Creative techniques to strategically attract audiences.

Posts Tagged ‘Business’

How to get found on Google: 3 tips for businesses

Posted by Alex Rodríguez

how to get found on google

Everyone these days wants some love from Google. No, not cuddling with the Googz like a furry Pillow-Pet. What we mean is that true business leaders want their brand to be found first when eager buyers look for a trusted service or a reliable product… and what better place to be positioned than an engine gobbling and serving up 3.5billion searches every single day.

There is still a lot of confusion on what to do to get this kind of prime positioning on the search giant. On one hand, many naively think that just placing a website on a hosting provider will automatically sound an alarm at the offices in Mountain View, CA, which will in turn cause their site to be properly indexed.

On the other hand, with so many conflicting opinions from “experts,” “gurus,” and “ninjas,” business owners are duped into thinking that they have to pay several thousands of dollars per month just to spin a costly roulette called “SEO.”

The fact of the matter is that there are a few critical actions you and your internal team can take to place your brand right under Google’s spotlight. How can I be so sure about this? Well, for one, Google has never been clearer on their guidelines and best practices.

Aside from this, they’ve made their tools freely available, which although they may take a bit of an expert mind to wade through to the fullest extent, they’re not anywhere nearly as complicated as some of your current business operations, such as keeping your finances in check or hiring the right team member.

Here’s a handy list of actions you can take today to raise your visibility on Google:

1- Get Set Up on Google Business

Google has made it very easy for businesses to place a listing on their massive directory, but it does take a bit of effort and time.

The place to begin is Google My Business, which will lead you through every necessary step to list your business properly.

Once you begin filling in the minimum requirements — business name, phone number, and address — you will need to wait a few days until Google sends you a verification code via USPS, aka “Snail Mail.” Yes, although Google is the king of digital, you’ll need a code physically sent to you in order get the coveted green “verified” check mark.

This is how our Google Business Dashboard looked once verified.

As this listing will appear on Google Searches, Google Maps, and Google+, the key here is to add as much relevant information as possible. Businesses that appear like they “have it together” are much more likely to be taken seriously by eager buyers willing to take action immediately, either by visiting, picking up the phone, or clicking to the company’s website.

A few additional tips:

Once you’re set up on Google Business, a whole realm of other possibilities open up, such as Location Extensions inside Google Adwords (we touch on Extensions later in this article).

2- Make Your Website SEO-Friendly

For many business owners, “SEO” is nothing but a magic wand certain “wizards” wave in the air, and POOF! Their websites are suddenly on the first place of Google.

The truth of the matter is, there is no way to instantly guarantee top billing on competitive search rankings — and anyone who is telling you the contrary is absolutely lying.

At the same time, often-ignored best practices to position your website at the front of the line do exist, and they can help as you compete for valuable search terms. The more you follow these best practices, the more you raise the probability of being found organically… Which at the end of the day, is what matters the most, right?

Some of the most essential best practices we’ve been following are:

These are but a few steps you can take immediately to improve your site’s “search-ability,” but there are many, many more. However, as most businesses often neglect these basic ones, by just applying these you’ll likely be much more attractive than your competitors in Google’s OOO-shaped eyes.

3- Say The Words… AdWords!

how to get found on google - adwordsOh, so you thought this article was about SEO, huh?

The truth is that, at the very core, Google Search is one of the most powerful advertising platforms today, and there are no signs of it dying down any time soon. With searches firing in at all times from Google.com, as well as directly from tools within browsers, by voice commands, and many others, Google has placed their massive search engine so readily-available that placing your ad on it just might be more effective in the short-term than that neighborhood flyer or community rag.

You can get set your business up today on Google’s own advertising network,Google AdWords. This platform will not only allow you to place Search Ads, but also Display Ads (what people commonly refer to as “banner ads”), Video Ads, and more.

You can certainly feel free to thumb around for free, but here’s an honest word of caution: You need to be very sure you know what you’re doing before you deploy any campaign. Google does not offer 30-day refunds — or for that matter any kind of refunds — on the thousands of dollars you might blow in a matter of minutes due to a wrong setting or two. They assume you know what you’re doing… So do you?

Aside from seeking advice from professionals (and we’re here to help, just in case), here are a few quick tips you should consider before you dip your toes into Google AdWords.

These are just a few of the most basic tips to get started. The great thing about AdWords is that is a measurable and effective way to get targeted visitors to see your business right away, without waiting for months and months.

The bad news is… well, that there is a cost involved in order to place your ads. After all, we are talking about paid advertising here. However, this should not be a problem in the very least, provided you have a strategy in place, and are following some of the guidelines we’ve shared.

With all these tools and resources at your reach, there is really no reason why your business shouldn’t be properly set up on the undisputed #1 Search Engine in the world. People are right now using it to search for what you offer. Will they find you?

 

What is Creative Strategy, and why does it matter?

Posted by Alex Rodríguez

What_is_creative

“So what is this “Creative Strategy” thing all about? Is it just another buzzword?”

When trying to communicate a special message, with the goal of influencing others in some manner, the two main issues people and businesses struggle with are:

Struggle #1- How can they compose a message that is clear, relevant, and stands out above the noise?

In this age of information literally moving at the speed of light, anyone trying to communicate has to fight against an enormous giant: An incredible volume of information and content all competing at the same time for people’s attention. Our message can have the potential to transmit an amazing level of value, and still be buried under a daunting number of options our target audience needs to weed through to perceive it. A few facts that might surprise you:

It is apparent that communicating a valuable message, and outputting that message as forcefully and strategically as possible, is no longer enough in the current technology landscape.

Struggle #2- What can they do to ensure their message is effectively received?

At the same time, being original and unique is no longer anything to be proud of if our message reaches a very small segment of our intended audience. Many genius ideas have died in the dark alleys of obsolescence or invisibility. However, placing a sign with the highest available exposure, like an amazingly expensive ad on the ground of the World Soccer Cup field, is just not an option for the great majority of businesses.

In most cases, businesses won’t be able to leverage capital to gain exposure, and a highly-creative message often does very little on its own to expand its reach. However, these same businesses tend to put all their focus on these two elements (capital and creativity), while forgetting another essential component entirely.

These two problems can be very strong obstacles to overcome, and when they’re not overcome, they’ve crippled some of the greatest businesses and initiatives around the globe. So what is the solution?

Now that you understand the problems, I would like to invite you to read the solution I propose, which I’ve made available as an easy-to-read ebook. All you need to do is input your email address on the right side (or on the bottom if you’re on a mobile device), and I’ll send it to you right away for free.

Update: Sorry! The Creative Strategy Manifesto is no longer available for free. It will be rewritten, expanded and published soon.

In the meantime, if you haven’t done so, feel free to download The Attraction Checklist for free! Just sign up and I’ll send it to your email inbox.

All your social media efforts should achieve this ROI

Posted by Alex Rodríguez

Social Media managers are constantly confronted with the challenge of proving ROI (Return On Investment), and very understandably so. Any responsible business is concerned with every type investment — money, time, energy, focus, or whatever — providing some type of measurable benefit.

The huge dead end many managers find themselves in is to expect a direct profit return from an investment in Social Media. In the best of cases, serious budget reserves are directed towards Community Managers and varied tools and systems, and in the end, that direct return is nowhere to be seen.

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