By Internet Marketing Experts
2012 Series Of Virtual Summits, Workshop and Webinars scheduled starting March 26, 2012 through March 29, 2012 exclusively designed for the franchising industry
March 16, 2012 (Birmingham, MI): Melih Oztalay, CEO of Smartfinds Internet Marketing is guest speaker at the first Franchisee Sales and Marketing Summit (FranSummit) started by FranSummit founders, Paul Segreto, President and CEO of franchisEssentials, and Jeremy LaDuque, President and CEO of Elements Local, announced that on March 26, 2012. FranSummit will be the first of many major virtual events, exclusively designed for the franchising industry, to take place throughout the year.
Smartfinds Internet Marketing (http://www.smartfindsmarketing.com ), an Internet Marketing pioneer for more than 20 years and leader in web marketing including Geographic Web Marketing and Local Web Marketing for franchisees, will present “Embracing Technology and Adapting to Change” by Melih Oztalay, CEO of SmartFinds Internet Marketing.
“As a web marketing agency working in an ever changing environment of web technologies and requirements, our company has to adapt to the industry. As algorithms change, new technologies are introduced, previous technologies updated we have to step up to be sure we can support our clients before they are aware of these changes,” said Melih Oztalay, Smartfinds CEO. “The presentation at FranSummit will discuss expecting and accepting change in web marketing along with sample industry changes that are important to understand for 2012.”
FranSummit will be divided into four, one hour-long sessions spanning the length of four days, from March 26 until March 29. Each session will cover a different topic, with Paul Segreto facilitating and presenting alongside an expert guest on the subject of focus. Additionally, Jeremy LaDuque will present opening comments 15 minutes prior to each daily session and along with Paul Segreto, will also present a detailed summary of the entire Franchisee Sales and Marketing Summit at the conclusion of the last session.
“It is crucial to cover a broad spectrum of information while remaining detailed, precise and succinct within a brief amount of time. The guest speakers who we hand-picked are revered experts in their fields and will contribute greatly in achieving these goals,” said LaDuque. “We designed the whole event to have a natural flow, with each successive lesson building upon the one delivered the previous day. With this layout, and Paul and I actively participating, recapping and summarizing the main points, we are confident that our guests will retain a great amount of information in a concise, manageable fashion.”
The four sessions of Franchisee Sales and Marketing Summit will occur in the following chronological order, starting from March 26 through March 29:
- Monday, March 26 – Consumer Sales and Customer Experience with Mindy Golde, Director of Sales at Listen360 (formerly Systino)
- Tuesday, March 27 – Social Media and Personal Branding with Debra Vilchis, Chief Operating Officer of Fishman Public Relations
- Wednesday, March 28 – Local Marketing and SEO with Jeremy LaDuque, CEO of ElementsLocal and co-founder of FranSummit
- Thursday, March 29 – Embracing Technology and Adapting to Change with Melih Oztalay, CEO of SmartFinds Internet Marketing
The Webinar Series are held daily, from: Mar 26, 2012 to Mar 29, 2012 11:45 AM – 1:00 PM CDT.
All sessions will be recorded and available for download after the event. Both franchisors and franchisees are encouraged to attend. In addition, the event may be customized and branded for any franchise system to serve as instructional materials for later viewing.
Registration to Franchisee Sales and Marketing Summit is currently open with a base price of $199 and a $50, early bird discount available until March 19. Group discounts are also available with a fee of $99 for 10-49 attendees, $79 for 50-99 and $59 for groups with 100 or more participants.
For more information about FranSummit and to register for Franchisee Sales and Marketing Summit, visit http://www.fransummit.com
About Smartfinds Internet Marketing
The most critical element of SmartFinds Internet Marketing services is the creativity and imagination to apply the technological aspects of the digital marketplace to the marketing objectives of a particular business. Initial research provides SmartFinds the ability to develop a digital strategy that can be measured every step of the way to insure business growth and revenue generation. Some of SmartFinds’ clients have included ComForcare Home Care, Delphi, Flagstar Bank, Guardian Industries, McCann Erickson, Penske Automotive Group, Soave Enterprises, Wendy’s, Ziebart and others. You can learn more about SmartFinds at http://www.smartfindsmarketing.com and their Geographic Marketing website at http://www.smartfindsgeographicmarketing.com
New Release Contact:
Melih Oztalay, CEO
Smartfinds Internet Marketing
Toll-Free: (866) 501-5758
Direct: (248) 568.2241
melih@smartfindsmarketing.com
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/smartfinds
330 East Maple Road #503, Birmingham, MI 48009
By Internet Marketing Experts
I think it is fair to say that Google Plus Project, otherwise known as G+, has exploded onto the web marketing scene in a very short time. Statistics around the web indicate that in the first week, 35% of all new links shared on Twitter were related to the G+ Project.
