Facebook Tips for Busy Business Owners

Facebook is hot, hot, hot in the social media marketing world right now. If your business isn't on Facebook, it basically doesn't exist. Even if you hardly post on Facebook [which we don't suggest], your company should at least have a company page with basic information. We know that you are super busy, which is why we compiled this list of helpful Facebook marketing tips:

1. Add basic information. [Time spent: 20 minutes]. It takes less than a half hour to get a professional Facebook page up and running. At minimum, add your business location, hours of operation, and a little about the company. Update the cover and profile picture with something unique. 
2. Create a clear "call to action."[Time spent: 5 minutes]. Facebook allows you to customize your profile with a "call to action" such as "reserve now" or "buy here." No matter what your product or service is, you want to convert lookers into buyers. 
3. Schedule weekly posts in advance. [Time spent: 30 minutes]. Scheduling posts for the week can take a little as 30 minutes, if you are really focused. Taking the time to sit down and plot out what you wanted posted for the week will save you a great deal of stress in the long run. 
4. Boost posts. [Time spent: 5 minutes]. Facebook is a business and it wants to make money too. Unfortunately, in order to get your name out there, you may have to pay to promote. Don't spend money randomly, boost important posts that are likely to give you a return on your money.
5. Expand your reach. [Time spent: 15 minutes]. The amount of shares and likes your post gets is certainly important, but the scope of the reach is more relevant. Facebook is all about community and the algorithm loves when your company shares posts by other people. Whenever you come across a relevant post by a fellow page or business, share it to your own wall and watch the views rise!  

Still sound like too much time? Don't worry! eMarketing247 would love to help your business achieve social media success on a budget!

Prepare Your Brand for the 2015 Holiday Season

The 2015 holiday season is just around the corner! Your brand should already have a focused marketing strategy in place to make the most out of this busy time. If not, don't fret, there is still some time, but you have to act fast! We have put together 4 ways to help prepare your brand for the shopping season!

1. Know your customer and when they are looking to buy. For example, if you are in the travel industry, you would know that your customers are looking to book online in August or September for their holiday travel. Similarly, target customers the week before a major holiday for those last minute or emergency reservations. Once you identify when your customer is looking to buy, you can target your marketing during these specific times.
2. Employ creative advertising. People are going to be inundated with content this holiday season. It is your job to make sure that you business's marketing strategy stands out. Industry tip: when advertising online, make sure that your campaign is optimized to fit a mobile phone. Customers are turned off when images and graphics don't fit their mobile screen and are more likely to leave your website for a competitor. 
3. Keep it personal. Personal content must also be consistent. Customers like to believe that your brand knows them on a personal level. Address them by their first name. Thank them for liking you on Facebook. Let them know that you appreciate them making a reservation from your online blog. Anything you can do to keep content focused yet personal will help your business this holiday season.
4. Offer valuable social media deals. Your customers are always on their social media. Whether it is Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Vine, or Snapchat, customers are always browsing and you can take advantage. During the holiday season, offer attractive deals on social media. This will entice potential customers to purchase and potentially even share your product or deal with friends. 

Still sound confusing? Don't worry! eMarketing247 is ready and willing to help you! Whether you are looking for marketing in the Tampa Bay Area or around the world, we have over 30 combined years of experience in business marketing! 

Social Media Marketing Do's and Don'ts!

The impact of social media marketing on today's business environment is anything but simple! Your business must engage with consumers on many levels in order to attract their attention and keep it. Don't underestimate the enormous value that social media adds to your business website, as well as your brick and mortar presence. For your online marketing assistance, we put together this handy chart on the helpful do's and don'ts relating to successful social media marketing:

Still sound tricky? Luckily, eMarketing247 offers comprehensive social media management services. Visit our website and find out more information regarding this feature.

Reviews Matter: Helping You Help Yourself!

In case you didn't know, online reviews for your business matter!!! There are a lot of studies proving this fact (such as this one). Reviews affect local SEO and even improve a businesses bottom line. Now, more than ever before, this is extremely apparent and important to the success of your company!

 Now you will say to yourself "Ok, great. So what?" 

 Throw that bum response out the window, and get involved! Here are easy, easy steps that your parking business can take to gain more reviews:

• Shuttle Drivers
  
  • ​Shuttle drivers interact with your customers more than anyone else. When they drop someone off at the airport, or drop them off at their vehicle, have them take 10 seconds to say "Did you enjoy your stay with us?" "Ok great! Would you mind leaving us a review on Facebook, Google, or Yelp?
• Cashiers
  
  • Cashiers are the next group of people that spend the most time with your customers. Have them take 7 seconds and ask the customers "If you wouldn't mind, please let us know how we're doing. Leave a review on Google, Facebook, or Yelp."
• Facebook
  
  • Do a special drawing or discount for reviews left on Facebook. People love free things, so use this behaviorism to get what you need: a review!

