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Hubspot Marketing Grader: A Yummy Buffet of Internet Marketing Tools for Business Owners

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marketing graderIf you want to grow your business fast, turn to Internet marketing as the solution. Many companies need to update their marketing strategies to reflect how consumers make purchase decisions today.

Customers research online before buying or going to the store, because it saves time. So, if your company does not have a strong web presence, you miss out big time!

Since I work with company leaders and business owners every day, I understand the stress and overwhelm that often accompanies the suggestion of Internet marketing. There is so much technical stuff to understand and you don’t know who to trust or where to get started.

That’s why I am so excited to tell you about Hubspot and my interview with Mike Volpe, the Chief Marketing Officer. His insights on how to jumpstart your business online will open your eyes and give you ideas on how to make the process a lot easier.

A Buffet of Internet Marketing Tools
Mike explained that helping business owners handle the overwhelm is exactly why they formed Hubspot, an all-in-one internet marketing platform. With Hubspot, you can do everything you need to create a strong online presence and get found. The service provides a yummy buffet of inbound marketing options including blogging, email service, social media, SEO, and more.

Volpe pointed out that having access to all the tools in one place makes the process far more efficient. You can not only do your marketing from one place, but you can also access your results from the same dashboard. Pumping out the marketing is a big part of driving fast growth, but evaluating results helps you ensure everything you do works that much harder.

Scrumptious Benefits for a Buffet of Tools
According to Volpe, centralizing your internet marketing tools saves tons of time. You don’t have to export your contact list from one place and import it to another, then stop at a third place to check results. With Hubspot, everything is integrated to make your marketing tasks and analysis easier and faster.

marketing grader
Image Credit: Hubspot

Chow Down on the Top 3 Internet Marketing Staples
I asked Mike for the top three things a newcomer to Hubspot should focus on right out of the gate:

1. Regular Blogging. Start a blog and publish content that interests your customers on a regular basis. This will help you get found!

2. Compelling Call-to-Action. Get beyond the passive “Contact us” call to action and provide a juicy, compelling reason for people to opt-in to your list. Give visitors something to download so they’ll share their contact information.

That’s how you build your marketing database. When you offer a free assessment, report, ebook, audio or video, customers see these items as having value and will register to get them.

3. Landing Page. Your free offer needs to be on a well-written, dedicated landing page that lets customers know EXACTLY what you want them to do. The copy must address your customers’ biggest problem and solve it with your free offer.

The Delectable Advantages of Hubspot:
· Access to great support team to answer your questions anytime
· Plenty of guides for the do-it-yourselfer
· Professional service team who can walk you through every step if requested

The Most Delicious Tool
The Hubspot Marketing Grader provides a free report on your website when you enter your URL. You’ll get a wide view about how you rank based on your overall engagement online. Plus, the report offers important suggestions on how to improve your website and internet marketing to get more traffic and convert more visitors to customers. Everything is simple to understand and you can get started on the improvements right away.

If you’re ready to update your online strategy and prefer the do-it-yourself approach, check out Hubspot as your go-to internet marketing service. Mike assured me during the interview how the company is still growing and offering new and cutting edge tools.

Of course, you can always call me to learn more about SEO basics and improve your Findability online.

The post Hubspot Marketing Grader: A Yummy Buffet of Internet Marketing Tools for Business Owners appeared first on Heather Lutze Marketing Speaker.


6 Internet Marketing Goals for Every Business

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what are your internet marketing goalsAt this point in the year, how productive have you been with your business goals? Like many business owners, marketing is likely to be at the top of your list.

And, that’s a good thing. Because, by taking the time to review goals you made at the start of the year, you can get a good understanding of where you need to put your focus.

So, on that note, I have an important question that I’d like to ask you …

Will this finally be the year you start ranking on Page One of a Google search?

Hitting the top spot in search engine results for your most important keywords is usually not something that happens randomly — particularly if there is a lot of competition in your market. And, I would be hard pressed to name any markets without massive competition in this online age.

It takes keyword research, focused goal setting, a step by step plan, revising and tweaking that plan, and last but hardly least—time and patience—to see it through to completion.

Here are six terrific internet marketing goals that, no matter what business you’re in, can help you get closer to page one in the SERPs. (And, I’ll be writing some upcoming posts that speak to each goal in the upcoming weeks and months.)

6 Internet Marketing Goals for Every Business

1.   Create a cohesive and comprehensive social media plan that will bring real business results — a plan that can be automated for efficiency and can be tracked for effectiveness.

(For more help with creating such a plan, check out Thumbonomics: The Essential Business Roadmap for Social Media & Mobile Marketing.)

2.   Do that all important keyword research, finally determining just how your ideal clients online are searching for your goods and services. This is exactly what I will be doing with my students during my next 6-week SEO Webinar Series (starting April 3rd).

(Btw, a pay-per-click campaign is a great way to really test out those keywords and find out which ones bring traffic to your site, and which ones get the customers with the credit cards in hand. Join us to learn more!)

3.   Take those vital keywords and optimize your website, and every other online bit of content that you have, from blog posts to the descriptions on your YouTube channel.

(Although Google changes its algorithms regularly, classic keyword based search engine optimization never goes out of style.)

4.   Launch boldly into mobile marketing, creating a responsive mobile site that looks great on a tablet or phone, and take advantage of the ways customers are searching on the go.

(More and more people own smartphones or tablets, and are using them as “full service” computers on the go. Can they find you on a four inch screen?)

choose the right keywords5.   Dominate the entire page of a Google search for your company, with your website, your blog, and your social media pages taking up every bit of that all-important real estate.

(Don’t you just hate when you Google your own company, and your competitors show up on the same page? Eliminate them from the page!!)

6.   Have a Findability Audit, look at what you are already doing online, and determine exactly how Google and your customers see your site.

(We can help! Let us prepare a customized internet marketing plan, implement it, or train your team in how to implement it yourselves. Contact us today for more information about the Findability Diagnostic Questionnaire and Audit.)

Why not pick just one of these goals and commit to it? Imagine what it will for your business when you put a plan in place!

Here’s to meeting all your internet marketing goals, and reaping the well-deserved rewards in terms of more traffic, more visibility, more engagement, and more real business.

Btw, my 6-week SEO webinar series starts in two weeks, so you still have time to join us and learn SEO basics to optimize your website! Sign up: http://bit.ly/AprilWebinarSeries.

 

RELATED: Hubspot Marketing Grader: A Yummy Buffet of Internet Marketing Tools for Business Owners

 

 

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5 Things Every Business Owner Should Know About Yelp

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1: There’s no such thing as NOT being on Yelp.

