Integrated Website & Blog Marketing

Did you know that 77% of all internet users follow one or more blogs? If you’re not capitalizing on the growing community, you’re missing out on huge business. Bloggers are passionate about sharing, and if you have one as a client and can turn them into a raving fan, they can propel your business to… [Continue Reading]

web-blog-marketing

Social Media Marketing

With over 400,000,000 members, Facebook is a giant that cannot be ignored. Social networks have changed the way people research and make buying decisions. When leveraged in your favor you’ll have the opportunity to build more trust, respect, and credibility than ever before. Imagine being able to have feedback on how to improve your business,… [Continue Reading]

social-media

Local Search Visibility

Did you know that 30% of all searches include a city or local term, and that even if it isn’t included, the local data is included by the IP address of the person searching? This means that every search for every term will have the local companies that have figured out how to get listed… [Continue Reading]

local-search

Lead Capture and Follow-Up Campaign

Did you know that a GREAT webpage will convert 5% of it’s visitors to a purchase. Meaning that over 95% of the traffic you are sending / paying for is currently going to waste. However the AVERAGE page that offers consumers free info in exchange for their contact info gets 35-40% conversion. Imagine being able… [Continue Reading]

lead-capture

Full Video Marketing Campaign

Currently there are over 26 BILLION videos viewed per month in the United States alone. Youtube is the #4 search engine on the internet, and it only is a portal to user-created videos. This is the most profound paradigm shift in media distribution and advertising in the history of the internet and you are ahead… [Continue Reading]

online-video-marketing

WordCamp 2012: Building Your Virtual Marketing Platform on Your WordPress Website

November 2, 2011 By Local Business Guru Leave a Comment

I am stoked to be presenting again at the WordCamp in Victoria on Saturday, January 14, 2012!

TOPIC: Building Your Virtual Marketing Platform on Your WordPress Website

DESCRIPTION: After attending a number of the WordPress sessions at WordCamp, this session will help you piece together your overall online marketing strategy using WordPress website as the Foundation for your Virtual Marketing Platform. You see, most businesses usually piece their online presence together starting with their website and then proceed to social media components such as Facebook and Twitter. This on-the-fly style of planning proves to be less calculated and will result in inconsistencies in future social media activities.

In this presentation reveals the three stages of crafting your Virtual Marketing Platform (VMP) focusing specifically on the small business owner. Firstly, you will get a bird’s eye view of 10 different components that make up your VMP. In the building state you will see how to prioritize the components for implementation. Lastly, you will discover what can be automated leaving you with only the high level interactions to focus your attention. Small business is still a relationship business and your Virtual Marketing Platform will enable you to be more efficient and effective in growing your online presence.

If you haven’t registered, please do so today!
Click here to register for WordCamp Victoria 2012.

 

If you are attending the event, please connect with me at any of these contact points:

Website: http://www.localbusinessgurus.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/robinheppell
Linkedin: http://ca.linkedin.com/in/heppell (robin@funeralfuturist.com)
Twitter: http://twitter.com/robinheppell
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/robinheppell
Funeral Industry Contact Points:
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/funeralfuturist
Twitter: http://twitter.com/funeralfuturist
Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/funeralfuturist

R U a WWP Guru


Slide Presentation from SlideShare

Virtual Marketing Platform for WordPress Websites
View more presentations from Robin Heppell

Filed Under Events, Local Business Marketing Tips

Survey: Local Business Social Media 101

June 14, 2011 By Local Business Guru Leave a Comment

Please tell me what you would like to learn next about social media for your small business.

Filed Under Small Business Marketing Ideas

Social Media Camp Presentation: Crafting Your Virtual Marketing Platform for Your Small Business

June 3, 2011 By Local Business Guru Leave a Comment

Video Replay: 39:19 minutes

PowerPoint Presentation via SlideShare

Creating Your Virtual Marketing Platform For Small Business

Social Media Camp 2011

I am stoked to be presenting again at the Social Media Camp in Victoria on Saturday, June 4, 2011 at 11 am.

