Website?…Check.
Email List?…Check.
Facebook Fan Page?…Check.

Great stuff! These things are fundamentally important in building your online presence, and because you’ve already got these things in place obviously this importance isn’t lost on you (…you have got these things in place haven’t you?… )

There is however, an important piece to the puzzle that seems to be missing…do you give up? … Mobile Marketing!

Mobile marketing is a rather encompassing term. Let me explain my take on it and see if any of it rings true to you…

What is Mobile Marketing?

To properly examine mobile marketing as it relates to the overall sphere of Internet Marketing, it’s probably prudent to firstly look at some very compelling numbers…

• Australians are on average, spending upwards of three hours each day on the Internet, from their mobile phones.

• Right now over 40% of Australian mobile phone users are using a smartphone, and according to Gartner Australia this is expected to grow to around 78% by 2014.

• It is predicted that by 2014 more people will be accessing the Internet from their mobile devices than from their desktop computers.

• More than 20% of all Internet searches for LOCAL products and services are coming from mobile devices, and this percentage is rapidly increasing.

Why are these mobile marketing statistics so important to you as a local business owner?

Most websites are built to be displayed on a computer monitor and using the processing power that modern Internet connections and computer processors give. They can display a lot of information including complex images, videos, extensive navigation menus, and can often consist of 10, 20, 50, or even 100′s of rich and informative pages. Websites are typically built to conform to the dimensions that a full screen will allow.

That’s great, and a well made website will render perfectly well on the screen dimensions and resolutions that it was built for…it can be a beautiful thing!

However what happens when a potential customer visits your brilliantly executed website via their mobile device? What looks fantastic on a 1280 x 1024 display, now becomes decidedly awkward on the 3.5 to 4.5 inch screen size. The text is hard to read, there needs to be a lot of scrolling (sideways as well as up and down) to reach the various parts of the page, the menus are often unusable, and to cap it all off, they take FOREVER to load.

The truth is that most websites are just not functionable (is that even a word?) on a mobile device. A website like this is what can be called “not mobile friendly” and more than 90% of websites happen to fall into this category.

My job is to make websites “mobile friendly”

So what exactly is a mobile friendly website… Essentially this means a website where the text appears readable, without sideways scrolling, have a simplified menu system where all of the important information can be easily found, and it loads quickly.

A mobile friendly website is all about visitor convenience. These visitors are usually “on the go” and need easy access to your contact details. This can be in the way of one-click calling, one-click email, or even instant directions to your establishment.

Mobile marketing also encompasses areas such as SMS marketing (the equivalent mobile version to email marketing), and using the smartphones ability to read QR Codes, which can be used in conjunction with other marketing efforts.

The potential of Mobile Marketing is only just beginning to be realized. This is the PERFECT time to get your business and your website “mobilized”.

At the risk of sounding too over-the-top, Mobile Marketing is sublimely important in today’s Internet marketing environment and a completely necessary marketing element to modern local business. Many experts believe that the mobile device is fast becoming THE most important Internet tool, and I wholeheartedly agree with them.

Still not sure?… Here’s a fantastic video that sum’s it all up perfectly. Enjoy… Oh, and don’t forget, we can make it happen for you!

Mobile Marketing For Local Business is a post from: Internet Marketing Assault

Google Places are a series of web pages (or business listings) that Google has gone ahead and created for virtually every place that you can think of (in the entire WORLD!) There are Google Place Pages for EVERYTHING including individual business, points of interest, public stations, landmarks, towns, cities, and so on. The purpose of Google Places (GP) is to organize all of the world’s information for these places, within the GP listing. Obviously this information would include location, phone number, website, address, citation listings, and reviews.

So what does Google Places have to do with YOUR business?

Great question! … The short answer is, Google Places is a great way for your potential customers to FIND you, and more specifically, find out about you. You see, these Places listings have already been created by Google, they are already indexed in the Google Search Index, and Google LOVES to include these Places listings prominently in the search results pages.

