Social Media Shout Outs: eSmart Tax
Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010 | Search Engine Optimization | NetSearch Direct | No Comments
Taken from the NetSearch Direct February Newsletter:
Normally we spotlight an emerging search trend or offer a free tool to gauge your business’ internet presence, but this month’s Company Spotlight is a public service announcement: America, if you aren’t aware…it’s tax season.
While we don’t know the biggest and baddest deductions to take in order to maximize your refund (in fact, we welcome tips you may have), we have been monitoring the companies out there vying for your return. This month we’re bringing you our favorite tax preparation and filing service that’s heating up the social media waves. It’s an invite to learn about how to save money filing your returns, check out some pretty hilarious YouTube vids, and most importantly – watch a company successfully leveraging social media.
In eSmartTax’s YouTube video, you can see company spokesperson Daryl Johnson being presented with the same dilemma we all face with our tax refunds: donate it…or go wild and spend it. The interactive video lets you choose the ending and you won’t be disappointed either way.
Their Twitter promotion ran for about a month and offered members who simply retweeted a phrase to be entered to win daily $100 Visa cash gift cards! That’s $100 contests every day.
What’s the value add eSmartTax is offering? Most tax preparation companies offer discounted federal and state tax return filing, but not eSmartTax. Every person with the last name Johnson is eligible to e-file their federal tax return free! That’s over 2.1 million Americans! And….if your last name isn’t Johnson they’re extending the free federal return offer to you too, check it out: IAmAJohnson.
This creative team has taken to Twitter and YouTube to create commercials and generate revenue by entertaining potential customers with interactive videos and daily prize winnings- these guys don’t want your business, they want you to have fun too. Couldn’t we all use a fresh approach to taxes this year?
NetSearch Direct applauds the efforts that eSmartTax is extending by reaching out to customers across a variety of demographics and for capitalizing on smart, effective marketing tools like Twitter and YouTube. If your advertising campaign needs a fresh face this year, give us a call and let’s talk new strategies.
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The NetSearch Direct Newsletter is a monthly publication featuring search engine marketing topics and industry trends. Each month we feature SEO, PPC, and Industry Trends articles as well as the latest search engine share statistics. It’s news, it’s marketing information, and it’s free. Sign up to get yours today!
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Impak Annual Football 2009
Friday, November 13th, 2009 | NetSearch Direct News | NetSearch Direct | No Comments
Its that time again at Impak Marketing where all child companies get together for some healthy competition. Team #1 vs. Team #2, the names are both creative and fitting.
Team #1, aka the younger guys, started the game off with a strong lead 3-1. During halftime, I’m pretty sure that Team #2 had special water since they tied it up forcing the game into overtime. The result = the older guys won.
Rematch anyone?
NSD Newsletters: Worth the Hype that Follows
Thursday, November 5th, 2009 | Internet Marketing, Internet News, NetSearch Direct News, Search Engine Marketing | NetSearch Direct | No Comments
What’s it like being subscribed to the NetSearch Direct monthly newsletter? It’s like that first sip of coffee in the morning – the one that tastes the best and leaves you wanting to drain the cup. It’s like the first ten minutes on the treadmill – the ones where you’re looking your best, slightly flushed, barely out of breath, can still say “hello” to someone without clutching your chest – the one where you’re ready to kick some cardio butt. It’s like the first smell of a barbecue grill in the summer, the one that makes you want to find the home searing the good-smelling food and crash the party. Yeah, that’s what being a NetSearch Direct monthly newsletter subscriber is like.
For those of you missing out on this (FREE) optical assault of (FREE) amazing marketing tips, we’d like to let you know that being a subscriber is FREE! The NSD Newsletter is not only informative, but visually stunning as well – each month we add sweet graphics to our articles meant to invoke deep thought while entertaining your eyes. Won’t you join us?
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How to Read Your Google Local Listing Report
Tuesday, October 13th, 2009 | Internet Marketing, Local Search, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Search Engines | NetSearch Direct | No Comments
A listing on Google’s local business center provides much more than just a place to enter your company’s information; you just need to know where to look.
Have you viewed your local business center report lately? Do you know what it’s telling you? Below is a sample report, client information redacted, for the past 30 days. From this data you can gather which days were the best for triggering the client’s listing, and which days provided the most clicks.
Sample Google Local Business Center report
Using the date range filter at the top right-hand corner and working backwards in time, you just might be able to identify trends. For example, Mondays are good for driving traffic, but Wednesdays provide the best click days. Or, generally you spot that the middle of the month seems great for “actions” which means that potential customers are trying to get as many details, driving directions, or visits to your website. You can use this data to tailor your advertising accordingly, and coordinate efforts with your sales team according to which days your customer base is the most active online.
Google’s Local Business Center report also goes on to tell you other exciting tidbits of performance information such as top search queries, and zip codes from IP addresses that searched for driving directions to your location.