Remember back in the early days of social media where you had to create an account to get started?

When it comes to Yelp, things are a little different. In an ideal world, you’ve already created your own account and claimed your business page.

But if you haven’t – someone else might have done this for you. And it’s not always someone with the most flattering things to say about your brand.

You can’t choose not to be on Yelp. If you’re ignoring Yelp, your business is either there already or will be soon.

What happens when you have a Yelp page you’re not proactively managing?

What happens when you have a Yelp page you’re not proactively managing?

  • Your business looks less than professional.
  • You lose the opportunity to connect with people who are looking for the products and services you offer.

You run the risk of having your reputation damaged by what’s being said there – and all the while you’re completely unaware of the damage being done to your hard earned reputation.

2: A stronger Yelp reputation can enhance your SEO efforts.

In mid-2014, Google made one of its regular algorithm changes, this one nicknamed Pigeon.

It completely revolutionized local search results within Google. Specifically, it greatly boosted the how directory sites are ranked in local search results.

Practically speaking, this often results in Yelp listings appearing above a company’s own website in search engine results pages (SERPS). Additionally, Google started including businesses’ Yelp star ratings embedded within search results.

This is a game changer for businesses. And it means that moving up in Google search depends not just on your SEO efforts, but on the effort you place on providing outstanding service to your customers as well.

3: The surprising places your Yelp rating now shows up.

If only your performance on Yelp were only about Yelp. But these days, it’s about so much more.

Let me explain.

I just mentioned that Yelp now impacts your ranking in Google search. But it also shows up in places like Apple Maps, Mercedes-Benz vehicles, and Trulia – just for starters.

In fact – over 100,000 developers have registered to use Yelp’s API to integrate ratings data into their products.

This means that your Yelp rating is of critical importance in helping you connect with people looking for great products and services like yours.

4: A bad review can actually help your business.

People-Hate-Us-On-YelpContrary to what you might think, most reasonable people aren’t looking for you to have only 5-star reviews on Yelp.

Most people can accept if you have an occasional bad day. Of course, if every review you have is negative, that’s another issue altogether. (Unless you’re like this restaurant that actually encourages bad reviews – but that’s an exception.)

One or two bad reviews isn’t the end of the world.

In fact – if you know how to respond, in some cases, you can actually get better publicity from a negative review handled correctly than a string of bland positive reviews.

A quick, professional response that seeks to resolve the customer’s issue is the key to turning a negative review into positive sentiment for your business.

5: You can learn how to proactively leverage Yelp to your advantage.

Too many business owners think you have to leave Yelp to chance. They think there’s nothing they can do to deal effectively with negative reviews, attract a regular flow of positive reviews, and actually use Yelp to build their businesses.

But that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Over the past 10+ years, I’ve helped businesses with Yelp. From medium to large businesses, from single locations to multi-site locations across the country, time after time, I’ve experienced that with a systematic approach following proven methods, it’s entirely possible to ensure that a company’s hard earned offline reputation is accurately reflected in their overall Yelp ratings.

Like any other online network, it takes consistency and commitment.

But as my experience helping improve my clients’ online reputations have shown me, learning to proactively manage your online reputation – especially on Yelp – is a worthwhile strategy that yields a healthy, growing business.

Carely BakkerCarley Bakker is a Yelp expert across North America, as well as an online reputation speaker, Yelp help consultant and creator of the Yelp for Business Owners Series. She loves helping businesses of all sizes gain control of what is being said about them on Yelp to drive business growth. Follow her on Twitter at carleybakker. To get tips on how to leverage Yelp to grow your business, visit http://www.ckkinternetmarketing.com and sign up for our newsletter. Carley is a Findability Certified Consultant. 

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You may schedule a FREE one hour Findability Audit with Heather by clicking the icon below

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or you may call her directly at 888-588-9326

The post 5 Things Every Business Owner Should Know About Yelp appeared first on Heather Lutze Marketing Speaker.

Bad Online Reviews: Yikes! What Should I Do?

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bad reviewYikes! What Should I Do about a Bad Online Review?

Have you ever gotten a bad review online? You sat there frozen wondering what you should do about it. Panic spreads as you are freaked by this scathing new comment. What will prospects and potential new clients think about your company if they read this?

Here’s my advice on how to handle this stressful predicament and manage your online reputation.

1. Take a deep breath and relax. It’s just one review. You likely have other positive comments from happy customers. If not, I’ll tell you a little more about how to get them at the end of the post.

2. Reread the Review. Look over the comment and see if you can identify who may have written it. Was it a disgruntled employee or someone who was fired recently? Or was it a customer with a legitimate gripe?

3. Have a Company Meeting. Sit down as a company or with management and talk about negative reviews. Set a policy for what type of action to take regarding social media comments. If the complaint was related to a customer service or product issue, take time to assess your process and best practices to avoid similar problems in the future.

4. Set up Google Alerts. Set up google.com/alerts for your company name, company name + review, names of board members, etc. Don’t forget to use quotes when setting up the alert. For example, if I were setting up my own alert, I might use these: “Findability University”, “Heather Lutze Speaker”, and “Findability.com”. You can also set up alerts at Mention.com to notify you about any mentions in social media or on the web.

Here’s a great article from Inc.com about how to use Google Alerts to stay apprised of the buzz about your company online, good or bad. http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/5-ways-to-go-far-beyond-google-alerts.html

5. Appeal to Google. You can get a Google review assessed and possibly removed if you think it goes against Google’s review policy. First you flag it for review and then wait to hear about their assessment. This only works for reviews that are inaccurate, not fact-based and that disobey Google’s policies.

Read this support piece to learn more. https://support.google.com/business/answer/4596773?hl=en Other review sites like Trip Advisor or Yelp have their own process for handling bad reviews that are not true or inaccurate.

6. Get More Good Reviews! Another option is to increase the number of good reviews you have. Think about your satisfied customers or clients who would write you a testimonial praising your products or services. Connect and ask them to do this for you. You might also set a new policy to request a review whenever a customer expresses how pleased they are. Perfect timing to garner another glowing testimonial!

Don’t take a bad review here and there to heart and remember that people love to complain anonymously on the web. Do make sure to investigate a poor review and see this as an opportunity to improve if needed. Then be sure to focus your energy on getting good reviews and you’ll maintain your strong reputation.

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You may schedule a FREE one hour Findability Audit with Heather by clicking the icon below

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or you may call her directly at 888-588-9326

The post Bad Online Reviews: Yikes! What Should I Do? appeared first on Heather Lutze Marketing Speaker.

Social Media Content Calendar

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Social Media Content Calendar:

What Every Business Needs to Implement to NOT Get Burned Out or Boring.

