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Posts Tagged ‘Yellow Pages’

Print is dead. Ok, it’s not really, but, it sure feels like it. How many people do you know who still use the printed Yellow Pages to find a business? I sure don’t. Those are dusty doorstops at my house. I don’t even know why I keep them. They should just go right into the recycle bin the minute they get left on my doorstep. I find everything I ever need online! All the time. I love the internet. And, if for some strange reason I can’t find the answer to my question in Google search results, (oh, yes, I’m loyal to Google!), I ask a friend to refer. Instead of picking up the phone, I text, email or post questions in LinkedIn or Facebook to my friends and business colleagues. And, that’s what social media marketing is all about: networking, building relationships and referring online.

Think about how you’ve purchased something recently. Something specific that you weren’t sure a store in town would have, or maybe it was here in town, but you didn’t know what store would carry it. Did you search for it online first? It’s very easy to search and even buy online, instead of driving all around town not knowing whether you will find the item you wanted or not. I did this a few times recently with local bookstore. I was feeling guilty that I would always just go to Amazon.com to buy the book, CD or DVD I wanted. So, I thought, no, this time I’m going to shop in town. And, you know what, twice I was disappointed because they didn’t have the item I wanted in stock or even in their computer system so they could order it and I could drive back and pick it up later. Online is easier. Online is convenient. Those who shop online enjoy the fact that the product comes right to their home, no fuss, no muss.

There are 70 million people conducting daily online searches on the internet. These people are searching for products, services and solutions to problems. The question I pose to you, is, if your customer searches for your products or services, can they find you?

Hello and welcome to social media marketing. This is where marketing is at right now. The future is here, today! No longer will the old way of marketing work anymore. Print ads and yellow pages are a thing of the past because most people are getting their information online. And, if that’s where your customer is, you need to be there too. Sure, you have a Web site, but, in today’s online world, a static Web site isn’t enough. You need a blog that is updated frequently with relevant content about your product or service. This blog also serves as a way to get an open dialogue going with your customer. They post comments (good or bad) and you reply in turn. Google spyders love it when people comment on your blog, you get better page rank and come up easier in natural search results. And, that’s the reason to have a blog, the ability to come up in natural search. And, blogs are FREE, by the way. All they take is your time. If you don’t have time, I can help. I provide businesses that dedicated social media marketing resource they need for their business. (Oh, and Twitter and Facebook fit into the puzzle too….. I’ll write a post about that later, so, come back and visit us again).