if you just provide them orally.

6. Let the copywriter rewrite the copy.

Instead of trying to “write” the changes yourself to be incorporated, tell the copywriter your concerns and let him or her address them. The copy will benefit when the copywriter does the rewriting.

7. Judge the copy based upon your objectives.

In the end, the copy was written with particular objectives in mind: to build your brand, generate leads or sales, inform about your company, products, or services, and so on. Make sure the copy is technically accurate and factually correct. Then critique the copy based upon what you want it to accomplish, not on the number of superlatives, your competitor’s latest ad campaign, or how it compares to your previous brochure.

Call PullMoney2 for help with your copy so you can rank in to top keywords for your industry.

I remember the first time a client offered me a case study writing assignment.

I was petrified.

It was early in my freelance writing career and I didn’t even know what one looked like. I had a lot of questions. “What the heck is a case study?” “How long is it?” “What is the format?” “How much do I charge?”

I didn’t have a clue.

Of course, these days, I know more. A lot more. In fact, I write dozens of case studies for clients each year.

Case studies now rank high on my list of the most fascinating — and lucrative — projects I handle. (I’m sure glad that my client offered me the job all those years ago!)

If you’re unfamiliar with case studies, don’t worry. They’re really quite simple. A case study is just a fancy name for a success story – the tale of a happy customer and his or her experience using a product or service.

Lately, I’ve noticed that more and more companies need case studies written, yet have difficulties finding writers who can do the job.

That spells OPPORTUNITY for you and me.

And it gets better. Consider the following:

1. Case studies are not difficult to write.

They are similar in style and format to a newsletter article. So if you can write one of those, you can write a case study.

2. Case studies are relatively short

Usually about 400-800 words in length. Once you’ve gained a little experience, you’ll be able to knock one off in less than a day.

3. The formats are standardized

Unlike ads and direct mail, you won’t get stressed out by having to come up with a dazzling new concept or killer headline. The basic structure of a case study is remarkably simple. All that’s required of you is to get the facts and write a good piece.

4. Case study writers are in demand

More companies are scrambling to get case studies written today than ever before. I can’t give you an exact figure but, in my opinion, the demand for case study writers has increased significantly over the past couple of years.

5. There is little competition

I’m not sure why, but few copywriters go after this market. Some may not know it exists. Others may mistakenly think that case studies are dull or technical. Not true! Case study writing is storytelling. It’s fun.

6. Case studies pay well

Surprisingly well. Now you won’t get the superstar rates paid to big-league direct mail copywriters. But most clients do pay handsomely for case study writing. Earning $100 per hour is not an unreasonable expectation for an experienced writer. I know many who earn a lot more.

Right now the case study market is booming. Why not jump in and get your share of these fascinating and lucrative writing gigs?

People have included all kinds of sales pitch in their sales letter but sometimes still wouldn’t achieve the results they want. The importance of a sales letter is likened to having a shop to sell cars. If the looks of your shop isn’t delivering a good impression, no one will be going to buy your cars.

Thus, you must make sure that your sales letter have answers to the most basic questions, and instill interest in your visitors towards your product just with these five specific questions:

1. What’s in it for me?
The number one rule of salesmanship – people only buy for one reason, which is for getting the results from a product, what they will receive out of it. To achieve this, you must be quick in catching their attention since the beginning with your headline. Create a very convincing headline and tell your visitors what they will get in one shot through your headline.

2. How will my life be better?
This is where you have to understand the emotional appeals that attract your prospects like moths to a flame. Do they want to become richer, smarter, better looking, thinner or more popular? Do they want to save time, money or effort?

Study your niche market until you know what emotional buttons to push and you’ll see a huge increase in your sales instantly. Use their desires to attract themselves, that’s where you will get them nodding their heads and continue reading right until the end.

3. Why should I trust you?
People are skeptical when it requires them to take out their wallets in order to buy a certain product. You need to clear their doubts by providing positive testimonials from your previous customers and emphasize the benefits of your product.

If you don’t have testimonials for your product, search for forums related to your niche and offer to give a complimentary copy in exchange for a testimonial – usually you will get a hot response in no time.