 

TOPIC: Crafting Your Virtual Marketing Platform for Your Small Business

DESCRIPTION: Businesses usually piece their online presence together starting with their website and then proceed to social media components such as Facebook and Twitter. This on-the-fly style of planning proves to be less calculated and will result in inconsistencies in future social media activities.

This presentation reveals the three stages of crafting your Virtual Marketing Platform (VMP) focusing specifically on the small business owner. Firstly, you will get a bird’s eye view of 10 different components that make up your VMP. In the building state you will see how to prioritize the components for implementation. Lastly, you will discover what can be automated leaving you with only the high level interactions to focus your attention. Small business is still a relationship business and your Virtual Marketing Platform will enable you to be more efficient and effective in growing your online presence.

Attendees will receive a checklist and templates to ensure that they can build their Virtual Marketing Platform from the ground up!

If you are attending the event, please connect with me at any of these contact points:

Website: http://www.localbusinessgurus.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/robinheppell
Linkedin: http://ca.linkedin.com/in/heppell (robin@funeralfuturist.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/robinheppell
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/robinheppell

Funeral Industry Contact Points:
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/funeralfuturist
Twitter: http://twitter.com/funeralfuturist
Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/funeralfuturist


Filed Under Events

Presentation: WordPress For Your Business Website

May 16, 2010 By Local Business Guru Leave a Comment

This is the recording and SlideShare of my presention at WordCamp Victoria 2010. This presentation is for web designers and consultants who offer WordPress websites to business owners.

“This was a great event. My favourite talk was Rob Heppell’s – As much about marketing as WP but perfect for me at this moment.
David Pettigrew

Video

Slide Share

WordPress for Your Business Website

Please share your comments below.

Filed Under Events, Local Business Marketing Tips Tagged With Business, CMS, Website, WordCamp, WordCampVictoria, WordPress

Hepp Speaking at WordCamp Victoria

April 13, 2010 By Local Business Guru Leave a Comment

Click Here For More Information

I am excited to be apart of WordCamp Victoria which is going to be held on May 15, in Victoria at the University Canada West.

I will be presenting “WordPress For Your Business Website – Building the Foundation for Your Virtual Marketing Platform” which will basically be an “Information Sessions” (Sales Pitch) to business owners why to choose WordPress over other CMS (Content Management Systems).

Business owners will leave with a better understanding of what the possibilities are for their company’s website and how to go about sourcing companies to get you started.

WordPress Web Development Companies and Consultants will gain insights on how to position the benefits of WordPress in their sales or proposal process.

Stay tuned for more insights.

Filed Under Events, Local Business Marketing Tips

5 Reasons to have a Careers Section on Your Local Business Website

April 11, 2010 By Local Business Guru Leave a Comment

Recently, I created a “Help Wanted Ad” for some a support position to help me with the growth of my business and posted it to my website.  In stead of the old way of posting ads with newspapers and then sifting through a stack of job-seeking-tire-kickers, I wanted to elevate the relationship level to someone who was familiar with my work (via my website) or at least to get a referral – friend of a friend.  So why I am telling you this story?  Well it seems to be a topic of interest lately – getting good calibre staff – and we seem to turn to the help wanted ads for our next team member.  As small, local businesses, we forget that we have a number of “eyeballs” checking our websites on a regular basis.  Why not have a “Careers” or “Job Opportunities” section on your website?

Here is a list of the reasons why you should have a Careers section on your website:

  1. It’s free! Well, depending on how your site is set up you may have to pay your web developer to create this section, or if you use a Content Management system like WordPress – it’s completely Free.
  2. Gives visitors an insight into your company.  Even if someone isn’t looking for a job – maybe they are trying to decide if they should choose your company or not and if you communicate in your Help Ads that you need a certain type of person that will go above and beyond for your clients, they may see that is a deciding factor – “Attracting Clients through Help Wanted Ads”
  3. The job seeker will get a better understanding of your operations since they are already at your website (although if someone comes in to an interview without researching you on your website, maybe you should keep looking).
  4. The Referral – maybe someone has been to your website for some information and they see your Careers tab and they know of someone who may be perfect for business and they are already familiar with your company via the website (this referral will never happen if you only used help wanted ads).
  5. Good Economic Community Member – in economic times like this, it is good to show that you are investing back into the community – Job Creation (even if it is a replacement situation for you, you don’t have to tell everyone that)

