interactive business video

How an Interactive Video Can Help Your Business

What is an Interactive Video?

Traditional video are what most of us are used to viewing. They allow the viewer to click play, watch, and perhaps rewind or fast forward the video. Interactive videos allow the viewer to actually take part in the video. It allows the creator to develop different paths that the viewer can choose as they watch the video. Interactive videos engage consumers and many top brands, such as Honda and Warner Bros and Maybelline are using them in their marketing.

Should you? Here is a scenario:

It seems that everyone is concerned about how pretty their videos look, but have less concern about what the best way is to turn their video viewers into customers. Video viewers are just normal people. Each viewer is a different person with different hopes, dreams and desires, and yet online we seem to treat all of them as one person.

As business owners, we create one video. We have one sales message and we have one call-to-action, hoping to convert thousands of different types of people.

It doesn’t seem to make much sense. If you were a personal trainer, for instance, you probably would talk to a guy that wants to put on muscle differently from a woman that wants to lose weight.

interactive business video

In the real world we understand that every person is different, yet for some reason we forget this when we’re making videos online. As a result, we suffer with lower conversions, higher video drop-offs and less sales than we deserve.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Interactive videos allow the person watching our videos to choose what they want to see, which allows us to convert them in real time, based on their individual hopes, dreams and desires.

This is how it works. Imagine for a second you’re in the diet market and you know that your product can help men and women lose weight. You know you have at least these two groups within your audience that would love to buy your product. If your video only speaks to the first group, the second group won’t buy, and if you make your videos for the second group, the first group won’t buy.

What is needed is a video that speaks to both groups. Unfortunately, that’s not possible with traditional videos, but with interactive videos you can ask your audience questions and then deliver custom content on the spot based on their answers.

Imagine how much your business will grow when you start speaking to your video viewers directly instead of presenting just one message to everyone.

What Elements Can Be Used Within Interactive Videos

There are several different elements that can be used within interactive videos.

  • Hotspots are clickable areas (buttons, images, text) within a video that can take a viewer to a new web page, another video, or open up a new window where the viewer can interact further.
  • Interactive videos can make use of branches, or different paths that a viewer can take to customize the content they view.
  • Optin Forms or other types of data fields can be created through which a user can enter information such as their name and email address.
  • Coupons and Quizzes can be created by combining buttons and branches to deliver an assessment and reveal a personalized result.

In short, the viewer can choose and then be taken to any place you’d like. This is a very powerful way to deliver what customers want and allows you to see what your customers want. Interactive videos can be placed on both websites and social media platforms. So you can reach your audience everywhere they hang out.

Why Use Interactive Video?

There are several reasons to consider using interactive video in your business.

  • Interactive videos are fun. If you have content that your customers enjoy consuming, they will consume it. Viewers are also less likely to get distracted while viewing an interactive video, since they are actively engaged as they watch.
  • Interactive videos can be measured and tracked. Traditional videos can only be tracked through number of views and time watched. There is no real way to know how effective it is or the impact it is making. With interactive videos, you can track clicks within the video. So you know what choices your viewers are making.
  • Interactive videos are more likely to convert. According to MarketingProfs, banner ads, Youtube annotations and Google display ads convert at less than 1%, while interactive videos covert at more than 11%.
  • Interactive videos enhance brand recognition. Being able to engage with the content in an interactive video makes the viewer more likely to remember your brand.

What Type of Businesses Should Use Interactive Videos?

Interactive videos are ideal for all types of businesses. Real Estate Agents can use interactive videos to show their featured listings, allow the viewer to download information about a home, or tips for selling a home. A coffee shop can create an interactive video to allow users to choose their favorite beverage and receive a coupon to use on the spot. A plumber can use an interactive video to inquire as to the nature of the viewers problem and offer solutions and a discount if they book an appointment. Ecom or brick and mortar stores can allow viewers to see descriptions and deals to compare different products within their store.

Any business that wants to provide customized information, coupons, solutions, etc., can benefit from an interactive video. An interactive video can also be created out of any already existing video, or one can be created from scratch.

To see a few examples of how interactive videos can be used to increase business, check out this page.

By creating an interactive video, you can end the frustration of having hundreds of people watch your videos and then leave without taking any action. Instead, you can find out exactly what your viewers are interested in, show them customized video segments based on their personal needs, and give them the right kind of information that they need to make a buying decision.

