Brew City Marketing

1 Important Task Your Business Should Be Tackling Every Month

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Here at Brew City Marketing, we’ve recently moved to a new office with a new street address, which required updating our information across the web. It’s crucial to our business that when customers are searching for our brand online they are getting accurate results, so we didn’t want any potential customers being led to our old address. Once the information was updated, we wanted to do a sweep through of all the major search engines to ensure any searches for our brand included up-to-date information. Even if your business hasn’t undergone any major changes recently, it’s something you should do once a month to ensure your information is up to date and accurate. Here is how to do it in 3 simple steps:

First, put yourself in your customer’s shoes and make a list of at least 3 searches they might be making when seeking your company. At BCM, we included 5 that we thought would be most important for our situation:

  1. Brew City Marketing
  2. 9205 W Center St, Suite 209, Milwaukee WI, 53222 (old address)
  3. 9211 W Center St, Milwaukee WI, 53222 (new address)
  4. Brew City Marketing + Old Address
  5. Brew City Marketing + New Address

Next, it’s time to start searching for inconsistencies in the information representing your business online. Start with the major search engines. We scanned Google, Bing, Yahoo, and AOL and dug around 5 or 6 pages deep when it came to search results. Our goal was to make sure any links with our address information were updated to include our new address and not our old one. Also, we wanted to make sure any search results with our new address didn’t include any information on past occupants of the office space. There was previously an optometrist in our office space, so we wanted to know how many links still included our new address with the old occupant’s information. After you finish looking through the major search engines, we also recommend searching major directories like Facebook, Yelp, Google Business, Zillow, or any other sites that may be industry specific.

Third, track what you find. We created a spreadsheet in Google Drive to list the URLs of the incorrect search results. Setting up a spreadsheet is a great way of organizing the collected information and keeping it in an easily shareable source. You can format it any way you like; we found that creating a separate sheet for each search, and dividing the URLs by search engine on each sheet worked the best. Don’t worry if you record the same URL multiple times in the spreadsheet, it will be much easier and clearer to delete the URL after the fact than to try to recognize which sites you’ve already visited while searching. It’s better to list URLs multiple times than miss one or two.

It’s simple to track the incorrect search results, but what do you do with any incorrect information you’ve found? Reach out to websites that have your information listed incorrectly and ask them to update the information. This might include sending an email, making a phone call, or creating an account within the website to claim the correct information and get access to change it. Some may ask you to pay to change the information – if the website isn’t a major player online and probably not influencing many people, we don’t recommend giving them any money. In these cases many times it’s a scam and should be avoided.

Give us a call at 414-208-0700 or visit our website www.brewcitymarketing.com for some one-on-one help or advice!

4 Important Google Analytics Metrics

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Google Analytics is a powerful tool, jam packed with useful information about your website. Facts such as who is visiting, how long they are staying, where they’re coming from, and how many pages they’ve visited are just the tip of the analytics iceberg, and the volume of information can make it a confusing experience for many users. While Google Analytics is an excellent source of data about your website, figuring out what the numbers mean and whether or not your website is successful can be difficult. So which numbers matter most?

Bounce Rate

The bounce rate is exactly what it sounds like: how many people bounce off to another site almost immediately. Generally, it’s a metric of user engagement on the site, telling you if they are they exploring your site or leaving right away. While not necessarily a “bad” metric, the bounce rate is useful in highlighting problems your site might have. Common website issues that contribute to a high bounce rate might be poorly laid out landing pages, boring headers that don’t grab visitors’ attention, and too much text.  

Traffic

Where are your visitors coming from? Are your ads working on different platforms? These are simple questions that can be answered with the traffic metric. Traffic is a great overall measurement of how well your site and marketing tactics are working, and a fundamental gauge of reach and growth. While high overall traffic numbers are a great thing, keep in mind it’s important to analyze where they are coming from in order to tailor targeting efforts to the right audience.

Average Session Duration

How long are people staying on your site once they land there? Average session duration is a great indicator of user engagement – simply highlighting the level of activity and time spent interacting with your site. The industry standard is around 2 to 3 minutes, and while sometimes less time than that isn’t an issue, you’ll want to shoot for as much time as possible. If you average session duration is low it may be due to a multitude of factors. Focusing on the quality of the writing, attractive visuals, and original content on new and fresh topics or subjects will be sure to increase the time people spend on your website.