Haven’t seen a Google Places listing before? Here’s what the listings look like within a search results page:

Or a more substantial listing looks something like this:

As you will notice the usual appearance of the GP listings is a series of seven listings. This is commonly known as the “7 Pack” or “Google 7 Box”, or even the “7 Block”. These are interchangeable terms and mean the same thing, which is the seven Places listings (A-G) for that particular search page. In the examples above the search term was for “Perth plumbers”.

Obviously the ideal position for your business to appear in, is the 7-Pack on the first page of the search results. For a local business the advantages of appearing here are immeasurable. It means your Places listing will appear prominently increasing the chance of being visited, and people searching for local products and services find the Places pages more relevant to their search.

Google created Google Places to make local search results more relevant to local searchers. Which means that a well optimized GP Page can outperform (in the search results) a website that has been around for years. The implications of this are HUGE for local businesses…

So how do you get a Google Places Page?

More than likely you already have one… Google has been very thorough when it comes to their (your) Places Pages! To be able to edit your Places page, add to it, optimize it, and generally make it more accurate, more appealing, and more likely to appear on the coveted first page, you will firstly need to claim it…

However, simply claiming it won’t give you an advantage over your competitors on page one. You see, they are appearing on page one because most likely they have already claimed their Places page and they have already had some level of optimization done to it.

And here’s my cue! My job is to help local businesses claim their Places Page, and then to set about optimizing it (in dazzling fashion ) using a variety of tactics, citation listings, reviews, images, and videos (which I can provide), thus giving your Places listing the very best chance of appearing on page one (remembering that page one is the holy grail of Search Engine Marketing).

Google Places should be considered one of the cornerstones of internet marketing for local business… Don’t take it lightly, it’s importance should NOT be underestimated!

Google Places For Local Business is a post from: Internet Marketing Assault

Although I offer various individual internet marketing components such as article marketing and online video marketing, it is when all of these individual components are combined and coordinated that the rubber really hits the road. This systematic and coordinated process in commonly know as Search Engine Optimization or SEO (also sometimes called search engine marketing or search engine visibility marketing).

The objective of Search Engine Optimization is to facilitate your website or web pages appearing on the first page of a search result. For example if you are a plumber in Perth then your goal is to appear on the first page of the search engine results when a potential customer is searching for “Perth plumber” …Sounds easy doesn’t it?… It ‘ain’t!

The search engines need to have reason to rank your website higher in the search results over any of the other hundred’s of thousands or even millions of competing web pages. And the more competitive the search term (keywords) is/are then the harder it is to rank.

Search Engine Optimization is the art/science of making your website more authoritive, more relevant, and more attractive to the search engines.

SEO consists of two fundamental elements…

“On-Page” and “Off-Page” Search Engine Optimization.

On-Page SEO

This is the process of “optimizing” content and elements that appear on your actual website page(s) to make that page more favourable to the search engines. This can include using strategically written articles, properly tagged images, strategic uses of meta description and titles, correctly formatted text, proper use of Headlines (H1, H2, and H3), and strategic interlinking of various pages and articles on your website.

Off-Page SEO

Essentially this is all of the activity that takes place outside of your website that in some way links back to your site. This is referred to as backlinking (links pointing back to your website) and is a major factor for the search engines to use in judging how “important” or authoritive your website is.

In many ways a backlink is considered a “vote” for your site from a third party and the more authoritive that third-party is, then the higher the “value” of that “vote” (or backlink).

Simplistically, if your site is considered more relevant, more important, more popular, and more authoritive than a competing website or web page then yours will appear higher in the search engine result pages (SERP’s). The importance of SEO is immense, and can be the difference of attracting a few potential customers to your website, or attracting a steady stream of perhaps hundreds (or even thousands depending on the keywords) of potential customers.

An SEO professional has the role of getting all of the on-page factors working harmoniously and to your advantage, and also to elicit, gather, gain, and build backlinks to your site using a variety of tools, software, and online platforms.

Luckily for you I have at my disposal the right knowledge, the right expertise, and the right tools to put in place the right SEO strategies at the right time. SEO should be considered an on-going strategy, and I have very realistically priced monthly packages available.