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Norene Broyton is a video content and small business marketing strategist. To discuss creating and using videos in your marketing, contact her on LinkedIn or at NoreneBroyton.com Mention this article to receive 25% off your first interactive video.

ways to use video in business

How To Use Video In Your Business

For the past few days I have been talking about the importance of using video in your business. As more people seek out video to learn about products and services, businesses that do not embrace this technology will be left behind.

While people have become accustomed to walking out of the room when a commercial comes on the television, videos are different. People actively choose to watch videos and often they share them. The more you use them in your business, the greater the impact on your branding.

Ways That Businesses Use Video

The Twitter Video – While most people see twitter as a text-based social platform, what do you think your customers will think when you respond to their question with a video? Demonstrating the answer or showing the product they were asking about? Using video allows you to go above and beyond the expectations of your customer and doing so often gives you a customer for life.

Review Videos – There is nothing more real than having a customer on video raving about you and your company. With so many people using live streaming, many customers would be happy to pull out their phone and do a review on the spot. Just ask. Having a steady stream of these on YouTube and ranked in Google for potential clients to find, will have a constant “word of mouth” effect to bring in referrals. If you are not sure how to rank videos or if you would like another alternative to creating review videos, check out my blog post here.

Additionally, if you offer a recurring service, you can create a landing page for sign ups and and have these testimonial videos on that landing page. This will serve as a powerful endorsement of you and your company and further encourage potential clients to sign up.

Educational Videos – Using video to explain a solution to a problem or introduce a new service or product often works much better than putting the same information into written format.

Example of an Educational and New Product Video

Video in Email. Email that contains videos have a higher click through rate than those that do not. According to salesforce.com, simply putting the word “video” in the subject line will increase open rates by 19%. Having a video in the email message will increase click-through rate by up to 300% and reduce unsubscribes by 75%! This, of course, doesn’t mean that you can toss just any video into email and hit send.

The best type of videos to put into email are demonstration and new product videos. The key is to be brief, entertaining and engaging.

Always end your email video and all videos with a call to action. What do you want the viewer to do? What page do you want him to land on next? Are you sending him to a purchase page, a page that contains more information, another video or are you asking him to give you a call?

Next Steps

If you want to use video in your business and don’t know how to get started, contact me for a free consultation.

Comment below and let me know what ways you use video in your business, or new ways you’d like to try.

 

 

 

 

 

Business Owner With A Blog? Use This Free Tool To Tap Into Your Customers’ Questions

If you are a small business owner, you have probably realized how important your blog is for sharing information, educating and connecting with your clients and customers. Without directly asking though, it can be difficult to know the questions that they have or what information they might find useful.

Until now.

Recently I stumbled across a great, free resource to help bloggers and video creators focus in on exactly what their clients and potential clients are asking about. It is called Answer The Public. When you type a keyword into answerthepublic.com, it returns the questions that people have been asking relating to that topic.

How To Use Answer The Public

For instance, if you are a pool cleaner, you can type in pool cleaning into the search bar and choose what country you are in. When I did that search for a person located in the US, this is what was returned.

how to get ideas for blogging for business owners

I love this visual, but if you would like something easier to read, you can also select the “data” tab and it will display these questions in row format.

By seeing what people are asking,  you can easily construct blog posts that will immediately resonate with them, while positioning yourself as the expert that you are.

Getting Even More Milage from Answer the Public

In addition to writing articles, you can also use this information to create videos or brand yourself even further by compiling the answers into a book that you can leave as a “book business card” for your clients and potential clients, or even sell to the public.

 

geting views to videos

Got Videos? Got Views?

So you’ve spent a lot of time and money creating educational or informative videos to draw in clients and customers. You uploaded one after another to YouTube and sat back waiting for the views to roll in.

One, two… and then nothing.

So you created more and uploaded more…

And more….

And now you have dozens, perhaps hundreds of videos that you know would really help those in search of answers, but they are not being seen.

The problem could be that you are answering questions that your potential clients do not have. Check out my blog post here to discover how to know what questions your potential clients are asking.

Or perhaps you are answering their questions, but your videos are just not being found. With thousands of videos being uploaded to Youtube every single day, it is not surprising that many never see the light of day, or get viewed by those who could use them the most.

There are many factors involved to getting videos ranked in Youtube and Google where people searching for content can find them. These include optimizing the video properly, titles that are keyword rich, and also outside factors such as how many views and social shares a video receives.