What is a Social Media Calendar?
If we can create a 12-month plan ahead of time with blog post ideas, the coordinating tweets and posts, the social process becomes much easier and much more interesting.

Machine Gun Style Social Media

I often see companies approach social media as a rapid-fire approach, as much as possible based on business inspiration. This style wears out your audience and they become blind to your posts.

Arrow Style Social Media

If we know what our targets are, i.e. keyword phrases we want to rank for, then creating a targeted content generation process is easy. If you know the keywords that are most important to your thought leadership, then go from that point. Stay focused and on target with every piece of content that you create.

The Blog is the Center of the Universe

Spend your time creating a well-researched, optimized, blog post and make sure all your social shares are for the blog promotion as well as other interesting posts related to what you do as a company.

How to Create a Findable Social Media Calendar

So, the trick with the content calendar is to have the site map of keywords in front of you. These keywords are the compass by which most of the content will be inspired by. If you do not have a plan for the keywords you are trying to rank for, I suggest you go back and use a tool like spyfu.com or semrush.com to explore what keyword phrases are most important for you to rank for long term.

Step One:
Create a 12-month calendar in a spreadsheet
A twelve month running calendar with a column for each month of the year.

Step Two:
Look at each month and see if there is any time of year seasonality that relates to your business. Also, add any major holidays to that monthly calendar.

Step Three:
Use HashTagify.com to choose hashtags that coordinate with the keywords from the site map or research list. It’s critical that we use these hashtags in all the social media platforms to keep your name inserted into these higher-level conversations. Google will see your effort to include your blogs etc. into the collective conversation online.

Step Four:

Create Monikers or slogans that help people look forward to your social engagement. Do this for everyday of the week. This gives your followers something to look forward to every day. Otherwise it’s just a series of posts that no one asked for but you thought was great.

Monday:
Monday Moments or Madness
(something funny or thought provoking to start the new week)

Tuesday:
Techie Tip Tuesday

Wednesday:
Website Wednesday

Thursday:
Throwback Thursday

Friday:
Flyer Friday

These are just some ideas to consider. If you have a consistent plan for the week, creating content that matches is very easy and makes the creative process so much easier.

Step Five:

The center of your universe is the Blog. Most your weekly social media will be sharing the blog. So, we pick a topic for the blog. Then we create a graphic in Canva.com that features the concept of the blog PLUS your logo and phone number and website address ghosted in the bottom right or left of the image.

Step Six:

Create all the rest of the content based on the blog title.

So, a series of weekly tweets regarding the blog with links.

  • Facebook posts that have the image from the blog and a short description that links back to the blog.
  • Create a Pinterest Board for each of the concepts Monday Through Friday. Remember that Pinterest boards need to be named the key concepts we want to rank for.
  • Consider creating a short video for each blog with the inspiration for the blog and any case studies regarding prior work done.
  • Post image to Instagram with hashtags

Your core social media list is NOT up to you or which portals you use the most, it’s up to the prospect. You need to share your content to ALL of them and not just one or two based on personal preference.

Essential Social Media Posting List:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Google +
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Snapchat Story
  • Pinterest
  • Linkedin (Business Page and CEO’s Profile Page)

No rapid-fire social media. Stay focused on the keywords you need to rank for and create content that reinforces your expertise in the space.

Stay focused, stay consistent and remember to have fun along the way. Your followers, fans and subscribers will thank you.

The post Social Media Content Calendar appeared first on Heather Lutze Marketing Speaker.

5 Shocking Ways to Improve SEO

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Let’s be honest here. When you hear the term “SEO” you probably think “boring”! You’re not alone. It can be hard to stay motivated all the time, and anyone who says otherwise is just lying to sound impressive for their social media followers.

What’s my secret for keeping things fresh? I keep looking for new tools and tricks to keep it fun. Yes, I said it – F.U.N. This doesn’t have to hurt.

These are some of my favorites tools – they’re useful, save you time, and some might even surprise you with unexpected uses.

1. AnswerThePublic.com  

This takes Google queries to a whole new level, with incredible visuals. This tool gives you the breakdown of “who, what, where, why, when” questions for any keyword phrase. If that wasn’t enough, it also generates infographics and an excel sheet. This is absolutely brilliant for blogs, social media and web pages. Give answerthepublic.com a try!

2. May I Suggest …

Have you ever noticed that the bottom of a search results page has eight phrases with your keyword in it, such as in the image below? https://ubersuggest.io is an indispensable tool in your SEO kit. This site pulls all the useful “searches related to…” from the bottom of search results by keyword phrase and gives you every keyword idea related to it from A to Z. Consider these “related searches” as a keyword focus group – they are the words that bring you even closer to the people searching for your services. Now go and use those phrases in your content to create crowdsourced pages, blogs, and images related to your core term.

3. Take a Nibble

Nibbler.com is like that honest friend that always says it like it is. Nibbler runs an extensive test on your site and gives you immediate recommendations on how to make your site more findable. Search engines will never rank a site if it’s not technically trustworthy – this helps you get into the cool club. Bring this free report to your webmaster and tweak your site to get it into the limelight!

4.  Get Your Head Into The Clouds

Remember this? WordArt.com is one of those “used to be cool” tools that creates pretty word clouds. We’re going to use it rather differently here.

The secret superpower of this program is the ability to use it to “test” your content for relevancy. It can be hard to predict what a robot thinks your content is about, but this will let you know! Run your website URL in the tool and visually see how a search engine will interpret what you wrote. The biggest phrases in the cloud is what the page will rank for in search results.

“Hire Motivational Speaker” …. Nailed it!

5. Keep Your Ear To The Ground

Google.com/Alerts – Use this tool as a content listening machine, bringing you the buzz on the terms you choose. Visit google.com/alerts to get set up. If you have Google Alerts, it’s probably not set up to get the biggest bang for the buck… keep reading!

A few helpful points:

  • Use quotes around the words you want to track exactly. “Call for Speakers”, “Best Conference Speaker”, “Top Motivational Speaker”.
  • Do not forget to track your competitors!
  • Include your top keywords
  • Keep an eye out for people looking for speakers on your topics.
  • Add the entire first chapter of your book, as a little extra intellectual property protection – you’ll be the first to know if someone steals your content.

Good Luck and reach out or comment below for any additional questions.

The post 5 Shocking Ways to Improve SEO appeared first on Heather Lutze Marketing Speaker.

Webmaster Romance or Divorce? You Choose.

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Problem: When it comes to developing your site, how do you know who to trust? How do you avoid being taken advantage of by a developer? There’s a lot you can do, and it’s simpler than you think! It’s all about finding a geek who gets you. Read on for key ways to ensure that you stay in the driver’s seat when it comes to your website.