Click Through Rate (CTR)

Click Through Rate (or CTR) is simply the number of clicks advertisers receive on their ads per number of impressions. A high CTR is a great indication of the success of your ads and search engine optimization. CTR helps us understand how well your site is performing from search engine results pages because it measures how many people click your site’s listings. The industry average CTR is around 2%, so anything less than that may indicate your site’s indexed results may need improvement. Always be sure to use excellent keywording, write relative content for the user’s search, and add compelling descriptions to increase your website’s CTR and success!

Always remember: no single metric is more important than another, and metrics should be used in combination to achieve professional insights into your business. Starting with these simple ones will get you on the path to a successful and profit driven website! Any questions you may have can be answered by calling us at 414-208-0700.

CONFESSIONS OF AN HONEST WEB MARKETER

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CONFESSIONS OF AN HONEST WEB MARKETERI shouldn’t even be writing this right now. But I had to – I just had to. I literally had 3 different clients tell me horror stories this week that made me mad. Very mad. As I was sharing these stories with my business partner, I had the idea to start sharing these stories with you. The title for this series of blogs came to me at the same time: “Confessions of an Honest Web Marketer.” I hope you don’t see it as a pompous title because I really do see myself as an honest guy and business owner. It makes me mad when I hear horror stories from my clients on how they were, or currently are, being treated by their existing web marketing company.

THE KIDNAPPER

I have a client for whom I have done work on a project. He came to me this week with another opportunity to build out a website for an organization that he now leads. The organization has a website that has been online for a number of years, and they have been using a web developer to handle updates. They aren’t terribly pleased with the website as a whole and, for that matter, the web developers’ handling of website updates. They’ve made a decision to shop out a new web build. Because of my relationship with the owner, he naturally thought of me.

Baked into the existing website is a search feature that allows users to search for members of the organization. It was communicated to me that this search feature spits results out depending on the search query, and there are over 1500 members that are active in the organization. I communicated to the client that it would be ideal to get access to the back-end of the existing website so that I could see the code for this feature, and ascertain whether or not we could utilize it in the new website. With that, they reached out to their existing web developer to ask for access – to their website.

Side note: this developer didn’t create the website, she is the person that ended up getting the opportunity to work on it after the original developer declined in the ongoing business. As such, this is a non-proprietary open source platform and no honest developer should have any issues with giving their clients access to the code.

So you can probably guess what happens next. The current web developer has decided that she doesn’t want to provide access to the website. She is holding the site hostage because she doesn’t want to lose the on-going business that she has been enjoying over the last few years.

Can you believe it? I mean, REALLY? She has no legal claims to this website. She doesn’t own this site. Yet she is refusing the client access to the back-end. Horror story. Dishonest web developer. Shame, shame, shame. I hate it when I hear about stuff like this. It reflects negatively on my industry as a whole and it just makes me mad to know that there are web developers out there who pull these kinds of shenanigans. I want to tell you something: this will never happen to you if you partner with Brew City Marketing. I cannot even imagine pulling these kinds of games with my clients.

PULL THE WOOL OVER THEIR EYES

Just today I had a prospect call me to tell me that his existing website provider had informed him that they could no longer host his old, outdated website and that he “needed” to update it to a new platform. Mind you, I know this provider, as they are also local in this market, and I know that they host their websites on a 3rd party server. Disclaimer: there is no server IN THE WORLD that will kick your site off because it’s old. 

The prospect also told me that the company said that they will triple their monthly hosting fee until he upgrades his website. The guy was confused and upset by the time he called me. He didn’t understand why they were forcing him to update his website, but he wasn’t entirely sure if what they were telling him was actually true. He also told me that he was one of their first clients and had been with that company for 14 years. He said that he was happy paying the monthly hosting, and a couple hundred dollars each year for updates, but didn’t feel right about what they were trying to do to him.

The site was surely outdated and not mobile friendly. I told him that if he were my client that I would also recommend a new website but that I would never force his hand and raise his hosting until he committed. I am simply flabbergasted that this company is out there telling their clients this B.S.

We have a plan of attack though: I am going to email this other web company and tell them that the client is requesting that we host their website for them. The client was wary of trying to do this on his own because he knows that they’re aware that he doesn’t understand all this web stuff. I will be contacting this other company to get the website files so we can put them on our server. Once they are on our server, we can access the domain and redirect to the new files – on our server. The client will not HAVE TO update their website, unless they want to. Their hosting fees will go back down to a reasonable rate and the client will never ever have to worry about his website provider pulling the wool over his eyes.

