A Primer on Google AdWords—What it is and Why it Works

When you Google something, you know those ads that appear down the right hand side of the page? Do you ever wonder how they got there, and why they always happen to relate to whatever search term you’ve entered? That is the magic of Google AdWords.

Technically Speaking

Google AdWords defines itself as, “an automated auction.” Basically, Google AdWords works by linking keywords used in search terms to keywords used in ads you create. This means your ad can appear next to the results when someone performs a search containing your specific keyword. To get a bit more technical, Google AdWords is a CPC (cost per click) advertising platform. This means you pay each time someone clicks on your ad.

Getting Started

The Google AdWords website has several tools to help you get started, including a comprehensive beginner’s guide as well as a 19-step checklist to help make sure you are getting the most out of Google AdWords.

Once you have created an account, the next step is creating a campaign. Creating a campaign has three aspects – campaign settings, the ad itself, and keywords:

• Campaign settings. These settings allow you to choose the language your ad will be in as well as the location your ad will be targeting. You can also choose whether your ad will run in Google’s search results or in Google partner sites as well. Additionally, the campaign settings are where you are able to decide on a daily budget for your campaign as well as your maximum CPC bid – the maximum amount you pay when someone clicks on your ad.
• Ads. Google AdWords formats ads with a headline, two lines of descriptive text, and a display URL. This URL determines where your potential customer will land when your ad is clicked on.
• Keywords. Keywords are the crux of your ad. They are the words and phrases someone would use to search Google for your particular product or service. Your keywords will determine which searches cause your ad to appear, so choosing the right keywords is crucial.

Quality and Cost

Google AdWords allows you to control your budget. You can either set a daily budget, or you can choose the CPC bidding option. With a daily budget, you can choose how much you are willing to spend on your campaign each day. However, the smaller your budget, the fewer times your ad will appear. With the CPC option, your bid helps determine your ad’s position on the page. Usually the higher your bid, the higher your ad’s position will be.

The quality and relevance – usefulness – of your ad, its keywords, and the website your URL leads to is critical. Ads are given a Quality Score, which is a measure of relevance of your ad, keywords, and website. In addition to your bid, your ad’s Quality Score plays a part in determining your ad’s position on the page. Generally, the higher the Quality Score, the less you will pay for a higher position.

Need Help?

While it is certainly possible for a business owner to successfully utilize Google AdWords, the service works best when you’ve got a significant amount of time to invest using and fine tuning it. That’s where a Certified Google AdWords Provider comes in. If you have any questions or need help with setting up or maintaining a Google AdWords account, please contact us in the comments section below.

How to use Google + and LinkedIn for your Small Business

As a business owner, you may continually ask yourself how you can develop additional revenue and exposure. There are many ways to advertise to promote your company. Your eye is always on becoming a recognized force in your community. Besides having a solid reputation, a stellar work ethic, and unbeatable product, you need a presence on the web and a way to interface and develop contacts.

Social networking clearly permits you to develop and establish relationships with other individuals. You can harness social networking to increase your market share, develop your reputation, and inform people of your company.  Two great ways to increase your company profile and exposure are to join Google + and LinkedIn. Each allow you the opportunity to network and make connections with individuals and businesses. In using these social networking tools, you can increase your web presence and associations.

LinkedIn: 

LinkedIn is a professional social networking site where you can post a profile and invite connections with other individuals. Once connections are made with an individual, you can create secondary connections with affiliates. LinkedIn also allows members to increase their profile while allowing introductions to mutual connections.

With LinkedIn, you can also form groups with similar interests and associations to increase your presence. As a small business owner, it is imperative to spread the word about yourself and your company. LinkedIn is free advertising. 

You advertise yourself and in conjunction, you advertise your business. This is a win-win situation when you can:

• Build a profile
• Link your business webpage
• Add your Twitter account
• Invite associates and colleagues to join
• Get in touch with former co-workers and your college roommate
• Contact associates and customers and have them send in reviews to post

Google+:

Google+ is a set of tools that can assist you in staying engaged with your customers. Each application is separate and can be used to direct the flow of information. The tools are Google+ Circles, Sparks, Hangouts, Huddle and Instant Upload. Each one can be utilized to increase market share, convey information, and develop relationships with your customers. Here are some of the features:

• Google+ Circle: This feature allows you to group people in circles, so information is shared with only the people you designate. This powerful tool will allow you to direct and update certain customers about information on their specific product. Priceless.

