The algorithms change, but one thing stays the same…relevant, consistent content. 2019 is bringing a renewed focus to domain longevity, review weight, and original, relevant, content. Most of the tactics being employed are not new: reviews, keywords, direct mail funnels, follow up autoresponders and videos have been used to increase website visibility for years. However, most companies, real estate agents, brokers, investors, builders, and property managers are still not utilizing these methods to boost their ranking. If you have a local business and are struggling to get found online here are some of the methods currently being employed to combat the slow slide from page one of Google. Claim your Google My Business listing-This seems obvious. Google wants you to be a player in their ranking games. Over time they want you to rank and pay for ads to drive more traffic. They offer every business a Google My Business listing. To optimize this listing, claim it, add a relevant, key- message in the description (similar if not the same as your website) and fill in all pertinent information. Google is where you’re going to want to start collecting reviews but more on that in a minute. SEO and keywords-If you’re a DIY company and didn’t pay for a platform to start your website on, you will probably be behind in keyboarding and search engine optimization. The longevity of your website also matters but you can create excellent website copy and content to help you rank better in google. There are some great tools to use to figure out keywords you should be adding to your website content. I prefer SEMrush.com, but you can find a list of free tools at ahrefs.com. Don’t forget to add meta descriptions to your pages and posts, categories and tags. SEO is not a one and done or a quick fix for ailing websites. However, over time with new, relevant and consistent content, good SEO practices will win out, (until the next algorithm change). Start using video-Video still holds weight in ranking. The use of video is severely underutilized as a way to create relevant content and get found. Your videos don’t have to be long, a couple minute video will produce 300-800 words of content you can pull and utilize in many ways. You can repurpose a video a minimum of nine times. Check out my repurposing guide for ideas on how. The more authentic your video, the more your clients will connect with you. Don’t be afraid to share your knowledge and educate your clients. Direct mail funnels-No direct mail is not dead. It would be best if you were changing up your outreach depending on what you see happening in the market. If you’re seeing more online ads, everyone else is too. The mailbox is always a direct option to contact your client. However, you want to make your letters not only relevant and persuasive, but you also want a couple of clear calls to action. Lead them to an opt-in form if you have a report or online giveaway. You can also lead them to your educational videos that explain more about why they should do business with you. Don’t give them calling you as the only option. Clients who are not yet ready to buy from you but want to learn more about you won’t call. They want to be able to do some research and find out more. Follow-up autoresponders-Do you have someone contact every prospect who calls you, emails you or fills out a form? You should! Think of all the money you’ve spent on acquiring the lead. Then to throw the lead out the window because you didn’t have a timely way to follow-up with them. Ouch! If you receive many phone calls but repeatedly miss them, you’ll want to hire an answering service. Give them someone to talk to who has a script and can answer simple questions about your company and services. Try to get an email address. If you have their email, keeping in touch is simple. You can set up segmented autoresponders which go out at scheduled intervals to keep in touch with your prospects. The key is still in the content. You don’t want to keep asking if they’re ready to buy. You want to give them small educational pieces on the benefits of working with you. An email campaign can stretch out as long as you want and as long as they stay subscribed to your list. There are some cold email systems out there as well which are still General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliant and won’t get you thrown into the spam folder or fined. I like Mailshake, but google cold email systems to find others. Reviews- We discussed getting Google reviews to help your ranking. It would help if you also were asking for reviews on Facebook and the Better Business Bureau. Especially for businesses who deal with the public and have a reputation to uphold. The Google algorithm is looking for reviews as a way businesses stay transparent with their clients. When you have satisfied clients, ask for a review and if possible have them enter it on all three websites. Social proof helps others to decide to work with you too. By utilizing these pieces together as a system will make all of your content and marketing more effective over more extended periods. If you’re looking for help to write your website, content marketing with blogs and social media posting, direct mail letters, marketing emails or autoresponders and video scripts contact me at Hatz Copywriting today. On my website, you can see some of the base packages that I customize for each client. Take advantage of online and offline marketing systems with content and marketing that speaks to your target audience and persuades them to do business with you.
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AuthorEva is a marketing copy and content writer. Her goal is to help businesses set themselves apart and grow! Archives
May 2024
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