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Determining your target audience Archives - Search Engine Marketing & Optimization
A blog for truly small businesses

Determining your target audience

Another way to use Facebook instead of letting Facebook use you…

While the big boys are spending big money to set up shop and keep visitors on Facebook, spending money for ads on your Facebook Fan Page and Facebook Profile pages you can be driving traffic away from Facebook to your website!

At least until Facebook figures out that we’ve got their number :-D. The beauty is, you don’t even have to have a Facebook account (at least not yet) to do this!

How? It’s pretty simple really… add a Facebook “Like” or “Share” button to your site.

 How easy this is will depend on how your website is built but a “Like” button can be added to just about any website if you are allowed to add html code to your pages.

If you would like to do this for your own website you can create the button here: http://developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/plugins/like. You can create one button that is a link to your primary URL and insert it in all or any pages on your website or you can create a button for each link you want people to share on your website.

If you have one of our dynamic content sites, we can add a feature to your website that will automatically add “like” and/or “share” buttons to your blog posts or pages.

Need more help? Give us a call at (888) 595 3098 or visit our Contact Us page.

We’ve stated the “social shopping” problem now we’ll share the solution

With companies like Best Buy “setting up shop” on Facebook my clients are in somewhat of a panic to compete. First of all, as I’ve said since the beginning, you cannot compete with big business on their level. If you could you wouldn’t be a “truly small business” any more – and wouldn’t need my advice.

Instead, be the best you can be and win because you are a small business that knows people buy from you because you offer better service and truly care about each individual customer. (We all know that at Best Buy and other stores like them we’re just a telephone number :-D). People shop at big stores because they are looking for the best deal. As a small retailer you are not going to have that. Instead you will have the best selection for your customers!

“Social Commerce” is going to happen – there is no way to avoid it. But instead of using the tools that are provided to “make you dependent” on Facebook (or any other social site) do the work yourself and drive your customers to your website to browse and then encourage them to “chat you up” on FB via their own profile. You can also put a “post a review” link on your site that takes them to your Google Places page and lets them post a review. Where else are you listed where people can post reviews? There are tons of local shopping sites where you can have a free listing and people can comment on your service etc – make sure you’re leveraging these free services. Granted, your site may not yet have the “rate this product” feature but you can still generate buzz on Facebook and other sites about it by introducing it as a post on your Fan page – people can still comment on Facebook about it but the link takes them to your website and doesn’t keep them on Facebook like the FB “shop” tab is designed to do.

Again, I’m not saying ditch FB – just don’t let them own you.

As I predicted – Big Business is going to own the Facebook business

Just say no to Facebook!Here is an article that supports the warnings I’ve been trying to get out to you all  –  the only businesses that will “win” on Facebook are the ones prepared to spend a lot of money (http://www.nj.com/business/index.ssf/2010/10/stores_find_friends_on_faceboo.html ). By telling your website visitors to “follow you on Facebook” you are giving them away to your larger, better funded competitors. Even if these big box stores are not your direct competitors they ARE competing for the disposable income you want spent on YOUR products! I’m not saying don’t be on Facebook or have a link to your “page” on Facebook, at this point you almost have to, but change the rules! You can use Facebook instead of continuing to let Facebook use you. It’s not too late people – tell your friends to quit following you on Facebook and call you or text you  instead! Better yet, learn how to blog and open a dialogue on your own website with your customers. Use Facebook to bring people to your website. With today’s technology if you can make a post on Facebook you can blog on your own website I promise.

I’m not saying don’t have a Facebook page, at this point you almost “have to”. What I’m saying is be smart about it – use it to get people to your own website and keep them there. Turn your own website into a social hub. Create an environment on your own website where customers can “meet” each other and share products – give them the tools to post links on Facebook back to your website – do not do what Best Buy is doing and put all of your products on Facebook … there is no free lunch! Facebook will make you pay for the traffic you get for your products one way or another – either by charging  you a percentage of your sales or by selling advertising to your competitors…