Gather all the other elements you need for the site

Make sure you have what you need, so that your developer has a good sense of the structure you want for your site. Your first priority is to get yourself properly set up for success. Follow these steps before contacting a web designer, to pave the way for a smooth web development process.

        1. Have your keyword research completed, as well as your site map.
        2. Write your content following the THBLI method or have it nearly finished. This will save your money, as it shows the developers you are ready to go and they do not have to wait for content for each web page.
        3. Prepare a Creative Brief for the Developer. Email heather@findability.com for the latest copy of our creative brief.

If you’ve never heard of a creative brief before, this comprehensive document provides your developer with a snapshot of your business and your overall vision for the site. This will include company mission, tagline, target audience, tonality, color scheme, and competitive sites for industry reference.

It’s also helpful to consider your requirements for the site. Go through the items below to see which best serve your needs:

  • Mobile responsive site
  • Shopping cart
  • Credit card processing
  • Opt-in box
  • Site-wide search function
  • Videos
  • Social Media sharing buttons
  • Your TOP 10 favorite competitor sites

Additional Elements

Apart from the buttons and functions you need in your site, there are a few other things to consider that really define the quality of your site. These include:

  • Professional-grade photos (want to know what kinds of photos you need? Check out this helpful chapter from my book, HERE
  • Testimonials
  • Logos
  • Color preferences
  • Logins for current hosting, website, Google Analytics, and social media links

The more you can share your vision with the developer, the more likely your site will meet your expectations. You need to let the developer know if you require a shopping cart and credit card processing for example so these elements can be worked into the site from the beginning.

Ask for referrals from people you trust

One of the best ways to find a good developer is to reach out to your network. Why go through a long vetting process when someone who shares your values already has? This can save you time and get the most qualified candidates in front of you. Don’t just take their word on it though – have a look at their work! Do you love their website? Make sure it’s in line with your style and needs.

Beware of the sneaky “squid ink” move!

A HUGE red flag to look out for is the “squid ink” tactic. My husband once compared a certain type of developer to a giant squid. I’m no expert on giant squids, but apparently, they swim in fast and spew ink all over the place to muddy the waters and protect themselves to get away. “Squid Ink” developers purposefully cloud the client’s judgment with smoke-and-mirror strategies and big words meant to intimidate or confuse.

They can throw all sorts of complicated jargon at you that they know you won’t understand, hoping to overwhelm you into saying yes to a bid without having any control or understanding of what they offer. You don’t want that kind of manipulation going on with something as important as your business.

Code Jail

Don’t get stuck in “code jail” – some developers use a sneaky proprietary code, so that no one but them can make changes to the site. This is YOUR site; don’t let them play that game. The solution for this is to ask if the developer uses open source tools. Here’s a great definition of open source:

“When a software program is open source, it means the program’s source code is freely available to the public. Unlike commercial software, open source programs can be modified and distributed by anyone and are often developed as a community rather than by a single organization.” (source: http://www.techterms.com/definition/opensource)

Open source options for web design and development include WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, and SquareSpace. These tools are well respected, search engine friendly and have a content management system (CMS) that allows for easy content changes or updates which is essential for sustainable infrastructure.

Choosing one of these open source platforms for your website is smart, because you will be free to switch developers if the need arises, or even hire an in-house developer. Avoid developers who use other tools if you want to retain power over your site and have the freedom to hire and fire in case things don’t work out. YOU are the client, and this is YOUR site. No one belongs in the driver’s seat but you!

 

Set a Budget and Due Date

With a clearly defined date and budget, you can set expectations and have more accountability from your developer. Don’t skip this step – you don’t want to be hit with surprise expenses or unmet deadlines! Before actually starting your website project, it’s absolutely crucial that you establish your budget. If you don’t have a figure in mind, you could end up spending a lot more than you expected. In addition, letting a designer or developer know the budget helps them estimate your project more accurately and know what can be accomplished for that fee. They’ll know not to recommend things that are way out of your spending limit, but suggest extras that could improve your Findability if you have the funds clearly laid out.


In addition to the budget, choosing a due date gives your project measurable parameters. If the timing is unrealistic, web professionals will let you know that the job can’t be completed and they’ll ask for more time right away. If they agree to it, you have a time to hold them accountable to, which takes a lot of pressure and guesswork off your shoulders as you prepare to launch!

Next Steps: If you want to know more, check out my book here: http://a.co/8jcZySD or get on a free call to figure out the best next steps for your current webmaster romance or divorce, give me a call. 888-588-9326

The post Webmaster Romance or Divorce? You Choose. appeared first on Heather Lutze Marketing Speaker.

Prevent a GRISWOLD CHRISTMAS: 4 Essential Travel Apps

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For many business owners, time off is a rare and coveted thing! This is the time of year where many of us are trying to conjure time to get everything done, and still get home on time. This time of year, a lot of us are on the go, traveling to see family. Instead of my usual tips, I’m going to help you make the most of your time getting around outside the office, for the things that matter the most. Let’s not have a Christmas Vacation Family Adventure! Love the movie, hate holiday travel. 

In this blog, we’re going to explore some of the top time-and-money-saving apps out there, so that you can make the most of your time with the people you care about!

 


GATEGURU  

 

When you’re at the airport, this app is your best friend! It offers so many useful tips in one app!

Real-time updates on things like your gate and any time changes (as in, no more hurrying to a gate, just to find they changed it… again.)

  • A list of amenities – Now, you’ll know where your favorite places to eat or shop are, without wandering around, hoping to find a directory. 
  • Car rentals – Your journey isn’t over when you get off the plane, and this app won’t leave you hanging either! Partnering with Avis, this app gets you exclusive discounts on car rentals, so that you can save your money for something more fun!
  • Weather forecasts – Knowing the weather is a helpful part of your airport strategy. Stay in the know when you need it!

LOUNGE BUDDY

 

I have yet to meet someone who actually likes sitting in those uncomfortable airport chairs. It’s even more brutal when you’re catching a late night flight, and spend your evening hunched miserably between someone who doesn’t seem to know how to use deodorant, and someone else who thinks their screaming children add a certain ambiance to the waiting area.

With this app, these trials and tribulations are a thing of the past! It gives you access to a network of airport lounges around the world, without needing a 1st class ticket or and special club affiliations! This is just about getting you out of the cramped, uncomfortable, noisy waiting area, and into a nice, quiet, spacious lounge as you wait for your flight.