What is a business owner who is trying to run a business to do? I can help. If you have videos that you would like to get more views to, contact me for a free consultation. My team can get your videos to the top of the search engines where people who need them will be able to find them and the services that you provide.

3 Reasons Brick and Mortar Businesses Should Be Using Video

If you own a brick and mortar business and you are not yet using video, it is time to jump on board. It is no longer something you can afford to ignore. It is a powerful way to promote your brand and tell your story. Most importantly, it is an easy and effective way to build relationships with your prospects and clients.

Fun Facts About Video Marketing That Businesses Need To Consider

  1. Youtube reports mobile video consumption rises 100% every year.
  2. Real estate listings that include a video receive 403% more inquires than those without.
  3. After watching a video, 64% of users are more likely to buy a product online.
  4. Video in an email leads to 200-300% increase in click-through rate.
  5. 90% of users say that product videos are helpful in the decision making process.
  6. It has been estimated that one minute of video is equal to 1.8 million words.


In short, there are many reasons why brick and mortar businesses need to be using video, but here are my top three:

  1. Connect in a Personal Way with Your Customers and Prospects. Through video you can answer questions and respond to suggestions. You can update your customers on new products that are being released and invite them, in a personal way, to order your product or services again.
  2. Increase Brand Awareness. Video is the new billboard. Just like having a billboard on every corner in town, businesses can now have their video everywhere their customers and prospects hang out: Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, etc. The more people see a brand, the more comfortable they become with that brand. And people buy from companies that they feel comfortable with; companies that they know, like and trust.
  3. Capture and Share Your Customers Gushing Over You. Through video you can capture your customers’ positive reviews in a way that is more personal than text. Reviews are powerful and even more so when done through video. These review videos can be put out on all social media platforms, as well as ranked within Google. Many people search for a company name + reviews when deciding who to buy from or who to hire. A video appearing in the search results stands out because of the thumbnail and videos are clicked on 40% more than text listings.

3 reasons brick and mortar businesses should be using video

Review videos can be created by the person giving the review, or several written reviews can be compiled into a video. In either case, video reviews will set a business apart from its competitors.

If you own a small business and have written reviews that you would like to showcase through a video, contact me for a complimentary review video. I will place up to five written reviews in the video and send it to you for you to place on your blog and/or social media accounts.

Comment below: are you using video in your business yet?

 

How To Get More Email Opt-Ins In 2016

How to get more email optins

Do you have an opt-in form on your blog? If so, great! Collecting email addresses from your fans and followers is one of the best ways to turn them into clients and customers.

So, how is it going?

If you are not receiving the number of opt-ins that you would like, perhaps what you are doing is no longer working.

The Problem

Most business owners place an opt-in form on their site with a “Subscribe” or “Submit” button. In the past, this was an effective strategy. If the visitor liked the information that they read, they subscribed so that they would be alerted when new blog posts were created.

Unfortunately, over time, this technique has yielded fewer and fewer opt-ins. People have become savvy and they know that they are giving up something precious –their email address. Joining a newsletter no longer holds enough value for them to hand over an entrance to their email box.

So what is a business owner to do?

Provide the visitor with something of value.

Your Lead Magnet

If a visitor landed on your page and is engaged with one or more of your posts, offer them something that is congruent with what they are reading. If they are reading about how the Paleo diet helped you lose 12 pounds in two months, offer them Five Of My Favorite Paleo Recipes That Can Be Made In 10 Minutes or Less. If your post is about the importance of changing your car’s oil on a regular basis, offer them an Oil Changing Step-by-Step Guide For The New Car Owner.

Make the report short, to the point, and addressing the need that brought them to your post in the first place.

You can create a different guide or report for different blog posts and automatically segment your list by very specific interests. Do not feel restricted to placing an opt-in form only in a sidebar or an exit pop-up. You can place an opt-in call to action at the end of a blog post or even within a blog post like this:

Free Download: How to Get More Opt-Ins in 2016 PLUS the code for this in-content opt-in box. Download these helpful tips now.

 

For blog posts that are full of information that the visitor might want to reference in the future, or read at a later date, offering a .pdf of the actual blog post can be extremely useful and valuable. Click here to see an example of this blog post as a .pdf.

TIP: It can be even more valuable to package up several of your most popular blog posts as a .pdf and give that away as a lead magnet, and/or place it on document sharing sites for greater reach and branding. You can also include advertisements, product endorsements or affiliate links within the .pdf.