• Google+ Hangout: Here, you can engage via video with up to 10 customers at a time. You can have face-time with a client or clients to explain an upcoming product or important information.

• Google+ Huddle: From here, you can connect with up to 6 people via text at one time. This can increase your efficiency with employees and customers.

• Google+ Instant Upload: Your business can create their own photo album online and easily share uploaded photos. This tool will be a great way to introduce new products, highlight sales, or remind customer of your super products.

Google+ and LinkedIn are two ways to increase your company profile and grow your small business.  Both of these channels add valuable tools to your online marketing toolbox so that you can boost your web presence and enhance your company’s bottom-line. Get started today and begin a networking relationship that is beneficial to both you and your customer.    

Maybe you’ve already used these or you are still unsure of how they can benefit your business. Leave your comments or questions below, and we can show you how to harness the power of these Internet marketing tools.

We invite you to contact our offices at Flyline Search Marketing to find out more about how Social Media Marketing, Social Networking and other Internet Marketing tools can help you grow your business. 

                         

Letting Your Customers Know about Your Business Move through Social Media

If the time has come for your business to relocate, all you need to do is a few quick status updates and you’re done letting your customers know, right? Not so much. Assuming your business already has a social media presence – and, if it doesn’t, there’s no time like the present to get started – you can use social media to great advantage before, during and after your business move to ensure your customers both old and new know exactly where to find you.

Before the Move

As soon as you know your business is relocating, it’s time to start laying the groundwork for the move.

• A good place to start is at your business’s main website. Your website will act as a central hub all your social media outlets can refer back to. Announce the move on your website’s landing page. Include information, such as when the move is taking place and where the new location will be as well as when your old location is closing and when the new one will be open. You can then expand on the details of the move on your website’s blog.
• Once your website and blog have been updated, begin updating your social networking sites. Reach out to customers not only with promotions and specials but do so with engaging and interactive content that encourages your business’s followers to get the word out.

During the Move

It’s extremely helpful and reassuring for customers to know your business can still provide goods and services over the course of the move. If you have an electronic storefront, be sure to let customers know they can still do business virtually and provide details on how.

• Make a personal connection and bring your customers along for the ride during the move by Tweeting and blogging about how the move is going.
• Build anticipation and excitement about the new location by including pictures and video of the move in progress as well as updates on how the new location is shaping up.

After the Move

Once you’re done moving and your business is open at your new location, it’s time to celebrate! Trumpet the occasion with great fanfare on as many of your social media outlets as possible, inviting customers to come and take a look. Don’t forget to thank all those who followed and supported your business during the move and helped make the new location’s opening a success.

A Little Birdie Told Me

Even if you’ve done your best to keep customers up to date with your move not only on your business’s website, but also on every social media outlet available, there still may be customers looking for you. Twitter is a particularly useful tool for shepherding lost customers. You can monitor Twitter for comments about your business and direct customers to your new location. Also consider printing out and mailing move announcements to your customers.

Social Media and Big Retailers: Just Browsing, But Not Necessarily Buying Into the Concept

Earlier this year, Amazon.com announced the hiring of a director of social media, John Yurcisin, from WPP's Ogilvy & Mather. Yurcisin has been brought on board to help Amazon.com develop social strategies. Additionally, Amazon.com is in the process of creating a Social Games Group to compete with Zynga, the world’s leading social game developer.

Amazon.com is one of the relatively few large retailers that is joining the world of social media. According to a recent post on InternetRetailer.com, 79% of the online retailers listed in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide have their own Facebook page. However, only 12% of those retailers have the ability for consumers to shop on Facebook. The question is, why?

Business Size and Social Media Use

Small and medium-size businesses have turned to social media much more readily than their larger counterparts. Smaller businesses simply do not have the budgets for traditional marketing outlets, such as print and television, and, as a result, have to be more adaptable and innovative in their marketing strategies. Social media is an extremely cost-effective marketing tool, which is a great advantage, especially in a tight economy.

While big retailers do have the luxury of large advertising budgets, they are generally not as willing to take the time and effort to maintain a social media platform and prefer to stick with tried and true advertising methods. When larger retailers do acknowledge the effectiveness of social media as a marketing tool, they tend to forget social media is about connecting first, selling second, and focus on events and promotions rather than on fostering long-term relationships with consumers.