Sample Google Local Business Center Report
Knowing this information affords business owners the opportunity to target advertising in extremely effective ways. To begin with, knowing the keywords that triggered your ad are imperative – if they keywords are off, you may need to re-categorize your listing or rewrite your description. The keywords should reflect any PPC or SEO advertising currently underway, and not distract from it. Knowing the zip codes that are searching for your business allows you to expand on advertising in a currently hot area, identify areas trending up, and save money from locations that may not be performing as well.
Your Google local listing report also provides a snapshot of the information that you have entered along the right-hand side of the reports page, and highlights areas where you can beef up details or add media for effect. If you’d like to read more on tricking out your Google local listing and making the most out of this extremely popular (and FREE!) product, read NetSearch Direct’s Top 5 Best Practice Tips.
Local Business Show-Offs Prove Value in Maps Listings
Tuesday, October 6th, 2009 | Internet Marketing, Local Search, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engines | NetSearch Direct | No Comments
Google posted their top 13 favorite local business listing success stories recently. These lucky 13 were pulled from local business submissions across the nation, and selected for outstanding success brought to the business from being listed on Google’s Maps tool. Several businesses spoke of ringing phones and increased sales simply because customers could locate their listing easily.
Although business owners didn’t get too specific when it came to disclosing their winning formula, it goes to say that best practices were adhered to consistently among the top 13. If you aren’t seeing any traction from your local listing or you’re wondering how to best work your local listing profile, here are NetSearch Direct’s top 5 picks:
1) Add Flair! Utilize the personalization that Google offers for your business listing. Got a logo? Add it. Have some pics of your location? Upload them to your listing too. Take advantage of this free way to set yourself apart from your competition.
2) It’s in the Details. The “Additional Details” portion of the local listing is a prime spot for the little extras that makes your business special. If you make appointments after normal business hours, are willing to travel, or have ample parking be suer to let potential customers know.
3) Maximize your Categories. If you can narrow your business into just one or two categories, by all means go ahead. But if you can step back and look at your business from a potential customer’s viewpoint, we encourage you to try out different category keywords and see what comes up. The more buckets your business can fit into, the more it will be served in searches.
4) Pay Attention. Make sure that you have your business name, street address, and other business information all spelled out with proper capitalization. Typos are no way to make that winning first impression. And with that first impression, paint as much of your business story as you can – list your hours of operation, website, contact email address, forms of payment, even languages spoken. The key is to pay attention to all of the fields that you can populate and be sure that this information is added typo-free.
5) VERIFY Your Listing! We have seen so many business owners forget to take this crucial last step in the listing process. Failure to verify your listing means that your listing will just sit in limbo and can’t be optimized or edited. Take the extra time to grab a verification call from Google or request a letter to be sent, and follow-up with that PIN number.
NetSearch Direct has been listing, managing, and optimizing listings for our clients for months now, and we have quite a few success stories of our own to share. Check out our blog soon for some of our own local business show-offs!
Look Before Your Customer Leaps
Thursday, September 24th, 2009 | Internet Marketing, PPC Advertising, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization | NetSearch Direct | No Comments
Your website is more than just an internet presence with some words wrapped around a few product or service-themed pictures. Think of your website as business’ virtual storefront. Just the same as you would focus on a brick-and-mortar storefront, consider applying the same eye for detail to your website.
When a potential customer visits your website, its more likely than not that they’re visiting via a search engine query. You can guarantee that by the time that potential customer has sorted through the links that have presented themselves on the page and clicked on a particular link, they want to see information that serves their original purpose. It’s your job to look before your customer leaps to that particular page.
Each page of your website should be the best possible representation of your business. Although there’s no winning formula for landing page success, NetSearch Direct customers know that they can depend on the following 5 elements to come together and leave a lasting impression on the visitor:
1) Relevant content stated as concisely as possible.
2) Graphics and videos demonstrating products.
3) Contact information prominently displayed.
4) Fast-loading pages.
5) Put the most important information above the fold.
Although using these tips alone won’t guarantee you extra sales, they certainly will improve the user’s experience when visiting your page. In the end, if your customer can easily read your information, locate what they are looking for, and smoothly navigate your site to checkout or pick up the phone for more information – then it’s a job well done for you.
When you look at your website from your customer’s perspective, the same way you would your storefront, it shows. Review your landing pages to make sure that relevant, up-to-date information is prominently displayed. Your customers will thank you with their wallets.