At first glance everyone seemed to be declaring that the Google G+ Project would be the end of Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and Skype. I cannot imagine that G+ would have the ability to knock these behemoths down. Certainly not in the short term and long term the other communities fulfill other needs that G+ will not be able to. What I do believe the critics are missing is the effect on web marketing. Perhaps these critics are not web marketers, but more likely either seeking attention through competitive propaganda or have an inability to adopt and adapt to new changes within the Internet industry.
Certainly Google’s G+ Project will eventually change the web marketing world. Since this is Google’s own product, they will prefer social tick marks through the +1 Button over those coming from Twitter, Facebook and social bookmarking. You cannot help but see that this will impact organic search results. Web pages that generate many +1′s will probably populate earlier on Google search results than those websites that do not.
I will avoid detailed discussions related to the features offered through the Google G+ Project in this discussion, which include sharing Photos, Chatting, Hangout, Spark, Huddles, and Instant Uploads. As a web marketer, all of these other features are social community add-ons that mimic the likes of GoToMeeting, Skype, Flickr and others. None of these will necessarily affect web marketing in terms of search results; only make more features available for Google to allow for Adwords advertising on Google web properties versus on the Google Ad Network.
What Is The Need for Google Plus Project?
First and foremost, if we go back many years when Google got it’s start, part of their objective was to be the world’s information source. To that end, any information including communications, are fair game to be pooled under one roof for better accessing, interpretation and availability based on content relevancy. Information from social communities certainly falls into the process of aggregating information and in line with Google’s objectives.
Secondly, a few years ago if you logged into your Google account, you had the option of commenting on web pages in search results. I think it took one comment to realize that nothing we did would have an effect on website rankings, because the comments were only relative for our own account. Now why would I comment on web pages if my comments are not shared with anyone? Exactly! So, the comment we had on our own website is no longer there and the Google Plus Project seems to have replaced this feature more effectively. Now, all comments, ticks, etc. are shared with people in our community. Certainly seems to be more effective for web marketing.
Perhaps not the last reason, but certainly another important reason, would be related to anti-spam. Google has always sought out ways to reduce spam in the search results. So much so, that it has made it more difficult and complicated for businesses to rank legitimate information and websites (this is also known as job security for web marketers!).
Spammers have infiltrated social communities and found ways to get their information indexed through these communities and/or impacted search engine results for their websites. Since most popular social communities are not as good as Google in terms of anti-spam, one would expect Google to take a pro-active role. Content in the project can be better monitored (aka controlled) to minimize spam, fraud and less reputable websites.
G+ and Web Marketing
The +1 button is available through web search results now and also through other social communities, blogs, etc. A Google +1 button plugin is available for WordPress blogs and eventually, this will be as wide spread as other sharing tools for Twitter, Facebook, Delicious, etc.
Since these “social activities” are taking place on Google, it is hard to imagine that the number of +1 button clicks a given page gets would not have an effect on the organic rankings! Not only is the +1 button included on every post within Google Plus and on content publishers’ websites, but it’s literally sitting next to every single search result that Google returns. Does anyone doubt that this will affect search engine ranking position (SERP) results?!
It would be similar to doubting that star ratings on local business listings won’t affect search engine results that come through the local business listings. Let’s get realistic. As of November 2010, Google was able to marry a website with a local business listing and display average star ratings for a website based on the results in the local business listing. Star ratings are quantitative and therefore mathematical! Still don’t believe this will affect SERP?
If we believe that the number of +1 clicks will affect SERP and also display accordingly to content relevancy to my G+ community, then the more people in my community, the more people I can effect with +1 clicks.
