30 Day Click To Brick Digital Marketing Jumpstart For Small Business Owners

With the ability to measure every click and view, it can be easy to slip into analysis paralysis with your marketing campaigns. The most important online advertising metrics should not only tell you where you’ve been, but also help point you in the right next direction. After a few weeks, your modern marketing plan will start sending new customers through your digital doors to your website and in your physical doors at your small business store, dealership, or practice. You'll ask them how they found you with our lead tracking cards - which you'll find on page 16 of our Click to Brick Workbook. You'll quickly gather data to show which marketing tactics are getting the job done for your business. One of your biggest sources of new customers will be digital marketing. With so much research happening online, it's critical to measure the performance of your digital campaigns. With the ability to measure every click and view, it can be easy to slip into analysis paralysis. The most important digital marketin

Let's start with a cold, hard truth. There are only so many customers out there, and the competition is just a click away online. That's why, as you jumpstart your marketing, it's critical to not only get customers to your website and on the phone, but to deliver first-rate customer service from the first “hello.” Here at Netsertive, we’ve found that our most successful partners take full advantage of the technology available to them. And this includes listening to recorded customer calls and using them as training opportunities for their employees. Reviewing calls takes a little time, but the benefits are real. And the perils of not protecting your call quality can directly impact your bottom line. Customers calling your business should have a consistently pleasant experience, regardless of who answers the phone. Take, for example, the customer who calls your business, waits as the phone rings four times and then hangs up. That sound you hear is money flying into the pockets of your local competitor, a

If you're like most local businesses, you sell products or services from big brands. Welcome to your Marketing Jumpstart, powered by Netsertive. Our clients include new car dealers selling Chrysler, Kia, Volkswagen, and more. Home goods partners carry Serta Simmons, LG and the Whirlpool family appliances, Ashley furniture, and many more. Our aesthetic medical practices offer CoolSculpting treatments and other procedures. As you lay the foundation for your best year ever, it’s critical to partner with your brands to unlock marketing support to boost your performance. There are two ways to leverage your brands in your marketing jumpstart - one, unlocking brand assets like a landing page for your website and digital ads for your evergreen and promotional campaigns, and two, co-op dollars. Cooperative advertising involves sharing the costs of local marketing between your local business and the brands you carry. When done correctly, co-op marketing delivers local brand awareness for manufacturers and drives

Having a website for your small business is a great start. Today it's time to talk about video. Specifically, making a short store video to use on your website, post to Facebook, and use to advertise on YouTube. Welcome to your Marketing Jumpstart, powered by Netsertive. Today we're going to get started on creating a short explainer video that will help new customers understand who you are and what you offer. Before you try to make one on your own, reach out to your buying group or business association. They may have a resource standing by to help you with video creation. Plus, there’s another way to get a short video made for your business. And it’s free. When you sign up for a YouTube video advertising campaign with Netsertive, we’ll send a video crew to your business to shoot a 30 second explainer video. Some restrictions apply and it may not be available in your market. To learn more, give us a call today at 1 800 940 4351. But making one on your own is easier than ever. A video is a great way to tu

Today we're talking about blogs. Specifically starting a blog for your business. Welcome to day 22 of your Marketing Jumpstart, powered by Netsertive. Open up most small business websites and you're bound to see a link to BLOG. This is a section of your website where you'll post articles a few times a month to highlight new products and services, give truly helpful information to your website visitors, show off your expertise, and more. You know you need to be blogging for your small business, but you have no idea where to start. Sound familiar? Keep listening and we'll get you started today. If you already have a WordPress website for your business and simply want to add a blog, you can do this through your their dashboard. To add a blog to your existing non-WordPress site involves a more technical process that may require the help of a web designer or developer. Either way, this is where picking a professional website vendor to help with your site a few weeks ago was a great decision on your part. The

Earlier this month, we showed you how to create a do it yourself - or DIY - ad for your business on Google. Login to AdWords today and check on the results. How many times did your ads show up - these are called impressions? How many times did they get clicked? How much did each click cost? Welcome to the third weekend of your Marketing Jumpstart, powered by Netsertive. Your first DIY search ad on Google is certainly a start. But it's time to go pro with your digital marketing. There are lots that can go wrong with the DIY approach, that’s why every year more business owners say they plan to migrate from DIY to working with a digital marketing partner. Why? It takes 1,400+ man hours per month. There are only 730 hours in a month. If you want your campaigns to be successful, they need to be adjusted and updated constantly. This includes refreshing your ad creative, changing your bidding strategy, writing new copy, researching new keywords, making changes to landing pages, constantly reviewing ad performa

Today let's create an email newsletter for your business. Usually sent monthly or quarterly, a newsletter is your chance to engage with your customers. For the last two weeks, have you and your team been collecting lead source information? If not, skip back to day 8 to get on track! Part of the process should be collecting customer email addresses. This information, as we said then, is gold. People are busy. They’re not going to see all of your social media updates, and certainly won’t remember to check your website regularly. But they did give you their email address because they WANT to hear from you. They believe that your business can help them save money and get a great deal, or buy your products and services on a regular basis. To be successful, here's our advice. Just like working with a professional website vendor, you need to work with a pro email service, too. Never send your newsletter from your own email account. Instead, using a service like mailchimp.com or constantcontact.com to create an