These are very simple ways to ask customers for reviews. If your good customers aren't leaving reviews then the rest of the world will only see the reviews left by unhappy customers. Improve your SEO and bottom line by simply asking this question . . . 

"Would you mind leaving us a review on Facebook, Google, or Yelp?"

http://www.shopify.com/blog/15006641-how-online-reviews-impact-local-seo-and-why-they-matter-to-your-bottom-line

Contact us today to learn more about how eMarketing247 can help your business with parking marketing. We want to see you succeed! 

2 Online Branding Secrets

No matter what industry you are in, your identity as a business is crucial to your revenue and longevity. Consumers are driven by emotions and instant gratification, so being in the right place at the right time is a must. Just as you want to be found at the top of the page during a Google search, you also want to be known as a reputable provider in your industry. Branding is the means by which you build this persona and excellent public relations is the key to maintaining your good name.

If your business has a brick and mortar location, it is essential that this site is kept as clean, tidy, and professional as possible. You could have the best website in the world, but when a client arrives at your business, they will remember that fences were torn, or that the restroom was not spotless. You want your business to showcase your brand both on and offline.

Since this is 2015, your business better have at least one social media profile. You do? Great! You don't? Probably should get on that! Branding your company on social media is important, but customer service should not be sacrificed. If an angry customer comes into your store, you address their issue immediately and take care of the problem at hand. Often times on social media, brands will ignore customer complaints and bad reviews for days, sometimes never responding! This is equivalent to telling your customer to sit outside your business for three days before you discuss their issue. Respond as soon as possible so that other customers see that you are serious about your company's image. 

A little confused about all of this online branding stuff? We will show you the ropes and explain exactly how to accomplish this. Contact us today to get started! 

Why is Customized Content So Important?

Studies show that when customers visit your website, they must be able to find what they are looking for in under three seconds! The addition of custom content adds tremendous value to your website. Well written website copy will explain to customers all the notable facets of your business while appealing to search engines such as Google and Bing. Unfocused content can leave potential clients feeling confused or stressed, which may lead them to other businesses. 

As a result, it is important that copywriting, blog content, articles, and marketing content all be handled with your business in mind. Blogs have become an integral part of internet marketing, and have the ability to connect your business with a variety of audiences. Blogging allows us to consistently add new content to your website, while fulfilling your customers’ unsung desire for more information. In addition, maintaining a blog creates interest in your brand, showcases offers, and invites interaction with your website. 

One of the most popular question is "how do we drive more traffic to our website?" -- the answer is simple. Content! Lost for words? Let us help! Contact us today to customize your website content! 

5 Tips for Marketing your New Business

Just starting a business? New to marketing yourself? Check out some of our suggestions on how to break into marketing as a small business:

1. Claim your social media. Have a business name? That is enough to claim your Facebook, twitter, Instagram, Youtube, and Google+ username. Even if you don't have time to launch a full social media campaign, claim your account now before it is too late.
2. Give stuff away for free. Generate excitement about your new product or service by giving it away! New ice cream stand? Give away a free small cone for a weekend. The possibilities for giveaway options are endless and don't have to be costly to your company. Getting your name out there will be worth it!
3. Leverage email marketing. Emails are completely free to send. If you are a new business, chances are your email base is small, so you can start by using a simple Gmail account. Keep all customer information in a tidy Excel sheet for future use. Email marketing is one of the most powerful marketing tools available for new businesses. 
4. Understand your customers. No matter what marketing plan you choose, put yourself in the shoes of your customers and consider what you would want from your company if you were a consumer. Think about why your customers need your product or service and then hone your strategy accordingly.
5. Well-designed website. This may go without saying, but it is essential to have a well-crafted website. Customers stay on a website for an average of 3 seconds. If they do not find what they are looking for in that time, chances are, they will leave your page for a competitor. Spend a few extra bucks and get a website that is worth your money!

Don't know where to start? Contact eMarketing247 and we will get you started! We can help you with whatever you need, from SEO and Social, to website building and PPC! 

