What is PPC?
PPC is the paid search engine marketing strategy of buying listings on search engines. These sponsored “ads” are often highlighted and are displayed above and next to the organic, or non-paid search results as in this example:

PPC listings are bid on auction-style based on keywords and the goal would be to bid high enough to get the highest placement within the paid results. With PPC advertising, businesses pay only when their ad is clicked.

What are the benefits of PPC?
1. Brand awareness – Businesses can gain immediate brand awareness by having their ad on the top of the results instantly, versus SEO, which can take many months to get to the top of the SERPs, or Search Engine Results Pages. For a new business, this can be a huge advantage.
2. Fast results – PPC advertising campaigns can be implemented quickly and results can be seen almost immediately versus SEO strategies that take time to produce results. This is yet another advantage for new businesses.
3. Can be targeted – Local businesses can benefit from geo-targeted ads that display only to customers in certain zip codes, cities, states or other geographical areas.
4. Measurable results – PPC campaigns provide businesses with easy to measure click rates and conversion rates so companies can enjoy instant insight into the effectiveness of their campaign and calculate ROI quickly and easily.
5. Easy to adjust– PPC campaigns and the keywords they are based on can be adjusted instantly to reflect rapidly changing markets, new products or services or seasonal influences. As businesses measure their campaign’s effectiveness, they can easily adjust their ads to maximize conversions.
6. Small business benefits – Some small business owners have dismissed PPC as a budget buster, but PPC campaigns can be affordable today. With variables such as keyword popularity, length of campaign and targeting or reach of campaign, PPC campaigns can be designed for small to medium-sized businesses.

Businesses should consider adding PPC advertising to their digital marketing strategy. Imagine what your small or new business might look like at the top of the SERPs next month! Businesses needing more information on these or other PPC strategies can contact us for expert advice.

Google’s Panda and Penguin became game changers to the world of SEO. In order to succeed in this vastly changed world, businesses need to focus on site, social, content, and linking to gain ground in the SERPs. Here are 12 tips in these 4 key areas to help businesses with their SEO success in 2013.

Site SEO
Make sure your site is as easy to find for people as it is for web crawlers. Your website should be designed with this in mind. Businesses can utilize these tips to ensure their site is properly optimized for SEO.
• Submit your sitemap – A Sitemap is a list of all of the pages on your website and is lets Google know about your pages and their content. Google offers more on Sitemaps in its Webmaster Tools.
• Title Tag and description – Make sure the site pages have a unique title tag and relevant descriptions with keywords
• Use Alt-attribute for images – Use keywords in alt-attribute and alt-description telling web crawlers what the image contains.

Social Media is becoming increasingly important
Businesses need to focus their attention on social media. Google has admitted that social signals are indexed so social media marketing has become more important than ever. Here are some social media tips to help SEO:
• Businesses that want to be indexed quickly need a Google+ Page. Make sure your profile is optimized, get in as many circles as possible and encourage +1’s.
• Post links to any content you produce and encourage likes, +1s and shares and use keywords and images in posts frequently.
• Consider offers, contests and promotions on social media as these are often shared virally.

Content is King
You’ve heard it before, but it’s worth repeating: Content is King now more than ever. Businesses simply must be creating and curating great content that others will consume, enjoy and share. Here are some tips to add SEO value to your content:
• Use Google’srel=”author” tag to get great SEO benefits.
• Make sure your keywords are researched frequently and use both long-tail keywords and short-tail keywords.
• Use keywords in your anchor text, but make sure they don’t disrupt the natural flow and aren’t overused.

Link building for 2013
Link building may have changed with the introduction of Google’s Panda and Penguin, but links are still a necessity and must be obtained naturally. Here are some tips for natural link building:
• Create your own infographics, videos and images and allow others in your industry to use them for free, as long as they provide a link.
• Request links from people you do business with, or get links from organizations you donate to such as colleges, teams or non-profits.
• Offer your blogging services to others in the industry as a guest blogger and get lots of links.

Clearly, SEO has changed but if businesses focus on these 4 key areas and incorporate these 12 SEO tips, they will reap the benefits in 2013. Businesses needing more information on these or other SEO strategies can contact us for expert advice.