Too much trouble? Not sure how to go about it? Hire my team to do this for you: contact us, and reference this blog post for a 50% discount on this service.

The Follow Up

Once they have opted in to your list, follow up with them. Tell them who you are and educate them on how your products and services can help them. Provide coupons, tips, best known practices, contests, etc., so that they will look forward to your email landing in their box. Create more .pdfs of your best blog posts and send them to your subscribers regularly to thank them for following you.

A responsive email list is an asset that business owners should build and nurture. It is one of many strategies to effectively serve customers while increasing one’s business.

How To Use Online Directories To Propel Your Business

Online DirectoriesMore and more small businesses today are using online directories to their benefit. If you run a small business, you likely spend a great deal of your time thinking about your marketing plan.

Online directories can be a great addition to your current small business marketing strategy. Online directories can help your small business expand its website traffic, increase the likelihood that your website will be found by interested visitors and increase your bottom line.

If you aren’t using online directories  to increase your marketing presence,  now is the time to start!

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Contact us today or connect with me on LinkedIn to get your Free copy of the Top 15 Online Directories Presentation

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What Are Online Directories?

There are many different types of online directories available on the Internet. Each of these online directories serves a specific purpose and can be used by your small business in specific ways.

An online directory is a website submission service that allows your small business’ website to be added to a specific category where it can be searched for by interested visitors. Listing your small business on an online directory increases your website’s visibility on the web and helps to create inbound links to your business’ website. Online directories make it easy for people to find what they are looking for. These directories can be accessed from just about anywhere that has an internet connection. This means that people could find your business’ website from their home, office or even while traveling.

Every website that is submitted to an online directory is placed in a specific category. These categories can range in how they are organized. Some are organized by business-related categories, some are organized according to personal preferences and others are organized by subject. Each category consists of several websites relating to a specific topic. Each website listing features the name of the website, a direct link to the website and a short description of the website. Interested Internet visitors will be able to browse through the various categories in the directory and locate websites like yours that they may be interested in visiting.

Essentially, online directories make it easier for any visitor to find your business’ website.

How Do Online Directories Work?

The concept of online directories is actually a pretty simple one. Online directories are very similar to the Yellow Pages in the real world, only these listings are only online. (Actually Yellow Pages.com is now one of the largest online directories as well.) A directory is just a listing place for a number of websites. Any type of website could be listed in an online directory. Some online directories are huge and cover every topic that someone could create a website for, while others are very small and specific to a specific niche.

Let’s use an example. Say you are a model airplane enthusiast and you want to find some websites that cater to your specific interest. You could look through a huge online directory such as Google My Business and find several dozen websites that are related to model airplanes. Or you could look for an online directory that is niche-specific, which means that the entire online directory would be based on hobbies such as model airplanes. With a niche-specific directory you may find even more websites that are based on your specific interest than what you could find on the larger directories.

Since online directories are organized by categories, finding websites that relate to a specific interest such as model airplanes is very easy. You could find information and websites about model airplanes in your local region too, if you use a regional-specific online directory. So if you live in Phoenix you could find websites that relate to both model airplanes and the Phoenix area. Online directories will direct you to websites that you want to find. All you have to do is perform a search in the online directory for a specific topic or browse through the various categories until you find the type of websites you are looking for. When you perform a search you will be given a list of all of the websites that relate to your search term. You will be presented with a number of links to these websites and each link will have a short description of what you are likely to find on the website. You can read the descriptions and choose to click on the website that best suits you.

There are many different types of websites that you could find under a specific topic as well. For example, if you search several online directories for information relating to model airplanes you may find websites that are about building model airplanes, flying model airplanes, creating historically accurate model planes, tips and instructions about how to fly model planes, websites that sell model airplanes and charters and associations that you could join regarding model airplanes. These are just a few of the examples you could find using an online directory. There are simply too many topics to list them all here.

You can see how anyone can use an online directory to find websites relating to things that interest them. As a small business owner you can see how potential customers of yours are using online directories too. Now that you understand how online directories work it is time to see how they can work for your business.

How Do Online Directories Benefit Small Businesses?

There are many benefits associated with listing your small business in an online directory. The more online directories you can use to list your business the more benefits you will reap. Here are some of the benefits of using online directories:

  • Exposure

Exposure is important for all business marketing strategies. After all, the more people who are exposed to your business the more people are likely to utilize your business’ services. If online visitors aren’t able to see your website or even know that it exists, then they probably aren’t going to purchase your products or services. Listing your business’ website in online directories helps your website to gain exposure. Thousands of people use online directories every day to find things they are interested in. These are people who are actively searching for websites that are directly related to your products or services. They are already looking- all you have to do is make it easy for them to find you. Online directories will expose your business to more online visitors, which could increase traffic to your website.