Steps to Search Engine Dominance – you really can do it yourself

As always, although I love making money doing what I love, I want to always hold true to my core values. I started this business with the goal of empowering other small businesses by helping them navigate the (sometimes overwhelming) information highway and find their place on the World Wide Web. Yes, I sell the services to do this for you – but I try very hard not to offer a service without reminding you that you can do what I do for yourself if you are willing to.  So I generally don’t announce a new product or service without first putting together a “how to do this for yourself list”. So, here is my answer to the latest trend in search engine marketing (we have branded this Search Engine Dominance):

  1. Make sure your site is up to par. Know your customer, know how they will look for you if they don’t know you exist and create content, page titles, alt tags and image alt tags that help them find you.
  2. Make sure your website is up to par! Driving traffic to a website that can’t stand on it’s own in the search engines is not a smart move – because when the search engines figure out that everyone is using “social media” to build up “inbound links” to their site (and many Search Engine Marketing companies are charging customers big bucks to leverage this current trend) – you will find yourself back down in the bottom of the “ranking barrel”.
  3. Set up a good blog. Post good, usable information on the blog consistently (at least twice a week). Use your key words and link back to your site when appropriate. (Hint – if you make “click here” a link then the search engines will think that you consider “click here” key words!). Also link to other sites that might be of interest to your customers (but not direct competitors).
  4. Set up a Facebook Fan Page – make sure you check the settings and allow ANYONE to view the page (the default is age 13+ – if you don’t change this your site is not viewable to the public – therefore, only people logged in will “find” it in a web search. Include your Logo / Branding using the limited tools they offer. Fill out the info about your company/self. Set it up to get a “feed” off of your blog – this way you don’t have to post in both places – just post on your blog and the info will reach your “fans”. Add a “follow us on Facebook” link to your website.
  5. Set up a Twitter page for your business. Link your Facebook posts to it – this will auto feed your blog posts into your Twitter page.
  6. Set up a LinkedIn Profile – again, fill in all the blanks and brand it as much as you can with our logo etc.
  7. Set yourself up to receive Google Analytics reports
  8. Take “ownership” of and update your Google, Yahoo, Yelp, SuperPages and any other “free directory” listings
  9. Create a link on your website to your Google local “reviews” page so people can post great reviews about you.
  10. Create a link you your Google Map on your site.
  11. Send a notification to all of your “friends” to become a Fan of these pages…
  12. Add links to all of your “social media pages” to your website
  13. Make up post cards directing people to “post a review” about how awesome you are and providing a link to your Google Local write a review page and hand them out/include them in orders to existing customers.
  14. Did I say post on your blog at least twice a week?
  15. Make sure you also add/update content on your website at least 2 times a month – once a week is even better!

Too tired or too busy actually running your business to do all of this – no problem, we can do it for you :-). Learn how Coburn Enterprises helps customers win the Search Engine Dominance challenge!.

1. Determine who your customer is/will be (target audience):

Who will be coming to your site – people who you tell to go there (you will drive traffic to your website via other marketing channels such as a sales force or they are already clients and you want to enhance the services you offer them) or people that have a need for your product or service but don’t know you offer it?

  • If most clients will be coming to your site because of other marketing / advertising strategies what is the purpose of your site?
    • To share supporting examples of your previous/current services or products such as a portfolio?
    • To facilitate 24/7 communications – such as a customer relationship portal, appointment requests or to let people know your daily specials or current events?
  • Are you looking for new customers?
    • How will they search for you if they don’t know your product or service exists?
      • Talk to your existing customers, friends, associates or even strangers and ask them “If you were looking to (buy, learn, hire someone to) [your service or product] what words would you use to look for it?
      • Develop as many words and short phrases as you can that people might use to find you – don’t stay with terms you or people in your industry use – think like someone who has never heard of your company, service or product.
  • What will your visitors expect when they get to your site?
    • Are they highly technical looking to be impressed by your use of technology?
    • Are they young, old, Male, Female, computer savvy or computer illiterate?
    • Are they looking for a local solution – is your location important to them?
  • Will they want detailed information or easy access to basic information?
    • Are they potential clients that need more information about you or your services to convince them that you are the right choice for the job such as references or testimonials?
    • Are they looking for information such as hours and location only?
    • What do they need to know about you or your company to decide to take action?
    • Do they want to be able to complete transactions or submit information during non-standard business hours?

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