Search Engine Optimization 2.0

Let’s switch gears a bit. I have been fascinated by Search Engine Optimization lately. It has become a real science, primarily because Google, Yahoo and MSN continue to adjust their technology. This means, as business owners, and marketers we need to stay on top of their search strategies, so that we can adjust our marketing to take advantage of it.

Google’s Universal Search is going to change the way you think about finding information on the web, and how you optimize your site for people looking for your company. Universal Search combines all of Google’s various databases into one index to serve a single set of Web search results. So, to translate this…if you want to be ranked higher, the more kinds of searchable information you have on your site, the better your changes.

Here are some of the new information Google will be looking for;

• Blogs – if you don’t have one now, you should add it and start writing it
• Maps – local search is hot and mobile search is gaining ground
• Video – adding a video component to your site will help it rank high
• Images – make sure you take all your images for search
• News – add press releases and news items to your site and submit them to Google

Each of these items will make your site more robust and help interested people find your company. The rest is up to you.

Check out our new event at www.realitymarketingsummit.com, we will have an entire session on using the internet to market your business.

SSquare 2 Marketing—helping business owners.

Planning for a Workshop Program

Now you are doing a Free Workshop and you know what you want to talk about. The next step involves a little planning. Lets create a short list of to-do-items and when they need to get done.

Give yourself enough time to do this right. Don’t try to cram it all in over 30 days. Make sure your Workshop date is at least 90 days out.

To-do-list

1. Secure the room – find a room that, preferably wont cost you anything to host your event. Offer to cross promote the venue if you have to, but many local Chambers of Commerce offer members rooms for events at no cost. Book the room.
2. Create a mini-marketing plan for the event. This should include how you intend to spread the word, any costs associated with this effort, and what return you expect from the programs. If your goal is to have 30 people at the event, make sure your marketing programs will yield 30 attendees. Secret Tip: at free workshops, attendance is usually 50% of the registration, so if you want 30 people at the event, you need 60 registrants.
3. Make a mini-budget so you know what your expenses will be and how much business you expect to get from the event. Make sure it has an ROI that seems reasonable to you.
4. Think about how you want to handle refreshments. Do you want to offer breakfast, lunch, or just coffee? Typically these free events have some type of continental breakfast which could be catered or simply handled by purchasing some muffins and bagels from Dunkin Donuts.
5. Start spreading the word.

In the next post, I will dive deeper into the marketing plan and how you effectively spread the word. In the meantime, check out our new event at www.realitymarketingsummit.com

Square 2 Marketing—helping business owners.

I want to do a workshop but what am I going to talk about?

Ok, so you took my recommendation and now you want to do your own workshop. There really two types of workshops, free and pay-for workshops. Let’s start with the easiest type. Free.

Doing a free workshop is a great way to get in front of a lot of people at one time. But you can’t get them to commit, if they think it’s going to be a sales pitch. This is the biggest mistake made by first timers.

You need something that they are interested in. Here are some examples. If you are an Environmental Engineer, you can talk about how to prevent failing an EPA Audit. If you are an Executive Coach, you can talk about how to manage different personality types. If you are an Home Renovations Company, you can talk about the best ways to get a project started and make sure you never go over budget.

All of these ideas include content that is easy for these clients to create, informative to the audience and not even close to a direct sales pitch.

Try to come up with some ideas for your own business and email me. I will be happy to help you work out a couple of suggestions. More in a later blot.

In the meantime, check out our new event at www.realitymarketingsummit.com

Square 2 Marketing - helping business owners