http://steadystreamofcustomers.com Complete Marketing Solutions for Local Business Owners Tue, 25 Oct 2011 17:33:40 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 Copyright © Steady Stream of Customers, 2010 support@SteadyStreamOfCustomers.com (Steady Stream of Customers) support@SteadyStreamOfCustomers.com (Steady Stream of Customers) Local Business Advertising Solutions 1440 http://steadystreamofcustomers.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/steady-stream-of-customers-podcast-icon-small.png http://steadystreamofcustomers.com 144 144 Complete Marketing Solutions for Local Business Owners Complete Marketing Solutions for Local Business Owners Atlanta, Atlanta Local Business Advertising, Atlanta Marketing Company, Local Business Advertising, Local Online Advertising, Steady Stream of Customers, Local Internet Advertising, Local Online Advertising Steady Stream of Customers Steady Stream of Customers support@SteadyStreamOfCustomers.com no no http://steadystreamofcustomers.com/local-search-marketing-01 http://steadystreamofcustomers.com/local-search-marketing-01#comments Thu, 24 Jun 2010 17:33:21 +0000 Erik Welker http://steadystreamofcustomers.com/?p=964 http://steadystreamofcustomers.com/local-search-marketing-01/feed 0 0:05:40 A staggering number of consumers have been using Google, Yahoo and other major search engines for years to find products and services within their local ... A staggering number of consumers have been using Google, Yahoo and other major search engines for years to find products and services within their local community. But the majority of local business owners are still not taking advantage of the massive wave of traffic and potential customers searching for their type of business on the Internet. The question is, why? Local search marketing, when properly positioned, can literally explode your business overnight. Unlike the majority of traditional marketing and advertising like the Yellow Pages and expensive print ads, local search marketing and advertising is super, hyper, ultra targeted. Just imagine if only 10 people per day sat down at their computer, logged onto the Internet and typed in “Atlanta Massage” or “Tampa Plumber” or a variety of other keywords that would directly describe your products and services. Now imagine how powerful that would be if 7 out of 10 of those daily visitors landed on your website as a direct result of those specific search terms! The truth is, this phenomena is happening right now all around you with billions upon billions of keyword search terms spanning across tens of millions of categories, many of which are extremely specific to your exact products and services in whatever town your businesses is located. Local search marketing is the key to business success because modern technology allows people to search for extremely specific and targeted products and services. This has been made possible through not only the Internet, but cell phones, laptops, iPads and other devices that have the capabilities to display digital and mobile media. The wave of the future is now, and if your local business is not properly positioned for the specific search terms that are relevant to your specific street corner and your specific products and services, you are proverbially "dead in the water." If you cannot be found when people are searching, the quality of your products do not matter, a smiling face and excellent customer service does not matter, and the décor and wall hangings within your business that provide a comforting and calming atmosphere do not matter. None of this matters if you can’t attract people to your business. When first starting out with local search marketing, a lot of businesses make the mistake of only going after one singular search term which is the name of their particular business. Let's say for example you owned a hair studio in Atlanta called “Triple Cutz” (that seems like a pretty good name for a cutting edge hair studio in Atlanta). If you were the owner of the fictitious Triple Cutz, and you were new to local search marketing, you could very well make the mistake of only listing your business using the one singular keyword term “Triple Cutz” or “Triple Cutz hair studio.” Unless you are already established in your industry and have lots of buzz going on around town about your business, or you are spending a small fortune on other forms of media like newspapers or radio commercials, these keyword phrases and search terms are basically useless. Most people will not be searching for your particular business. Instead, they will be using more general terms like “Hair Salon Atlanta,” “Atlanta Best Perms,” “Atlanta Hair Highlights,” “New Hair Style Atlanta” etc. And now with the evolution of "geo-targeted” search engines, your local prospects can find you locally without even using the term “Atlanta” or “Boston” or what have you. Search engines can now detect your IP address and serve up ads based on your location. IP addresses are similar to “area codes” in that you can tell what part of the country or region or city someone is in based on their computer’s IP address. The best way to approach local search marketing for your particular business, regardless of the size of your business or the products or services that you sell, is to find a professional on Steady Stream of Customers no no http://steadystreamofcustomers.com/3-secrets-to-crack-the-atlanta-local-business-advertising-code http://steadystreamofcustomers.com/3-secrets-to-crack-the-atlanta-local-business-advertising-code#comments Tue, 08 Jun 2010 16:23:43 +0000 Erik Welker http://steadystreamofcustomers.com/?p=683 http://steadystreamofcustomers.com/3-secrets-to-crack-the-atlanta-local-business-advertising-code/feed 0 0:07:39 From a distance, local business advertising can appear extremely intimidating to the