If this sounds like what you have done, then you are probably wondering where is all the traffic? Why didn’t it work. Just having your information included within the search engines or directories doesn’t mean you are going to be listed on the top of Google search. It could mean you are 20 pages back. Have you ever searched for something on Google and gone through 20 pages to find the right company? Probably not. The first three pages are usually the only ones that get viewed and most of the time just the first. So you want to be ranked on the top of the page one in the search queries.

You have two options to start increasing your page ranks and drive traffic:

• Pay someone to do it for you ongoing.

OR

• Do it yourself (or have someone in your company, do it)

I’ve worked with several small businesses that don’t understand search engine optimization and they don’t want learn about it. They just want results. Reality is that the world has changed since the introduction of the internet and the way people find things or services, make purchase decisions and the way they buy. The majority of business owners out there realize that they need the internet to get customers and want FREE organic search to deliver those customers to them. What many don’t realize is just how complicated SEO is and that if someone says they can come in and make you rank quickly, you should probably stay away from them. The saying “if it sounds to good to be true, then it probably isn’t true” is VERY TRUE when it comes to SEO. Ranking and increasing traffic organically (without pay-per-click ads) takes time and ongoing effort. Don’t be fooled or taken.

So, whether you intend to manage your SEO internally or to hire someone, I recommend that you dedicate some time every week to learn more about search engine optimization for small businesses and do something to promote your website and build traffic. Take the time to understand what your is being done to increase your traffic, ask questions to your team or consultant. SEO is complicated but you don’t need to stay in the dark as a business owner or manager.

I’ll be sharing some tips and providing instruction on how to do the following things to help build more traffic over the next few weeks. So sign up for our UnderstandingMarketing.com Newsletter or subscribe to our rss feed so you don’t miss out on Small Business Search Engine Optimization posts to come. Here’s what you can expect to learn about in the next two or three weeks:

1. Understanding keywords and search engine ranking
2. Link building (From social media profiles and from other relevant sites)
3. Writing content  – keeping it relevant and fresh
4. Analyzing SEO results and making tweeks
5. Beyond SEO – focus on CRO (conversion rate optimization)

Free press can help your business stand out.

Following is a guest post by Samantha Peters

Entrepreneurs these days often try to freely market their business by focusing on social media and SEO. They set up accounts on Facebook and Twitter, look to maximize their site’s search engine reputation management, and create a system of backlinks and content to boost traffic and exposure. These approaches can certainly work for the modern-day small business, but this single-minded focus on virtual marketing avenues causes many entrepreneurs to forget a different, traditional, and effective one: free press.

Getting free press can help a small business gain exposure and credibility — all without paying a dime. Doing so requires generating a story that newspapers will see fit to cover and publish. How can this be done? Here are a few tips:

-Offer an unusual promotion. One of the best ways to generate press is by creating a positive and unusual news story. Offering a unique promotion and then communicating it to the local media is often an easy way to do this.

-Make a public commitment to a social cause. The media would far prefer to give coverage to a social cause than a pure business venture. If you can give your business a chartable angle, then you may stand to benefit from increased exposure as a result.

-Put out press releases with compelling angles. The way you word a press release can be instrumental in determining the amount of attention it receives. Specifically, you can maximize this degree of attention by offering a compelling story and an interesting angle. Don’t just describe a new product that you’re launching; rather, give it a succinct narrative.

-Become an expert in your field. There are many organizations and sites out there, such as ProfNet and HARO, that allow regular people to become writers and sources for news publications. As an entrepreneur you are likely an expert in some sort of narrow field. By being a source and offering up your insight you can get yourself and your business mentioned in the press.

-Focus on target publications. When courting free press it is important to focus on those outlets where your business has the best chance of securing a mention. Rather than sending press release after press release to the New York Times, instead concentrate your efforts on local papers, industry bulletins, and publications where you already have a contact.

These are just a few of the main ways that a small business can go about trying to drum up publicity and draw some free press. As an entrepreneur you want to keep costs down and market your business as cheaply as possible. This applies in the offline world just as much as it does online – and, to target the former, seeking out free press is a great place to start.

Photo credit: Food Enthusiasts Unite

Disclaimer: the author has no relationship whatsoever with the beef council, nor any group opposing the beef council in the current “pink slime” PR crisis.

By now there is a good chance most everyone has a thought and emotion that runs through their head when they hear the phrase, “pink slime.” But what can small business PR learn from the pink slime fiasco? What lessons are to be learned in understanding what has taken place, how did the pink slime crisis get out of control and how is the beef industry handling the PR crisis?

For visitors who may not be aware of the situation, pink slime is a term that refers to a controversial meat filler product used in some processed meats, like the hamburger meat at some fast-food restaurants. Pink slime is specifically known as “lean, finely textured beef.” The beef industry has found itself in a PR war with many groups, including millions within the general public, who clearly want the meat filler product removed. Naturally, if the beef industry takes a hit they may lose thousands of jobs. These are jobs of innocent people who would be caught up in the PR crisis.