4. What will happen if I say no?
You are not going to let them say no, that’s it. Remind them about the problems that they are having, the frustrations, how much money will they lose, or how sad their lives are currently – and tell them how they can change all of them in one shot, just by a small investment in your product.

5. Will I be stuck with your product?
This is where you seal the deal. Tell them that you provide a 100% satisfaction guarantee, they must get it now. The most important thing is to make them buy, and the rest depends on their choices. 70% of the people who purchase a product will not refund it unless they have seen something similar before or they’ve planned to only “borrow” it since the beginning.

When you have all these points to answer your prospects’ questions in your sales letter, not only will you gain an unfair advantage over your competition but also let your prospect know that you care about their problems and you have the solution that they need.

Copywriters often disagree on whether a short sales piece with lots of white space is better or whether long and detailed is the way to go.  The long and short of the debate is this… what type of buyer are you targeting?

There are basically 2 kinds of buyers.

1. The Impulsive Buyer
This is the kind of guy with “places to go and people to see” and not a whole lot of time to do it in.  Typically, he’ll skim the headlines and subtopics, glance at the photos and captions, and make a snap decision.

2. The Analytical Buyer
This group of buyers believes that the proof is in the details.  They’ll read everything… including the fine print.

It stands to reason that successful copy will address the needs of both buyers…  regardless of length.  Let’s look at what you need to do to reach both buyers.

How to reach….

The Impulsive Buyer

1. Use attention getting headlines and sub headlines.
2. Capitalize of graphics that enhance your message…
Photos
Captions
Varying fonts and font sizes
Shading
Use Bold Headlines
Highlight with shaded areas or bullets

The Analytic Buyer

1. Use the headlines, sub headlines, and graphics for the impulsive buyer as guides.  Add the detailed information the analytic buyer needs under the proper heading, and you’ve got a winning marketing piece that is guaranteed to be successful

Inside knowledge of how your potential buyers react is the key to getting their attention… and extra income.  The fact that the needs of the impulsive buyer and the analytical buyer overlaps is a bonus for you, the copywriter!

Google understands the new emerging marketplace by helping searchers see more personal, relevant ads, which they believe will bring more qualified traffic by adding the +1 button which searchers will see very soon.

In the future search results and ads on Google will include a +1 button, which users can click to recommend ads to their friends.

Here’s how the +1 button will work:

Let’s say you own a hotel in Madrid. Brian had a lovely stay at your hotel last summer. When Brian starts researching accommodations for his next trip to Spain, he searches on Google while signed into his Google account, and sees your ad. He clicks the +1 button on the ad to recommend it to his contacts.

When Brian’s friend Ann plans her trip to Spain, she signs in to her Google account, searches, and also sees your ad – plus the personalized annotation that Brian +1’d it. Knowing that Brian recommends your hotel helps Ann decide where to stay during her travels.

Think of the +1 button as a way for fans of your business to recommend what you offer, for all their friends and contacts to see. By helping searchers see more personal, relevant ads, we believe you’ll see more qualified traffic. You can also add the +1 button to your site to give your customers the opportunity to +1 your site after visiting it.

Thanks to Google for this description on how the new +1 button will work.

SMS Text Message Marketing

Local business in todays economy is struggling mainly because they are way behind the curve.  Local business owners are just beginning to adopt the concept they need to communicate with their client base. The problem is though they are doing it by beginning to build an email database of there clients.

Email does not work in today’s new emerging marketplace. Email has very low deliverability rates because of server security. If a local businesses email does get thru all the spam filters the odds of it getting opened, red & acted upon are very slim, around the 3 to 5% range.  This is very low for a client that already does business with a local business.

Consumers emails are flooded with useless information so many people just delete them before they are read.  In comparison 98% of text messages are read within minutes of receipt & an astounding 57% are acted upon, especially if there is a mobile coupon that the consumer can redeem at the local business.

Some consumers want to hear about deals & discount thru their favorite social media site like Facebook or Twitter, they do not want to have the business text them.  This is called cross-channel marketing.