Whenever we talk about SEO it’s important to remember that there is constant competition to get a website appearing on the first page of the search results. If your industry is competitive and you are not actively engaged in getting your site to page one, then you are being left behind, have been left behind, or will be left behind…. Just sayin’!

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a post from: Internet Marketing Assault

For those who might not be aware of the strategy of article marketing let me explain the actual mechanics of it:

An article is written with the aim of promoting your website in some way. It may be to promote your website directly, it may be written about a product (or service) that you sell or promote on your website, or it may be written about general news or trends relating to your industry, or in some cases it may even be written about a subject only mildly related to your industry.

That article is then posted to an Article Directory (a third party website which hosts other peoples articles), with the most widely recognized article directory being http://ezinearticles.com/, or it can be posted to many different article directories.

The Purpose Of Article Marketing…

A common question at this stage is “why am I filling up someone else’s website with valuable content?”

This question is answered when we consider the purpose of these articles…which of course is to promote our website, or some aspect of our website (this is specifically done through an article bio box, which links the article to our website). The aspect of promotion is achieved in two ways (actually to be perfectly accurate, in three ways…this will make more sense as you read the next few paragraphs):

1. These article directories can be a direct source of traffic for your website. For example you may be a plumber who submits an article on “DIY tap washer repair”. Somebody searching for this information finds your article, clicks on the link to your site in the bio box, and arrives at your site, hopefully primed to take some action.




2. Part of the algorithm that the search engines use to calculate how “important” (or relevant) your website is, is to consider how many outside links are pointing toward your site (commonly called backlinks). The more of these backlinks there are, and how many there are from “authority” sites (which many article directories are), then the more relevant your website will appear. This will result in a higher positioning in the search results. Of course this potentially will translate into more visitors to your site.




3. The third reason is closely related to the above point. Many webmasters trawl through these article directories searching for relevant content to populate their own websites. This is in fact one of the fundamental reasons why article directories were first established, and is perfectly acceptable. In fact, it is most desirable for your articles to be placed on another website…Why?…Part of the Terms Of Service of these directories is that article posted on someone’s website, is that your author bio is included. And what exactly does that mean?…Well that article is now on another website and is pointing back to your site, as well as pointing back from the original article directory…More back links, more relevancy, more potential traffic for you!

My Approach To Article Marketing

So as you can see, article marketing serves more than one purpose, and it can be a really powerful way to promote your website, both in terms of direct visitor traffic and also improve your search engine ranking.

My approach to article marketing is to take advantage of all of the different aspects that I have outlined above. How much I focus on any one of these approaches to article marketing depends on the objectives of a particular promotional campaign. Recognizing and being able to respond to these very particular objectives is fundamental to the overall effectiveness of an article marketing campaign and how it relates to your business…

Article Marketing is a post from: Internet Marketing Assault

Setting up a website for your business is fantastic…actually I should add, fantastically necessary! It is not only a great additional contact point between you and your existing customers, but it is a means by which you can reach out and put your message in front of an exponentially larger number of potential customers…And a fundamental reason why you should have a website (or some sort of web presence) is that your competitors have one (or they are managing their online strategies better), and the simple truth is that this makes them more relevant in today’s commercial environment.

At this point I will assume that you either have an existing website or recognize the necessity of having one. The challenge from here is to “feed” it! Yep…literally give it substance so that it can live and thrive. And as I’ve mentioned that can be challenging.

You need to fill your website with relevant, rich, and compelling content. This has the dual function of giving your website relevancy in the eyes of the search engines, and also making it authoritative and relevant to your visitors. Gone are the days when you can publish a simple one or two page website and expect anyone to take any notice.

I’ll be honest here…creating content for a website can be tedious. It is part art-form and part pure grunt work. “Art” in knowing the right message to convey, the right structuring of the page, and the right manipulation of keywords to make it appealing to the search engines as well as your customers. The “grunt” comes in when you realize that all of this content needs to be constructed from square one, and it can be slow going.

Sometimes this initial “burst” of content creation is all a website will need to make it convert well in terms of converting prospects into customers, and also give you a good positioning in the search engine rankings. Other times however, depending on your industry and the level of competition, your website needs to be “fed” on an on-going basis to keep it relevant, compelling, and competitive.