  • Increased Traffic

There are several ways that online directories can help you increase the amount of traffic your website receives. For starters, the more exposure your website has the more people are likely to visit it. But online directories offer more than just exposure from potential viewers. They also offer exposure to the various major search engine crawlers like Google and even YouTube. This increases the chances that your website will appear on major search engine results pages, or SERPs, which will allow more people to see the website when they perform a regular search. Both search engine optimization exposure and exposure to more people who are searching for your website could result in increased traffic to your small business’ website.

  • Cheap Advertising

As a small business owner you already understand the importance of advertising. You know that it helps customers to find your business and recognize your name and brand. You probably have little room in your budget for more advertising right this moment. That is one of the major benefits of listing your business’ website in an online directory. Online directories are inexpensive to join and they offer a lot of exposure for the price. Some online directories will allow you to list your business for free, while others will charge a minimal fee.

  • Professional Appearance

You want everything about your business to look professional in the eyes of your customers. A professional appearance enhances your status and makes customers more likely to patronize your business. Online directories help you to look like a professional business. When an online consumer sees your business listing in an online directory, they will consider your business to be an authority on the subject and a professional place to do business. Unlike a search that is performed on a major search engine like Google, where there is little difference between the legitimate websites relating to a topic and the less than useful websites, online directories are mostly legitimate websites. Online consumers are more likely to trust what they see on online directories.

  • SEO Benefits

Online directories offer several search engine optimization benefits as well. Firstly, these online directories offer you more inbound links. When an online visitor sees your website link in an online directory, they will be able to click on it and be instantly re-directed to your website. This is a great way to increase traffic. It is a great way to improve your status in the eyes of search engine crawlers too. The more backlinks that a search engine crawler can find, the more relevant they will rank your website. This is especially true of authoritative online directories. Being linked to a major online directory, such as Google My Business, will give your website more relevancy in the eyes of Google’s search engine crawlers. This will result in a higher page ranking on the SERP. As you know, a higher search engine result page rank you get, the more people are going to click on your website link.

  • Increased Revenue

When more people are able to find your website it increases the chances that they will visit your website. When people visit your website they are more likely to purchase your goods or services. This means that online directories can help you increase your revenue stream. Online directories are good for your bottom line.

  • Increased Brand Recognition and Customer Interaction

When an online viewer locates your website though an online directory, they are more likely to remember your business’s name and directly interact with it. Online directories can help your business stand out to customers as well. Overall, listing your small business in an online directory will help you to create a more comprehensive and effective online presence.

Listing your small business’ website with several online directories will help more people find your website, whether they are specifically searching for it or if they are just browsing. In addition to gaining exposure, online directories will provide major SEO benefits, which will help search engines find your site. Increased exposure and higher search engine rankings will result in more traffic to your website, which will result in higher revenue.

There are many different types of online directories, from large global directories to small, niche and location-specific ones. Some examples of other types of online directories can include reciprocal link directories, free directories, paid directories, Business 2 Business directories, theme-related directories, small business directories and many, many more.

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Contact us today or connect with me on LinkedIn to get your Free copy of the Top 15 Online Directories Presentation

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Why You Should Consider Listing Your Small Business in an Online Directory

Apart from the concept that online directories will increase the amount of exposure your website gets and help with your SEO strategies, they are also a very effective way to directly target potential customers. Online directories make it easy for online users to find something they want. According to a study performed by Burke, 8 out of 10 people will use a print or online directory to find companies or products they are looking for. The same study also suggested that 8 out of 10 people who use these directories to locate a business do so with the intent to purchase a product or service from them. This is a very effective form of targeted advertising. The customer already needs or wants your product or service and you can directly target them by listing your website in an online directory.

Another reason why you should consider listing your small business has to do with your return on investment, or ROI. Since the potential benefits of getting increased website traffic are great compared to how much you will have to spend to list your website in an online directory, you can see a great return on your investment in the form of increased revenue. You also want to keep your brand and your company name in the minds of consumers at all times, which is something else that an online directory can help with.

What Online Directories Should You Use for Your Small Business?