It makes me sick when website companies use confusion in our industry to get dollars from clients. I made a promise to myself when I started this company that I would always be truthful and respectful to my clients. I know without a shadow of a doubt, that even if that promise loses me some dollars in certain instances, in the long run, that approach will make me successful. I am an honest website developer and I will always tell it to my clients straight.

From Mark Dalnodar 

4 Reasons People Are Unfollowing Your Brand

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4 Reasons people are unfollowing your brand

When it comes to social media, every business wants to have an engaged audience and extensive reach. You work hard to get your brand in front of potential customers so likes, comments, and shares feel great. Contrastingly, a lack of likes, comments, and shares makes you feel like you’re doing everything wrong. If people are unfollowing your brand on social media, there’s a good reason why. Check out our top four reasons why users may be unfollowing your brand.

#4 Your Content is Too Boring

Buzzfeed and Factl conducted a survey with 900 social media users to help better understand what companies should avoid. 21% of respondents stated they would unfollow a brand if the content was repetitive and boring. Are you keeping up with the latest marketing trends and taking advantage of new social media platform features? If not, reconsider your content strategy.

#3 You’re Not Engaging Your Followers

It’s never been easier for brands to interact with consumers and vice versa. Social media is a two-way street, so engage your following by asking questions, liking posts, offering help, or leaving a meaningful comment or tip. Portraying yourself as an entity rather than a business could exponentially boost your social success.

#2 Your Brand Image and Social Media Image Don’t Align

Law firms don’t post memes and photographers don’t post financial reports. Although those might be extreme examples–you probably get the point. Focus on posting content that engages the type of people you want following your pages and buying your product or service. If you’re fun, then keep it fun. If you want to be serious, then focus on a serious tone and serious topics. In short? Don’t try to branch into social segments that differ from the image you want to portray.

#1 You’re Promoting Yourself Too much

It’s easy to blast out promotions all the time on your social feeds but don’t forget that social media is just that, social. No one likes the boastful person and the same goes for business. Try posting some fun content that still focuses on your brand identity but makes people want to follow and engage with you. While it’s essential to highlight achievements and what you do as a company, make a point to balance those posts with more fun or personal posts.

Need more social media advice? We’d love to help out. Call us anytime at 414-208-0700 or fill out our contact form. We offer a full suite of social media management services to help your business succeed today.

5 Eternal SEO Truths

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5-seo-truths

Search engine optimization is a complex field that’s constantly changing. But in an industry of ever-changing algorithms and almost no guarantees, it’s reassuring to know that certain eternal SEO “truths” persist.

Here are our top 5 Eternal SEO Truths:

Results are not immediate, nor are they permanent –  Search engine algorithms take time to index content, which usually means you won’t see a return on your investment for six months or more. Additionally, because search engine algorithms are constantly evolving to bring better and faster results to the end-user, your results may vanish overnight and force you to start over with a new SEO strategy.

There are no short cuts – Yes – “black hat” tactics such as duplicate content, unnatural content that’s overstuffed with keywords, and spam comments do produce results. But these results are typically short-lived and almost always result in penalization by the search engines.

You’ll never know for certain how Google works – The algorithms behind major search engines are constantly changing in order to deliver best results to the end user. This might seem discouraging, but look on the bright side: if you don’t know exactly how Google works, your competition won’t, either.

Quality content always wins – This may be an obvious one, but having quality content on your website will always factory heavily in search rankings. If you want your site to generate traffic and perform well, create good content that your audience will find valuable.

The human element is the most important factor – It’s easy to forget that without people, SEO would not exist. Our advice? Keep the focus on the human element, and the search engines will undoubtedly notice.

It’s great to know that there are still a few things we can count on despite how nuanced and complex SEO actually is. Have questions about SEO or need help crafting a results-driven SEO strategy? Call us today at 414-208-0700.

How to Bring Local and Contextual Search Together

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Local search and contextual algorithms are two of the most important search engine optimization trends to have developed in a long time. But, while a lot of marketers are aware of them, many internet marketers aren’t using these features to their fullest potential.

Local search, of course, just means using geographic keywords within your pages to attract buyers from your area. And contextual search refers to Google’s ever-increasing ability to go beyond simple keyword matches to determine searcher intent.

