The rationale we heard from some clients when the wheels started to come off was “no matter what promotion we do now it’s no going to matter.” And they may have been correct, at least in the short term. Although some businesses could have effectively argued that investment in organic SEO during a soft economic period would better position them for the presumed inevitable recovery. The organic SEO climb up can be slow, depending on the business category, but the decay rate for organic search engine positioning can also be slow.

Economists tell us that the recession ended earlier this year. Third quarter GDP shows some growth. Economic activity is pushing the dial forward, albeit slowly. Whether to invest now in some form of internet marketing may depend on the type of business, consumer or B2B, but perhaps as much also on the business philosophy of the company’s management. But from where we stand it’s hard to argue against at least beginning to invest more resources in some form of internet marketing. And now. What’s done now will affect whether your business tracks with the recovery, or trails it.

With the barrier to entry so low it’s arguably not worth excessive agonizing over how or whether to set up a new business. A new business can often be set up online for as little as $500. So there’s the school of thought that if the new pursuit passes the first line of consideration then just move forward, do the “right things,” and see what happens. Or there’s the option of spending the next 12 months to write a business plan. Then there’s the ever-popular “paralysis by analysis” approach. 

Internet promotion is highly scalable. Budgets from a few hundred to a few thousands dollars a month are possible. Effective management of the resources available for online promotion can extend the impact of whatever’s available to invest. So either study up yourself as the business owner, or delegate it to a professional.

In the words of American entrepreneur and entertainment icon Walt Disney: “The way to get started is to stop talking and start doing.”

Note numerical returns in centered columns for 'spanish translation services'.

For example, one of the websites we promote is for a company that specializes in Spanish translation services.  The company’s website is at www.affinityspanish.com. Utilizing the free online keyword tool that Google offers (https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal) we can take the temperature of the current market for Spanish translation services.

Typing in the phrase “spanish translation services” into the keyword box and hitting return tells us that over a recent 12 month period, searches on this phrase numbered about 90,000 per month within the Google network. Comparatively, searches within July 2009 were much lower at about 30,000. What might the company take from this?

1) The market for their services is down, perhaps due to the general economic climate.

2) Revenue projections for the short term might track downward following the current search volume.

3) Alerts the company to look for other/additional search terms that might be coming more popularly in use at this time.

4) Provides an indication for projecting potential future revenues/business if search volume returns to previous higher levels.

5) It could be a good time to invest in website development of content to position the company for future higher search volumes and general demand.

Additional supporting research and consideration might be required to draw actionable conclusions, although keyword research can be an excellent supporting input, whether the application is for SEO or supporting other business decisions.

Anyone can write a review of your business and post it online, just as anyone can say pretty much whatever they want to about your company. It’s expected that for most companies, reviews and comments will contain a mix of those favorable and unfavorable. A goal in managing your company’s online reputation then becomes to ensure that the positive comments outnumber the not-so-positive ones. People who want to compliment your business may in some cases just need to be directed a bit. In such cases a form letter like the one below might help.

======================

Dear Customer:

We hope your experience with our company has been favorable. It is our goal to provide exceptional customer service in all aspects of our business. If we have not met your expectations in any way we encourage you to let us know by contacting a manager or by sending an email to my personal address listed below.

If you are comfortable in recommending our company then we would welcome you posting your comments online so that others can read about your experience with our company. If you wish to take a moment you can post online reviews of our company at any of the sites listed below.

We thank you for your business and look forward to serving you in the future.

Sincerely,

(Name & Title)
Email: yourname@yourdomain.com

If you’d like to post an online review please go to any of the sites listed below and search on our business name. Then click on “write a review” to enter your comments.

Google Maps
http://maps.google.com/

Yahoo Local
http://local.yahoo.com/

Yelp
http://www.yelp.com/

City Search
http://denver.citysearch.com/

Insider Pages
http://www.insiderpages.com/

Example posted online comment/review.

For additional information please contact us. Also keep in mind that equally as important to designing websites is their promotion, i.e., driving traffic to them. Ask about this too.

Internet marketing is one option. Many have heard the analogy that the internet search engines have become the new yellow pages. It’s true. And while many Boulder real estate professionals have representation in one way or another on the inernet, via web pages and such, how many are systematically developing their online presence to set them apart competitively? On the basis of our observation, not many. Therefore there’s a competitive gap or opening that can be exploited.

Affinity Track works on an exclusive basis in each of the business categories we operate in. This means, we work with only one Boulder real estate professional/broker/agent etc. at a time to promote their online presence.

Interested? Contact us to receive information on standard and custom search engine marketing/optimization plans for real estate professionals. 

Affinity Track Internet Promotion

357 S. McCaslin Blvd.

Louisville, CO  80027

(303) 404-8699

It doesn’t need to be that way. Having a website is only half the battle (actually, maybe only a tenth of the battle). We think a 10:1 ratio makes sense in terms of investment in the website itself relative to investing in promoting it over time. That is, for every dollar spent in developing the site, figure on spending ten to promote it and bring meaningful traffic to your site.

OK, whether 10:1 or 2:1 or some other ratio, the point is it’s essential to invest in promoting your site. If you don’t, you’re not taking advantage of one of the (potentially) most powerful ways of promoting and bringing new customers to your business.

Affinity Track Internet Promotion

357 S. McCaslin Blvd.

Louisville, CO  80027

(303) 404-8699