Here are some steps that you should remember:

  • Let the firm’s caring, empathic personality come out in your ad, and describe what it is like to be apart of your team (others are reading it too)
  • After the position has been filled, leave it up as a sample and still offer to accept resumes
  • Create a “Footer” link to your Careers section for each page – visitors’ curiosity will make them check out what’s available
  • Secret tactic: use Social Network sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and even Twitter to direct people to your new job posting

I am sure that there are other benefits to posting job opportunities on your company website. Can you think of any other reasons?  Please leave a comment below. I hope that this has been helpful – again please add your thoughts by leaving a comment below – thanks.

Filed Under Local Business Marketing Tips, Website Strategies Tagged With Careers, Small Business Marketing Ideas

Upload Your Firm’s “Welcome Message” to YouTube

April 11, 2010 By Local Business Guru Leave a Comment

To gain more exposure for your locally owned business, take advantage of uploading a welcome video to YouTube. Currently YouTube is the third most popular website on the Internet and now Google – the most popular search engine – incorporates YouTube videos in its search results.

This explanation is does not cover the details of the actual upload process as YouTube has great instructions to create an account and upload videos. Here are those links:

The objective of this tutorial is to explain how to choose the words that you will help you get the best rankings in Google for your welcome message. Below is the window that you have to fill out to describe your video.


Title:

In the Title field, it is more important to have the terms of what your business is, such as Chiropractor, Dentist, Lawyer, Funeral Home before your company name. I would place your ‘City’ and ‘State / Province’ before your firm’s name as well. The reason for this is that the search engines place more importance on words in the beginning of the field and also most people are going to be searching for “Chiropractors in Victoria, BC” and not particularly your Firm’s Name. Use up to 60 characters including spaces.
Example: Chiropractor in Victoria BC | Jones Chiropractic Office

Description:

The description should state who you are, where you are, and what you do. When writing the description try to use words that people would use when searching for a local business. Put more emphasis on types of services you offer instead of explaining your history – you can include the history part in your video.  Also include your local phone number, as the search engines can determine phone numbers and area codes.  US firms place your zip code in the description as well as the zips of heavily populated areas and of smaller communities that you want to serve.
Must: Start your description with http://www.YourLocalBusinessSite.com (including the “http://”). This is will be a live link so viewers can see it and click on it to go to your site.
Example: http://www.YourFuneralChapel.com Welcome to Your Funeral Chapel in Springfield, Illinois, 62702. Our funeral home offers funeral and memorial services with burial or cremation. We serve all areas in Greater Springfield including Chatham, Rochester, Riverton, Sherman, and New Berlin. For more information call 217-555-1212. 62701, 62703, 62704, 62629, 62563, 62684.

Tags:

Use relevant key words, the same main ones that you have used in your Title and your Description. You have up to 120 characters including spaces (or 6 keyword phrases) to list your tags– use all of them. US firms, include your Zip Code (around surrounding zip codes).
Example: Funeral Home Springfield Illinois 62702 Mortuary Cremation Planning Cemetery 62701

Make sure to use the many resources that YouTube offers, the Help Center and Video Toolbox are extremely helpful. I look forward to seeing your smiling face on YouTube – Once your video is on YouTube, leave a comment below and put the URL from YouTube for your video in the Website box and in your comment as well!

Filed Under Online Video Marketing, Small Business Marketing Ideas Tagged With Local Business, Marketing Tips, Online Video Marketing, Small Business Marketing Ideas, YouTube

Secret Tip for Dealing with Price Shoppers for Your Small Business

April 11, 2010 By Local Business Guru Leave a Comment

I thought that I should share with you this SECRET TIP that you can use the next time you get a Price Shopper that will INSTANTLY build RAPPORT and CREDIBILITY with the caller – even if they want to *Think About It* – because the more COMFORTABLE they feel with you the more likely they will choose your company over your competitor.