The Google Pros Biz2Lz platform provides this type of cross-channel marketing plus it is very easy for a local business to try with little or no risk because there are packages starting at $49 with no contract or commitment plus lots of other benefits.  Check out all the benefits of cross-channel & SMS Text Message Marketing at Biz2Lz.org now.

Read case studies of other successful local business owners that have ran SMS Text Message Marketing Campaigns at Biz2Lz.com so you can see how easy it is to get involved with the Google Pros & become successful in today’s new emerging marketplace.

Local advertising is more important than ever before because of the current state of the economy.

Google can help on many fronts by using their free Google Place Page for local listings on the local search engines because top ranking can mean on average 8 – 10 new customers per month depending upon the industry. Gaining top ranking can be tough though so if you have any questions the Google Pros are here to help.  Watch this short video on the features of the Google Place Page.

Google Adwords is also a very important tool for local business to have in their toolkit. the easiest way to get started is with a $100 coupon so you can begin your campaign at no risk to you.  You may begin the campaign without any credit card info, only a free gmail account is required.  quality score & relevancy of landing page is very important to lower Cost per Click. Google adwords ads now run not only in local search so people searching for your products & services can find you, they also run on the content network, which is a combination of websites across the world wide web.  Mobile phones also display Google adwords ads in a variety of different ways.

The Google Pros can help by creating multiple ads to split test plus analyze keywords, landing pages, content, etc to help lower your Cost per Click. To have a Google Pro contact you call PullMoney2 & receive a $100 Google Adwords coupon to get your local advertising campaign started today at no risk.

In the past if someone received poor customer service or had a complaint about a businesses products or services they were only able to influence their own sphere which is normally not very large.  But today with the advent of the internet & social media websites a person can have a complaint and post it for the entire world to know in just a matter of minutes.

Reputation management is becoming the new hot button for companies or it should be if a business plans on surviving & prospering in this new emerging highly technical marketplace.

A business must beware though of companies that provide this service because just as many companies say they are internet marketing companies but have very bad rankings on the internet, a company can say they do reputation management & not really know how to manipulate the complicated waters of the world wide web.

Always ask for screenshots or proof of keywords & keyword phrases that a company dominates to see if they really understand how to manipulate the search engines, plus check their Alexa ranking & if they are over 600,000 or so they really do not know how to keep their own business at the top so how could they protect yours?

Virtual Services Palm Beach Gardens

Virtual Services are being offered by the Google Pros of Skunkworks Marketing Solutions, an Internet Marketing Agency that dominates the World Wide Web.

The latest project the Google Pros are offering is the feature rich platform the offers mobile coupons, mobile websites, QR codes combined with group texts plus integrating these features with the top social media sites so small businesses, especially minority & women owned businesses, can connect with their target market the way people want to be contacted by business in this new emerging marketplace. To view some of the benefits and everything this feature rich platform offers, visit Biz2Lz.org.

Beware of virtual service companies that provide a very limited service or are a reseller for a larger company because the majority of your marketing dollars will be wasted.

To bring your marketing campaign up to date contact the Google Pros of Skunkworks Marketing Solutions today at PullMoney2 or call the Palm Beach Gardens office at 561-623-5324.

Be watching for the next project that will put you in stealth mode on the internet, which is the Google Pros of Skunkworks Marketing Solutions latest venture in reputation management.

With the advent of the internet there is nothing secret anymore.  Many celebrities, politicians, sports figures and many high profile people are opting to go under the internet radar, so to speak.

We have been secretly working on a way to put people on stealth mode to cover up negative pr on the world wide web.  Our new service can also be used as a pre curser to negative press.  We have been beta testing this new service and it has been highly accepted by many high profile figures so far.  We plan on going public within the coming week, so if you would like to go into stealth mode on the world wide web contact us immediately for info on how to go undercover today.

Call our office at 561-623-5324 and one of our top level executives will be in contact with you because this project is so important we only allow one of the partners to handle your consultation. Your confidentiality is our highest concern and we will use the utmost discretion in your undercover campaign.