Recently… I was chatting with a local Atlanta business owner (in the insurance industry) who’s business went into a slump because of the economic downturn in 2008. He’s eager to improve sales, but doesn’t know how to move forward. I’ve given him a few steps:

1. Develop an up-to-date strategic marketing plan to identify and leverage all your assets. (This requires market research.)
2. In his case, there needs to be a website makeover.
3. Driving targeted traffic to the website; identify 3-5 traffic sources to increase exposure. (You never want to put all your eggs in one basket when it comes to traffic.)
4. Track the results of your results with Google Analytics, or a similar program.

That’s a great start for anyone looking to improve results of online marketing.

A Website Makeover Sample

This website makeover sample comes from a local client of mine. He gets most of his business from his website being found online. We started by doing some market research to lay the foundation for a new strategic approach. Talking to his existing clients revealed exactly what his current clients love about his service. It also revealed areas needing to be improved. Clients will often talk more candidly to a 3rd party because they dislike the feeling of confrontation unless you’re really bombing.

Once we got the pulse of his customer base, we knew what things would likely attract new customers.

We gave the logo a fresh look, and put a call-to-action right in the header of the site. Some people will land on the site, love the professional look and feel, scan the verbiage, and pick up the phone to set an appointment if they’re in a hurry.

You’ll notice the YouTube video in the right hand column. Video is more engaging and make the homepage sticky, and Vinny gets to make a personal introduction. Not to mention… Google loves video. When you set it up properly… it ranks really well. It’s actually on the first page of videos (and that’s before we start building backlinks to it).

Google analytics has been integrated into his site so he can see exactly how much traffic he’s getting, where it’s coming from, and which keywords are working best.

I know dozens of small business owners who are frustrated because they don’t know how to make their website profitable. Let me give you 5 critical components to refine if you’re considering a website makeover:

1. Address a desperate problem
2. Provide a unique solution
3. Show overwhelming proof
4. Make irresistible offers
5. Give them a reason to act now

If people who land on your website don’t buy, it’s for one of the following reasons:

• They don’t have the problem you solve, or they don’t feel it’s their biggest priority.
• Your promise doesn’t stand out from anyone elses.
• They don’t believe you.
• Your offer isn’t worth the price to them.
• They want to think about it a little longer.

Are you looking for a reliable way to improve your online marketing? Does your current website look old and outdated? Need help understanding how to approach improving your Google local ranking to drive more targeted traffic? Watch a brief 5 minute video here.

Find out more about our website makeover service and affordable website design here. You can get a website analysis to find out exactly what steps are necessary to accomplish your objectives and increase online sales in a few weeks.

Contact us at 678.625.4954 if this website makeover sample inspires you to freshen up your own to boost online sales.

I regularly talk with frustrated business owners… tired of throwing hard-earned money away on under-performing advertising and marketing solutions. Most people realize that Google is the new yellow pages. If Google can’t find you when buyers are searching online, nobody else will.

5 Negative Trends Tell Why Small Business Owners Should Improve Their Google Local Ranking

• Yellow pages are in a steady decline
• Directory Ads (Print) are not working — many are getting a poor response and aren’t able to measure results
• Newspapers are shutting down all over the country
• Television/Radio is not cost effective to many businesses
• Email marketing has seen a drop in response due to the volume of “noise”

It’s tougher than ever to get the attention of prospective buyers. The key is to get in front of them when they’re searching online. Look below to see where local buyers are searching:

Statistics on Local SEO Make it Obvious Why Improving Your Google Local Ranking is Critical

In May of 2011, in the US alone, Google reported:

• 20,400,000 searches for a restaurant
• 2,740,000 searches for a dentist
• 450,000 searches for a plumber
• 673,000 searches for a chiropractor
• 673,000 searches for a massage therapist

You probably realize your prospective customers/clients are looking for you online. The question is… are they finding you? Multiply those monthly numbers by 12, and you’ve got a picture of the economic pie that’s yours for the taking over a one-year period.

I’ve decided to release a few videos empowering you to improve your Google local ranking without spending more money in advertising. Why? Because I need to create a handful of success stories as I grow my business. I believe in the Biblical principle of sowing and reaping. Zig Ziglar said it this way:

If you can dream it, then you can achieve it. You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want.

Tens of thousands of business owners have already transformed their lives by leveraging Google’s free “Place Pages” or maps listings to drive targeted traffic to their website. This video is proof:

Pay-per-click marketing is a great tool… but it cost money. In some industries… BIG money. Either way… you’ve got to know what you’re doing when paying on a per-click basis… or you’ll risk blowing the nest egg tucked away for a rainy day (… if you have anything left after this last recession).

You can improve your Google local ranking to capture the attention of prospective buyers right in your backyard. To get more information on local SEO , click here.

