New Social Media Services

Grow prospects into customers with social media updates.
Grow prospects into customers with social media updates.

Social Media has now become an important part of every business’ overall marketing program. Search engines and site visitors consider social media activity important and are site visitors are using the ability to share content with others using these platforms; making participation in social networks more meaningful for businesses. As a result to keep up with current trends, our social media programs are being improved to serve your needs better.

We have hired special social media specialists to curate the content that is used for social media and have employed specialized content writers to write your updates. We think that you will find that over the last several weeks to month that the content for your social media networks has improved to be more meaningful and targeted for your own audience. For Facebook, our content is now standardized to show around 50 to 60 words in each update. We have already started to supply content with these new parameters.

Social Media Rates 

Facebook Gold – $15 per day for two updates five days a week

Facebook Silver – $8 per day for one update five days a week

Twitter Gold – $22 per day for five updates five days a week

Twitter Silver – $14 per day for three updates five days a week

New – Twitter Bronze – $9 per day for two updates five days a week

Google+ Silver – $8 per day for one update five days a week

LinkedIn Silver – $9 per day for one update five days a week – specially curated by Nancy McCord

We even offer low budget services with our Minimalist Program.

The Minimalist – $260 Per Four Week Month

Just for clients who have existing Facebook and Twitter profiles and simply want to budget a small amount of money to maintain these platforms; so as to have up-to-date content when prospects click in from their website, we have created a program for these special needs. Please note, we do not recommend this program level for follower growth or for best practices, it is a simple maintenance only program.

We can provide Facebook and Twitter account updates. Updates will consist of status updates, links to articles, updates pointing to items on your website you sell as products or services, and interesting informational content that builds value for readers.

Included in our Minimalist Level is the following:

  • Three statuses per work week for your Facebook Business Page on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Updates are typically 50 to 55 words long.
  • Five tweets per work week for your Twitter account; one tweet a day Monday through Friday.

Please note at the Minimalist Level you will incur a onetime $50 set up fee to connect your existing Facebook and Twitter accounts to our writer’s control panel in our corporate HootSuite account.

Find out more about our Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn update services.

How to Place Locally on Google – One Business Multiple Cities

Image of a Google Maps exposure on Google.com.
Image of a Google Maps exposure on Google.com.

In our series on how to place locally on Google I will be looking at the next easiest scenario which is one business with physical presences/offices in multiple cities. This is also a fairly easy scenario to place locally on and similar in some ways to the actions that you would take for the one business with multiple locations in one city.

Here’s what I’ve found works for location specific placement.

1. See our post from 4-8-14 on how to rank for one city. In this twist of one business multiple cities, again it is best to put all your location addresses in the footer of your website. If you have more than three or four locations, I would do a location page for your website and then just list the city and state names in the footer hyperlinking to your specific location page.

2. Again as in the single city with multiple location pages a unique page for each location is in order linked from the all locations page. What is very important to understand is that the content on these locations pages MUST be unique. You cannot simply copy the one location and then drop in the new location. Try to write something of value about each unique location.

3. Setting up a Google+ Local page for each location is really key for organic placement. Take some time and thought into what you will write and make sure the pictures and videos if you have them (highly recommended) are unique to that location.

4. Make sure you validate your Google+ Local page. A PIN will be hard copied mailed to the physical address. Your staff really, and I mean really, needs to be vigilant to find this PIN envelope. It will look like junk mail and will have NO Google ID on it. I have had many clients have significant delays in validating and have required multiple sends of the validation letter as it is simply missed. Nothing will show on Google until you validate and then typically a two to four week delay after verification to show in the results is not uncommon.

This scenario and the one on Tuesday are fairly simple to enact but very important. With mobile searches being delivered preferentially local content the activity from local searches and local exposure is simply too huge to discount.

Google+ Announces +Post Ads

Here’s another way that Google is monetizing the Web and the newest way that Google is boosting Google+ participation.

To help advertisers create visually rich and compelling experiences online, Google today announced that it’s testing a new type of monetization for Google+ called +Post ads. The new ad unit will let brands turn Google+ content into display ads that can run across the more than two million sites in the Google Display Network.” Read more online.

This is actually pretty big news. Let me help you to understand why.

1. Different than other social networking advertising, you don’t just reach your network, you reach Google’s network! If you advertise in the Google AdWords Display network, you’ll know that this means hundreds of thousands of impressions.

2. Google is anticipating that this new format will improve click through rate and user engagement. Make sure to watch the video of how Toyota is using +Post ads.

3. The key take away is the ability to connect with a large audience, allow immediate comments to the Google+ post, and one click sharability across platforms – Pretty revolutionary stuff!

4. If you want to try +Post ads, here is the beta sign up to get early involvement. Additionally here is more information from Google about +Post ads. Although I don’t have more information as to pricing, how the program is administered or who can and will be approved, based on what Google has done before I would imagine that there will be a separate ad interface as they used for Google Local ads called AdWords Express. AdWords Express is shown in the AdWords control panel but administered outside the AdWords control panel.

+Post ads just show another innovation from Google on how they are leading the way with mobile and social interaction and how your message can be relevant using Google advertising platforms to reach and engage a greater audience.

Ready to Connect on Google+ Here’s How

I consider activity on Google+ important for business owners. The real SEO and search benefits are however not achieved by updating your Google+ Business page, but rather your Google+ personal page.

So, how can you connect with others to start building your Google+ empire and improved rankings for your company website in the organic listings?

  1. Start by making sure the content you write is on target, on topic, and engaging.
  2. I use my Google+ page for business and not personal use. Consider doing the same for now.
  3. Work to actively add users to circles and respond when someone adds you to one of their circles.
  4. Click +1 and leave comments on posts you find interesting. You’ve simply got to spend some time.
  5. Consider starting a hangout. Well I am still thinking about that one, but have participated in several others and they can be fun. I have just not initiated one.

I personally find that for placement Google+ will be very important. As Google does not allow any automated or scheduled updates to be passed to your Google+ page, you will find the community of business people,legitimate, real and engaging.

Personally, I use Facebook for personal interaction on my locked down private page and Google+ as my face on social networks for business.