The beef industry says it is a smear campaign and the phrase “pink slime” is a manufactured term that has absolutely nothing to do with the product, which is apparently neither pink, nor slime. The industry says the additive in question is needed because it helps reduce the threat of e-coli and other bacteria that are sometimes available in processed meats.

Who is right? Who is wrong? This is clearly a classic PR crisis and the beef industry has got its work cut out for it in engaging this battle. Not helping the beef industry’s case is allegedly a media outlet that is on the hunt for a juicy story and will stop at nothing to inject additional drama for the sake of viewership. The beef industry has even gone as far as to say the media outlet is deliberately overusing the phrase “pink slime” just to put a scare into people.

Any small business owner that produces a product or service that ultimately touches other people could possibly find itself in the shoes as the beef council. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when dealing with a small business PR crisis.

1: Always be open. Communication can never stop, even in a crisis. It is important to always keep open the lines of communication, even when there are no facts to report. Just saying that you are looking into certain matters and will keep people updated will buy you a little goodwill.

2: Speaking of facts, gather them. The beef industry is hard at work collecting facts of the additive that is in question. The most important thing is to make sure you communicate the facts of your side during a small business PR crisis.

3: It’s not about you; it is about others around you. There is only one thing more important than credibility in a PR crisis. This would be third-party credibility. In the case of the beef council, this means bringing in several top experts and health experts who can speak on the beef industry’s behalf to explain the facts and add health perspective. People do not want to hear from the beef council that the additive is safe. But they will hear from a trusted health expert about it.

4: Get the public on your side. This is where social media can be a powerful tool in a PR crisis. Once the third-party health expert or outside expert offers his or her perspective, it is time to mobilize publics that are on your side and let them take to Twitter, Facebook and the blogosphere to spread the word.

5: Bring cameras inside. When Pepsi battled a vicious PR crisis about syringes being found in its cans, the company ultimately allowed media and cameras into its manufacturing facilities to show the world how impossible it would be for a syringe to end up in a can of Pepsi. Ultimately it was found to be the work of a vengeful person and Pepsi regained the trust of millions of people. The beef council may want to think about bringing cameras into the beef production and manufacturing facilities to have a closer look at the additive and its benefits.

John Sternal is President of Sternal Communications, a PR and marketing consultancy helping businesses get noticed through publicity in the media. He is the author of the PR Toolkit for Small Business and currently authoring a book about small business PR for entrepreneurs. For questions email John Sternal or connect with him @SternalPR.

Visual Marketing Tips For Small Business

How do you tell your story visually? How do you use images and design to market your small business? There is a new book out now that answers all your questions on this topic, and shows you through wonderful, eye-opening examples.

By authors David Langton and Anita Campbell (of Small Business Trends), the new book is “Visual Marketing: 99 Proven Ways For Small Businesses To Market With Images And Design.” The book offers brilliant examples of visual marketing tips for small business that are easy to digest for any entrepreneur that needs advice when using images for marketing.

According to the book, “The world is visual. We use our eyes to take in much of the content that influences our behavior, tempers our reactions, and informs our decisions. Whether it’s on the web, in a brochure, or live in person, the most effective solutions are ones that unexpectedly grab our attention.”

This is very true and on point. Every small business owner and entrepreneur looking to market his or her business must agree with the fact that visual marketing is an important step in building a brand, protecting its reputation and getting noticed by customers. This book helps achieve all of this.

Here are a few of our personal favorites of visual marketing tips for small business:

#3: Augmenting the reality of mobile advertising: Sharing brand information visually over mobile devices through apps. Simply put, the world is going mobile. All small businesses need to find a way to market their business through a smart phone.

#19: Good service is earned: Making a brand statement and creating viral content through infographics. We are huge believers of infographics on UnderstandingMarketing.com. In fact, we have an entire Pinterest page devoted to infographics.

#33: Blogger outreach in the cloud: Using a visually inspired word cloud to start a conversation with a blogger. Blogger outreach is a skill that is acquired through experience, not necessarily through education. But word clouds are highly effective with bloggers and should be used by small businesses in an effort to build relationships online.

#50: Jump-start a new package design: Creating quality packaging can lead to getting carried by more retailers. Product packaging can be everything to a small business – or any business for that matter. Do not skimp on lawyers, accountants, and product packaging.

Anita Campbell and her husband, Kevin, with Chrisanne and John Sternal

#69: Changing perceptions one school at a time: Using a marketing pamphlet to update an organization’s image. Marketing can inject a lot of life into any brand. A pamphlet or promotional flyer is a quick way to get the “new” word out on your business or organization.

The UnderstandingMarketing.com team sat down with Anita Campbell to discuss her book, as well as a number of different topics in the field of running a business, public relations, marketing and, of course, the huge success of Small Business Trends and BizSugar.