Yes, I realize if we were to hire a bunch of people from a third world nation for 50 cents per hour clicking away at our client or our own websites, we could affect SERP, but let’s move away from that thought for a moment because that loop hole could get closed very quickly based on geographic IP addressing.
However, it does mean that the more people you have in your G+ community, the more people you can impact. Rather than thinking about third world nations clicking away, think about indiscriminately creating the largest community you can possibly think of using– every community you already belong to, every email address you have, every connection you can get your hands on. Now that may have a much bigger impact for anything you +1!
Early Adoption and Adapting To Change
Once again, the Internet shows how quickly a technology can enter the market and how rapidly people will migrate to it. Early adoption is the name of the game in the world of Internet technologies. Adapting to the changes in the industry is a must and everyone else will be left behind. If the past 20 years has not shown us that businesses need to jump on board sooner rather than later, then you will undoubtedly be left behind.
The G+ user population will grow extremely fast, given the interest, Google’s reach and resources, and the need businesses have for their website’s SERP. Perhaps this will become the “Facebook for Business”!
It will be interesting to learn how well businesses will be able to keep up with all of the changes, given the growing “to do” list. G+ on the short term will add a host of additional “to do’s” and the number of marketing outlets to manage. G+ will also be too important to ignore.
Article Contact
Melih Oztalay, CEO
Smartfinds Internet Marketing
Direct: (248) 568.2241
melih@smartfindsmarketing.com
330 East Maple Road #503, Birmingham, MI 48009
http://www.smartfindsmarketing.com
By Internet Marketing Experts
No doubt by now you would have heard of the black hat search engine optimization (SEO) tactics JC Penny’s pursued in order to be ranked well for various search terms particularly in planning for the 2010 holiday season. The news was uncovered by the New York Times in quite a bit of detail.
Their investigation found thousands of unrelated web sites in the retail industry were linking JCPenny.com. The process was done by linking very specific keywords and based on the detail of these links someone planned this process. While JC Penny’s SEO company was apparently fired for this incident, I find it difficult to believe that someone at JC Penny would not have known about this strategy.
Let’s start from the beginning and take a look at linking strategies post Google going public in 2004 and serious algorithm changes that took place in 2005 and beyond. There are a number of data points that Google monitors about a website and the individual web pages within the website. Ultimately it is about a web page, not a web site, therefore, any page can become ranked and any page can become an entry point for a visitor. This would then require you to re-think the call to action if your home page is no longer the entry point.
This first begins with how relevant a web page is relative to the search. This would include your Title tag, the meta Description of a page, and the visible text. The three parts have to work together in order to show a certain level of keyword density on a topic. You will notice I did not say anything about meta keywords as those have become less important over the years since companies can hide what they are really about in the meta keywords versus what they are displaying to the rest of the world.
The next major point would be about the web pages importance. This is determined through the number of web pages linking to your website or web pages. The more links the better. At least that was the original thought until website owners decided to buy links cheaply without doing any work. These links have several sub-components including if the site that is linking to you is relevant to your topic and if that web page itself has any importance.
The process of trying to cheat yourself into the top of a Google search is considered “black hat” optimization or SEO. Google has different ways of monitoring this process and is generally successful in locating the problem situations. Although, JC Penny’s situation was not caught until much later. Websites caught in this act are de-listed from Google and need to clean-up their act in order to get back into Google.
The short-term benefits of black hat SEO do not make any sense to the longevity of a business. It is better to focus your attention on developing real links from reputable websites and communities mostly using Content Marketing with articles, news releases, documents (e.g. Powerpoints), Videos, and Social Media. Aside from the obvious benefits of Content Marketing being a credible linking strategy, the benefits for brand reputation, brand credibility and brand awareness include:
• Traffic from Search Engines
• Traffic from Non-Search Engines
• Owning more search results using 3rd Party website where your content is distributed
Linking strategies are labor intensive and take time. This process also requires three types of linking that include:
• Direct Linking to website home page
• Direct Linking using targeted keywords
• Cross Linking distributed content
• Deep Linking inside of your web pages
This is one reason where Pay Per Click advertising using Adwords becomes beneficial in order to generate short term results while the organic results are being executed through content marketing.