average local business owner. Imagine hovering over the city of Atlanta in a ... From a distance, local business advertising can appear extremely intimidating to the average local business owner. Imagine hovering over the city of Atlanta in a helicopter watching cars zipping in and out of different lanes and going in all directions while passing one another and fighting for pole position. At the surface, it looks extremely chaotic, seemingly without organization or structure. But below the surface, inside each individual vehicle there is someone special trying to deliver a special package or make it home for dinner on time or pick their kids up from school... everyone has their own special path amongst the chaos. Your business is also very special to you and to many other people who rely on your services day in and day out, whether someone enjoys a simple cup of coffee and a bagel at your local neighborhood coffee shop each morning to start their day, or an urgent courier delivery that absolutely cannot be late. Every business is special, and therefore every business has a special place amongst the chaos and confusion of the local business advertising world. The trick is the find that special place where your target audience is listening! 10 years ago, literally any local business owner could throw a little advertising money at the wall and at least some of it would stick... and good money could be made with very little advertising skill or experience. But that's not necessarily true in today's advertising world. Not only that, but the world population is growing at a staggering pace. The combination of more and more people and business owners fighting for pole position in your mind, and the fact that consumers are getting smarter about making buying decisions makes life extremely difficult in the local business advertising world. Oh, and lest we forget about the “sagging economy” to boot? Listed below are three (3) “secret ingredients” that can help you “crack the local business advertising code” and put your local business back on track for success. *Please keep in mind that advertising, especially online advertising is an art form, and there are increasingly few people and companies who understand marketing and advertising as the art form it truly is. In fact, online marketing and advertising is one of the only “business art forms” still in existence today that is not driven solely by statistics and numbers. There is an amazing level of creativity and creative thought that goes into getting your message into the minds of your target audience. Not only that, but it’s constantly changing amongst a constantly changing group of consumers. Although it is highly recommended that you use an Atlanta marketing company to handle all of your online marketing, the three (3) secret ingredients below will, at the very least, provide enough education and knowledge for you to be able to shop intelligently for the Atlanta marketing company that's right for you. Code Cracking Secret #1: Forget About Bulk and Mass Advertising Most local business owners cannot afford to spray entire cities or zip codes with expensive mailing pieces time and time again, or pay for expensive, overinflated radio and newspaper ads that spray your message into the marketplace like a shotgun without there being any sort of real targeted niche audience on the other side of the pellets. While it's true that most large companies or corporations with shareholders and a seemingly endless budget can afford this style of marketing and advertising, the average local business owner cannot afford to pay several thousands of dollars, or even tens of thousands of dollars month after month for several months until that style of marketing begins to grab hold of the general audience. As a local business owner, you need to make sure that every advertising dollar counts, and that it’s reaching the specific target audience that is more likely to be interested in your products and services. Internet advertising is the an Steady Stream of Customers no no http://steadystreamofcustomers.com/all-new-audio-blog http://steadystreamofcustomers.com/all-new-audio-blog#comments Tue, 08 Jun 2010 03:33:32 +0000 Erik Welker http://steadystreamofcustomers.com/?p=667 http://steadystreamofcustomers.com/all-new-audio-blog/feed 0 http://steadystreamofcustomers.com/atlanta-marketing-company-advises-how-to-handle-a-bad-online-review http://steadystreamofcustomers.com/atlanta-marketing-company-advises-how-to-handle-a-bad-online-review#comments Tue, 08 Jun 2010 01:05:17 +0000 Erik Welker http://steadystreamofcustomers.com/?p=661 http://steadystreamofcustomers.com/atlanta-marketing-company-advises-how-to-handle-a-bad-online-review/feed 0 0:03:43 It's absolutely amazing that a faceless, nameless person can log onto the Internet and bash your company or talk negatively about your business, but it's ... It's absolutely amazing that a faceless, nameless person can log onto the Internet and bash your company or talk negatively about your business, but it's also a reality that a lot of local Atlanta business owners are dealing with today. So is there a way to remove negative or bad online reviews? Some local business owners might be surprised that, in most cases, negative reviews about your company are not removed by a website owner… even upon request. This mainly has to do with freedom of speech legislation. Even if the negative comment is untrue or uncharacteristic of your business, the bottom line is that it's still having a hugely negative impact on your business in the eyes of your prospects who are searching for you on the Internet. If you can't remove the bad online reviews, then what should you do about them? The best way to handle a bad online review is to scatter, cover and smother it like your Waffle House hash browns. All jokes