The service that I offer is to create content, which can be written, video, or images (or preferably a combination of these things), either for the one off creation of a website (which is a part of my website creation service), or as on-going fuel for your website, or even rewriting or providing content for your already existing website. I can create content on a weekly basis, a monthly basis, or just here-and-there on a intermittent basis.

There are countless variables involved in creating, ranking, and maintaining a successful website. Many of these variables are out of our control, but one thing is certain…a supply of relevant, rich, and compelling content for your your website will give your website authority and relevancy to both the search engines and to your visitors…and that is key to successful websites!

Website Content Creation is a post from: Internet Marketing Assault

Let me run through a scenario with you….Someone reaches your website, reads about the products or services you are offering, is in the market for these, but for whatever reason they are not ready to make a buying decision right there and then. At this stage the only options your visitor has is to bookmark your site, make a note of your contact details, make a mental note to revisit your site, or to simply close the browser.

Research shows us if a potential customer doesn’t take some action at this stage, they are unlikely to visit your site again. The Internet is just too busy. There are so many distractions, even a person who has the intention to return to your website will probably never see your site again.

What that means exactly, is that you will have lost the opportunity to “sell” your message to those leaving your website, perhaps forever!

So what can be done to get a second chance (or more accurately a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th chance) at these prospects?  Simple…we set up an email auto-responder system…

“?????!!!!!….What!”… (Yep, I know I lost some of you there.)

Let me break it down the process of Email Marketing like this…

You offer your first time visitor something of value and at no charge. This might be some valuable home renovation tips if your business is home building, or a free report on “the 5 easiest ways to fix unblocked drains” if your business is plumbing, or maybe if you are a make-up artist or beautician, you might provide a guide to the most affordable make-up products.

But, for your visitor to receive this complimentary gift, they need to fill out a simple form (usually requiring only a name and email address), thus opting into your “list” and gaining access to your free gift.

Once you have a person on your list you don’t need for them to visit your website to have access to them again…Now you have the power to reach them whenever you want. But of course this is a relationship you can never abuse, simply because a person can opt out of your list at any time. You should only use this avenue to offer your list members something of a perceived value. For example, information to solve their problems, coupons for discount products and services, or relevant industry news.

The true power of an auto-responder system however, is the ability to pre-load messages into your system. You might decide to have 5 or 10 or even more messages (information, special offers, discount coupons, etc) that are automatically sent out to your list members, in a particular sequence, and at predetermined intervals of time.

This is extremely valuable to you as it keeps your name in the prospects mind, you get to build up your authority as a professional in your particular industry, and it gives you a chance to gain their custom even if they passed you by the first time round….and most importantly, once it is set up, the whole system runs on auto-pilot!

Setting up such a system can be tricky, especially without the tools and knowledge needed. That’s where someone like me comes in….

Here’s how I can help you with you email marketing campaign

• Setting up the technical aspects of an email auto-responder.
• Designing an effective system of messages that will help you gain the trust and gratitude of your prospective customer.
• Writing, compiling, and constructing a compelling series of messages.
• Loading this series of email messages into your auto-responder so that it all runs on auto-pilot.

The hard work in setting up this kind of system is in the initial set-up, and this is where most people without the right tools and knowledge would struggle.

Here’s my bargain with you….You pay me (a modest but fair amount) to do all the grunt work (and believe me setting up the auto-responder, constructing the sequence of messages, and actually making the content that makes up the messages is the epitome of “grunt work”), and you put your feet up and take advantage of the extra interest in your website and your business, all while gaining the extra chance of turning your PROSPECT into your CUSTOMER….

….Sounds like a sweet deal to me

Email Marketing: Effective, Valuable, Automatic is a post from: Internet Marketing Assault

Let me get something off my chest from the get-go…I don’t do fancy websites! I don’t do flashy, bells and whistles, singing, dancing websites. These types of websites typically rely on the “Flash” multimedia platform that is designed to add movement (amongst other things) to a website.