Atlanta small business owners confess to being frustrated with squandering hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars on websites, ads, billboards, and community circulars, but not getting the phone to ring. In some cases, foot traffic moves at a snail’s pace. Recently, the owner of a painting company showed up at a local networking event and said, “I’m hoping to learn something new because I’ve been in the painting business over 20 years, and nothing I’ve ever done is working when it comes to small business marketing”.

Here’s what’s broken:

• Problem #1 – a weak value proposition. If your marketing message fails to differentiate you from your competitors, your prospects and customers will look at you based on price as they size up the marketplace. This will cripple your website marketing efforts.
• Problem #2 – no big-picture marketing plan. I’ve watched numbers of business owners attempt to grow an enterprise without a real plan to generate leads, schedule presentations, and close sales. They more or less wing it… and then wonder why they’re treading water and struggling to maintain cashflow.
• Problem #3 – an expensive and shiny new website that couldn’t sell central air-conditioning to an army of soldiers suffering from heat-stroke in the middle of the desert. No matter how great your product or service is, your website MUST do two things. Generate leads and sales. The strategy on how to make that happen needs to happen BEFORE you release a website designer to build your online presence.

If you’ll tap into a few battle-tested small business marketing strategies… you’ll get an unfair advantage over your competitors… and create breakthrough results faster than you imagined.

Here’s why.

All of us crave certain things in life. The most profitable small businesses boost sales by marrying their message to an appeal that delivers massive results. Here’s a short list of 8 appeals that have increased sales for the past 150 years (even in wobbly economies):

• Make more money
• Save money
• Retirement security
• Better health now
• Health care security
• Security in old age
• Advance in profession or trade
• Reduce fat

Are you interested in boosting your return on investment from your small business marketing? Simply build your campaign on iron-clad appeals proven to jump-start sales.

3 Examples of Top-Notch Small Business Marketing Strategies:

1. Affordable Website Design & Traffic Generation – I started out selling websites five years ago. After speaking to a handful of small business owners who were disgusted with the results of their marketing, I redirected my efforts and discovered the best practices of small business marketing on the internet. Almost six years later, I show business owners how to profit from website marketing.One of the keys for small business owners is to invest in your website marketing according to the 20/80 rule. Twenty percent of your funds should go into the website itself. The remaining 80% needs to go into driving traffic to the site. What good is a pretty site if nobody sees it.Wanna know how your site measures up? Contact my office today for a free website analysis. We’ll give you a grade out of 100, and tips on how to improve your ranking in short order.Thousands of small business owners have been exploited by website designers who failed to create a marketing plan for the site they just spent a small fortune on.
2. Web Copywriting – if you have a website that’s currently getting traffic, but not converting to sales, the first place to start is with a website analysis. The copy on your site will make all the difference when it comes to converting visitors to signups and sales. The headline is the single most important piece of copy you can come up with.
3. Database Marketing – your most important asset as a small business owner is your database. Research says approximately 64% of your customer base will shop somewhere else because they feel neglected. That leads to a few questions:

• Do you have a database of your past, present, and prospective customers?
• Are you capturing the basic contact information of each and every person who contacts you about products and services?
• Do you have a system in place for communicating with them on a regular basis?
• Do you make special offers to existing CUSTOMERS to show them you appreciate them doing business with you?

If you’re not employing database marketing, you’re leaving money on the table. Your biggest profits are wrapped up in previous and existing customers… not new ones.

Small business marketing done right delivers head-shaking results if you know how to put your ducks in a row. Start with creating a point of differentiation, build your sales funnel, and take massive action. Tweak as necessary. You’ll be stockpiling the cash faster than you can imagine.

Today, I simply wanted to give you a few timely and killer ideas to get you moving in the right direction. Would you like more? If so… I’ll be holding a fast-paced Website Marketing Revealed Teleseminar very soon. During that time, I’m going to cover:

• How to execute market research on the cheap in 4 easy steps. (This is the foundation of all great marketing.)
• Essential elements of creating a value proposition that generates leads and sales
• How to develop a marketing funnel
• The best ways to drive highly-targeted but free traffic to your website (one of the methods involves getting the media to tell your story for you
• The 5 must-have elements to transform your website into a cash-machine
• Plus… a whole lot more.

The value of this small business marketing content rich call is easily $97. Attendance is just $20.00, and the call will be recorded for those who cannot attend live. I guarantee your satisfaction with the content. If I fail to deliver, you simply need to request a refund, and you’ll get your $20.00 back. Get registered here.

How’s your attitude?

Every now and again… we all need an attitude tune up. As I look back, 2010 has had plenty of challenges, but it’s been a pretty good year overall. As I prepare for my first product launch, and get ready for new opportunities in 2011… I was prompted to listen to Zig Ziglar this morning. The first video I pulled up give a classic lesson we all need to be reminded of every so often.

I hope you’re finishing 2010 strong. How we wrap up this year determines how we enter the next one. Do whatever it takes to hit the ground running in 2011 when the clock strikes 12:00 am on New Years Day!

Make it a great day!