“Visual Marketing” is a book for every business. It has all the visual marketing tips for small business you need to succeed and it is written by people you would spend top dollar on for consulting. Don’t delay. Buy this book. Even if you implement just one tactic it won’t be long before it pays for itself.

Have you tried incorporating visual marketing into your small business? What tactics did you employ and how did it turn out? Drop us an email or leave a comment. Also, feel free to offer your own thoughts of the book by leaving a comment below.

How to Write A Press Release Subject Line

Part 2 of the How To Write A Press Release series – the subject line and headline.

Here is the second of a five-part comprehensive series on how to write a press release. Part one of the series discussed how to write a press release strategy. From knowing your audience to thinking about your goals and objectives, the strategy is a critical element of every press release.

In the second part, we will focus on the subject line and the headline. You may ask why a subject line is part of a press release. After all, subject lines are for emails. Headlines are for press releases. This is true. But much of PR today actually mirrors email marketing since 99.8 percent of all reporters wish to receive their press releases via email first. Sure, social media is the hot new thing and there are still some reporters who wish to receive a press release via fax or snail mail, but they’re hard to find nowadays.

Understanding how to write a press release subject line and headline means you grasp the subtle differences. Both are headlines. But one focuses on being clever and catchy while the other communicates strong news value. Check out the Public Relations Toolkit for Small Business for some great examples on the right and wrong ways of press release writing.

Following are several tips on how to write a press release subject line, the clever and catchy side of the two:

1: Start reading news stories. The best subject line ideas come from continuously reading news headlines. Reporters typically do not write their own headlines, a practice that is reserved for other writers in the news room and copy desk. These people are extremely good at what they do. Learn from them. After a while you will see how they show you how to write a press release subject line.

2: It IS a good idea to be clever as long as you still get your message across. Clever draws people in. Clever injects curiosity into a person. Clever invites people to open an email. Clever combined with the right message often leads to a response from a reporter.

3: It won’t work every time. There are so many variables that go into a successful day with your press release. It could have been the perfect combination of subject line creativity, an interesting story, a timely tie-in with an existing story in the news, and a relatively slow news day (really, do we still have any of these?). You can fall in love with your next press release and feel like you’ve mirrored this success and your release may fall flat the second time around. Knowing how to write a press release subject line is perfected over time.

4: As a continuation of the previous tip, it is okay to test a few different subject lines. If you have a list of several reporters, or even a few dozen depending on the size of your list, it is a good idea to send a few with varying subject lines to settle on the one you get good feedback on. Remember, sending out a press release via email follows many of the same rules as email marketing. Good email marketers go through lots of testing.

5: Personalizing your press release and subject line is always the best route. We’re not necessarily talking about including the reporter’s first name in the subject line. That often comes off a bit creepy. Instead, customize your subject line to each reporter based on previous stories or conversations you may have had with him or her. In practicing good public relations, always do your homework on each reporter ahead of time, giving you the opportunity to come up with a way to customize each press release.

6: If you are worried about your email getting through a spam filter, you may want to first run your email through a content checker to make sure you are not using any words that are typically captured by spam filters.

7: Your best subject line idea may hit you anywhere. You may be standing in line at the grocery store; you may be watching your daughter’s softball game; you may be closing on your first home. Wherever you are, always have a notepad or smart phone nearby so you can make note of your subject idea and return to it later on. I have been known to think of some of my best ideas in the middle of the night, making sure to email myself when lying in bed.

Knowing how to write a press release headline is where you focus specifically on what your press release is all about. It is still important to be catchy instead of vanilla, unless you are in an industry where vanilla is preferred, but clearly illustrating your news message in as few words as possible is your ultimate goal.

Examples of press release headlines we think have room for improvement:

ACME Company Expands Into Europe
The Jones Group Announces Groundbreaking Ceremony

Examples of press release headlines we like a lot:

Consumers Still Purchasing, But May Not Be “Buying” Companies’ Environmental Claims
If You’re Going Car Shopping Better Bring Your Wife

In the above headline examples you will notice that the first group are a little on the dull side. The second group, however, gives you a sense of what the press release is about and pulls you in to read further. Remember, it is okay to be a little edgy and controversial with your subject line and press release headline. You want to grab someone’s attention because we live in the information age and there is a lot of competition for a reporter’s attention.

Above all else, being able to tie in your press release headline with a timely event currently taking place in the news is one of the best chances of getting a reporter to read further. If the press release is intended for local media, tying in your press release headline with a local issue or cause is a great way to achieve local reporter interest.

Do you have any thoughts on how to write a press release subject line or headline? Please leave a comment below.

John Sternal is President of Sternal Communications, a PR and marketing consultancy helping businesses get noticed through publicity in the media. He is the author of the PR Toolkit for Small Business and currently authoring a book about small business PR for entrepreneurs. For questions email John Sternal or connect with him @SternalPR.