The problem with Flash is that the search engines have a hard time separating the real content from  the images and animated components associated with these websites. “What does that mean exactly” I hear you ask…

…It means that the search engines find it difficult to figure out exactly what this type of website is about. How do we place this website in our search rankings and for what search terms do we consider?

That’s not to say that these types of websites don’t work, but in my experience they work best for established, highly recognized “brands” that can rely on their one million backlinks, and not so much on their on-page search engine optimization (SEO). And they can cost a packet! It’s not unusual to hear of web design budgets of tens-of-thousands and even hundreds-of-thousands of dollars for a complicated, fully featured, brilliantly designed, Flash based website.

No…my websites are the meat and potatoes kind. And more specifically, they are designed and built with the goal of generating leads for your business. I like to think of them as a “lead generator”, and they are designed to guide your visitor to TAKE ACTION, whether that be to call you, contact you online, or to leave you their details for follow-up. This is commonly known as a “call to action”.

They are attractive, functional, effective, versatile, and most importantly, search engine friendly! Quite simply…They work!

Need an example?…Well this website you’re at right now is one.

What can my websites offer you?

• Search engine friendly.
• Visitor friendly.
• Clear, researched, well written content that encourages a visitor to take action.
• Video and professional imagery to enhance your message.
• Easy to navigate.
• Ability to easily track the actions of your visitors.

What you get with my website development services

• A choice of a 3, 5, or 10 page website, including content pages, “about”, and “contact”, (or more if you want).
• Customized header graphic.
• Customized video.
• Professional imagery where appropriate.
• A training period to get you (or a staff member) up to speed with how to maintain the website.
• A period of on-going support for those moments where you need my help with site maintenance.
• You get the transfer and ownership of the website domain name.

And, although there are occasions where I do set-up HTML sites, I almost exclusively use the WordPress platform to develop websites. This is because the software is free, easy for a website owner to learn, dynamic, and VERY importantly, Google LOVES WordPress websites.

How do I host my site?

I can offer hosting on a choice of hosting servers for a small monthly fee, or I can transfer the website to a host of your choice.

How do I maintain my website once it has been developed?

I offer a period of training, for you or a staff member, to get to grips with WordPress and the related functions of maintaining a website (adding content, pages, post, images, video, etc). Or for a small monthly fee I can handle the maintenance for you.

I do offer a more fully featured service for maintaining a website, which includes researching and writing articles and keeping regular publishing times, as well as other content creation and publishing to your website.

…Great, is that it?

OK…I think I’ve covered just about everything…

…Oh, just one more thought springs to mind…If I was a clothes designer, I would like to think of my websites as being made of hard-wearing denim as opposed to the silk of the big-budget, Flash-based websites…I know what type works for local business!

Effective Website Development is a post from: Internet Marketing Assault

I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume that you’ve heard of Facebook…It’s just a little ‘ol social networking website that has been slowly building a steady list of subscribers. Nothing really to write home about…just a measly 500 MILLION USERS or thereabouts.

OK, so the truth is that in terms of number of users, social interaction, and influence, Facebook is a behemoth. In reality it has become an equal of Google, and in many areas has surpassed it. And while its marketing and business potential is already staggering, it is only set to grow further…If you use the Internet in any way to sell your goods or services, this is a bandwagon that you simply must be on!

…hang on, what’s that I can hear? Facebook is what your kids are on. They play games, gossip, and generally waste far to much to time browsing their “wall”…

Fair enough, but as a business owner I’m not really interested in this side of Facebook, per se. I’m more interested in building and harnessing the marketing power of Facebook Fan Pages. And as a local business owner I am particularly interested in using a Fan Page to interact with my local target market.

What are Facebook Fan Pages?

In a nutshell, a fan page is a dedicated Facebook page used for promoting a business, product, brand, celebrity, or service. It is a perfect way to utilize the power of “social media marketing”. It is a great way to interact with your customers, offer discount coupons, promote specials, and to build a sense of trust and loyalty.

