Empowering Small Business

Promotion & Advertising Small Business Poll

The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) just published their National Small Business Poll and found that small business owners consider positive word-of-mouth (WOM) and associated referrals as the most effective means to promote their businesses.

In fact, 52% see WOM as generating "a lot" of their sales revenues, with 30% thinking that WOM contributes to "quite a lot" of sales. Although WOM is a powerful marketing phenomena, NFIB cautions small business owners on the fact that they have little direct control over ramping up WOM situationally; WOM or buzz occurs as a residual of producing great product, delivering superior customer service, and being "talked about" in a viral, positive way.

The report suggest that more formal advertising has a more direct effect on brand image or product-service information delivery. 41% of small businesses acknowledge that the results of their advertising contribute only more than a marginal amount to sale revenues, 8% say that advertising creates only a little of their sales revenue, and  only 7% see advertising contributing for "a lot" of revenues.

The most frequent forms of advertising include website, fliers, circulars, and hand-outs; newspapers, newsletters, bulletins, etc.; and direct mail. Hardly used vehicles include TV advertising; value packs or shopper supplements; outdoor off-premise signage; radio; and magazines.

Topping the list of specific advertising vehicles was the Internet at 16%, WOM 15%, newspapers at 15%, and direct mail at 14%.

Clearly there is a understood market need for small business online marketing solutions like those provided by Innuity such as search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click, and local search.

Shivonne Byrne, Innuity CMO

 

Why Blog Headlines Matter

The online Wall Street Journal just featured a telling article on Steve Spangler, a former Denver science teacher, Emmy-winning TV science host, and director of the national Hands-on Science Institute for science teacher training, who now has an educational toy company (Steve Spangler Science) which employs over 30 people and last year recorded more than $5 million in revenues.

In analyzing his success as a small business owner, Steve gives the nod to his blog as being the primary driver that has catapulted his business forward financially. The reason the blog works, from his perspective, is that the blog regularly publishes new information (new web pages) that are indexed so well on search engines, such as Google.

But the real secret, according to Steve, is the power of great headlines to attract visitors to his blog. He shares the story of one of his early blog headlines, "It's Great to be Stupid," that commented on a Good Morning America featured "top stupid product." Viewers didn't know his blog, weren't searching for him, but the headline was picked up and drove countless people to his blog - and ecommerce site.

Steve's blog receives 15,000 - 20,000 unique visitors each day, and he credits 13% of his overall sales to the blog. He is committed to keeping the conversation going, writing attention-grabbing headlines, and propagating his blog for a long time.

Shivonne Byrne, Innuity CMO

Online Marketing Traffic Tactics

Attracting consumers via online marketing strategies is a cost-effective approach to driving revenue for small businesses. To illustrate the importance of these online marketing methodologies, the Wall Street Journal just published a research report summary* on how small businesses increase online traffic.

In the area of online marketing, small businesses said they use the following marketing tools along the lines of these percentage responses:

• 55% submit company websites to search engines
• 47% utilize search engine optimization
• 37% buy online yellow pages
• 35% buy Google ad words
• 34% buy Yahoo ad words
• 30% utilize website analytics

In terms of current and emerging problems, small businesses identified the following issues as either being a serious problem currently (C) or becoming a problem (B):

• Increasing competition for natural or organic search engine rankings: C - 32%; B - 49%
• Increasing competition for top paid for search positions: C - 29%; B - 51%
• Tracking total return on investment of search marketing: C - 23%; B- 31%
• Keyword price inflation: C -19%; B - 44%
• Click fraud: C - 18%; B - 28%

In the area of pay-per-click advertising where companies only pay when a person clicks on an online ad, the average reported increase in the median cost per click is 16%.

As we can see, online marketing is now a key business driver for small businesses and at Innuity we are focused on helping businesses connect with customers most likely to buy their particular products and services. To learn more about Innuity's small business promotional services including local search engine marketing, search engine optimization, pay-per-click marketing, website services YP Guides and more call 866.814.4080.

*Sources: 2007 U.S. Small and Medium Business Mobility and Business Applications Survey, Yankee Group Research

Shivonne Byrne, Innuity CMO

Local Business Guides + Local Search

Innuity has just released its most recent beta version of YP Guides – our local business information guides that feature a rapidly growing amount of product and service information provided by US businesses. Check it out at www.ypguides.com and let us know what you think.

Our locally oriented YP Guides allow a business owner to communicate all of the core information that consumers are interested in about their business including things like hours of operation, services provided, products sold, specialties and much more. Additionally, businesses that sell products online can also have their products included in YP Guide search results.

For consumers, YP Guides is able to provide search results that connect them to appropriate local businesses. The YP Guide search results will give them all of the information to visit or call the local business, or transact with them online if they have an online store. Specifically, Innuity’s YP Guides features the following guides:

1. YP Business Guides: Provides detailed information to help consumers find businesses in their geographic area.
2. YP Product Guides: Provides a single source resource across the major online retailers.
3. YP Classified Guides:  Lists complete local classified for a specific geographic area including autos, jobs, homes and more.
4. YP Event Guides: Features a full range of business and entertainment events happening in your home town and surrounding area.
5. YP Real Estate Guides: Offers detailed estimates of local home values and delivers other real estate resources.