While we can continue to talk about JC Penny’s debacle using cheap black hat optimization tricks that has back fired, as well as, linking strategies, let’s focus a little on the New York Times article itself.
You will notice I am not linking to that article in this writing. Frankly, I refuse to! I do not wish to add a link giving that article any further importance on the web because within the article it is linking directly to all the black hat optimization websites. I am sure I could write an article strictly on the ethical linking policies required by major publications, however, we’ll see if we can get the point across in fewer words.
As an owner of a web marketing agency I took the time to read the entire article meticulously to understand what was written. Mind you I have over 17 years Internet experience with two successful companies and my knowledge is quite deep.
What I am surprised at, considering the writer’s newly gained knowledge about linking strategies, is why would the New York Times setup active links to the companies providing such horrible service from this article (meaning coming from nytimes.com domain) and give them any value, benefit, and support?
In this case:
• Page 1 all the links in the last paragraph to black hat optimization link building farms
• Page 2 link to SearchDex who was fired by JC Penny
• Page 3 links to TNX, cookingutensils and Cocaman.ch who are engaged in these black hat linking building schemes
Why would the New York Times support these companies with links to their websites? Are they planning on helping them further with their business by helping their ranking position? Afterall, NYTimes.com, as a domain, has a lot of power and links to websites from NYTimes.com will only help the destination website.
What ethical policies are in place at the New York Times when it comes to linking to a website?
Of course I submitted this question to the New York Times and am currently waiting on a reply, which will be posted here should it ever arrive.
The Internet is a living breathing marketing tool that has no end point. You cannot perform a certain amount of work and expect the work to provide you millions of dollars next week nor will the one time work or expenditure give you longevity. As a business you have to plan on continued web efforts using all facets of web marketing, which is a multi-directional strategy.
Afterall, something that came up in a client meeting recently, “We will stop your optimization efforts when the search engines stop changing algorithms and technologies!” Yeah, that will be the day.
Certainly your time resources are limited and our team can assist with a deep understanding of organic marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), local business marketing, proper adword management, social media and many other Internet marketing strategies. Local Business Listing Optimization Services are provided by SmartFinds Internet Marketing, a Internet Marketing agency.
By Internet Marketing Experts
Bill Hagen’s Out The Window Advertising partners with SmartFinds Internet Marketing to introduce businesses to the benefits and components of Geo-Marketing, including Geo-Listings, Mobile Marketing and Geo-Social Marketing
FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA & DETROIT, MICHIGAN – July 28, 2010 (OUT THE WINDOW ADVERTISING | SMARTFINDS INTERNET MARKETING) – Out The Window Advertising (www.reachoutthewindow.com), a full service Arizona-based advertising agency, and SmartFinds Internet Marketing (www.smartfindsmarketing.com), a metropolitan Detroit-based agency which provides businesses with Internet marketing services and solutions, have recently partnered together to provide businesses with an opportunity to learn the many ways that Geo-Marketing can positively impact their bottom line.
The benefits and components of Geo-Marketing, include Local SEO, Geo-Listings, Mobile Marketing and Geo-Social Marketing. Geo-Marketing helps consumers to find local businesses, products or services through web searches, mobile searches and mobile applications. Geo-Listing Security, Consumer Reviews, and Reputation Management are additional components of the services offered.
“The partnership between Out The Window Advertising and SmartFinds Internet Marketing is an exciting opportunity to effectively introduce Geo-Marketing services to our clients,” commented Bill Hagen, President of Out The Window Advertising.
Most recently, Out The Window Advertising was ranked the 5th largest ad agency in Arizona by the Phoenix Business Journal. The team at Out The Window excels in the planning, development, placement, and creative execution of Television, Radio, Print, Direct Mail, e-commerce, social media and customer retention campaigns for over 90 clients nationwide.
Out The Window Advertising’s impressive client portfolio includes automotive dealerships. Commented agency President Bill Hagen, “Our car dealership clients are eagerly aware of the need for local marketing, local business marketing, and local dealership marketing.” Hagen added, “It’s interesting that the automotive industry relies on early adopters of automotive technology, and in the case of Geo-Marketing, car dealerships are themselves early adopters of Geo-Marketing technologies. The dealerships understand the importance of being found quickly by mobile and digital customers.”