Today let's talk about email. Specifically, you sales team's emails, and anyone in your business who communicates with customers via email. Welcome to Day 18 of your Marketing Jumpstart, powered by Netsertive. We've spent a lot of time talking about your website. It is your number 1 marketing tool after all. But today we're going to create a unified email signature file for every outgoing email. This is also called a sig file. They key here is not to waste an opportunity to make all of your customer emails streamlined and professional. Starting today, every email you send will be stamped at the bottom with a similar set of information, all in the same font, and with your business logo in place. Leaving a lasting impression is hard. Doing it at the end of an email is even harder. A strong email signature is attention-getting, but professional. It’s not flashy, but it’s not bland either. Whether you use Gmail our Outlook.com, or your own email software, look in your settings for signature file. Don’t overt

Today, let's talk about Facebook. Gone are the days where Facebook was just a platform to share your vacation pictures and what you did last weekend. It has morphed into a place where people not only get their news but find and get recommendations for new products and services. Welcome to Day 17 of your Marketing Jumpstart, powered by Netsertive. Your website is attracting customers. You've brainstormed a balanced marketing mix, and even have an ad running on Google. Plus you're measuring success with Google Analytics. But did you know that 79% of Internet users are on Facebook? And it really isn’t all Millennials! In addition to the 2 billion daily users, 72% of adults over 50 can be reached on the social network. Knowing all this, you need to make sure you are getting in front of this engaged audience. Having a Facebook business page allows prospects and clients to interact and learn more about your business. If you do not already have a Facebook business page, this post will walk you through you the set

Two weeks ago you claimed your business on Google My Business. And if you installed the Google My Business app on a smartphone, you were reminded to create a new post last week. Every 7 days Google will ping you to encourage you to update what's displayed on the right side of search results for your business. So today, take a few minutes to post a special offer through Google My Business. Head back to bit.ly/googlemybus - click Posts. Upload a product image and offer, and link it to your website. I recommend using your smartphone to take the picture, and use the app to post it. Be sure to choose Offer as the link type, and Google will give you the option to set the start and end date for the offer. This is a great way to post sale items or other offers and have them be front and center for every longer than 7 days. We've seen many of our Netsertive partners dovetail a free post here with their digital marketing to increase awareness of offers and sales during specific campaigns and promotions. Based

Today let's continue talking about analytics. Specifically, Google Analytics, and how to use it to measure the impact of your website and digital marketing on your small business. You're halfway through your jumpstart! I hope you're feeling informed, excited, and starting to feel the effects of your new marketing approach on your business. You've officially joined the digital marketing revolution! So today, let's continue talking about analytics. Specifically, Google Analytics, and how to use it to measure the impact of your website and digital marketing on your business. [When a car is running smoothly, all of its parts are working together. You don’t think about the camshaft, the intake valve, the engine block, or the piston; you take the parts for granted while your car is getting you from point A to point B. The same is true of a successful marketing campaign. Ideally, everything you’re doing should be working together to drive potential customers to your website - your digital door - and ultimately i

This weekend we're going to start measuring your digital presence. Specifically, we're going to turn on Google Analytics. This is a free tool that keep tabs on how many people visit your website, which pages are the most popular, and how long they look around. It's also the best way to track which actions people took on your website that had value to you. Those actions are known as conversions. The primary way to track the impact of your digital advertising on your business is pay close attention to the number and type of conversions on your website, and how many phone calls are generated each month. Ask the person who runs your website, or ideally your website vendor, to install Google Analytics on your website. Start at bit.ly/mygoogleanalytics - be sure to get the username and password so you can login and look at your analytics at least once a month. There’s a lot of things you can do to spend money online, but it’s about how smart you are in your spend. Your focus should be on the results and what

Business owners ask us everyday: What’s the difference between search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM)? Which should I be investing in, and how much? According to a Google study, small businesses see a 77% boost in qualified website traffic when they invest in both SEO and SEM. Both are important and deserve your attention. They work together to solve an essential business challenge: ensure that your business, products and services can be found on the Internet. Your website is your #1 marketing asset. A majority of your customers conduct Internet research before they call or swing your doors. With this in mind, your business website needs a one-time search engine optimƒization - or SEO audit, which can be done by your website developer before launch. An audit can be done at any time. Expect to pay anywhere from $300 to $500 for this service if you’re hiring a professional. You can also do it yourself in a few hours. The person doing your audit will review your website, creating

