Who would have thought that tree trimmers and contractors would be using inexpensive, on-the-go technology to get noticed by serious buyers? Star Tribune reporter Todd Nelson wanted to know more, so he interviewed me for this article.

Smart phones and simple-to-use blogging technology are changing the unlikeliest of local businesses. All over the Twin Cities, service professionals are pausing at their job sites to blog about their projects, upload photos or videos, and in seconds boost their search engine rankings.

It’s part of a growing trend: local businesses are realizing the advantages of owning their websites – and adding features as their businesses grow – rather than renting websites from third parties that aren’t keeping up with the way the public prefers to get information.

Small businesses are reaping the benefits of a powerful MarketSmartlocal business pack. In about three week’s time, they own a new website, a marketing action plan and easy-to-understand training materials, all backed by the support of an experienced Internet marketing team. They can also easily post content to their new website, and automatically syndicate it through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media channels.

There are a number of advantages that contribute to the phenomenal success of this local business marketing approach.

• It’s simple to edit your website, and add content, photos and videos. Some of our clients have received awards or great testimonials, but they haven’t mentioned them on their websites because it used to cost too much or it was too much of a hassle. With the new sites, built on WordPress, they can publish an update in less than five minutes.
• Stronger Search Engine Optimization tactics. You have the means to talk about what you do and where you are doing it. Those are the keywords that people use to find your business, and it results in more leads. For example, if someone searches for “bathroom remodeling in Lakeville”, Country Creek Builders’ website shows up very high in the search engine results.
• A clean sales funnel pulls qualified leads into the order process, as if they were on a conveyor belt. Most people who search for specifics have already made the decision to buy. The conversation rate from leads into customers is very high.
• One central communications and content hub. Our clients use one dashboard to add content to their website, blog, Facebook, Twitter. They can also keep up with current clients with monthly emails sent through the same dashboard. In the first year after we added social media to its marketing mix, the Pahl’s Market website experienced a 78 percent increase of traffic from search engines, along with the 23,000 visits a month, and its email subscriber list has almost doubled to around 9,000 names.
• Faster, easier marketing. Your Internet marketing should be streamlined, minimizing your time investment. You need to focus on what you do for a living, whether that’s remodeling or trimming trees. You don’t want to spend your time on marketing. We’ve found a way to give you the structure you need to keep your current clients, get their referrals, and be more visible on the search engines so that you’re getting more leads.
• An online showroom to display your work. You don’t necessarily need a retail location. An online showroom is a great tool to show off what you can do.

To be successful at Internet marketing, you have to be found, stand out and be able to share information. The MarketSmart local business starter package is high value because it gets companies up and running. It puts the local business owners in the driver’s seat and makes them self-sufficient.

To learn more, call me at (612) 283-4846.