A smart way to make the most of these features is by using them together and offering subtle clues about geography on your website. For example, instead of just mentioning the name of a city for a city-specific service page (like Milwaukee), your pages could integrate the names of landmarks (like the Avalon Theater), individual street names (like Howell Avenue), and specific neighborhoods (like Bay View) into your content.

These kinds of content tactics help Google (and real-life searchers) understand that you truly know and work in a certain area. It can resonate with website visitors and it may also separate you from competitors who have optimized one or two page titles in an effort to siphon customers from your city, but who aren’t truly local.

Local and contextual search are both now more heavily emphasized by Google than ever before. But does your site use them together for maximum internet marketing effect? Call 414-208-0700 or fill out our contact form today to find out.

Get Answers to Your Most Important Marketing Questions

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markEver wish you had your own personal panel of advertising experts that you could tap for insider-only insights on how to market your business online, in print and via direct mail? Well, now’s your chance: Our own Mark Dalnodar will help lead an advertising panel discussion on January 27th at the Better Business Bureau of Wisconsin office in Milwaukee that will include advertising industry experts across a wide range of advertising distribution channels.

Seating is limited, so RSVP here soon for the opportunity to ask any advertising or marketing question you like from experts in the following fields:

  • direct mail
  • big screen advertising
  • print advertising
  • Hispanic marketing
  • SEO marketing (that’s Mark!)

Tickets are only $10 and include lunch.

Want Mark All to Yourself?

Book Mark for a private speaking engagement and he can help you and your team understand the many marketing mysteries of web design, social media. search engine optimization, and more. Better yet, Mark can work with you to create a customized program that speaks to the unique needs and challenges of your organization.

A regular guest speaker at Marquette University College of Business Administration and SCORE SE Wisconsin, Mark has extensive experience speaking before large groups. Call us at 414-208-0700 or contact us for more information.

3 Local Business Marketing Trends for 2016

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The new year is here, so if you haven’t already shored up your local marketing business plan, now is the time to tick that box off your to-do list. As the buy local movement continues to grow, so does the need for a smart local marketing plan that engages your consumers where they are: online.

Here are three of the biggest internet marketing trends we see affecting local businesses in 2016. Some may seem like oldies, but that’s because they’re goodies, and the fact that they keep popping up proves that they’re here for the long haul.

Content Marketing Quality Will Rise

As more local companies recognize the benefits of high-quality content marketing, more will understand the need to invest in targeted content marketing that is interactive, engaging and shareable. Not sure how that works? Follow content marketing masters like IKEA, Birchbox, and Home Depot.

And, as you build out your content marketing for 2016, don’t forget to put together your social media marketing plan so you can maximize the SEO crossover benefits.

The Search Universe Will Expand

New technologies with skyrocketing adoptions rates (think wearables, digital assistants, and apps), means search can no longer be confined to traditional search engine functionality. The importance of social media (yes, 1.55 billion active users per month is a lot), the popularity of useful wearable technology (amazeballs: about 80% of Apple Watch users use Apple Pay to pay for things), and the need for voice-based queries (so Siri can find what you need), mean search (and SEO) will continue to change and expand.

It’s Mobile All the Way

Mobile payments for local businesses will continue to be a hot topic in 2016. As more businesses and technologies adopt mobile payment functionality, more consumers will expect it. And those consumers are going to expect easy-to-use, fully functional mobile websites and apps that make it easy to window shop online too, not just pay.

Master these three areas in 2016 and your business is sure to steamroll 2017.  Call us at 414-208-0700 or fill out our contact form today for a free consultation on how the Brew City internet marketing team can help.

New SEO Means Getting Back to Basics

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Dec_Blog2-2Somewhere along the way, some local internet marketers forgot that they had to keep up with the ever-changing rules of SEO to stay competitive. For them, the old days of carefully calculated keyword percentages is still in full effect, even while their page rankings continue to slip.

Web marketers who’ve paid attention to the changing rules of the game, however, realize that those old-school SEO tactics don’t work anymore. Instead, businesses need to focus on delivering usable websites that make an impression. Only then will their websites stand out, rank well, and convert.

In many ways, this brave new world of SEO is really just about integrating some basic marketing techniques with standard search engine optimization principles. It’s about aligning the back-end technical tactics with the front-end consumer-focused content. It’s branded SEO, basically.