SmartFinds Internet Marketing CEO, Melih Oztalay, stated “We are excited to partner with Bill Hagen and Out The Window Advertising in our effort to share the benefits of Geo-Marketing. We are currently working with Out The Window Advertising’s client base to claim and update local listings on behalf of 150+ car dealerships. Car dealerships are just one of many local businesses dependent upon local consumers for their revenue.”
Melih Oztalay has over fifteen years experience with Internet and digital services in developing strategies that utilize all facets of the World Wide Web. As a Internet marketing agency, SmartFinds Internet Marketing’s major focus is to develop multi-directional marketing campaigns to drive traffic to client web sites from more than just search engines.
Anyone interested in learning more about the ways in which businesses can use Geo-Marketing to be more easily located by local consumers may visit www.smartfindslocallisting.com. For more information about Out The Window Advertising, please visit www.reachoutthewindow.com.
About Out The Window Advertising
Out The Window Advertising was recently ranked the 5th largest ad agency in Arizona by the Phoenix Business Journal. The team at Out The Window excels in the planning, development, placement, and creative execution of Television, Radio, Print, Direct Mail, e-commerce, social media and customer retention campaigns for over 90 clients nationwide. For a true “one-stop shop,” Out The Window Advertising offers the use of their “In-House” production facility for all client projects. For more information about Out The Window Advertising, please visit www.reachoutthewindow.com.
About SmartFinds Internet Marketing
The most critical element of SmartFinds Internet Marketing services is the creativity and imagination to apply the technological aspects of the digital marketplace to the marketing objectives of a particular business. Initial research provides SmartFinds the ability to develop a digital strategy that can be measured every step of the way to insure business growth and revenue generation. Some of SmartFinds’ clients have included Delphi, Flagstar Bank, Guardian Industries, Soave Enterprises, Detroit Convention and Visitors Bureau, McCann Erickson, Wendy’s and others. You can learn more about SmartFinds at www.smartfindsmarketing.com.
Contact: Esther Lastacy, 330 E. Maple Road, Suite 503, Birmingham MI 48009, 866.501.5758, esther@smartfindsmarketing.com.
By Internet Marketing Experts
SmartFinds Internet Marketing Introduction, A Michigan 50 Company
At SmartFinds Internet Marketing, an agency for businesses for stratecgic Internet marketing solutions, we take a rational approach to an irrational medium. Our digital marketing and advertising expertise along with our business intellect attracts multitudes of sophisticated team members, partners and clients.
In 2009, SmartFinds Internet Marketing was recognized as one Michigan’s “50 Companies to Watch,” an awards program sponsored by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the Small Business Administration of Michigan, the Edward Lowe Foundation, and presented by Michigan Celebrates Small Business. You can learn about SmartFinds’ authority in the topic of Internet marketing at their Internet marketing blog. Follow SmartFinds Internet Marketing at .
Our energy and our ability to deliver sound strategies for our clients are directly tied to our entrepreneurial culture. We thrive on wit and passion for what we do, and our team is collectively involved in our leadership style of serving our teams, our employees, our partners and our clients.
When a client comes for big, meaningful ideas, we take these ideas and exceed expectations through collaboration and helpful education. We do not provide them simply with “services”, but rather act as an internal swat team of digital media experts – an extension to their organization.
We have been in the Internet business since 1994 and in the Advertising and Marketing business since 1987. We have a team of 13 that includes project managers, writers, creative developers, technical developers, advertising team and marketing team.
Five major sections of the business: Research, Strategy and Planning; Creative Development; Technical Development; Digital Marketing; Digital Advertising; Management, Measurement and Analysis. Our new Local Marketing services with Local business listings for local business marketing to reach local consumers through web searches and mobiles searches was started in January 2010. More information on local marketing can be found at the local marketing blog. You can follow SmartFinds Local Listing on .
KillerStartUps.com reviewed the SmartFinds Local Business Listing services in November 2009 with their own editorial commentary about the direction of the local listing industry and the affects upon the traditional yellow pages.
Major Clients include: American Community Mutual Insurance, BASF Chemicals, Big Boy, Checker Sedan, Delphi, Detroit Convention and Visitors Bureau, DTE Energy, Flagstar Bank, Guardian Industries, McCann Erickson, Penske Auto Group, Soave Enterprises, Vietnam Veterans of America, Wendy’s and others.