This STRATEGY can be done at the beginning or the end of the call – make sure you read both scenarios…

At the Beginning of the Phone Call as you introduce yourself…

“Hello, my name is Robin. I understand you want information about replacing the brakes on your car. I will be happy to provide that information for you.  Do you have a pen and some paper handy? Ok, first just jot down this number: 250-686-4576.  It is my cell phone number and I wanted you to have it just in case we get cut off or if you need to contact me later for more information you can reach me directly, once again it’s 250-686-4576.”

At the End of the Phone Call if they are not making a decision right now…

Robin says: “I understand that you are just gathering information right now about new brakes for your car and I just want to let you know that if you have any other questions, you may call me at anytime. Here is my cell phone number – 250-686-4576 – if questions come up when you are discussing things with your spouse . Once again it’s 250-686-4576.”

So the SECRET TIP is giving the caller your CELL PHONE NUMBER.

What does giving your cell phone number accomplish?

It helps BUILD RAPPORT and TRUST.

You see, you can’t just say “TRUST ME” you have to “EARN TRUST” and by offering to give the caller your cell phone number – something that most people only give to their closest friends – you are DEMONSTRATING TRUST!

Now you might be thinking, I really don’t feel comfortable giving my cell phone to a stranger? But I am guessing that over the last couple of years there has been an occasion or two where you have given your cell number to a client and maybe you give it to them on a regular basis.  So why not treat the price caller like a client – isn’t that the GOAL anyway – to have them as a CLIENT?

Let me know your successes with the Price Shopper Cell Phone Tip.  It’s free to try and if it doesn’t work then stop offering it but you will be amazed how the tone of the conservation will change after applying this Trust Building Strategy.

Filed Under Competition, Local Business Marketing Tips Tagged With Competitors, Marketing Tips, Price Shoppers

Local Business Marketing with YouTube

April 11, 2010 By Local Business Guru Leave a Comment

What is better than being “number one” in Google?  By being number one through ten of course.  To accomplish this Google domination you have to look beyond your website and harass the power of other websites – like YouTube.  Of all websites, YouTube ranks third most popular website, and only behind Google and Facebook. No matter how great your website is it is a speck of dust compared to YouTube and the other online video sharing websites like Google Video, Revver, and AOL Video.

If you would like to see real life examples that I did in the funeral industry, you have to check out the case study that I conducted where McCall Bros. Funeral Home captured seven out of ten results for ‘Funeral planning in Victoria BC’ – including spots one through four.  The study shows how the videos impacted the search results in Google, Yahoo, and Live Search, within one day and also over a six week period.  To see all of the results along with my commentary, visit:

http://www.funeralfuturist.com/case-study-online-video-for-funeral-cemetery-promotion/

So if you are still with me here, you may be wondering what video content you would use on YouTube.  I always look for the easiest solution first, so I would suggest using those TV commercials that you had to pay thousands of dollars for and upload them to YouTube.  If you do not have a commercial ready to go, you could use the same software that you use to create your DVD memorial videos and create a three minute infomercial demonstrating how you are different than your competition.

Stay tuned for more helpful articles about Online Video Marketing.

Please let me know of your successes after you upload your first video.  Also, if you have any other questions or suggestions, please leave a comment below.

Filed Under Online Video Marketing, Small Business Marketing Ideas Tagged With Google, Local Business, Online Video Marketing, YouTube

Integrated Website & Blog Marketing

March 25, 2010 By Local Business Guru Leave a Comment

Did you know that 77% of all internet users follow one or more blogs? If you’re not capitalizing on the growing community, you’re missing out on huge business. Bloggers are passionate about sharing, and if you have one as a client and can turn them into a raving fan, they can propel your business to new heights. We’ll create and manage your video blog for you, all with push button simplicity so you can leverage this influence engine giant for your benefit.

Filed Under Slider
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