Free Cups and Cold Beer At Freedom Fest 2015

We aren't kidding about the beer and cups! eMarketing247 is giving away FREE solo cups with your purchase of beer at this weekend's Freedom Fest in Oldsmar. This is Freedom Fest's 6th consecutive year remembering those whose lives were sacrificed in service this Memorial Day Weekend.

The event will run from Friday the 22nd through Sunday the 24th, and will feature live music, food, drinks, vendors, and games for all ages. Lucky for you, you will be able to purchase discounted cups of chilled Budweiser. That's right! Premium beer for a cheap price in a reusable eMarketing247 solo cup that you can cherish forever!

Over the course of Freedom Fest, you will have a chance to score a FREE Asus tablet! Simply toss your business card in our fish bowl and you might be walking away with some new technology come Sunday afternoon!


A $2 donation is suggested to enter this event. To find out more information about Oldsmar's Freedom Fest, please visit their website! 

We hope to see you there!

4 Reasons Why E-Mail Marketing is Still Important

Sure all this talk about social media, updated content, SEO etc. is extremely important to be competitive in today's business environment, but your business shouldn't forget about email marketing! Many people believe that email marketing is outdated, however, this is far from the truth. Here are just a few reasons why sending out emails to customers and potential clients is still important:

• You can reach today's mobile audience.  According to Google, 1 in 7 searches were done on a mobile device in 2013. This number rose 50% in 2014. You see where we are going with this! Emails can be opened on any kind of mobile devices, from tablets to cell phones, and don't cost customers a dime...like receiving text messages sometimes does. 
• It's a great way to offer coupons! Sure, you probably offer coupons straight on your website, but in today's busy world, customers may not have the time to seek out coupons. If the discount is sent straight to their inbox and is opened right in front of their very eyes, they will notice your coupon and will be more likely to visit your business/website and make a purchase.
• It's cheap. Email marketing is inexpensive, and sometimes even free, depending on how you go about it. Whether you are paying to print a traditional paper advertisement, or paying Facebook/social media to "boost" your posts, chances are you are spending a decent amount of money. With email marketing, you can save big!
• It helps create conversions.  The whole purpose of marketing is to convert people from "looking" at your product or service to actually purchasing it! This is called a conversion! Emails are a great way to create conversions because they ask the reader to do something, whether it is sign up, forward, buy now etc. When leveraged properly, email marketing can drive sales! 

Need help starting your own email marketing campaign? eMarketing247 can help! 

SEO vs. Social Media

Here at eMarketing247...we are always looking to educate our clients, employees, and friends. 

Check out this fantastic article we found by Travis Bliffen...we couldn't agree more!

If you have the time or budget to use SEO in conjunction with social media optimization, doing so will allow you to reach the broadest possible audience. If your time and budget limit put you in a positon of having to choose, here is some information that will help you do so intelligently.

1. BrightEdge conducted a study in 2014 that indicated 51 percent of website traffic across their study group came from organic search compared to 5 percent from social media. Even more shocking, when narrowed down to service based sites, organic search accounted for 73 percent of all traffic!  (BrigthEdge)

2. Facebook has an average visitor to lead rate of .98 percent. SEO has a visitor to lead rate of over 14 percent. (Hubspot)

3. Organic Facebook posts only reach an average of 12 percent of your followers. Appearing in the top three in Google organic search results in an average click-through rate (CTR) of 60 percent. Put simply, five times as many people will click an organic result as will even see a Facebook post! (TechCrunch & SeoBook)

4. Imagine this, you wake up to a massive leak in your roof. You just moved to the area and don’t know who to call. What do you do? If you are like over 60 percent of others surveyed by Econsultancy you use Google to find a company. (Econsultancy)

5. What about forecasting? Readily available tools such as the Google Keyword Planner allow you to easily see the average monthly search volume for keywords. Using industry averages, you can take the search traffic and accurately estimate total site traffic for a new campaign. Unfortunately, traffic forecasting is not easy to do for a new social media campaign.

6. What about YouTube? Many of you already know that YouTube is the second largest search engine. While some may argue that YouTube is a social site, SEO is a powerful way to market videos as well. If you are not familiar with YouTube SEO, you can learn more about that in our recent post covering how to generate quick search traffic.

Again, social media can be a great addition to a comprehensive marketing plan but if you are looking to maximize your ROI on every marketing dollar spent, SEO is where you should be investing.

 Lucky for you, eMarketing247 can help you reach SEO success. Contact us today to get started!