1. Content – Content continues to reign supreme in 2013. Business owners need to keep the customer in mind when creating content. What would the customer like to know about the business in layman’s terms? This customer-centric content needs to be fresh, valuable, compelling and easy to consume.

How can a business create great content? Business owners should take a fresh approach and take advantage of blogs and videos to express their passion and convey a unique message. The focus in 2013 should be great content and great content takes time, so quality over quantity should be the rule of thumb.

Photos can promote a sense of trust in your business and should not be overlooked in 2013.A recent success story involves a new company started by a personal friend that launched a campaign including photos. Several new customers were gained from the ad, compared to no new customers from the plain text ad. Additionally, those responding to the ad expressed excitement over “Talking to the man in the picture!”

2. Social– Social media should be a top priority in 2013. If the goal is to increase site traffic with great content, social media is the platform to get that content in front of millions. If the content is valuable, it will be shared, drawing in more traffic and valuable links to boot.

From a SEO perspective, Google has gone on record as saying social signals are included in ranking algorithms, so all social media accounts should be maintained with vigor.

3. Links– Although things have changed for linking, according to Google’s Matt Cutts, “Google’s put a lot of time and energy into shutting down link networks etc. Thus, good links that are built naturally will still provide value for a long time.” Going back to the importance of content, if businesses create great content, links will come naturally and provide SEO benefits.

4. Local– With the increase in mobile usage expected to continue, local search is huge in 2013. Local businesses need a local Google+ page and listings in several reputable online directories. Google+ page content is indexed, giving SEO value, and local businesses will display on maps as an added benefit.

Clearly, SEO has changed in 2013, but if businesses implement these simple SEO strategies, always keeping the customer in mind, their efforts will pay off. Businesses needing more information on these or other SEO strategies can contact us for expert advice.

The video giant, YouTube claims that over 4 billion hours of video are watched each month on the site, and over 1 billion unique users visit each month.If your company’s digital marketing strategy does not include YouTube, you are missing a huge audience. With a few simple tips, businesses of any size can get the most out of launching a YouTube video program to add to their digital marketing campaign in 2013.

1. Establish a brand channel
Businesses can customize the appearance of their YouTube channel. This is a great opportunity to brand your channel with logos and corporate colors to enhance brand awareness. Consider creating video playlists covering similar topics and use your best video as a featured video, which will display prominently to capture attention.

2. Content is King
The goal of a business video marketing campaign should be to produce great video content that customers will find valuable. A great starting place would be to assess the competition: What video content do your competitors post and which topics are garnering the most likes, shares and comments?

Consider a content calendar to keep the videos consistent and establish a good content flow. Here are some examples of content that could prove popular:
• Seminar or event coverage – Provide footage of a recent event or seminar hosted by your company.
• Product tutorials – Show how to best use the product being promoted.
• DIY service tips – For example, a heating and air contractor could describe how to properly maintain a personal air conditioning unit or replace a filter.
• Q & A or Testimonials – make a video of some happy customers or have them ask questions and provide your expert answer.

3. Optimize your video
Use Keywords in the metadata, title, descriptions, tags, and captions of the video. Businesses should use well-researched keywords that are relevant to the video topic. This will not only help people find your video, but can provide businesses SEO benefits as well.

4. Promote your video
Videos should be posted on all social media platforms to increase viewership and promote subscriptions. The more eyes that see your video, the more chances it has to be shared, liked and commented on, all giving your brand increased exposure and boosting SEO.

5. Respond to comments
The more comments a company’s video receives, the more popular it will be perceived. Businesses should use this opportunity to engage their viewers and promote a sense of trust by displaying a high level of responsiveness to their customer comments.

6. Use YouTube analytics
YouTube provides free analytics for any person or business that creates a YouTube channel. Businesses can obtain useful data on who is watching, where they are located, and metrics for videos like views, shares, likes, comments, and subscriptions. Be sure to check the channel’s analytics to see which content resonates best with viewers.

With these tips, businesses can optimize their YouTube channel, adding to the success of their digital marketing plan. Businesses needing more information on these or other digital marketing strategies can contact us for expert advice.

According to Wikipedia, “A podcast is a type of digital media consisting of an episodic series of audio radio, video, PDF, or ePubfiles subscribed to and downloaded through web syndication or streamed online to a computer or mobile device.”