  • Book a lounge with a kids’ room – This is a great option when traveling with your family, so that the kids have the ability to play safely and release some energy before being cooped up and sitting still on the plane. 
  • Take a breather – Arrive early and unwind with a cocktail, while sitting somewhere comfortable and quiet. 
  • Refresh yourself – Do you hate how groggy and icky you feel after a late-night flight? Are you meeting someone special at the end of your travels? With this app, you can find a lounge where you can take a shower, to wake up and wash off that airport grime!

ROADTRIPPERS

 

Are you more of a car person than a plane person? If you’re driving somewhere this holiday season, there’s an app for that too! Roadtrippers breaks down the best routes for your drive, complete with all the elements you’d need to make it fun and convenient! Here’s a few of it’s best features:

  • Locate camping sites, hotels, and more for when you’re ready to stop driving for the day. 
  • Find drives filled with history and scenic attractions.
  • Get the insider’s guide to all the local restaurants – no more driving around and hoping you find something before you get too hungry!
  • Explore the outdoors! Get local information on hikes and parks.
  • Things to do – don’t just stay in your motel! This app helps you find out what each town has to offer, so you can make the most of your trip!
  • Themed drives – They don’t just make the most of your route – they also offer adventures for you to explore, from their amazing guides! Discover the surrounding area in a whole new way!

JETSMARTER

 

Travel like a rock star!!

This is a program for people who travel often, and are tired of shuffling shoeless through TSA checkpoints. Say goodbye to mediocre travel, and say hello to the exclusive, luxurious experience that aviation was meant to be.

Private flights – Are you looking to book a flight with a special someone, and you want to pull out all the stops? Book a private flight, and travel in style. No screaming kids, no cramped seating, just you and whoever you want to be there with you!

Shared flights – Book a flight with other leaders and fascinating people, while enjoying the relaxing luxury of an exclusive flight.

Not only do they offer incredible flights, but the also offer exciting events, only to its members. It’s a great way to network with leaders, ambitious entrepreneurs and people with incredible life stories! Your adventure awaits.


I hope that wherever you spend the holidays this year, it’s a time of joy, great food and fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Holidays from the Findability University Team!
Heather, Veronica, Laura and Dede

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How to Give Your Website Some Love

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This month is all about giving your website the best start it can possibly have. For this week, we’re going to focus on security and peace of mind. As you know, there’s a lot more to setting up a website than just buying a domain name and getting some words and pictures up. We’re going to focus on some vital steps to make sure your site is set up for success, and stays firmly under your control.

YOUR ONLINE EMERGENCY PLAN: ARE YOU READY?

Gather The Troops! I have had so many clients come to me in a complete panic after their social media person disappeared, their web designer decided to take off or someone hacked their site. (We’ll talk more about how to find quality people in another conversation, to help support you there too.) Moments like this can be devastating, stressful, time consuming and expensive to recover from if you don’t have a plan. What would you do in this stressful situation?

Instead of frantically running around trying to recover information and shelling out all sorts of money and losing valuable time trying to regain access, I’d like to offer a simpler solution, and the steps you’ll need to get there. The first rule of the game here is…

BE PREPARED!

The best emergency is the one you are already expecting, and have made a plan for. It takes the fear, stress and surprise out of it, and lets you continue on as normal. Below is the first part of my coaching program – my Executive Login Sheet – and I’m offering it for FREE because I want to help you be prepared with a plan. It lists all the assets you MUST know, the vital documents you need, and should be kept in a secure, safe place for emergencies.

This document contains all the important information you need for the keys to the castle: your website, blog, social media pages, Google account, etc. Don’t be held hostage by a negligent developer who won’t give you access to your own property!

Trust me, you want to do this. Fill this out. Keep a copy locked in your office and consider using a storage tool like lastpass.com.

Pro tips:

  • Using “. . .” behind all your passwords will safeguard your password and triples the difficulty of guessing.
  • Please, please please do NOT use your birthday, anniversary, pet names, colleges or anything that is publicly available to find information on. STOP AND CHANGE ALL YOUR PASSWORDS TODAY. Then use the sheet below to gather them together and keep them safe. You’ll be so glad you did.

Here’s the Executive Login Sheet. It’s going to be your new best friend, waiting in the wings until you need it, although we hope you don’t. This sheet isn’t just amazing for emergencies, but also for important transitions like hiring new employees or contractors, so that you have all the information they’ll need to implement all of your specifications on your site.

Get it here! //drive.google.com/open?id=0B49hB7Sk-3tJZlI0UVZOZWhBUEk

I’m here to help you make your website everything it can be. For more in-depth support reach out to me today!

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Drinks Before Dinner: Get to Know Your Customer’s Words!

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SEO – or what I like to call Findability – is absolutely riddled with misunderstandings. The only way to organically rank for specific, targeted keyword phrases is the create a keyword map. This map taps the mindset of the searcher and helps guide your content creation, tailoring it to what is ALREADY being searched for. It lets you market to a demand that already exists and is actively searching for what you offer.

Web sites are like books. A book has a cover (your homepage), table of contents (your site navigation) and pages of content (your body copy). Think of your site for the full story and NOT just a sales brochure.

Here’s a great real-life example:

All the keywords you see in the map below are the words that Jay’s ideal customers search with in Google. The number under each keyword is the annual search volume for that one phrase. It’s very important to remember that we must use THEIR language, and not our own style of communicating, to get them to the site. Remember, we must get them to church first and then convert them. Not the other way around.

VIDEO TESTIMONIAL:

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Dazzle Your Visitors Heart Stopping Design!

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The Creative Brief – How to Speak the Language of Developers

When you embark upon a new website project, it can be daunting to find the right designer that also knows the intricacies of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Many business owners get excited about a beautiful design, without knowing if it truly supports their needs in being highly findable.

A super important point here is that the web site design comes AFTER THE SITE MAP IS COMPLETED – NOT BEFORE! Trust me on this one – you will thank me later. Do not get sucked into pretty before the findable. Make sure to fill out your creative brief BEFORE you talk about design. Make sure to interview a number of web designers, see examples and call their references.

Here is a document to fill out BEFORE you start interviewing designers/ developers, to make sure you have the foundation you need to leverage their work to its maximum potential!

How to hire and fire a web developer: Read THIS chapter for your business’ safety, and your sanity!

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Catastrophic Failure to Launch: Is Your Site Really Ready?

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There are critical indicators that absolutely need to be addressed BEFORE you launch your new site. 
These check marks are carefully evaluated by Google and search engines. If you do not want to lose any credibility you have built with search engines to date, you 100% need to review the document below with your designer.