Rethinking Social Media

However, big retailers are making a critical error in their marketing judgment. Social media is not just for small and medium businesses. Big retailers have a lot to gain by engaging in social media and developing a strong social media presence. Large, international retailers are rethinking their overall marketing campaigns to include Internet marketing strategies, such as social media platforms.

Heineken, as reported in a recent blog post by Des Walsh on SocialMediaToday.com, has signed a deal with Google in a move to update their advertising strategy and to reach a younger target market. Adults in their 20s spend a considerable amount of time using social media, and it only makes good business sense to go where your customers are so that you can connect with them on a personal level. Large retailers not taking advantage of social media are clearly losing a source of potential revenue – revenue that is sure to be snapped up by businesses with strong social media platforms.

Moving Forward

While Amazon.com already had the potential for social interaction in the form of customer reviews and product recommendations, the company is now looking to strengthen its social media presence by adding Facebook and Twitter features – like the ability of readers to post public notes about what they’re reading – to its electronic book reader, Kindle.

 

While big retailers have the advantage of brand recognition and reputation, smaller businesses have the benefit of a connection and relationship with their customers. In an economic climate where consumers are more careful than ever about how they spend their income, large businesses can greatly benefit from making that personal connection as well.

Is Social Media Worth the Time?

As a small business owner who is faced with making tough decisions while contending with limited resources, such as time, money, and personnel, “Is social media worth the time?” may very well be a question you find yourself asking. Whether or not social media is worth the investment in time and effort is an issue briefly explored by blogger Jason Keith, senior communications manager at Vista Print.

In a recent post for the Small Business Blog entitled,  “Social media might not be worth the time,” Keith puts forth the notion that maintaining a social media platform effectively is simply too time-consuming for many small businesses. Why?

The Challenges

Keith indentifies two main areas of social media maintenance that can potentially demand a significant amount of time. The first area is updating current followers. This means having the time to know what to say and then saying it on a frequent interest to maintain follower interest.  

The second area is monitoring and responding to feedback. Perhaps even more time-consuming, this follow-up process can take time, especially if there are a lot of comments left or questions to answer. While it is true both of these activities do require a certain investment of time to accomplish, the benefits far outweigh the costs of abandoning social media all together.

Why Social Media Is Worth It

The direct connection and communication that social media allows businesses to have with customers and potential customers are extremely valuable. Social media platforms are not only quick and easy to update, but they are also easily integrated into a seamless Internet Marketing strategy that leads customers – and revenue – right to your website or to your brick and mortar location.

Responding to feedback, especially negative feedback, is a crucial part of any social media platform. Social media allows businesses the opportunity to directly and personally address and rectify any issues or complaints a customer might have. This is a powerful tool to convert negative feedback into a positive experience for both the customer, and your business.

Most importantly, the fact that social media primarily involves time versus considerable money like traditional marketing channels makes it worth it. Using this tool means that you can more effectively target and reach more of your intended audience than through traditional advertising and print media. Again, that makes it well worth the effort.

Making Social Media Work

With today’s social media acting as the new word of mouth, your business can’t afford not to have a social media presence. One of the great things about social media is that, for every business out there, there is a social media outlet that is just right or one that can be customized to suit that business’s unique, individual needs. The effectiveness of those outlets is limited only by the creativity of those who use it.

If the thought of creating and maintaining a social media platform still seems daunting or out of reach, there is help. Experienced, professional firms, such as Flyline Search Marketing, offer high-quality social media services. 

Your business may not be able to spare the extra time or personnel to devote to social media, but there are effective social media solutions that can work within a small business budget.  Contact Flyline with any questions or to learn more about social media solutions for your business.

                      

Pay Per Click Marketing and Social Media

When deciding on an Internet Marketing strategy, often pay per click (PPC) and social media platforms are thought of as two separate aspects where never the twain shall meet. However, a little bit of marketing savvy can bring PPC and social media together in ways that will benefit both your business and your customers.

What is Pay Per Click?

In the simplest terms, PPC is simply the “sponsored results” or “ads” you see either at the top or side of a search engine results page. If you are a business, you pay the company providing the PPC service each time someone clicks on your ad. How do you get your ad at the top of that results page?

That depends on variables, such as the PPC service, the ad itself, keywords, and how much you’re willing to pay. However, once your PPC ad is in place, it’s important to know how to use it effectively.