Plus, Innuity’s YP Guides offers local traffic alerts and weather forecasts and a full list of other business services to browse.

Shivonne Byrne, Innuity CMO

Innuity's Data-Driven Approach to Natural Search Rankings

Over the years, Innuity has continued to refine its approach to search engine optimization (SEO) to one that leverages the data behind consumer behavior and the search engine algorithms that are used to determine top rankings for specific keywords. Innuity has a five step process that includes keyword identification, ROI analysis on selected keywords, webpage revisions, link recruitment for high ROI keywords and ongoing link expansion.

1. The Assessment Phase: Clients provide Innuity with an initial set of keywords that are relevant to their business. Innuity then utilizes its proprietary tool, Optify, to expand this list to identify similar words or phrases that prospective and current customers are currently using to search for products or services in the client's category.

2. Solution Plan: Innuity's Optify tool conducts a detailed, research-based analysis for each keyword resulting in a prediction of the length of time it will take to get a top ranking for each potential keyword. This step allows Innuity to calculate the project revenue from each keyword--resulting in a plan that will focus efforts on the keywords that will deliver maximum business results.

3. Website Revision: Once the keywords have been identified, Innuity's team of professional writers create content pages for the client's website that are focused on each selected keyword phrase. Innuity then works with client to integrate these pages into their websites.

4. Traffic Generation: After each page is live, Innuity's marketing team works on recruiting links to these pages from reputable website and online directories. These links improve the "importance" of your website and the specific keyword pages, leading to improved rankings.

5. Detailed Reporting: At the end of each month, clients receive detailed reports showing how their websites are ranking for each of the targeted keywords on Google, Yahoo! and MSN.

Shivonne Byrne, Innuity CMO

Affordable Search Engine Optimization for Small Businesses

Innuity has launched a small business search engine optimization product that's absolutely affordable for small businesses, and drives qualified customers to the websites of small businesses. With the majority of consumers in the U.S. now using the Internet to search for products and services, it has never been more important for small businesses to be included in online search results.

Today, natural search results (what you see when you type in a keyword in Google and the unshaded list pops up) represent 70% of clicks from the search pages; represent higher conversion rates than paid search (pay-per-click advertising); and become a company asset once achieved (no click fees for hitting on the search result).

With Innuity's new Search Engine Optimization (SEO) service, we research consumer behavior for a small business' targeted customers and create/execute an online program to get their website included in relevant keyword searches on the major search engines.

Our comprehensive service includes these steps:

1. We create an in-depth analysis of consumer behavior in your business category.

2. Using our proprietary tool, Optify, we evaluate and predict the keyword search terms that will be most attainable for your website.

3. Our team of content writers then focuses on the top five keywords (based on ROI potential and your input) and create five dedicated content pages for your site.

4. We then perform ongoing link recruitment to ensure that the search engines index these keyword pages.

5. We provide ongoing keyword ranking reports, showing the current ranking for each of the five targeted keyword phrases on Google, Yahoo! and MSN.

At Innuity, we have a data-driven approach to natural search engine rankings and over the years we have continued to refine an approach to SEO that leverages (1) the data behind consumer behavior and (2) the search engine algorithms that are used to determine top rankings for specific keywords.

Shivonne Byrne, Innuity CMO

In Search of Traffic

Yesterday's Wall Street Journal Report on "Search" outlined its view of the key criteria small businesses need to pay attention to in order to make sure customers can find them online. Bottom line, a website's value depends on how many customers see it.

The WSJ is right. Burst Media's research indicates that 57% of shoppers say the Internet is their primary source of information pre-purchase. People are looking for information about products and services they want to buy, and small businesses need to help those customers find them.

This "Search"article talks about the importance of adding relevant descriptions - common search phrases or keywords - to a business site's text. This process helps sites place high in search results (known as natural or organic search). Innuity's search engine optimization (SEO) packages, based on its Optify technology, help small businesses understand which keywords have the best probability for achieving high natural search engine rankings.

"Think Locally" was another key consideration - and focus on local search optimization. Small businesses are not very interested in getting traffic from around the world when they are a local restaurant, nail salon, barber, car mechanic and the like. The best way to optimize your website from a local search standpoint is to use LeadConnect, Innuity's recent local SEO offering. In one easy step get all your key locally-based business information sent out to the major search engines, and you'll see how quickly your business pops up when a customer or potential customer does a local search in your business category.

As the article states, "Local search is still kind of open, and many businesses don't realize it's an option. so there's a lot of opportunity for that right now."  Shivonne Byrne, Innuity CMO

Innuity: www.innuity.com and www.leadconnect.innuity.com. WSJ article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117769688676085058.html?mod=2_1293.htm_1 . BlogBusinessSummit post: http://blogbusinesssummit.com/2007/04/seo-search-engine-optimize-small-business-wall-street-journal.htm#comments