Even though listing your website in many online directories will improve your website’s exposure and SEO ranking, it is not effective to just SPAM your website into every single online directory you can find. You will want to take some time to consider which specific online directories will give you the best ROI. The best option is to find a great combination of directories to join. If you run a small business, the best place to start may be with a local directory. This is because most people will search for businesses in their area they can patronize. Local market and niche-specific online directories can offer extremely targeted advertisements to potential local customers.

After your business is listed in these directories you can take a look at the larger and potentially more expensive general-interest directories. You will probably want to consider listing with the top 10 online directories, as these will be used by a lot of people and will offer higher relevancy and authority in the eyes of search engines. Google My Business and LinkedIn are large general-interest directories that you will want to list your small business in. If your website sells tangible goods you may also want to consider listing it in comparison shopping websites and product listings directories. Studies show that 42% of consumers will look at a comparison shopping website before they decide to purchase a specific product.

The best way to figure out which specific online directories your small business should be listed in is to start with your competitors. Take a look at your local and niche-specific options and figure out if your competition is already listed. If they are you need to be listed too. If they are not listed you may want to list your website as a way to beat them to the punch. Your goal should be to be listed in every relevant and niche-specific directory you can find as well as many of the major directories, but not so many directories that you appear spammy.

In addition to listing your business in online directories, you also need to maintain these listings. It is important for your online directory listings to be up to date and accurate, or else you could just be wasting your time. If your directory information seems out of date your customers will probably look elsewhere.

It will probably take some time to see the results of listing your business’ website in the online directories, but over time you will see results. The best way to find the perfect combination of online directory listings for your business is to use a tracking or analytics system. You will want to be able to see how many people clicked on your website links from within the directory and if your website has shown increased traffic. Once you have the data, you can focus in on those directories that are productive and ignore the rest.

Best Practices for Listing Your Small Business in Online Directories

Now that you understand why your small business should be listed in online directories and have started locating the directories that you want to be listed in, you are ready to begin creating your business listings for submissions. Here are some tips and best practices for listing your small business in online directories.

  • Start by choosing local directories and directories that are niche-specific. So if you own a model airplane hobby shop in Phoenix, make sure you find a local Phoenix business directory and a directory that is related to model airplanes. If you can find a model airplane hobby directory for the Phoenix area, you are all set.
  • Once you’re in local directories, start searching for larger and more generalized directories. Pick directories that get a lot of traffic and that are listed highly on major search engines like Google. A higher search engine ranking means that the directory will be considered as both authoritative and relevant in the eyes of search engines, making any links you get through these directories more valuable to your SEO strategy.
  • Include all of the relevant information regarding your small business in your website’s directory description. This should include your business’ name, location, telephone number, contact information and possibly reviews, business hours and anything else that is relevant. Add in photos, maps or other interactive features if the directory lets you.
  • Keep your information consistent across all of your online directory listings. This will help your website to retain its credibility in the eyes of search engines and will assist with your SERP rankings.
  • Try to make your business stand out by offering an explanation of your business or any specific message the customer should know in your description.
  • Keep all of your information up to date. This may mean frequently updating all of your listings several times per month.
  • Allow customers to leave positive reviews and use them in your listing if the directory allows it.
  • Always be professional and consistent with your business’ listings and message. This includes any information regarding your brand.
  • If you sell products or services to a local market, make sure your business is listed in a local business directory. Include geo-specific keywords and information. An example would be: “Dave’s Model Plane Shop” + “Phoenix”.
  • Optimize your website for SEO purposes and include the relevant keywords in your meta titles and listing descriptions. Keyword research is important.

Get Listed in the Top 15 Online Directories

Now is a great time to get your small business listed in the Top 15 Online Directories. There are few other Internet marketing techniques that will offer so many benefits for such a small investment on your part.

Listing your business in an online directory will increase your website’s online presence and help more people find you, which can help you increase your business’s revenue.

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Contact us today or connect with me on LinkedIn to get your Free copy of the Top 15 Online Directories Presentation

The Math Behind Super Bowl Commercials and How You Can Get Better Results for Just a Pittance

This year it is estimated that companies will pay upwards of 5 million dollars for a 30 second commercial aired during the super bowl. This is up from 4.5 million spent last year for the same 30-second video, according to SBnation.com.

Is a Super Bowl Commercial Worth It?