I’m going to share my Essential Pre-Launch Checklist. It contains all the critical elements that need to be checked before you launch the new site. You wouldn’t build a rocket after it was launched into space, and you don’t want to shoot your company out into the world until you’ve built the right website with all the right tools for it to grow with. Until your designer says that all have been addressed, do not move forward with the launch. Capiche?

Download This PRE-LAUNCH CHECKLIST

Sometimes it’s just as important to know what NOT to do, as what to implement. Here are some hazards to avoid! Don’t get trapped in the consequences of a faulty foundation for your site.

TOP 10 CATASTROPHIC SEO MISTAKES WHEN LAUNCHING A NEW SITE



(Don’t do these!)

1: No redirects from old pages to new pages on the site

2: Images are not named with the keyword phrase for Google images

3: No updated – keyword-rich – titles and descriptions for each page on the site

4: No Google analytics code on every page of site for tracking

5: No Google webmaster tools setup

6: No Google alerts setup

7: No SEO tracking tools like semrush.com or woorank.com

8: Updating your domain name expiration to five years for Google trust

9: No Yoast or SEO all-in-one plugins installed in WordPress

10: Not deleting “no follow” tag from robots.txt before launch

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It’s Not Luck, It’s Good Planning – Do This One Thing!

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IT’S NOT LUCK, ITS GOOD PLANNING – DO THIS ONE THING!

Go buy yourself a green beer, but let’s not plan on needing luck for our online marketing strategy. You’ve got something so much better!

This month, we will be exploring some really practical, simple “do this one thing” approaches. Each week I will give you one simple tip or focus that you can go do that day and make a difference.

This week’s tip is all about photos. Photos are what brings your website alive to a client at first glance. The photos you choose can make a massive impact on how your site is seen, before they read a single word.

Are you prepared with the right ones?

Here’s how you find out… and what to do about it.

 

Google Images

Go to //www.google.com/imghp and see what images come up for your company name or your name. The reason you see what you do is because these are named that word – i.e. HeatherLutze1.jpg

Here are some important things to consider when you see what comes up in the search:

– Are any of these images out of date, old or just strange? It might be time to clean house.

– Find three images on your site and change the names to how you want them found.

– Now upload the new images with its keyword and the alt text too.

– Wait a few weeks and Google yourself again. You will see your images front and center under your name or company name. Magic!

 

Professional Photographers

Having professional images on your site can make all the difference. A lot of people don’t think about this (that’s why you have me!) but wedding photographers are generally unemployed Monday – Thursday. Take advantage of that fact! This is a great time to hire them, while they’re off, to take professional photos for your site or blog.

Use https://www.craigslist.org or other resources such as https://nextdoor.com/ to vet photographers. Make sure you see their work before hiring them to make sure that you like their style for your needs, by checking out their websites or asking for a link to their online portfolio.

Here are some examples of the shots I suggest working with a professional photographer on for your website:

– Backgrounds you can use in social media

– Photos with clients to build credibility

– Ask employees to gussy up and get their headshots taken

– Photos of products, files or anything that makes a good background

– Group photos with your team

Here is a web photo image planner with some ideas to get you on the right track. Even if you have to use your iPhone, any new accurate pictures are better than old photos! This is a link to a helpful list that you can keep as a photo planner if you are going to take new photos for your site.

Stay tuned for next week’s tip!

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Do This One Thing….Set Up Google Alerts Correctly

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Google Alerts are a great way to watch yourself and your competition online.

Make the information come to you!

Forget late-night clicking to see what the competition is doing. Let Google Alerts do the heavy lifting!

Here’s how to make the most of this useful tool:  Go to https://www.google.com/alerts

1) Use quotes for all the words you want to get alerts for. For example: “heather lutze”.

2) Add all product names and proprietary naming of any kind – your “findability formula”.

3) Add all names of executives and key players for your team.

4) Make sure to also include the names of your competitors – for example “myenemy.com”.

5) Protect the copy on your page: Put all the text from your homepage into quotes. Then if anyone steals your site, you will be the first to know with a helpful alert!

6) If you’re an author, put all of your first chapter in quotes and watch who steals your book, or information from it. I often do not chase those people – I guess they are spreading the word  – but it’s always good to know, especially if they’re trying to profit off your hard work.

7) Speakers? Put “Request for Speaker” or “Marketing Speaker” in your alert to see what new opportunities might await you.

Important tip: Make sure to set your alerts to a weekly digest so you do not fill up your inbox with google alerts. If its critical, then put that one alert and have it sent daily.

Are you ready to set your site up for success? Call me today and let’s make something incredible happen.

The post Do This One Thing….Set Up Google Alerts Correctly appeared first on Heather Lutze Marketing Speaker.

Do This One Thing…to Improve Your Blogging and Social Content

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Ever seen the “searches related to…” at the bottom of Google Search Results?

Many people barely notice them, but they actually offer a wealth of ideas on how to go deeper into your topic. It gives you a resource to find out just how people are searching for the things you have to offer!

Step One: Choose a keyword

Step Two: Google that keyword, and scroll down to the bottom of results page.

Step Three: You will see a group of “Searches Related to…Keyword Phrases” – this is a treasure chest of related phrases. If you are an industry leader in Leadership Training, for example, then you should consider writing about:

 

You will also see questions (sometimes) in the search results as well. Answer these questions as part of your content strategy.

Tools like Ubersuggest.io and Answerthepublic.com will also gather all those “searches related to…” and give you downloadable lists to reference as well.

Now that you have some great direction, you’re ready to take an important step in becoming Findable! Want some insider insight? Call today and we’ll show them all what your site can do at full throttle!

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Just Ask Me Already….

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In life, I find that its very hard to see when you are looking out from the inside, while we’re trudging through the day to day tasks that pile up around us. The words and phrases we use on a daily basis are often not as obvious as you might think. We also guess wrong. So do this one thing – you have an untapped resource of VERY valuable information.

Your employees. They’re your front line. Ask your employees or call center workers what comes up day to day. They hear the “bitching, moans and complaints” that come out of your customers and prospects mouths. The front desk knows all the questions – “Do you do this?” “Can you help me with that?” and your sales people will know all the objections! Leverage that to your advantage.

Use THIS attached sheet. Sit down with your people and ask them what people ask for when they call. You can get some great keyword ideas from your own staff!

Let’s create a strong direction for your company’s journey. Call me today – you’ll be glad you did!

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The C-Suite Guide to Search Marketing and SEO (Part 1 of 2)

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595588_conference_room

By Heather Lutze, CEO
Findability Consulting & Speaking

Would you like to Google the name of your organization, and see nothing but your business show up on the entire results page—no competition in sight? In today’s Panda and Penguin environment, your best bet for taking over an entire page of Google search results lies with social media engagement.

