Are you using Google for your Business?

Posted on May 16, 2013 by DeeReinhardt

Almost everyone I know uses the phrase “Google it” when referencing an internet search. But other than searching for something are you making the most out of a Google account for your business? Let’s review a few of my most favorite tools.

Google Maps – if you haven’t optimized your Maps presence, jump on board. There is a new interface that Google announced that is going to help your business look even better. Notice the pictures of the selected location. You can even hire Google Certified photographers to record a 360 degree view of the inside of your establishment.

Google Place Pages – are merging with your Google+ business page. So make sure that your information, categories, contact info and links are all up to date. If you have a page out there, claim it so that you don’t have reviews that are going unnoticed. Link here to see my page.

G+ posts and images – are now being indexed in search results. If you aren’t using your G+ profile at least occasionally, your likelyhood of ranking very high in search results diminishes. Also, if you have a blog, add a Google Authorship plug-in that will provide a headshot and minimal information about you in the search results.

Google Hangouts – jump on before they raise the price! Right now you can have a video conference with up to 10 people, screen share, chat and do silly things with your screen image. This is a great way to have a face-to-face meeting without having to leave your desk.

Google Drive – share documents that are editable with other users. Have a spreadsheet that needs to be filled in and you are tired of having to make corrections? Share it on Drive and let the other people take responsibility for filling in their own information.

YouTube – is the 2nd largest search platform and it isn’t even a search engine. It is a Google property as well. You can link to it from within Google Chrome. Talk about search engine results – put a video on YouTube and Google loves it. Check out my channel with how-to videos here.

Google Chrome – for all of you IE users out there, jump on board. There are so many plug-in tools available for Google Chrome that I would run out of space and my fingers would grow tired from typing. Need I say more?

What other Google tools have you found?

Why do you use the Social Networks you do?

Posted on June 26, 2012 by DeeReinhardt

When I speak to groups or to individuals, one of my standard questions is do you have a LinkedIn profile, Facebook profile, Twitter handle and do you have a company page for each of those?

Recently I read an article entitled Why Google+ Wont Succeed. The basis of the article is that people don’t like to dance alone and there aren’t enough people on the dance floor on Google+.

When I started in social media everyone spoke about the “Big 3″ that referred to LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. I feel that people still tend to think of those before some of the other networks – like Google+. Do you have an account on G+? for you? for your business?

What about Pinterest? Flickr? YouTube?

As of this writing, YouTube is the #2 social network. It boasts over 800 Million unique users and 3 Billion hours of video watched monthly. Now the “Big 3″ might just refer to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Check this infographic -

Facebook as of March 2012 had 901 Million monthly active users and Linked in has 161 Million professionals.

As of April 2012 Google+ had only 170 Million users but there are predictions of 400 Million by the end of the year. Again, do you like to play on a playground that no one else is using?

Pinterest is another animal. With only 10 million plus users, the demographics on that is a bit more defined. It is a good tool for the right user and audience, but so are Flickr and Picasso.

Picking the social networks that are the best for your company can be the biggest challenge, but participating in at least one is crucial for you to stay in front of potential clients. Setting everything up to have a consistent brand is important and engaging your audience is critical. How often and on how many channels to choose to engage is up to you, your time or your budget. Sometimes just getting your feet wet and scheduling some time to do the updates is the start of something new and exciting.

Should you need guidance or assistance, there are firms like Time2Mkrt available for your support. Call on me or them, but get started soon.

Who Visits Your Pages?

Posted on April 17, 2012 by DeeReinhardt

I recently read How can you get millennials to like your brand on Facebook? It sparked this thought: How do you get anyone to like your brand on Facebook? The article stated that Millennials say they are more likely to like an organization if it:

Offers discounts (56 percent)
Offers product samples (40 percent)
Sends event invitations (28 percent)
Sends personal invitations (27 percent)
Has games or “fun” applications (14 percent)

I would venture to say that almost anyone would like an organization that offers discounts or product samples, and how many “Boomers” spend time on gaming options found on-line or in social media networks.

Conversly, I found this article Millennial Consumers: Engaged, Optimistic, Charitable that states:

Millennials are actively engaged in consuming and influencing – more likely than non-Millennials to purchase products that support a cause, and the 34% that make direct donations primarily donate through mobile devices. They contribute to user-generated content, spend time rating products and services and uploading videos, images and blog entries online.
Millennials favor recommendations from peers or friends – 53% reported exploring brands through social networks. They use their phones to read reviews or research products while shopping.
Millennials are “digital natives” - 72% reported using MP3 players, 67% use gaming platforms and 59% own smartphones. They are heavily engaged with social media – 33% favor brands with Facebook pages and mobile websites.

And here is an article that says 33% of Millenials are more apt to buy from a company with a Facebook page.

My thought is that you must determine your target audience. That audience cannot be “anyone that …”. Drill down to find a specific market, own that demographic, and then, if you need, expand from there. Where will they find you if they look?

Once you pick a specific audience, find out where they “live”:

Photo credit: Wikipedia

web
smart phones
TV
Radio

How will they find you?

Do they pick up a newspaper or their Kindle?
Do they find out about your business from Yelp or a phone call to a friend?
Are they searching for you on Google or driving past your business?

I found this tool years in 2010 to help you determine what platform(s) you should be using. Here is a link to the 2012 version: http://www.cmo.com/social-media-guide/2012/

Portion of the guide

Where is your audience finding you?

Change

Posted on December 11, 2011 by DeeReinhardt

How do you adapt to change? Do you handle it in stride? Do you accept it with good cheer and look at it as a potential for growth or as a nuisance?

Being in the marketing field has given me a chance to experience change at a rapid pace. As we all know Facebook can change on a dime and not give notice about the changes. Twitter is undergoing some major renovations. LinkedIn keeps adding new features. Google + came onto the scene. They are, sometimes, good and sometimes not so good. But, the community speaks.

Social media is ever evolving, growing, changing, ebbing and flowing. I have noticed that the more things change the more they stay the same. Old becomes new – just like the hip- hugger pants of the 70′s are now called low-rise. If you concentrate your efforts on the basics and add a few new methods, you will be fine. The big change is – if you are not using digital media as a part of your overall marketing package, you will fall behind.

Overall, if you are incorporating a blog, a Facebook page, and a company page on LinkedIn, you should find a broader reach with your marketing efforts. Using social media in your package allows you to reach the marketplace where the marketplace looks – on-line. Gone are the days of people purchasing items based solely on what they see in advertisements. Today, people purchase on the recommendations of peers with whom they can obtain opinions in a matter of seconds. Review sites are now common i.e., Yelp, Insiderpages, Viewpoints or citysquares.

Peer review sites are the best way to find out the scoop. You must remember that people will find a way to post a negative review much more quickly than they will post a glowing positive offering. Here is a perfect example of that – over 11million views of a video about an airline breaking a singer’s guitar – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo. To overcome this you must “change” with the tide and use social media to address customer service concerns and provide positive testimonials to buffer any negative comments.

What changes are you experiencing with your marketing goals?

Time2Mrkt

Grow your business one social media tool at a time

Tag Archives: Google+

Are you using Google for your Business?