Our CEO, Melih (“may-lee”) Oztalay, is a 16 year veteran of the Internet. As the CEO of SmartFinds Internet Marketing located in Birmingham, Michigan, providing Internet marketing solutions and services to businesses. The agency’s recent focus on local business listing management services helps small and local businesses reach local consumers through web and mobile searches. A recent interview by Metro Mode Media provides more information with Melih Oztalay and being an entrepreneur in the State of Michigan. Connect with Melih Oztalay on LinkedIn.
As a digital marketing agency, we are results oriented in our strategic approach. While our competitors are service providers and task oriented, our focus is to manage and aid all aspects of the client’s sales and business growth through integrated strategic marketing programs.
Follow SmartFinds at the following locations on the web:
SmartFinds Local Listing on Blog.com.
SmartFinds Internet Marketing on Google’s Blogger.
SmartFinds Internet Marketing on BizJournals.com.
SmartFinds Internet Marketing on Tumblr.com.
SmartFinds Internet Marketing on Vox.com.
SmartFinds Local Listing on WordPress.com.
By Internet Marketing Experts
If you're looking for resources on Local Business Marketing, look no further than the below locations. Each is a blog with information about Local Business Marketing.
Let your local customers find you and start generating leads from new online marketing sources. Your local business listings show up in search results and on mobile devices when your customers are around town.
Blloggs
Blog Catalog
Blog Lines
Blog Rankings
Blog Search
Blogarama
Buzzerhut
Feed Map
Feed Nuts
Google
Google Blog
Gozoof
Ice Rocket
Ice Rocket
Loaded Web
MV Blogs
On Top List
Sarthak Blogz
Search Sight
Technorati
The SEO King
Weblogs
You Say Too
Zimbio
It is certainly no secret what to do. The secret is knowing how you market your website, business and brand. Knowing how to execute Internet marketing tactics and strategy is a matter of experience, creativity, resourceful and expertise. Innovation has no limits. Imagine what SmartFinds Internet Marketing can do for you!
By Internet Marketing Experts
A Question and Answer with Melih Oztalay.
Oztalay has two words for Metro Detroit: early adoption. In the eyes of this downtown Birmingham-based entrepreneur, it’s a key phrase that will go a long way towards reinventing the region’s economy for the 21st Century
Oztalay started SmartFinds Internet Marketing in the early 1990s as an Internet service provider, getting in on the ground floor of the economic juggernaut that changed the world. His 13-person company specializes in everything from search engine optimization to mobile application advertising. He’s kept his firm at the forefront of technology trends, sometimes dragging Metro Detroit’s conservative business culture with him.
In the early years of his company, Oztalay couldn’t help but fantasize that he’d be retired on a South Pacific island if only he had set up his business in California instead of Michigan. Why? Because the dynamic entrepreneurial culture on the coasts doesn’t just make early adoption a priority, it makes it a necessity. Oztalay believes Michigan needs to be bolder, become a trendsetter instead of just waiting on the sidelines to see if something takes off.
“We’re just not open to innovation that is outside of our manufacturing space,” Oztalay says. He adds that introversion has broader implications than just job creation and profit margin expansion. “It’s difficult to change that culture,” Oztalay adds. “That goes to the fact that we’re not able to retain our next generation here in Michigan. They don’t see a future here. They only see what we had.”
Read more at: http://www.metromodemedia.com/features/MelihOztalay0171.aspx
Visit SmartFinds Internet Marketing at www.smartfindsmarketing.com and their geo-marketing services at www.smartfindslocallisting.com
By teamsf
BIRMINGHAM, MI – February 19, 2010 (SMARTFINDS INTERNET MARKETING ) – Ongoing FREE webinars (http://www.smartfindslocallisting.com/webinar.php) entitled, An Introduction to the Benefits of Local Business Listings, are scheduled to take place. The webinars are being hosted by SmartFinds Internet Marketing, with two upcoming sessions scheduled for Wednesday, February 24th at 10:00 a.m. EST and Thursday, February 25th at 2:00 p.m. EST. The free webinars will provide business owners with an opportunity to learn the many ways that local business listings can positively impact their bottom line through local business marketing.