Businesses that have a message to convey or a topic to speak on that will showcase their expertise, should consider adding podcasting to their digital marketing campaign. Here are 3 key benefits businesses can reap from podcasting and 4 tips to get started.

3 Key Benefits of Podcasting

1. Build brand awareness – Podcasts help businesses get their brand in front of a large audience. If the content is popular, the podcast will be shared and develop a large following. Like blogs, popular podcasts can even sell ads!

2. Provide a level of trust – Podcasts can help humanize a business. They can allow your business to display a unique, likable personality, that people can relate to and trust.

3. Get SEO benefits from podcasting – Be sure to use relevant keywords in the title. Post a summary of your episode including keywords. Tag your podcast with keywords and post it to popular platforms like:
• Itunes.com
• Blogtalkradio.com
• Epodcastnetwork.com

4 Great Tips to Get Started
1. Establish your voice – Will it be casual, friendly, storytelling, or more professional and instructive? Think of what your customers are like and what type of audience you are trying to attract. Use a voice that will be well received by that particular audience.

2. Choose a favorite topic – As you get started, speaking on a topic you are passionate about will help ease nerves and that passion will translate across the digital airwaves into the ears of potential customers. As with blogging, businesses should consider a content calendar so the podcast content flows well.

3. Create great content – Consider what would interest your customers. Interviews are a great way to convey information about your business through a podcast. Businesses can interview happy customers in a testimonial-based podcast, or have someone from the company interview you as the owner, or an employee that can portray your company as the expert in the industry.

4. Build a following – Share your podcast on social media and use your email distribution list to encourage current customers to listen in and subscribe to the RSS feed. Of course, the best way to build a following is to have great content!

With these tips, businesses can start podcasting their way to digital marketing success.

Businesses needing more information on these or other digital marketing strategies can contact us for expert advice.

To assist companies with this goal, Avax Consulting and Law2sm have teamed up to provide Socially Legal Audit (SLA) training and auditor certification courses. The first of these certification courses was recently completed in Atlanta, GA and was a resounding success!

The two-day training class took place in February 2013 and provided the participants with the opportunity to become the first certified Socially Legal Auditors. These newly certifiedauditors are available to provide assessment of current exposure and risk coupled with a plan for compliance for any organization, especially those in regulated industries.

Their recent training and certification provides them the ability to take inventory of an organization’s online/social media/digital footprint, provides a comprehensive assessment of legal risks, and recommends strategies to reduce corporate liability and a plan for the protection of digital assets if requested.

Socially Legal Audit is proud to present the first Socially Legal Auditors:
• Robert Curtin (Atlanta, GA)
• Eric Cook (Battle Creek, MI)
• James Alexander (Houston, TX)
• Bryce Miller (Orange County, CA)

Certified auditors are available in various regionsto provide audits for companies in regulated and non-regulated industries alike. If you would like to contact one of these auditors for an audit or tolearn more about how you can register for our June 2013 training and certification session Contact Us. Become SLA-certified and open a new revenue stream for a unique skill set in this emerging market.

1. Header photo tips – Businesses should choose a striking cover photo to display as their Twitter header photo. This is the first impression a customer will get of your business, so be creative here and give the customer something visually appealing. Twitter allows businesses to use text in their header photos, so feel free to add your website URL or other information to increase website traffic.

2. Profile photo tips – A business profile photo should be a logo or something similar that helps identify the brand. The profile photo displays next to all posts made on behalf of the business, so choose this image wisely. If the goal is to humanize the brand, either the header or profile photo should be a photo of the key business representative or team.

3. Get more followers – There are several steps businesses can take to gain more followers. For a business to establish a successful social media marketing campaign on Twitter, it will need one thing…followers! There are a few things a business can do to increase followers on Twitter:
• Add social media icons to the business blog, website and email signature. Also, consider “cross pollinating” by linking Facebook posts into Twitter or FourSquare check-ins and Twitter.
• Post regularly and during peak times. According to an article by socialtimes.com, the prime time to tweet is noon and 6 p.m. Twitter has a very short “half-life”, as the news feed feature moves each tweet down to make room for new posts.
• Make sure posts are well under the 140 character limit, which will allow all of your information and links to be re-Tweeted
• Follow others in your industry and ask them to follow you.
• Use popular industry-related hashtags to join in conversations