aside, you can even go as far as contacting past and present happy customers and encouraging them to post a positive online review in exchange for perhaps a coupon or a limited time offer of some sort. Another way to bury negative online reviews is to hire a professional Atlanta marketing company that has experience with online reputation management. They should be able to handle the smothering of negative comments and reviews within a few short weeks to a couple months depending on the reviews. If you had, for example, two or three negative reviews, but you also had 20 or 30 absolutely amazing and positive reviews, those negative reviews will begin to diminish and disappear… or at least move a lot further down the page(s) where they can’t be seen very easily. One of the major obstacles you can encounter by contacting past and present clients is that you will essentially be exposing them to the negative comments while at the same time possibly inconveniencing them by asking them to perform a duty for you (i.e. write a good review). If you decide to work with a reputable Atlanta marketing company, they should be able to add more and more positive comments and reviews each and every month to ensure your reputation stays solid. It's no secret that most small to medium-sized business owners these days need all the help they can get, so the very last thing that anyone needs as a professional business owner is to have a bad reputation online, but the reality is thousands of local business owners all across the globe have negative comments posted about them on the Internet and they don't even know it. If your business has endured a recent slump in sales, perhaps you too could be experiencing the pain of a negative review somewhere on the Internet right now. Recent studies show that nearly 86% of all local consumers will research a product, service or business before visiting your business, so your online reputation is probably more important than you realize. And therefore you should take negative reviews and comments very seriously as a local Atlanta business owner. Atlanta is one of the easiest markets to become successful in if you have a good reputation and a steady “stream of customers.” Your marketing company should be able to handle all of that for you. Steady Stream of Customers no no http://steadystreamofcustomers.com/bring-your-local-business-online-with-an-atlanta-marketing-company http://steadystreamofcustomers.com/bring-your-local-business-online-with-an-atlanta-marketing-company#comments Mon, 07 Jun 2010 22:43:10 +0000 Erik Welker http://steadystreamofcustomers.com/?p=658 http://steadystreamofcustomers.com/bring-your-local-business-online-with-an-atlanta-marketing-company/feed 0 0:04:24 There's no denying that Atlanta Georgia is one of the largest cities in America with a population of millions of people in the metro and ... There's no denying that Atlanta Georgia is one of the largest cities in America with a population of millions of people in the metro and surrounding area. But somehow there is still a very high percentage of businesses that fail in the Atlanta area year after year. If you can't get your business up and running in Atlanta with millions upon millions of prospects at your fingertips, then where, perhaps, do you think you could be successful with your business? The answer is quite simply... nowhere! Atlanta Georgia has been the breeding ground for thousands of successful businesses over multiple past decades. Business owners who have failed in the other parts of the country and other parts of the world have moved to Atlanta specifically to start over with a new business idea. There are very few obstacles in or around the city of Atlanta that can hold you back from growing your business beyond your wildest dreams. Amongst those very important obstacles is your marketing and advertising. It's not just the lack of marketing and advertising that can get you into hot water quickly. Every business owner who has been in business for longer than 18 months already understands that marketing and advertising is the key to their success. If you are not marketing or advertising, you are just a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment. Your marketing and advertising budget is one of the most important pieces of the business puzzle, but most business owners are not getting what they are paying for these days. Honestly, if you are a local business owner, when was the last time you truly felt your advertising dollars were getting as far as they should? Each year, traditional marketing and advertising prices continue to rise while their effectiveness continues to drastically decrease. If you want to get the most out of your advertising dollars in today’s marketplace, it's absolutely crucial that you spend the majority of those advertising dollars on Internet advertising. Chances are good that your competitors have already moved their advertising dollars to the Internet or have plans in the works. Not only is it wise to invest the majority of your advertising dollars into online marketing, it's also a good idea to do your research before you commit to any particular marketing company. The title of this article suggests that you bring your local business online with an Atlanta marketing company and here’s why… With all of the marketing and advertising in and around the city of Atlanta… from people holding signs on street corners to huge electronic billboards to mobile advertisements… successful Atlanta marketing companies must be at the top of their game both in “results for their clients” as well as “generating new leads for their own business.” Because of the fierce competition, the hustle and bustle of daily living and the constant battle for your attention, A successful Atlanta marketing company should understand the psychology behind