Marketing

Google maps

Google Maps is a great tool to use to increase traffic to your website. If you provide products or services in a 10-20 mile radius of your business location (must have an address to use Google Maps) having a Map listing is a must. This form of marketing is free but you still need to make sure that your map listing is optimized and is completely filled out. If not done correctly your Google Map listing won’t show in the results of a local search.

Social Media

Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin are some really great social media tools that if done correctly can really increase the traffic to your website. The problem with social media is, it really takes a tremendous amount of time to get the traffic to flow, but once starts to flow it’s quite rewarding. This is also a free source of advertising and can be used in conjunction with your Google maps. This is not only a great local marketing tool but national and globally as well.

Directory Submission

Depending on your industry, Directory submission is another great tool. All directories aren’t created equal. Some directories can be used for link building and others are used for generating traffic to your website. Directories like Superpages.com, Yellowpages.com and Yellowbook.com are great to generate traffic. If you are a plumber, carpet cleaner, roofer, etc… advertising in these directories will do your business good. These directories aren’t free, but depending on your business location it is well worth the cost to be listed with them. This is a great form of local marketing.

PPC, Pay-Per-Click or SEM

Pay-Per-Click (PPC) or Search engine marketing (SEM) is a paid form of marketing. Many people think that throwing money at a PPC program will make them money. WRONG! Once again you must take time with the tools that Google, Yahoo and Bing provide and read up on PPC marketing before spending a dime. Many companies have gone broke because they didn’t have solid plan of action and ended up spend thousands of dollars on an ineffective PPC campaign. Here is another great tip that will get you qualified traffic with a PPC campaign, Negative Keywords. Just learning about negative keywords will give you a leg up over the competition and will save you a lot of money on useless clicks. PPC is a great method of marketing locally, nationally or globally but it can get expensive very fast.

Search Engine Optimization- SEO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an awesome form of marketing your website online. SEO is not an instant solution but if done correctly can generate traffic to your website that is out of this world. It takes a little time to develop so don’t expect super fast results. This form of marketing is Free if you do it yourself but is not recommended because it takes so much time to learn. Hire a internet marketing company that has a proven track record with generating leads using SEO. There are many companies that provide tools that can help you in the quest of learning SEO. SEOBook.com, SEOMoz.org and SEO.com are some great resources that have been around for many years. To register for these sites doesn’t cost you a dime and the information is always up to date. This method of marketing can be used locally, nationally or globally and is very rewarding when it comes to generating traffic.

Providing Pin-Point Marketing and Advertising Solutions on a Local and National Level- Franchise Marketing

“I need to market my franchise but don’t know where to start”.

Franchise Marketing Advice

There are three things to consider when marketing or advertising your new or existing franchise.

1. Location

One of the big no no’s with owning a franchise is marketing in another franchisors territory. If you market in another franchise territory, it’s like going into someone’s house and stealing their TV and selling it to a pawnshop. In this case you won’t go to jail but the organization you purchase the franchise from may fine you and if this continues, they take away your franchise. That is why it’s highly important to work with a company that provides pinpoint marketing and knows the rules of your franchise organization.

2. Co-op

Co-op is when a franchise organization develops a national marketing budget that is divided amongst the franchise owners. In many cases an experienced marketing company is able to work out the details of a franchises co-op program. This allows the franchise owner to spend little on no many out of pocket to generate to new business.

3. Community Involvement

Getting involved with your community is very important. Many franchises fell because the community never embraces them. When hiring a marketing company you need to know that they have the ability to get you exposure in your community. One of the best ways of doing this is through social media (twitter, facebook, Linkedin, etc…). Your social media program need to be customized to fit your industry and demographic.

U.S. Image design has provided marketing solutions to several franchise owners. We have helped franchises such ServiceMaster Clean, Sign-A-Rama, and AAmco Transmission and we can do the same for you. Give U.S. Image Design a call today for a free phone consultations. 678-481-9416