You've calculated your marketing investment and expected return on investment, and you've created a marketing plan for the year. That's progress! Plus you're tracking lead sources in your location. You know generally how often customers are using the Internet to find you. You've got an ad running on Google to reach local buyers. Plus you've set up Google My Business so people can find your location and you can keep tabs on reviews being written about you. For a few days of effort, you've got a lot to show for it! I'll bet you're feeling energized and that you're moving your business in the right direction to address how your customers have changes. Absolutely. Today let's pause and talk about another important topic: How to turn today's browsers into buyers. Welcome to Day 11 of your Marketing Jumpstart, powered by Netsertive. The shopping process has changed. The Internet has changed how people work, play, and shop. So it's no surprise that 9 out of 10 people will research online before making their p

Yesterday you set your goals and put pencil to paper to understand how much you'll need to spend on marketing to meet your sales goals. Investing for success is key. Today, I want you to open to pages 14 and 15 in your Click to Brick Workbook. There you'll find a year-long marketing planner. Welcome to Day 10 of your Marketing Jumpstart, powered by Netsertive. Make a few copies of these pages so you can start penciling in your investments. You'll notice right away that your marketing investment spans both marketing and advertising tactics. Everything from signage to your website and premiums all fall under this plan. Let's start on the first line - Promotion. Most of our partners offer special deals during large tentpole sales events like Black Friday and Labor Day. You'll want to set aside at least $1,000 for each of these events to invest in additional digital advertising, and more in print or radio spots. Ask your brand or buying group about available digital promotions. Several times each year we un

Let's tackle an important topic: your marketing investment. Notice we didn't say marketing budget. Just like the roof over your location and the sign out front, marketing is an investment in attracting new customers. Don't think of your spend here as a cost to your business - it truly is the most important investment you can make in growing profits. Everything you do - from your website, to signage in your location, traditional and digital advertising - it's all marketing. So it's important to invest the right amount to get the results you need to meet or beat your business goals. Setting goals for your bottom line is the place to start. How are sales today? Where do you want them to be this quarter, this year? List your products and services and the margins you earn for each sale, and put it in writing. How aggressive do you want to be? Now it's time to talk investment. According to the Small Business Administration, fast-growing businesses invest 5 to 8% of their gross revenue in marketing and advertis

How do you measure the true business impact of your marketing efforts? Internet marketing gives us lots of data to trace the path to purchase from online research to offline sales. But don’t forget traditional lead source tracking. It's critical to know how people discovered your business. Basically, whenever a customer swings your door or calls, you not only have a potential source of revenue, but a source of invaluable information. That person can tell you how he or she learned about your store, the brands you carry, and the products you sell. If you're learning that people are hearing about your business via a particular advertising channel, then you want to continue to use that channel, and possibly even increase its usage. On the other hand, if you're not getting any leads from a separate promotional effort, then you can be sure that it's ineffective and you can discontinue it. For starters, get yourself, your salespeople, and anyone who answers the phone or responds to emails into the habit of askin

Today it's time to claim your free Google My Business listing. It's day 7 of your Marketing Jumpstart, powered by Netsertive. Yesterday was a big day - we put your business front and center on Google. Now when local customers turn to the Internet and use Google - the new Yellow pages - you're putting a great marketing message in front of them. Talk about a marketing jumpstart - it's a great start. It's a great start, because 9 out of 10 shoppers turn to search engines to find local businesses! With that in mind, today we're kicking off Day 7 with another incredibly powerful digital marketing tool from Google. And this time, is 100% FREE. Free is good! Google My Business is what we're talking about. It used to be called Google Places, and for many years it was the tool business owners would use to be sure local customers could find their business on Google Maps. The famous google pin you could drop on your rooftop and be sure customers could use their phones to navigate right to your front doors. Google r

Let’s spend 15 minutes putting a marketing message in front of new customers the instant they're looking for you on the world’s most popular search engine: Google. Think of Google as the perfect replacement for your paid Yellow Pages listing. When people type in the name of your business online, you can be found above your competitors, and instantly present them with who you are, embed a special offer, explain your unique selling proposition, and more. And every click on this ad will send people right to your website. The goal is to get them to explore your offerings, then get in their cars and head through your doors to buy. To get started, open a web browser and head to bit.ly/mysearchads - welcome to Google AdWords. Click the Start Now button. The first step will ask you to enter your email address and your website address. I recommend you use your work email address, not your personal email, as you may hand it off to a co-worker in the future. Once you're logged in, you'll likely be dropped into Goo

When people were asked which sources they used most often consulted to research a considered purchase of $500 or more, small business websites were ranked #2 on the list. That's right. Websites were ranked #2, just behind the world’s most popular search engines - Google and Bing. When we said your customers have changed in recent years, this gets to the heart of it. Your business really has two front doors today. Customers will swing your digital door and visit your website first. When they're ready to buy, they'll get in their car and swing your physical doors to buy. As a business owner, this is critical. You must invest as much attention, care, and funding into your website as you do your brick and mortar location. Whether you have a store, a showroom, practice, or dealership. Your website is your number one marketing tool. With a well-designed site that looks terrific on all digital devices, that is easy to navigate, contains your contact information, paired with a consistent monthly investment in on