Yes, we are a marketing company that gets paid to do the stuff you either can’t or don’t have time to do yourself, but there are things that you can do (quickly) to help with your marketing.
#1: Get your customers talking
You probably already have customers that love you but, they’re busy and they just haven’t taken the time to leave you a review yet. Google can create a remarketing ad for you. If you do this, keep your ad simple. Like, “Love us? Leave a review on Google!” and send them the Google generated URL through email or text so they can leave the review.
#2: The social media strut
So, how do you strut your stuff on social media? How do you let people know who you are and how you can help them? A testimonial, particularly a video testimonial, is a fantastic way to get excitement going, increase engagement, and you don’t need to spend much. Ask your customers if they’d be willing to do a quick video, most are happy to do it for you, and then boost it locally. People are all over social media and it’s a great way to let your customers get the word out about your business.
#3: Clearly define your Yelp categories
Lots of people use Yelp and you want to make sure that your business shows up on this platform the way you want it to. For example, if you own a business that rents bouncy houses, you’ll want to use Party Equipment Rentals and Bounce House Rentals categories for your Yelp page. You can find a list of categories here.
#4: Asking for Yelp reviews
Be careful with this one. Here’s a list of dos and don’ts to get this right:
1. Use “Find Friends” to identify your customers who use Yelp, but do NOT request reviews from here.
2. Request reviews a few at a time through Facebook or email, not through an email blast.
3. Don’t send your customer a link to your Yelp page to leave the review. Ask them to go to Google and use “Your Business + Yelp”. Then click the Google link to go leave the review.
4. They should receive the request after they leave your place of business, not while they’re on the premises. Don’t ask them while they’re standing in your lobby and then watch over them until they’ve done it. It’s too much pressure on them and Yelp doesn’t like it either.
Be patient with the process. Slowly adding positive reviews on Yelp make a big difference.
#5: Your local Facebook audience
Promoting your content on Facebook is simple. You can add whatever picture or video you want, pick your target audience and how much you want to spend, and publish. Targeting people who live inside of a certain radius around your business is important. For example: if I’m going to get my hair cut, I’m not driving more than 10 to 15 miles to do it, I don’t care how good they are. There is someone closer to me who can do a wonderful job; I just need to find them. Make sure the content you promote is engaging. That usually means NOT text only. In social media, text is, well, boring. Make sure there is either a photo or a video in your post.
#6: Ads for calls
You can create an ad that will run on mobile devices, is captivating, and one-touch clickable to dial. These usually have the phone number listed prominently, the name of the business, and a short but precise description of what the business is all about.
#7: Create a guide
Creating a relevant guide for local activities is a fun way to get potential customers engaged in your business. If, for example, you own a fishing tackle and bait shop, you could highlight local lakes, ponds, rivers and the best fishing gear to catch fish in each situation. Adding the guide to your Facebook posts serves to further your brand and authority.
We hope these seven things will help you get going with your marketing. As always, The Salt Net is here to help if you need us.