If you want to take your organization into social media marketing, but don’t quite know how to begin, let me lay it out for you with a six simple steps.

 Step One: The Leadership Team Meeting

Bring all your executives and brand managers on board. Discuss the objectives of your social media program and address the fear around social media as well. Get all your key leadership people in the room and really talk…

  • OK, if we’re going to do this, what return on investment do we need to get from it?
  • What  measurements can we apply to track that return?
  • What is our goal or purpose?

Did you know that social media marketing has finite, measurable results? Being clear about what you want from the very beginning is essential to its success.

Step Two: Define Your Objectives

Each department in your organization will have different goals they would like to realize from a successful social media endeavor. HR, sales, IT, marketing, PR, and strategic leadership teams are all focused in different arenas. Make sure key department heads in each group are represented in this initial meeting.

The questions to be addressed …

  • How can each department use social media to be more successful?
  • What do they each need?
  • For targeted sales goals, should we use promo codes? What about contests?
  • Will videos get the results we’re looking for?
  • Do we create internal assets like white papers, videos, or case studies to use in our social media efforts?

What about the Big Picture?

Along with department-specific, finite number goals, you also need to talk about big picture goals for the entire organization. What might be some of your overall objectives?

  • Branding: You want to brand the company as a whole, particularly if you are new or not widely known.
  • Reputation management: You must be monitoring what others are saying about your company on social media. Make sure you’re the first to know, not the last!
  • Thought leadership: You want to be seen as a leader, an innovator, and a major player in your particular industry; putting out papers, information, videos and quotes.
  • Building customer relationships and retention: This is one of social media’s strong points.

Step Three: The Start-Up Committee

I suggest you create a small, start-up committee in your phase-one approach to social media. This group would consist of a few excited and savvy social media advocates within each department. Someone from HR, sales, IT, marketing, PR,  e-commerce.

Excited and Savvy are the key criteria here … bet you’ve already got staff who fit this criteria.

Stay tuned for the second half of this post, with the next three steps you need to make sure your organization’s entry into social media is efficient and effective.

Warm Regards,
Heather Lutze
Author, Internet Marketing Speaker, Trainer and Consultant

 

The post The C-Suite Guide to Search Marketing and SEO (Part 1 of 2) appeared first on Findability University - SEO Training - 888-588-9326.

The C-Suite Guide to Search Marketing and SEO (Part 2 of 2)

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1117048_laptop_at_meeting_table

Google is paying more and more attention to fresh content, reader engagement, and social sharing. These days, social media marketing (including blogging) equals SEO. Can you afford to do without it?

If you’re serious about taking your organization into social media marketing, I’ve got a simple six-step roadmap that will get you well on your way.

Read part one of this series with steps 1, 2, and 3 right here.

Step Four: Hiring a Social Media Brand Manager

A social media brand manager is a full-time, salaried position in your organization.  Obviously, whether or not you can budget for this position depends on the size of your company.

Responsibilities of the Social Media Brand Manager

  • Managing the social media committee, reporting directly to the executive team.
  • Setting up metrics and automation tools.
  • Working with top-level management in each department involved in the social media program.
  • Tracking followers, promo code redemptions, white-paper downloads, video views.
  • Monitoring all social media portals and then reporting all news related to each department accordingly, and create an appropriate response.

As you can see, this is actually a necessary position, if you’re truly committed to having an effective and profitable social media presence online.

Step Five: Pick the Appropriate Portals

I recommend Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, blogging, and Google+. They all have a place in your initial, right out-of-the-gate social media initiative. Please consider all of them in your initial push.

Step Six: Productivity 

There are huge concerns around employee productivity and social media. If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a thousand times from big corporate execs:

“I don’t want employees spending all day on Twitter or Facebook.”

But studies have shown that instead of hindering productivity, actively using social media during the work day can enhance it! After all, no one can be productive 100 percent of the time, without a break. Authorized access to social media gives your employees a way to share their expertise, find out how others might be doing it better, get up to speed on new developments in their fields, and engage with the group of people that they hold knowledgeable in their own fields.

The big bonus: it will help them to stay more excited about what they do every day.

If employees are going to be on Facebook and Twitter; YouTube and LinkedIn, we want to make sure they’re evangelizing your brand—not just talking about what they did over the weekend.

I’ll bet you never expected one of the benefits of a social media venture would be an increase in business creativity! Be prepared; it’s actually going to increase excitement and enthusiasm when your people discover you are actually willing to trust them to evangelize for your company.

It Is a Huge Delegation of Trust …

Your employees will be thrilled to find you have set up a level of engagement allowingthem to source from other industry experts all around the world, to make their jobs more productive, more satisfying and more efficient.

*****

So these are the six key steps that are essentials for social media success. They are your road map. Following them should dispel any staff objections along with any remaining fear surrounding social media. You will successfully establish clear objectives, measurements, and value regarding social media, from the top of your company on down. Your big picture objectives and individual department goals will keep you on track and moving forward.

It’s my hope that with this clear and simple road map to guide you, you’ll take the leap of faith necessary to stay competitive in your own industry, become fearless in sharing what you do best, and allow your employees to grow, learn, and share what they do, to the total betterment of your organization.

Warm Regards,
Heather Lutze
Author, Internet Marketing Speaker, Trainer and Consultant

Other posts in this series:

 

 

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Razor Thin Findability: How to Do Keyword Research Right!

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Working with Vistage Team on Keyword Nuances.
Working with Vistage Team on Keyword Nuances.

By Heather Lutze, CEO
Findability Consulting & Speaking

Often when I go out for an internal-team training or a keynote presentation, I get complaints from attendees along the lines of, “SEO people are snake oil salesman,” “I’ve spent so much on SEO with no results!” and “My marketing team cannot agree with my IT Team—therefore we just are stalled on SEO.”

Any of these scenarios sound familiar?

I hear your frustration; I’ve heard it time and time again. The line between being “lost” and “found” on the internet is razor thin. If you want to make SEO work you have to evolve as a leader in your organization.

Remember when you didn’t have a cell phone? I even remember the “brick” telephones with the battery backpacks. Ok, now I’m dating myself. But we are, in most cases, “digital immigrants.” We didn’t grow up in today’s technological world, cell phone in our hands. We didn’t learn to text at a young age, and we certainly didn’t grow up with Social Media. But we absolutely need to master these things now, or risk becoming as extinct as the dodo.

So the key to making SEO work for your organization lies in understanding the components of SEO—what I call “Findability.” Keyword domination online is based solely on increased traffic!

“Ok great,” you say, “and how do I get that, again?”