SmartFinds Internet Marketing is a metropolitan Detroit-based firm which provides businesses with Internet marketing services and solutions. SmartFinds Internet Marketing launched their SmartFinds Local Listing website to promote the benefits and details of their Local Business Listing Management Service offering. Information about the SmartFinds Local Listing can be found at http://www.smartfindslocallisting.com
An affordable local business listing package service, offered by SmartFinds Internet Marketing, helps business owners claim, update and mange their local business listing, while helping to reduce the cost of traditional yellow page ads. Local online business listings are free through the major search engines and display in search results, as well as on mobile searches. The additional benefits include adding coupons, offers, discounts, photos, videos while changing them anytime – which cannot be accomplished with a traditional-print yellow page ad.
SmartFinds Internet Marketing CEO, Melih Oztalay, stated “We are very pleased to share the benefits of Local Business Listings with business owners through these educational webinars. The benefits to businesses are incredible to be available to their local customers when the customer is looking for them while being around town with their mobile device. The fact that the businesses can also update their offers anytime gives the local business the possibility to adapt to market changes.”
Anyone interested in learning more about the ways in which business owners can use local business listings as an alternative to traditional yellow pages and to be more easily located by mobile local consumer may register to attend the upcoming webinar by visiting http://www.smartfindslocallisting.com/webinar.php). Attendees will leave this event with a solid understanding of:
· What are local business listings?
· How will our business benefit from local business listings?
· What is involved with claiming our local business listings at multiple local listing websites?
Questions should be directed to melih@smartfindsmarketing.com.
About SmartFinds Internet Marketing
SmartFinds Internet Marketing is a 2009 Michigan 50 Companies To Watch awardee. The most critical element of SmartFinds Internet Marketing services is the creativity and imagination to apply the technological aspects of the digital marketplace to the marketing objectives of a particular business. Initial research provides SmartFinds the ability to develop a digital strategy that can be measured every step of the way to insure business growth and revenue generation. Some of SmartFinds’ clients have included Delphi, Flagstar Bank, Guardian Industries, Soave Enterprises, Detroit Convention and Visitors Bureau, McCann Erickson, Wendy’s and others. You can learn more about SmartFinds at http://www.smartfindsmarketing.com.
Contact: Esther Lastacy, 330 E. Maple Road, Suite 503, Birmingham MI 48009, 866.501.5758, esther@smartfindsmarketing.com.
By teamsf
The Internet has catapulted to the marketing scene fast and furiously. Once considered a budgetary “optional extra,” the Internet has since moved to the high priority list for serious marketers. As newspapers reduce publication or worse, close down – and as broadcasting audiences change, the Internet has grown in importance for marketing your business.
When it comes to the Internet as a new business marketing medium, it’s worthwhile to review the history. Most importantly, how history has affected marketing budgets. Changes in marketing were evolutionary from the 1920s until the mid-1990s. Print, like newspapers and magazines, were the primary mediums for advertising. Then, radio began to capture a share of the marketing budget. Television expanded from the three networks of the 1950s to cable with hundreds of choices. This expansion was steady but slow. Although budgets were adjusted to include the new mediums as each one arrived to the market, there was resistance by many to each of these media outlets.
Have you ever looked up the meaning of paradigm? It is used to describe a way of thinking or a body of evidence, and we use the words “paradigm shift” to describe a significant change of thought or strategy or a new reality.
When things are uncertain, some may think it is premature to consider tackling new realities. This thought may resonate with the attitude, “Why try something new? I can use the same methods that have always worked in the past, especially since these are methods I understand.” This conviction may feel comfortable for some period of time, but many people wait until they are forced to try something new and in many cases, it is too late.
The Internet is a good example of a medium one shouldn’t postpone using, as well as a medium that is not waiting for businesses to catch up. With changes occurring on the Web every month, by the time some companies finish a Request for Proposal (RFP) process, there are new strategies or processes for consideration. These new strategies and processes then change budgets that were not part of the considerations for the RFP or the responses.