However the true power of utilizing Facebook Fan Pages is through a fabulous little button called the “like” button. This is where your satisfied customers can “like” your products and/or services, effectively recommending you to others, instantaneously, which in turn spreads to others giving them the opportunity to “like” what you have got to offer…It really is viral marketing at its purest.

All of this may not mean much at first glance, but considering that on average, a Facebook user has somewhere near 130 friends…well I think you can appreciate what I’m getting at….

For those that see Facebook as the domain of the young and carefree, let me chuck these not so inconsequential figures at you.

• All of the World’s most recognizable brands and products have their own Fan Page.

• There are over 500 million active Facebook users.

• Almost 50% of users are aged between 25 and 54.

• The average FB user is connected to 80 community pages, groups and events.

• 50% of users will log in to Facebook in any given day.

• Since social networking plugins were introduced in April 2010, an average of 10,000 new websites per day have been integrating with FB.

• The average Facebook users has 130 friends.

What does all this mean?

• Facebook is already HUGE, but will become even more so.

• FB is not just for kids and students. In fact nearly 50% of users reside in a prime “buying” demographic with a real disposable income.

• FB users are prolific. They use it A LOT, and interact with others A LOT!

• Your competitors probably already have a FB Fan Page, and if they don’t…they soon will!

What can I do to help you?

Imagine a Fan Page like this for your business!

…Let me set up a fantastic, customized, effective and affordable Fan Page that can directly integrate with your website…there’s nothing more to say really..

…well OK maybe just one more thing…

…Never before has social marketing been so important. Whether I create a Facebook Fan Page for you or not, I urge you to have someone do it, and soon!

Still not convinced about the importance of social media?

Check this vid out!

Facebook Fan Pages is a post from: Internet Marketing Assault

Many people shy away when they hear the words “online video marketing”. Perhaps it’s the thought of being the star attraction in a web video that will blast across the Internet that puts SOME people off (I say “some” people because I’ve met plenty who love the idea!) However the types of videos I’m talking about, and produce, are short, zippy, marketing showcases that don’t have to feature YOU at all (although they can )

They can be a mixture of images, video, and text relating to your business, that you provide, or they can be a series of professional images that I can source for you. Either way you end up with a fantastic, targeted, and compelling web video that will entice potential customers to take action.

The killer features of my videos

• They are short and concise.

• Professional and compelling.

• Can include a “call to action”.

• Can highlight your business, products, and/or services fantastically well.

• These videos can serve a “dual purpose”.

• They can be “branded” with your logo.

• Offer a fantastic “bang for your buck”.

Why you should consider using video

Great way to instantaneously enhance your website.
People connect with video better.
A visual representation can “grab” a website visitor’s attention better than any other technique.
Can be used to promote your business via your website, or by many of the online video sharing sites.

… So, online video marketing works!

… but how can I make it work for you?

The online video marketing services that I offer are twofold

1. I can create a web video based on the images and video that you give me, or I can source a series of professional images relating to your business, and can format it as a web friendly file that can be used on your website (or anywhere you wish…it would be yours!)
2. The second part of my video marketing service is that I can take this web video, optimize it, and publish it across a series of powerful online video websites (The daddy of them all of course…You Tube).
3. Actually, let make the list of service threefold…many people will already have videos relating to their business. These could be “how-to” videos, product descriptions etc etc, but they aren’t sure how to optimize and format them for effective online distribution. Let me do this for you.

These online video marketing services work brilliantly well together but can be purchased as separate items. So if all you want are a few videos for your website…no problem.

The distribution part of my service serves two purposes. First, is that people will find your website (thus your goods and services) through a much broader search “net”. Simply, it creates more avenues for people to find you.

And secondly, when your  video is published on an online video website, it creates what is known as a “backlink”. Essentially this is a link pointing to your website from another site. More backlinks pointing to your site increases the relevance of your website in the eyes of the search engines (who are we kidding, we’re talking about Google here). This in turn is what will push your website up in the search engine rankings…powerful stuff!

Online video marketing is increasingly important in today’s Internet landscape. It’s effective, affordable, and extremely important.

Online Video Marketing is a post from: Internet Marketing Assault