Is it worth the cost? Every year companies bank on the Super Bowl viewership rising, but of course they won’t know until after the game whether or not the risk was worth it. According to Forbes, Super Bowl 48 (2014) had a record average audience of 112.2 million viewers and generated 331.8 million in advertising spending. This broke down to about $3 per viewer.

How Can Small Businesses Compete?

So how can smaller companies compete? I have helped small businesses create a steady steam of clients through creating engaging videos (commercials) and ranking them on the first page of Google and in the top spot on YouTube for key phrases that people use when searching for the services their business offers.

By having a first page listing, the business will not just be found once during a 3-hour game to a passive audience, but will be found day in and day out by people that are actively looking for their products and services! 

Because although the Superbowl numbers seem like a fairly inexpensive customer-acquisition cost, the real question is: did that viewer become a customer, or was the commercial’s major benefit simply brand recognition?

Why First Page Matters

According to gravitateonline, a sample of over 8 million clicks showed that over 94% of users clicked on the first page result. Less than 6% clicked over to the second page and then selected a result that was displayed there.

There have been many studies that have found that the first listing on Google gets the majority of clicks and moz.com did a summary of some of these studies. While this is still the case, over the years other positions on page one have started to get more clicks, perhaps as writers have become better at creating engaging headlines and summaries. According to neilpatel.com, click through rates (CTR) were improved by as much as 400% just by changing the headline.

The Benefits of Video

When listing results, Google almost always includes the YouTube thumbnail in the listing, drawing the eye to the listing naturally. Video listings get clicked on average twice as often than other listing on the page. Having a listing on the first page of Google increases a business’ chance of being found and by having a video for your business listed on page one of Google, it will out-perform most other listings for that search term.

page one videos

According to Virtuets, some of the benefits of video include:

  • Video ads increase purchase intent by 97% and brand association by 139%.
  • Online video now accounts for 50% of all mobile traffic.
  • There are more than 1 billion unique users visiting YouTube each month, spending more than 4 billion hours watching videos.

Getting The Biggest Bang for Your Buck

To increase performance, the next step is to get that same video ranked on page one of Google for more than one search phrase. If you are a roofer in Hagerstown, MD, for instance, you would want your video to show up on page one for search terms like, “Roofer Hagerstown MD,” “Best Roofer Hagerstown, MD,” “Emergency Roofer Hagerstown,” “Fix Roof Hagerstown, MD,” “Leaking Roof Hagerstown,” etc. so that you are able to reach more potential customers without increasing your cost.

Think about what a person would type (or speak) into a search engine when looking for the service or products that your company provides. With more and more people searching on their smart phones, voice searches are becoming more popular. People generally speak a search query with more words than they type the same query. You can capture these leads, too, with a well-placed video.

The video can also be placed on the company’s website. According to Virtuets, blog posts that incorporate video attract three times as many inbound links as posts without videos. This means more potential clients finding your website. According to the same source, the average person spends 88% more time on a site with video, which means they are more likely to learn all about your company and find all of the products or services that you offer.

Do You Know Your Numbers?

Do you know how many people are currently finding you online? If you have a website, is it being found? If it is being found, are people buying what your site is offering? In the Superbowl example above, it was estimated that each company with a 30 second commercial was spending about $3 per person that viewed it. Without knowing your numbers, you don’t know which advertising dollars are the best spent.

If the roofer in Hagerstown knows that:

  • on average 200 people are searching for a roofer in his area each month
  • a well placed video sends, on average, half of that traffic to his site
  • out of those 100, 4 will hire him at a profit of $2000 each,

then he can determine if securing a first page ranking is worth the cost. But he needs to know his numbers. If you are unclear on how to determine your numbers, contact us.

Unlike the companies buying Superbowl commercial spots, he doesn’t have to hope that the turnout will be good or that the people he is advertising to want what is being put in front of them. If someone is searching for a roofer, they want a new roof or a roof repair or perhaps gutter work. It is not likely that someone is on Google searching for a roofer if they actually want a landscaper or if they really don’t want anything at all.

An Affordable Option

After knowing your numbers, would you pay $500 a month to have a video on page one of Google for several search terms that your potential clients would use to find you? If that $500 brought in 2-4 new clients would it be worth it to you? If so, you will be happy to know that I help small businesses create a presence on page one for much less.

Contact me today for more information on how we can create a video commercial for you and get it on page one of Google where your potential clients are looking for you.

 

 

7 Ways To Use Surveys To Skyrocket Sales

With the digital age, it has become easier than ever before for businesses to survey their customers. Yet, many don’t. Is it too much trouble or do they just not know how to go about it?