4. Get more attention – According to Dan Zarrella, social media expert and author, there are several things businesses can do to get more attention on Twitter:
• Tweets between 120 and 130 characters receive the highest clickthrough rates (CTRs)
• Tweets posted on Friday, Saturday and Sunday got higher CTRs than weekday posts
• Tweets posted later in the day had better CTRs than morning Tweets

5. Run a contest – If you want your brand to be the next thing Trending on Twitter, consider a contest. Contests are extremely popular and are often re-Tweeted. Once you have a good number of followers and your profile is set up properly, a contest can get lots of attention for your business.

6. Post photos and videos – Visual content is a great attention grabber on Twitter. Check out Twitter’s new Vine video app on iTunes and Tweet 6 second video clips to engage customers. Budweiser engaged their followers with photos in its #Clydesdales campaign. Who could resist re-Tweeting those adorable photos?

With these six tips, businesses can start their spring cleaning efforts by tweaking their Twitter profile and enhancing their Twitter presence. Look for more social media marketing spring cleaning tips in our March blogs. Not sure about where to start? contact us to create a customized social media portfolio and start connecting today.

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1. Cover photo tips – Businesses should choose a striking cover photo to display. This is the first impression a customer will get of your business, so be creative here and give the customer something visually appealing to encourage “a like”.

Companies should change their cover photo frequently to keep the Page fresh looking and inviting.Additionally, businesses should adhere to the cover photo guidelines or risk having the photo taken down.

2. Profile photo tips – A business profile photo should be a logo or something similar identifying the brand. The profile photo displays next to all posts made on behalf of the business, so choose this image wisely. Ensure that the quality and pixilation of the image provides optimal clarity.

3. Optimize your page for Graph Search– Graph Search, currently out in beta, makes it easier for people to find and learn more about your business through their Facebook network. Business Pages should be optimized to boost SEO, and to help people find the business upon the full release of Graph Search.

In order to optimize a page, make sure it is up to date and fully completed. Business name, category, vanity URL and information in the “about” section should contain keywords and/or brand name to help fans find your business in the new Graph Search.

4. Post at least 1 to 2 times per week– Posts should be short, between 100-250 characters and contain content that customers find valuable. To encourage engagement, consider using the following visual posts:
• Photo Albums – can get 180% more engagement
• Pictures – can get 120% more engagement
• Videos –can get 100% more engagement
Source: Facebook Business

5. Use Promoted Posts –Promoted posts display higher in the newsfeed, increasing the likelihood that more fans will see your post. Businesses should choose their most compelling content to promote. Great posts to consider for promotion include:
• New product launches
• Discounts or sales promotions
• Events

Promoting posts is as simple as clicking the “Promote” button, choosing an audience and budget. Find out how your promoted post is performing under the Promoted Posts drop down:

6. Launch Facebook Offers – Businesses can post coupons and discounts that can be claimed and shared in a special page post called Offers. Facebook Offers regularly go viral and do require an ad budget to run.

7. Check Page Insights – Popularity of posts can easily be tracked through Page Insights, giving businesses the ability to test several types of posts and see which resonate best with their customers.

8. Pages Manager App – Now available on both Android and iPhone, Pages Manager allows businesses to manage their Pages on the go. Functionality includes the following:
• View Pages Insights
• Get instant notifications of new activity
• View and reply to messages
• Post photos, updates and respond to comments

With these 8 tips, businesses can start their spring-cleaningefforts by tending to their Facebook Page. Look for more social media marketing spring-cleaning tips in our March blogs.Unsure about where to begin?We can help!contact us for a customizable consultation and start reaping the benefits of global connection!

According to a 2012 study by Streetfightmag.com, nearly 50% of smartphone users receive offers on mobile devices based on their GPS location, but only 9% of small businesses are using location-based services. Clearly, small businesses are falling short of reaching their full potential due to, in large part, ignorance or inaction.

Let’s take a look at some successful LBM campaigns thatshowcasethe benefits of this powerful mobile marketing strategy.