So, if your website is due for an SEO tune up, here are a few things you’ll want to think about:

  • How can you focus more on usability? Usability is how easy (or hard) something is to use. Typically, websites that score well for usability are useful, engaging, fast, look good, and are easy to use and navigate. If you’re not sure whether your website is usable, check out Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. The guidelines cover everything from design and content to technical guidelines.
  • How can you differentiate your business? Whether you’re marketing your biz online or offline, it’s always important to define and use your unique selling proposition (USP). Not only will leveraging your USP help build your brand, it can help you create unique content that’s great for SEO.
  • How can you educate your audience? Another basic marketing principle that somehow got lost in the heady days of old SEO is the importance of audience education. Whether it’s educating people on your company’s product, service, or expertise, creating informational content is a time-tested way of selling without making it obvious.
  • Would you use your website? Seriously. Instead of visiting your website as an owner, visit it as a customer. Can you find the information you want to learn about the company, make a purchase, or find a store? Does your business look legit, or does it seem a little faceless?
  • Is your website optimized for viewing on any mobile device? Statistics show that two-thirds of people use their mobile devices to go online and 60% of them will immediately abandon a website if it isn’t mobile friendly. Are you willing to give up that much traffic?
  • Is it time to get rid of your stock images? It’s hard or your business to stand out when the graphics and images on your website are the same as your competitors or, worse yet, are used by multiple other businesses. One of the easiest ways you can visually differentiate your business is by using one-of-a-kind imagery.

If you’re ready to make your website better, call 414-208-0700 or fill out our contact form today. Our internet marketing team has the technical expertise and online marketing chops to help your Milwaukee-area business rise to the top.

What To Do About Negative Reviews

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Copy of nov blog 2-2When you’re building a business, every online review counts. And, the smaller your business, the more painful each negative review feels (and looks). So, how should you cope with bad online reviews and negative social messaging? Here are a few tips:

  • Have a plan in place to catch issues early.
    If you get a bad review, you should address it as soon as possible. That means having a plan in place to detect bad reviews quickly. Whether that’s using a reputation monitoring service or taking the time to inventory all of your social media accounts on a weekly basis, reputation monitoring should be part of your social media checklist.
  • Respond promptly and politely.
    The last thing that you want to do is get into a “shouting” match with a disgruntled customer online. While it may be hard not to take an insulting review or social media message personally, it’s exactly what you need to do. Instead, remember to empathize, apologize, and try to find a solution. For instance, phrases like, “I can understand why that would frustrate you” and “I’m sorry” may feel like eating a little crow, but they can go a long way to defusing a potentially ugly exchange.
  • Control the conversation.
    As any good politician can tell you, you can’t control what questions are asked of you but you can control how you answer. When it comes to responding to a bad online review, it’s essentially the same thing. Sure, you can’t control the complaint, but you can control the trajectory of your response. (Or, as Forbes calls it, you can “flip the script.”)

    For instance, if you got a bad review for a delayed gift shipment, instead of just saying “So sorry, but you should have expected delays around the holidays,” you could instead respond with something like, “I’m sorry to hear that it took so long for your purchase to get to you. I’m proud to say that 99% of the time, our shipments arrive on time, but sometimes there are circumstances beyond our control that delay shipment.”
  • Take the conversation offline.
    If the nature of the review lends itself to a more personal intervention, ask if you can contact the reviewer privately via email or phone to get more information and to more adequately address his or her situation. This can sometimes help keep potential escalations defused and out of the public eye. Plus, if necessary, it can allow you the opportunity to offer a small gift to appease a complainer without having to make the exchange public knowledge.
  • Get the complaint removed.
    Although this is not typically an option, in rare circumstances review sites may allow you to have untrue or particularly egregious complaints removed. For instance, Yelp’s content guidelines call out threats, harassment, lewd language and hate speech as being content violations. So, if any of those are in a review that you feel unfairly targets your business, you can ask to have it removed for ToS (terms of service) and/or content violations. In any event, it can’t hurt to try, right?
  • Get positive.
    If you have a system in place to maximize the number of positive reviews you get, the less visible the occasional bad review will look. Not sure how to get more good reviews? Ask! And ask often! Sending a thank you email after work is complete or asking for a review via your sales receipt are two easy ways to ask for reviews when customers are most likely to give them.

Need some other ideas on ways to get more good reviews? Call 414-208-0700 or fill out our contact form today to see how our Milwaukee internet marketing team can help. We offer a full suite of reputation monitoring and social media management services.

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