One Thing Leads to Another

PPC and social media can be used to effectively complement one another. In his blog, Darin.CC, Darin Carter, a search engine marketing expert, explains there’s a difference between the type of customer who clicks on a PPC ad and a customer who is visiting a social media site. Many times, if a potential customer or client clicks on an ad, chances are they are already shopping for a particular item or service. Conversely, if a potential client is visiting a social media site, that person is less likely to be ready to buy but more likely to be looking for information or researching a particular product or service.

Carter continues to explain the importance of making sure each potential customer gets what they’re looking for. Someone wanting to buy a product immediately needs to click on a link that will lead them to that product. However, someone wishing to read a blog would probably be put off if they click on a link that leads to a hard-sell of a particular product. But, if this is the case, how do PPC and social media intersect?

The PPC click may lead a customer directly to your product page. However, a well-designed website will also have a blog, how-to or advice articles, and links to social network pages. Those social media pages will have interactive, engaging content that in turn will lead customers back to your product pages on your website. The PPC ad will bring a customer in, but social media will keep that customer coming back. The social media platform will build a relationship with a potential customer, allowing them to click over to your product page. Even better, some social media outlets now have an e-commerce option, so potential customers can become customers right on your social media platform.

Social Media as Prime Real Estate for PPC

Search results aren’t the only place you can have a PPC ad. PPC ads can also appear on social media outlets. These ads working in tandem with social media e-commerce provide the benefit of a potential customer not having to leave the social media site in order to make a purchase.

Help at Hand

If you need help or have any questions about PPC and social media, Flyline Search Marketing is ready to help with expertise and know-how as a Google AdWords Certified Partner.

                      

How to Integrate Branding and Social Media

Social media has been used as a platform to reach customers and get information about them. But, it’s also being used to enhance brand strategies for greater brand equity.

What is Branding?

“Branding” is a term that gets thrown around a lot in business marketing circles. But what exactly does it mean? Think of your favorite beverage. What brand is it? What comes to mind when you think of that brand? Chances are it’s much more than just the brand’s name. You probably associate enjoyment with drinking that brand of beverage, and most likely you also associate high quality and trustworthiness with it – you trust your favorite beverage brand to be consistently satisfying.

If your beverage supports a particular cause, you might even associate social responsibility with the brand, which in turn heightens your satisfaction with purchasing and consuming that beverage. So, at the simple mention of a brand name, you instantly conjure feelings of enjoyment, quality, trustworthiness and satisfaction. That’s a pretty impressive feat – and that’s branding.

Build Your Platform

The most common elements of a social media platform are a blog, a Facebook page, YouTube and a Twitter account. Each of these elements needs to be a reflection of your brand and must work together to move potential customers to your website where they can then purchase your goods or services. It’s important to develop a brand narrative that social citizens can follow throughout your social media platform that will in turn help develop brand passion.

An effective way to do this is to make sure your content is both relevant and engaging. The more creative and entertaining your content is, the more excited your audience will be, and the more likely it is that they will not only spend time with your platform, but they’ll spread the word, too. Some of the most successful recent marketing strategies include tying the online and offline worlds together as well as linking social media with traditional media.

Track Down Your Audience

Once your platform is built, the next step is to find your audience. Consider who your target audience is and then find out where in the web they hang out and go there. Google is a great tool for this. By using keywords to search for similar products and services to your own, you can land in the same places your potential audience does.

Take the time to follow conversation threads to find out what that audience is thinking about a given product, what matters, what excites them and even what doesn’t. Use this valuable information to help refine your platform and your approach.

Nurture Relationships

Once you find your audience, connect with them by joining the conversation. Offer your insight and expertise, but be careful to avoid self-promotion. Attempts to simply get people to go to your site will appear pushy and insincere. Genuine dialogue will help build a relationship of mutual respect that will lead to potential customers seeking out your goods and services.

While searching for and engaging with your audience, take note of the influencers and make it a point to develop a relationship with them. Influencers are the bloggers who are in a position to spread the word and recommend your brand. Introduce yourself and become a part of their online community and be sure your interactions add value to the conversation.

Your Brand, Your Experience

How have you integrated branding and social media? What have your experiences been? We’d love to hear about them. If you have questions about making social media work for your brand, please leave them in the comments section below. We look forward to helping your business and brand make the most of social media platforms.