1. McDonald’s and FrontFlip
McDonald’s Franchise Co-Owner Todd Luther decided to use FrontFlip, a customer engagement platform, to launch a LBM campaign promoting a new product. FrontFlip uses QR codes on strategically placed signs to entice customers to scan using their smartphone for a chance to win a prize. In-Store customers get free product offers and drive-thru customers get “bounce-back” codes on their receipts for a chance to win and redeem within 7 days. (McD’sFrontFlip LBM campaign)

In the first 90 days, McDonald’s captured 3,600 FrontFlip users and saw between 1 and 1.5 percent increase in overall sales. The new productsaw a 5% raise in sales over the 3 week period.

2. Murphy USA
Murphy USA, a gas retailer in 23 states, launched a LBM campaign offering prizes for checking in at their stores. Murphy USA saw that 44% of redeemers had never been to a Murphy USA store and 85% chose Murphy USA over another gas retailer because of the program. (Murphy USA LBM campaign)

3. Monique’s Chocolates – Foursquare vs. print ad
Mark West, the owner of Palo Alto’s Monique’s Chocolates, decided to do some marketing experimentation. He bought a print ad in a local magazine offering a “BOGO” offer. The physical print ad cost the company $350, and brought in one new customer. West ran the same offer for free on Foursquare and attracted over thirty new customers. (Openforum LBM campaigns)

4. Placecast case study
A clothing retailer worked with Placecast to run a ShopAlert campaign that had enormous success. After being recruited on Facebook and Twitter, customers opting in to the program received 2-3 messages per month based on 30 geo-fenced locations. The results were impressive:
“The campaign resulted in 3x -4x lift in store visitation and shopping frequency for the users who received the location-based mobile alerts. The Company had a 50% increase in year-over-year sales and had higher average order values with each purchase than the control group of customers…who only received email deals.” (PlacecastShopAlert case study)

Clearly, LBM has huge potential. With smart phones being seemingly ubiquitous, businesses would be well off to harness this great marketing tool and use it to enhance their mobile marketing strategy. Businesses needing more information on LBM or other mobile marketing strategies can contact us to discussing a customized, strategic media plan.

How mobile are we?

Consider these recent statistics taken from a previous blog post:
• There are 7 billion people on Earth. 5.1 billion own a cell phone. 4.2 billion own a toothbrush. (Mobile Marketing Association Asia, 2011)
• ABI Research estimates that 1.2 billion smartphones will enter the market over the next 5 years.

According to a 2012 study, 58% of consumers who have a smart phone use location-based apps. (location-based marketing article) With numbers like this surrounding mobile usage, think of the untapped marketing potential walking around with the channel you need to communicate with them in hand, by their face and in their pocket nearly 18 hours a day.

What is Location-Based Marketing?
Location-based marketing is the concept of using GPS technology to market to mobile users based on their preferences and location. A great example is Subway’s “You Are Here” campaign. The UK based campaign offered customers (who had previously “opted-in” to the Subway MMS program) a coupon as they came into close proximity of a Subway location, enticing them to enter the store.

According to Streetfightmag.com, a 2012 study showed that nearly 50% of smartphone users are getting offers on mobile devices based on their GPS location, but only 9% of small businesses are using location-based services like Foursquare. So how can businesses take advantage of this great technology?

Getting Started – Location Based Services
Location-based services use the GPS technology of mobile phones to provide mobile users with information regarding businesses near them. Mobile users have the option of checking in, leaving reviews and claiming offers provided by the business on the app. Businesses benefit as customers walk in to redeem the offer and as they share their location on social media.

Foursquare is popular, with nearly 30 million people and over 3 billion check-ins based on the company’s 2012 findings.The first step for business owners to take is to claim their business on Foursquare. This is a simple process allowing users to find a local business. Listing information for businesses includes hours, description, phone numbers, website links and social media profile links.

Once set up on Foursquare, business owners can post updates, offer specials and advertise events to promote the business and entice customers. Displaying the Foursquare logo lets customers know they can “check in” and notify friends that they are visiting a business.

Foursquare even offers free analytics so businesses can track their customers and see what’s being shared.

We’re going to continue to offer insight into Location-based marketing and how it can add a punch to any mobile marketing strategy with our next blog on LBM case studies. Until then, businesses needing more information on LBM or other mobile marketing strategies can contact us for expert advice.