4 Ways to Market on Pinterest

Not surprisingly, Pinterest is all the rage these days! Who wouldn't want to plan their dream home, vacation, or wedding, all through beautiful pictures? Pinterest is also becoming the perfect medium to market your business as well! Check out four ways in which you can successfully leverage this hot social media:

1. Set up your profile. You want people to know what your business is about so you need to create a profile that is clear and easy to understand. Use your business name as the title to your account, and your logo or a feature of your business [shoes that you sell if you are a shoe company], as your profile picture. Include your website URL in your "about me" feature.
2. Engage with others. Follow other users. Pin or "favorite" their pins or comment on your favorites. Engaging with others will help you build your brand while demonstrating that you care to engage with other businesses as well. Re-sharing pins will get your username out there each time you pin a new post.
3. Don't over post. This cannot be stressed enough: DO NOT OVER POST. When we say over post, we mean over share material from your own business. Only pin materials that promote your business 20% of the time. Followers, especially on Pinterest, will quickly click that "unfollow" button if your business constantly promotes itself and never shares inspirational or interesting photos. After all, no one wants to see a constant stream of advertisements in their spare time.
4. Describe your images. When pinning your own material, don't forget to write a unique and optimized description with each and every pin. Use your business name in the description so that other users are able to trace the post back to your company.

Need help with marketing? You can always contact us at eMarketing247! 

Why Your Business Needs Video Marketing!!

She's enjoying watching a video. Your customers can too!

Video marketing is SO important for your business because videos involve visual recognition, credibility, and trust. The saying goes that a picture is worth a thousand words, but videos combine thousands of pictures to form movement. What could be better? In addition, people love watching videos because they are fast and easy.

Why not improve your business by adding video? Don't trust us? Give our podcast on video marketing a listen and see if you agree. We bet we can change your mind in under 7 minutes!!


LISTEN HERE

3 Crucial Marketing Trends for 2015

Mobile is bigger than ever before!

2015 is upon us, and, if you haven't already, it is time to start researching and implementing the top marketing trends for this next year. Luckily for you, we have got everything you need at your fingertips! Check out some of the this years biggest trends:

• Content Marketing will be bigger this year than ever before! If you don't have stellar content on your website, your online presence, and, in turn, your business, will suffer. Content must be relevant to search engines and potential customers who are Googling your product or service, and it must be constantly updated. Don't have this kind of time? Let eMarketing24/7's team of trained professionals do all the work! 
• Mobile-friendly technology will be crucial. In 2015, having a mobile-friendly website is a must. Although people still search using computers, many surf the web on the go, and are tired of navigating websites that aren't mobile friendly. Chances are, if your website isn't customized to fit the mobile environment, potential customers will continue their search somewhere that is more convenient. Luckily for you, eMarketing has created and maintained tons of mobile friendly websites, so we are well-equipped to help your business succeed.
• SEO and Social must work together. Here at eMarketing, we have been saying and doing this for years, and we are excited that the rest of the world is finally catching on! Social media, such as Facebook and blogs, can be tied to websites and products in order to increase Search Engine Optimization. The amount of "likes" and "views" that a post gains will help search engines determine how relevant it is to people looking for similar products. Want to learn more about how to tie your SEO and social media together? Contact us and we will get you started! 

Why Do You Need a New Website?

Many business owners ask "why do I need a new website when mine seems to be just fine?" Well, a website gives potential customers their first impression of your business. If your website is "just fine" instead of "spectacular," potential customers will get the impression that your business is only average. Definitely not what you were going for, right?

We have so much to say on this subject that it would take three days to write it all down. Instead, we made this short video for you to watch so that you can understand the importance of a new website!

Take a look:

Making so many changes to an existing website is almost like ripping out the seam on a pair of pants, and trying to sew them back together. Sometimes it is just better to start fresh and build and entirely new and improved version of your original website. Your customers will thank you!

Welcome to eMarketing247

Hello!!

We are thrilled to welcome you to our new and improved blog! We know you have never heard of us before and that is exactly why we want to teach you. Let's get started!

Most business owners have an idea for where they want to take their brand online, but they don't know how to carry that vision through to success. Thankfully, eMarketing247 is a premier internet marketing company created to provide you with top-of-the-line products and services so you don't have to worry about where your business will be in the year 2020! No matter what your marketing goals are, we want to help fulfill your needs. 

We have so much to offer your business that we couldn't possibly write it all down, so we created a video about just one service that we offer! Pretty neat, huh? This service is extremely important in today's changing business world so we thought you would like to know more about it!! Take a look:

After you watch it, take a moment to check out our lovely new website and stay tuned for more exciting blog posts in the neat future.

Thank you for stopping by!

-eMarketing247