building a business's digital presence: a local guide
TRANSCRIPT
Building a Business’s Digital Presence: A Local GuidePresented by: Caitlin Boroden & Jacques Bouchard
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Today we will discuss:
Your Website
Social Media
Business Listings
Your Website
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Keywords
• Use Google Keyword Planner to learn how people are talking
• Reference local towns/cities
• Use keywords in content, url's, image file names, metadata, and menus.
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Contact Information
• Make it easy to tell who you are, what you do, and how to contact you.
• Add to every page, in easy-to-find locations
• Make sure it's in text format, not images, so Search Engines can read it.
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Title Tags and Meta Descriptions
Title Tags: 55-56 characters long. Appear in the tab in browsers and in the top line of search
Meta Descriptions: 156 characters long. Appears only in search results.
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Title Tags
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Meta Descriptions
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Panda and Your Content
• Google Search runs by an algorithm.
• ‘Panda’ is part of it, and evaluates quality, length, and duplication.
• Make sure your pages have a good amount of quality content.
• Don't ‘stuff’ keywords!
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When Is ‘Thin’ Content Length OK?Not So GoodAppropriate
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Blogging
• What will be interesting to your audience?• What do they need to know about your
niche?• How can you make your blog about them,
and get them involved/participating?• How can your blog mean business?
(Follow the 80/20 rule.)• Share your space & write for others!
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Calls to Action
Examples
• Phone Number• Contact Form/Email• E-mail signups• Blog subscriptions• Social media shares/follows• Print/E-mail of page• Trackable Sale
Best Practices
• Always ask for business• Present multiple paths to
conversion• Present logical paths to
conversion• ‘Soft’ conversions
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Google Analytics
• Free to anyone• Easy to set up - especially with
WordPress websites• Tracks traffic and user
behavior• Can track by traffic type• Can be used to track
conversions• We'll have a GA class in the fall
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Social Media
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Selecting a Platform
• With so many social media platforms out there, choosing one that match your needs and audience can be challenging.
• Don’t spread yourself thin. Start small and then move into other platforms as needed.
• Choose a platform you enjoy using personally. If you are active on the platform on your own, you are much more likely to be active for your business.
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Cons: • Very little organic reach. You essentially need to
pay to play.
Pros: • Lots of users! Over 1 billion, in fact. • Users have the ability to engage in multiple
ways + comment.
• The ability to message and post on company pages gives users a very easy way to connect with you for questions, comments, or concerns.
• As a business you have the ability to @-mention other businesses (not individuals) in your posts.
• A comprehensive and highly targeted advertising platform (more on that later!).
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Cons: • Very fast pace. Updates fly by and you need to be
highly active and agile on this platform to stay connected with news and trending topics.
• Users expect quick replies on Twitter. If a user asks a question and you don’t respond in a timely matter, it will be noticed.
• Like all platforms, Twitter is very public. If a user has a number of complaints, they are out there for all to see.
Pros: • The ability to connect with anyone, anywhere,
at any time.• Very easy to share relevant updates, news,
images, videos, GIFs, and more. • You have the ability to @-mention other
individuals or businesses in your posts. They will be notified of this inclusion which can lead to engagement and networking connections.
• There are lots of great conversations happening on twitter chats.
• Features an advertising platform.
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Cons: • Instagram recently introduced an algorithm that
has the potential to reduce views (a la Facebook). Considering how recent the change, the effects have yet to be seen.
Pros: • Visual! You have the perfect outlet to share
images of your business, people, events, products, and the list goes on.
• Incredibly popular - especially with younger audiences.
• A great way to get involved with your local community. Follow your communities hashtags and engage.
• Lots of #hashtags to get involved in!
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Cons: • On average, it has the most expensive advertising
options when compared to Facebook & Instagram.
Pros: • LinkedIn is ideal for business to business
connections. However, there are still opportunities to connect with consumers on here, as well, depending on the business.
• It is an ideal platform for professional networking and outreach. You may even be able to find your next employee on there.
• Typically rich in quality content. LinkedIn has a publisher platform that allows you to share long form posts. These posts, however, must come from an individual’s page and not a company.
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… and many more.
• Social platforms come and go. • It’s easy to jump onto every
platform out there. • It’s better to be highly
involved on a few platforms then spread yourself thin on too many.
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What to Post?
• The platform's style and audience will influence what content you post. However, remember these main pointers: • Stay visual. No matter the platform, aim to
include imagery with your work. It grabs a reader’s attention.
• Don’t be overly promotional. Get involved with your community and industry and show some ‘social love.’
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Reputation Management
• It’s important to monitor your brand name for both good and bad mentions.
• Respond to negative feedback in a timely and professional manner.
• Whenever possible, take negative conversations offline.
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Advertising Opportunities
• The three primary social advertising platforms are: • Facebook• Twitter• Instagram
• However, there are others such as YouTube, Snapchat, and Pinterest too.
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Break :)
Business Listings
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Local Listings
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Google My Business
• Very visible in Google search• Listings can be claimed &
developed• Collects reviews and builds your
online reputation - increases traffic and conversions.
• Helps your website rank better• Drives traffic
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Bing Places
• Very visible in Google Search• Listings can be claimed &
developed• Shows reviews from Yelp,
Foursquare and other third-party sources.
• Helps your website rank better• Drives traffic
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Yelp
• Loyal, invested community• Listings can be claimed &
developed• Reviews show in Bing, Google
Search results, and many others.• Helps your website rank better• Drives traffic• For a restaurant, one star can
mean a 5-9% increase in revenue. - Harvard Business Review
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Chambers + BBB
• Real-life networking opportunities
• Helps Google understand that you have a brick-and-mortar business
• Helps your website rank better• Drives some traffic
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Questions?
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Thank You!
Caitlin Boroden
Twitter: @caitlinboroden Email: [email protected]
Jacques Bouchard
Twitter: @jacquesbouchardEmail: [email protected]
DragonSearch
Twitter: @dragonsearchPhone: 212-246-5087