Yahoo Search Results Page tries on some Fancy Pants
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009 | Local Search, PPC Advertising, Search Engine Optimization, Search Engines | NetSearch Direct | No Comments
Yesterday, I opened up the Yahoo Search Page and typed in “home siding Richmond” and was pleasantly surprised.  Yahoo has revamped their Search Results page and while it looks very similar to Bing’s and Google’s Results Page, ‘Imitation is the best form of flatter’ isn’t it? Its much cleaner and the additional search results on the left side panel that includes top sites with news and info is pretty sweet. The placement and new design of the sponsored search ads are much easier to read and they have increased their character limit.. Local search maps are also now more evident on search queries. Yay Yahoo! Shout out to my homie Dar, Yahoo Rep from the West Coast…
Community Service at 240 Feet
Thursday, September 17th, 2009 | NetSearch Direct News | NetSearch Direct | No Comments
You know him as one of our top sales leaders and client advocates. Maybe you’ve attended his seminars or webinars, or read his blog content. Perhaps you’ve seen him around town, driving like a bat out of – well, you get the picture. Our very own beloved Jason Moreau, the one you’ve come to know and love, will be throwing himself off the side of a 24-story building in downtown Richmond, VA all in the name of a good cause.
Jason will be helping out fundraising efforts for the Special Olympics by hoping to raise $1,500 by October 9th. If he makes the goal, he’ll be rappelling down the side of the Suntrust building just in time for the Richmond Folk Festival.
For information about the event, please visit the event website at www.OverTheEdgeVa.com. All donations can be made at www.FirstGiving.com/JasonMoreau. Since every amount given is appreciated for this wonderful cause, there are no minimums set.
Oh, did we mention the mere thought of going down that building sends Jason’s heart racing, gets him all nervous and makes his palms sweat? This is one even you won’t want to miss!
The world can be yours: Monopoly on Google Maps
Tuesday, September 8th, 2009 | Local Search | NetSearch Direct | No Comments
Tomorrow is the start of the biggest Monopoly game ever! Google and Hasbro has teamed up for a world-wide game on Google Maps.
http://monopolycitystreets.com/
Everyone starts with 3 million dollars which can be used to buy streets on Google Maps. You can then build a quiet suburb or a bustling city with a football stadium, its regional hegemony at its finest! Game On!
Scenester Ads: Hip or Square?
Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009 | Internet Marketing, Search Engine Marketing, Social Networking Sites | NetSearch Direct | No Comments
I just read an article written by Steve Smith for Mobile Insider (which, by the way, is definately worth your click through to read the entire article) where he relayed his tale of being sucked into a mobile marketing campaign while out and about at the movie theater. In the article, he is attracted to a movie poster featuring a bar code and little else except a number where you can send a SMS message. The advertising bait dangling in the poster is too intriguing for Steve to pass up (admittedly, I felt the same anticipation he described when he saw the barcode) and he relays the tale of his movie poster marketing scavenger hunt adventure.
Only it isn’t an adventure at all. It’s more a series of irritating steps, two of them pointless, which lead him in a sort of circle showing a movie trailer. That’s it. A movie trailer. As an advertiser, I can list about ten fundamental marketing truths that this poster and its scavenger hunt violates. As a business advocate, my purpose here is strictly public service.
Why do you care? Because the article paints a picture that everyone in advertising should see – whether you’re the business owner giving marketing authority, or you’re the marketing manager pushing the buttons, or if you’re the one waiting around for your movie to start – just because it’s cool doesn’t mean it works. Yes, Facebook and Twitter are amazing marketing tools and there is money to be made by harnessing the power of these social media marketing darlings. Yes, PPC is a highly-effective marketing solution which can give you incredible analytics and insight into your business’ best (and worst…) products. And of course SEO will provide you with a wealth of insight into not only your business and your website, but also your customer’s behavior patterns. But just because all the cool kids are doing it doesn’t mean your business should be.
Smart advertisers will look at your business from every angle and offer up custom solutions that reinforce your company’s goals. For those still with me, that sentence contains at least three extremely important parts: “smart advertisers”, “custom solutions”, and “your company’s goal”. Sometimes you’ll get one or a combination of these critical three elements, but rarely do you get the trifecta. The reason that you need all three working for your marketing campaigns is because you can’t afford to invest vaulable marketing dollars into a “smart advertiser” who offers “custom solutions” only to have it serve their purpose.
Next time you’re tempted to display a barcode on a movie poster (or jump into a marketing strategy of any kind), ask yourself whose purpose you’re serving. If you’re signing up for a marketing trend to test the water, we applaud your pluck but caution you to get your feet wet before throwing yourself off the high-dive. There’s plenty of time for that after you get adjusted to the water temperature. Ads that create a scene are like skinny jeans, high tops, and mohawks – they’re not for everyone. And that’s okay.
Recent Posts
- Social Media Shout Outs: eSmart Tax
- Impak Annual Football 2009
- NSD Newsletters: Worth the Hype that Follows
- How to Read Your Google Local Listing Report
- Local Business Show-Offs Prove Value in Maps Listings
- Look Before Your Customer Leaps
- Yahoo Search Results Page tries on some Fancy Pants
- Community Service at 240 Feet
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