 

Simply follow this roadmap, to take you from lost to found:

1) LOST: You realize you are lost on the internet – No Findability. Your mom can’t even find your website. Sigh . . .

2) DISCOVERY: Do your customer discovery or keyword phrase discovery online. What keywords do my target searchers use? How are they looking for my type of business?

3) OPTIMIZE: Rewrite or add to your website’s content, page titles, descriptions, meta-descriptions, etc., optimizing for those key search phrases.

4) FOUND: Google easily and efficiently matches your site with searchers using those keyword phrases and you start being found online. Hallelujah!

5) CONVERT: You start converting search traffic into action on your site and $$ in your bank account. Double hallelujah!

6) DOMINATE: Finally, you now dominate search results under a small number of specific and vital keyword phrases. Everyone can find you . . . raise a glass of bubbly!

Sounds easy, doesn’t it!

Well, it’s a bit more complicated than that. As the leader in your organization, you must figure out the roadmap for success, but leave the tactical implementation to your SEO firm or your internal teams.

This can be challenging when you’re still a “digital immigrant,” not yet a full-fledged citizen in the world of geeks, techno talk and SEO tactics. How can you assess the use of money, time and resources for a topic you know nothing about? Well, read on . . .

After a recent meeting in LA, I spoke with a great CEO group, comprised of some of the best in their respective industries—florists, uniforms, health food and many others.  In talking with them, I came across an excellent example of razor thin Findability.

Now, those of you who know me know that my “crack” is the Google Keyword tool (and other keyword tools that help companies go from “lost” to “found” on the internet). But it’s not just about Findability, it’s about the right kind of Findability, targeted to customers who are ready buy when they get to your site.

A large, international floral business within this CEO group called themselves wholesale florists—that was their main keyword phrase.

When I looked deeper into how they see their company and what they do, it was very clear to me that they were missing a large part of their searching audience by calling themselves only “wholesale florists.”

Let me explain; it will be even more helpful if you follow along.

  • Go to Google.com and type “keyword tool” into the search box.
  • Click on the first organic listing that shows up (see below)

Screen Shot 2013-04-23 at 11.44.04 AM

 

 

 

 

  • This takes you to the Adwords Keyword Tool which is often used for Pay Per Click Advertising, but I recommend it for “customer connection” research, via keywords.

(With the floral company, I actually conducted a keyword brainstorming session. You can find out how to do this same brainstorming in Chapter 6 of my book the Findability Formula.)

Take a look at some of the keywords that came up from our session:

Screen Shot 2013-04-23 at 11.59.26 AM

 

 

 

Look at the difference between the keyword wholesale florist, with 60,500 searches per month and the term wholesale flowers, which gets much more—110,000 searches per month. This customer already dominated under wholesale florist, that’s what got them to where they are today. But they rank nowhere on the search results page for wholesale flowers, which is an even bigger search term—and they are a wholesale flower company at heart!

As a company, it’s all too easy to flatline in your site’s traffic. To grow their business, this client needs to optimize for Findability using the keywords “wholesale flowers.” I’d recommend that they also incorporate the phrase “bulk flowers” (with 27,100 searches a month) as well. Why not?

What important search terms is your website missing out on?

Heather Lutze

Author, Internet Marketing Speaker, Trainer and Consultant

 

The post Razor Thin Findability: How to Do Keyword Research Right! appeared first on Findability University - SEO Training - 888-588-9326.

Hubspot Marketing Grader: A Yummy Buffet of Internet Marketing Tools for Business Owners

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marketing graderIf you want to grow your business fast, turn to Internet marketing as the solution. Many companies need to update their marketing strategies to reflect how consumers make purchase decisions today.

Customers research online before buying or going to the store, because it saves time. So, if your company does not have a strong web presence, you miss out big time!

Since I work with company leaders and business owners every day, I understand the stress and overwhelm that often accompanies the suggestion of Internet marketing. There is so much technical stuff to understand and you don’t know who to trust or where to get started.

That’s why I am so excited to tell you about Hubspot and my interview with Mike Volpe, the Chief Marketing Officer. His insights on how to jumpstart your business online will open your eyes and give you ideas on how to make the process a lot easier.

A Buffet of Internet Marketing Tools
Mike explained that helping business owners handle the overwhelm is exactly why they formed Hubspot, an all-in-one internet marketing platform. With Hubspot, you can do everything you need to create a strong online presence and get found. The service provides a yummy buffet of inbound marketing options including blogging, email service, social media, SEO, and more.

Volpe pointed out that having access to all the tools in one place makes the process far more efficient. You can not only do your marketing from one place, but you can also access your results from the same dashboard. Pumping out the marketing is a big part of driving fast growth, but evaluating results helps you ensure everything you do works that much harder.

Scrumptious Benefits for a Buffet of Tools
According to Volpe, centralizing your internet marketing tools saves tons of time. You don’t have to export your contact list from one place and import it to another, then stop at a third place to check results. With Hubspot, everything is integrated to make your marketing tasks and analysis easier and faster.

marketing grader
Image Credit: Hubspot

Chow Down on the Top 3 Internet Marketing Staples
I asked Mike for the top three things a newcomer to Hubspot should focus on right out of the gate:

1. Regular Blogging. Start a blog and publish content that interests your customers on a regular basis. This will help you get found!

2. Compelling Call-to-Action. Get beyond the passive “Contact us” call to action and provide a juicy, compelling reason for people to opt-in to your list. Give visitors something to download so they’ll share their contact information.

That’s how you build your marketing database. When you offer a free assessment, report, ebook, audio or video, customers see these items as having value and will register to get them.

3. Landing Page. Your free offer needs to be on a well-written, dedicated landing page that lets customers know EXACTLY what you want them to do. The copy must address your customers’ biggest problem and solve it with your free offer.

The Delectable Advantages of Hubspot:
· Access to great support team to answer your questions anytime
· Plenty of guides for the do-it-yourselfer
· Professional service team who can walk you through every step if requested

The Most Delicious Tool
The Hubspot Marketing Grader provides a free report on your website when you enter your URL. You’ll get a wide view about how you rank based on your overall engagement online. Plus, the report offers important suggestions on how to improve your website and internet marketing to get more traffic and convert more visitors to customers. Everything is simple to understand and you can get started on the improvements right away.

If you’re ready to update your online strategy and prefer the do-it-yourself approach, check out Hubspot as your go-to internet marketing service. Mike assured me during the interview how the company is still growing and offering new and cutting edge tools.

Of course, you can always call me to learn more about SEO basics and improve your Findability online.

The post Hubspot Marketing Grader: A Yummy Buffet of Internet Marketing Tools for Business Owners appeared first on Findability University - SEO Training - 888-588-9326.

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