Have you Googled yourself today? Have you
Googled your company? What are others saying about you on the web? What does
the BBB say about you?
It is a new world, and I’m not just talking
about the economy. Marketing used to be all about what you say about your
business to consumers. More and more, it is about how to engage people to talk
about you. We used to call it word of mouth, now we use this fancy terminology
“social networking.” Let’s face it, the technology is new, the strategy is the
same. The more people that talk about you, the more awareness your company has,
the more business you are likely to receive. So, let’s get them talking. OK,
replace talking with texting or typing or blogging or whatever the heck it is
I’m doing right now. You found me, you are reading this, so you know how it
works. Let’s just take a minute and make it work for you.
At our recent membership marketing
breakfast, the President of Best Rank, Inc. gave us some excellent tips on how
to improve our search engine optimization or, simply put, how to help people
find you and get them talking about you. One easy idea: Google Maps. If you
haven’t claimed your company on Google Maps and ensured the information is
accurate, do it now. It is a VERY popular way for people to find companies via
search engines or applications. Think of it like the phone book or yellow
pages. They are giving you a free listing so users can find you, all you have
to do is click in and verify.
Does this sound intimidating? Well, you’re
not alone there, either. Remember how we used to set the clock on the VCR for
our parents? Well, now the IT director in a significant percentage of homes is
a tween, 12-17 year old. And in a significant number of those homes, the tween
has put parental controls on their parent. Yep, that’s embarrassing. But what
happens if we turn that equation around. What happens if we leverage
12-year-old Johnny smarty pants to help us claim our spot on Google maps? What
if Johnny actually has some good ideas about how to get people talking about us
on Facebook? What if people are actually following Johnny on Twitter and he
talks about YOU?
OK,
I’m not suggesting that we violate any child labor laws. But I am suggesting
that you might be surrounded by resources that have great answers to some
questions you may be asking about how to market and grow your business right
now. Those kinds of ideas are free, you just need to ask the questions. It’s
amazing when we shed our ego, how much we can learn and grow from those we least
expect. If you are really ready to learn something, go home tonight and ask
Johnny to see what he can find online about your company. You might be amazed.