Can you imagine a small screen without touch these days? Just short years ago, touch screens literally didn’t exist. The best mobile device available was like a Palm Treo or some other bogus color screen device with a keyboard. Just 10 years ago we all coveted the Motorola Razr! Again, just short 7 years ago, “smartphones” as we know them today did not exist even as a vision in our brains.
By Derek McKenzie · January 09 2014
steve jobs, iphone, smartphone, mobile
Having good quality reviews on your Google+ Local page (i.e., Place page) not only influences your ability to convert prospective customers, but can affect your local search ranking. Most customers won’t know to leave you a Google Places review, so it is important to promote or actively encourage customers to give honest reviews.
By Dave Cosper · September 11 2013
google, google plus, google, reviews
I read a WSJ article this morning announcing that for the first time in more than a decade, a whole slew of new and descriptive domains are scheduled to roll out this year. The actual domains haven’t been revealed yet, but apparently we may see domains like .plumber and .newyork.
By Dave Cosper · May 30 2013
domain names, local search, tld, local seo
Customer reviews are a fundamental part of your local marketing efforts and online reputation. If you can get enough good ones, they can go a long ways. A slew of good reviews can boost both your local search ranking as well as click-through rate (CTR), which should ultimately lead to converting more customers.
A Local Consumer Review Survey (2012) showed that approximately 72% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, while 52% said that positive online reviews make them more likely to use a local business.
But building customer reviews, and doing it ‘the right way’, especially on Google (with all of their flip-flops and recent updates) has been a dizzying process for SMBs....
By Dave Cosper · March 20 2013
google plus local, local search, reviews, seo
In cooperation with Google last week, we hosted our first Engage event, inviting a handful of local business owners to participate at our Oakbrook Terrace office. When word came of free food, G-swag, and Google bigwigs answering questions real-time, the event RSVPs came flooding in. Despite this also being timed with the biggest winter snowstorm of the year, the event carried on uninterrupted. Chicagoans are tough! For those of you that missed out, here is a brief recap of what stuck out in our minds during Google’s 90-minute presentation:
Google is focusing in on extending their marketing knowledge to small and mid sized businesses. A bit data heavy at times, all three speakers really opened the information floodgate early. VP of Google’s Americas Marketing, Lisa Gevelber, opened the live presentation with the direction of Google’s marketing efforts, and the effect technology is havi...
By EZlocal · March 14 2013
google engage, zmot, google, ezlocal
A little overboard? Probably. But with the avalanche of data over the past year and blog after article after write-up about the future of mobile, it is pretty clear this is an area of big interest to marketers. The progression of our information gathering methods has always pointed to a personalized mobile experience, though. Think about it. First, we sent messengers on horseback or trained birds to a location to gather intel and return to us. Then we decided to build libraries and venture to these locations ourselves. Eventually the hike became too much and we demanded up to date informat...
By Jake LaDuke · February 26 2013
sms, marketing
I have been playing with Facebook Graph Search for a few days now. It certainly isn't the Google killer that a lot of sites have played it up to be, not yet at least. My overall first impression: A nice improvement to the user interface, but lacks meat on the bones yet.
From a design and user experience perspective, I love it. It integrates into the original, familiar blue bar seamlessly. They removed the search box and left only a place to type. If anything, this will make Facebook easier to navigate to things I do not have shortcuts to already. +1. The default search options are all pretty useful. They give you, with no typing required: My Friends, Photos of my friends, Restaurants nearby, Games my friends play, Music my friends like, Photos I have liked. All of the options seem pretty optimal for content discovery.
By Derek McKenzie · February 08 2013
facebook graph search