Perhaps if they knew how even simple surveys could skyrocket sales, they would take a second look.

How to Use Surveys

  1. Understand Your Customers — At any given moment you may feel that you know your customers and what they like. Until you survey them, you won’t know for sure. If you own a restaurant, what dish do they like the most? If you own a club, what DJ do they prefer? By knowing this type of information, you can taylor your menu or your DJ line up and increase the likelihood that they will return — often.
  2. Discover What Incentives Work Best — You can ask your customers if they prefer a discount coupon, a giveaway or a contest. You can do this with trial and error, or you can simply ask them, and provide them what they want.
  3. Collect contact information such as an email address. By collecting addresses you can email your customers to let them know about a special or to offer an incentive to bring them during a slow business period.
  4. For crowdsourcing. Ask your customers to help you decide on a new product line, branding name or product name. People love to be asked their opinion — use this fact to develop your brand.
  5. Evaluate employee satisfaction. Engaged employees mean a more productive workplace. By conducting a survey you can get a pulse on your business environment.
  6. Add more fun. You can use surveys to add a sense of playfulness for your employees or customers. Create a survey to see how much they know about your business and give the winner a prize.
  7. Learn what you are doing right! Every business owner needs to hear what their customers and employees like about the business. Having this insight can help spur on new, creative ideas on which to build.

What Survey Software Should Do For You

What type of survey software is best for businesses? To make the most of your survey, you need to be able to taylor it to your brand, have questions that can branch out depending on how the person answers, and can capture email addresses so that you can follow up.

In the video below, I demonstrate survey software that can help businesses increase sales, as well as customer and employee loyalty.

Types of Businesses That Benefit From Surveys

In short, all businesses could benefit from surveys. Restaurants and pubs, hotels, real estate, plumbers and electricians, accountants, stores, both online and offline businesses.

If you would like a survey like the one featured in the video above, contact me for a free consultation.

 

5 Ways to Skyrocket Sales With Video

Are you using video in your business yet? If not, there are some compelling reasons why you should start. If you are already using video, are they working as hard as they could be to increase sales?

Why video needs to be part of your marketing plan: In an Invodo report in 2013 it was reported that:

  • 52% of consumers say watching videos on products makes them more confident to buy
  • 174% higher likelihood of product purchase among shoppers who view this media
  • Using the word “video” in an email subject line increases open rates from 7% to 13%
  • Video on your website may also increase your search engine rankings

How Videos Skyrocket Sales

Branding – since videos are engaging, it is easy to create branding by using video. The more your customers see your brand, the more likely they are to visit your place of business when they need what you offer.

Engaging – most people would prefer to watch video to obtain information than to read. By having engaging video content about your business, you are more likely to get visitors and customers than if all of the information was presented in the written form.

Know/Like/Trust – people buy from those that they know, like and trust. Because they see you and your facial expressions and your body language, it is easier to get someone to feel like they know you (and then like and trust you) through video than through print media.

Call to Action – Video lends itself well to Call to Actions — telling visitors what to do next. You can direct them to download more information, you can share your contact information with them, send them to your Facebook page or Website. Or you can send them to an opt-in page so that you can continue to send them content and offers.

Page One Ranking – Videos ranked on page one of Google stand out among those listings that are simply text. They are more likely to get clicked on then any other listing on the page.

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Business Videos That Work For You

There are several types of videos that businesses can use to increase their bottom line. The more types you use, the more impact they will have.

Introduction Videos – If you have a website, it is the perfect place to have a video that introduces your business, your products and/or services. It is a great way to begin the Know/Like/Trust process that I spoke of previously.

Testimonials — video testimonials are more effective than simple text. Video shows both verbal and non verbal communication so they are more believable. Emotion sells, so if the person is passionate about what they are saying, it will resonate positively with the person watching the video.

Product Demonstration – Video lends itself well to demonstrations. In the video, benefits and features can be shown, not just talked about. If you have a product that could be considered difficult to use, a video can put aside those fears.

Commercial – Small businesses can now afford to produce commercials on video. These can be played on YouTube, Facebook, or your website. They are a great way to advertise services or products. It can also be used to build brand awareness.

Need a Video Created and/or Ranked?

Contact us for a free consultation. My team can create the perfect video(s) for your business. We also specialize in ranking videos on Google. Whether it is a video that we create or one that you already have, contact us to get it working for you in the search engines.