The Internet changes and grows because input and ideas come from everyone. There are no limits as to who submits their knowledge and in part this is due to the barrier to entry is almost zero. Unlike traditional marketing mediums that required significant infrastructure, the Internet only requires a computer and a connection.
Some examples of these new strategies and processes would include social media, PowerPoints, and video. In 2006 Social Media was limited to forums and blogs; however, by the time we got to 2008, we had MySpace, Facebook and Twitter to name a few. Video on the Web had been steadily been growing for a number of years, but became more popular with YouTube. PowerPoint communities which allow you to get your message out to the Web community have not totally caught on, however, they are increasingly growing as a good resource to get your message out.
We have to consider that the Internet basically has all of the three traditional marketing mediums within. Print, Radio and Video are all a part of the Internet, thus adding to the complication of budget considerations. The digital world also is supported through a variety of external hardware which includes mobile devices like laptops and iPhones. These mobile devices allow marketers to stay in touch with consumers no matter where they go.
Traditional media has always had an issue in giving clients adequate measurements to show a return on investment. Advertising was better than Public Relations, but neither gave concrete results. The Internet gives clients the ability of measuring everything from a news release to social media marketing. This includes not only traffic and sales to your Web site, but the viral nature of any content that is distributed (news, articles, banners, etc.).
As we budget considerations continue transitioning for some businesses, the Internet continues to grow rapidly. Those that embrace the change and engage the medium will get the benefits sooner. They will also be able to build upon their investments into the Internet medium, while others will have to catch-up at higher prices. Are you still considering how much of your budget should be for the Internet?
By teamsf
When you develop your business Web site, do you think about return on investment or how it will look? In the early 1990s, it was easy to ask a system administrator to develop a Web site. Back in those days, the Web site was mostly a brochure, and many didn’t necessarily focus on a call to action, the business brand, or the creative design. The 1990s did not require the sub-specialization needed for today’s successful Web sites.
When engaging in Web site development today, it’s critical to evaluate return on investment. In order to foster results and return on investment for a Web site development project, there are several elements which require consideration. In this discussion, we will not touch on the obvious creative development, but rather emphasize other process elements.
Brand Recognition and Strategy
How will your business name and brand interact with Web site visitors? What will these visitors take away from the Web site; and how will this strategy impact your marketing outside of your Web site later? (A very simple example that tends to be overlooked is your Favorite’s Icon for your brand, since this Icon may carry over into traditional print marketing pieces.)
Research, Strategy and Planning
Every page of your Web site has to be optimized differently and adhere to content relevancy algorithms of the search engines. Understanding how each page will be optimized is important to facilitate Web site marketing. You do not need to guess how to do this, rather use various existing tools that will help you.
Competition and Competitor research helps determine why other Web sites are ranked before yours and how to plan the development accordingly. Also, the ways in which competing Web sites are designed, how they flow and how their Web site metrics are performing will help determine what needs consideration in the planning process.
Subsequently, if every page is optimized differently then each page can become an entry point to your Web site. The impact this has significantly changes the content of each page of your Web site too.
Business and Creative Objective
This objective will determine how to develop the Web site flow. What is the call to action to get the visitor from the entry page to an information page to an action page?
Content Management Systems (CMS)
CMS gives you the ability to manage your Web pages without having know HTML code. It is an interface, in most cases, similar to using Microsoft Word. CMS uses a database and program infrastructure in order to give you this ability to present the Web pages to visitors. To use CMS, a Web site may be prepared using templates and needs to be planned for current and future considerations.
In the above items, you will find that the disciplines needed for Web site development in today’s business environment cover:
1. Brand and Marketing Intelligence
2. Creative Design
3. Technical Programming, Software and Databases
4. Web Site Assembly, Management and Maintenance
We have seen many times where clients expect their Web developers to have the knowledge and experience to plan around Web site that has results. While some developers possess this capability, unfortunately, the time and discipline required to understand these aspects are not necessarily a part of the average Web developer. Sometimes clients and Web developers have a mis-communication or misunderstanding around the expectations of the realistic results that could be better managed with the appropriate skill set.
As we think about business Web site development, we have to realize the project is not only a minimum of 3 months from start to finish, but also plan around the expected results and return on investment. You are no longer developing a brochure, but a business tool that will help generate revenue. Does your Web site perform to your business objectives?