bringing new customers into a storefront a lot better than most online marketing and advertising firms based in other cities. Because Atlanta is such a remarkably large city, not only do you have to have great marketing that is targeted toward specific niches and groups that possesses specific characteristics, but you also have to have a sound business plan with steady principles that work over the long term. A great reason to avoid other marketing companies from cities that are even bigger than Atlanta is because the cost of living is much higher there. Cities like New York City and Los Angeles are some of the most expensive cities in the country to live in. If the cost of living is higher, then the pricing on services is obviously higher as well. If you are serious about bringing your local business online, why not try an Atlanta marketing company? Any good web-based Atlanta marketing company should be able to stretch your advertising dollar up to 30% furth Steady Stream of Customers no no http://steadystreamofcustomers.com/how-to-increase-sales-volume-significantly-through-local-online-advertising http://steadystreamofcustomers.com/how-to-increase-sales-volume-significantly-through-local-online-advertising#comments Mon, 07 Jun 2010 14:24:34 +0000 Erik Welker http://steadystreamofcustomers.com/?p=637 http://steadystreamofcustomers.com/how-to-increase-sales-volume-significantly-through-local-online-advertising/feed 0 0:06:17 The success of any local business depends solely on sales volume. It’s been said in business time and time again that "volume fixes everything." And ... The success of any local business depends solely on sales volume. It’s been said in business time and time again that "volume fixes everything." And these days your advertising dollar is more important than ever. If your current marketing budget is not returning a high enough sales volume to churn out a decent profit, then it's time to make a change. The first question for most business owners is "where do I begin?" Let's start with a few facts. Most local business owners have a limited budget, very little free time and extremely limited knowledge of how the Internet works. But they know for certain they should be advertising online within their local community. Many local business owners have already taken the plunge into the online community but are now scratching their heads trying to figure out why their website is not working as well as they thought it would. And that brings us back to the question of "where do I begin…" The entire online advertising process begins with your website. Over 90% of the websites on the Internet today are not geared properly for success. These days it's very easy to find a web designer to create a nice looking website but, unfortunately, a nice looking website is only the tip of the iceberg. Your local business success depends on a lot more than just a pretty website. At the very least, your website should contain some sort of "call to action" as well as professionally written ad copy. Most web designers are not business oriented and therefore do not understand what a call to action is. Most web designers are also not professional copywriters. If you are not properly educated on at least the basic fundamentals of how the Internet actually works, then it's going to be extremely difficult for you to shop around for a web designer that not only builds a great looking website with a call to action, but also has the ability to make sure your website is optimized for top performance on major search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing. If your website is built on an old platform like HTML, then it's going to be nearly impossible for you to compete with other business owners in your local area who are using a more advanced platform like WordPress or Joomla. A "platform" is simply the type of construction that was utilized to build your website. You could actually take two identical websites that looked exactly the same, and if one was built on an outdated HTML platform and the other one on a WordPress platform, they would perform very, very differently on the Internet. And even if you are using a platform like WordPress, there are still over 1 million plugins to sift through to make your site optimized for the search engines. In other words, a Web designer who is not skilled and proven in business and/or who does not understand the intimate details of Google and Yahoo's algorithms is not qualified to work for you, hence the reason why so many local business owners have websites that are costing them money month-after-month rather than bringing in additional revenues and a significantly higher sales volume. If your local business already has a website and your website is not helping to attract more customers and increasing your sales volume significantly month after month, then unfortunately your web designer has very little knowledge of business and/or search engine optimization. As a local business owner, your job is to save money every chance you get, but your website is something that you should not try to cut corners with. Your website, along with proper advertising, can be more effective than any form of off-line advertising you can possibly think of including the yellow pages, newspaper ads and even radio advertising. The world is changing rapidly, and so is the way that most consumers find products and services in their local marketplace. If you cannot be found, you are losing valuable sales volume that could mean the difference between profits and bankruptcy. There are Steady Stream of Customers no no http://steadystreamofcustomers.com/hello-world http://steadystreamofcustomers.com/hello-world#comments Thu, 09 Apr 2009 02:10:47 +0000 Erik Welker http://steadystreamofcustomers.com/?p=1 http://steadystreamofcustomers.com/hello-world/feed 0