Last updated 1 year ago
"It seems like investors are really hot for this idea of solving the problem of local advertising," states Cory Johnson.
May 23 (Bloomberg) - Zorik Gordon, chief executive officer of ReachLocal, Inc., talks about the migration of small-and medium-sized business customers to online advertising and ways smaller companies must adapt their marketing spending. ReachLocal helps small companies advertise online. Gordon speaks with Cory Johnson on Bloomberg Television's "Bloomberg West." (source: Bloomberg).
ReachLocal recreates the global footprint originally had by businesses such as the Yellow Pages and other offline media giants because small business owners aren't going to do self-service with Internet advertising. It is because of this that ReachLocal has a dedicated feet-on-the-street salesforce that helps local business owners establish a comprehensive web presence.
"It's interesting if you look at the way that small to medium sized business advertising spend has completely been disrupted," states Johnson. "It used to be classifieds and Yellow Pages. And Yellow Pages, people aren't using as much. Classifieds have been destroyed by Craigslist and so you kind of have this new kind of media out there."
With our Internet Marketing Consultants (IMC) and technology, ReachLocal makes it as easy to advertise online as it was to advertise offline, says Gordon. We take the budget for the small to medium business and then distribute it in a very intelligent and transparent manner where they need to be spending their Internet dollars. This budget is spent across a variety of mediums including pay-per-click (search engine marketing advertising), display advertising, social media, and local online deals.
How has media consumption changed in relation to the Internet?
"One of the numbers I came upon was that 10 years ago about 15% of the time Americans spend in their immediate consumption of TV, newspapers, magazines, radio was online, now it's 50%. That changes things for small business owners," states Johnson as he discusses changes between this tech age versus the dot com bubble of 10 years ago.
"Absolutely! Their [business owners] customers are digital. They want to interact in a digital format...They [business owners] have to follow their customers or, in a sense, perish and that's really the conundrum they run into," replies Gordon.
Last updated 1 year ago
Smartphone ownership is growing at 72% a year. With all this growth in ownership, does this rise in mobile usage leave you wondering how you can ensure consumers can find and engage with your business via their phones?
If Morgan Stanley's mobile web usage predictions are correct, mobile web usage will surpass desktop Internet usage by 2015!
How do you expect all these mobile consumers to find you if you aren't offering a mobile-ready experience? Not having a mobile web presence might not only cost you potential new customers but can allow your competition to build more momentum.
Now that we've covered what you could lose without a mobile web presence, let's review what you'll gain with one.
We're going to look at the top 3 benefits you get as a business owner by having a strong mobile web presence. And we're not just talking about having a mobile friendly website. For a complete web presence for your mobile searchers, you'll want to make sure you claim your business listings on Google Places and Yelp as well as create a Facebook fan page and Twitter account. Basically, you want to ensure that your business can be found in any of the places that your mobile consumers search.
GET CUSTOMERS VIA MOBILE SEARCH
With more and more consumer conducting searches via their smart phones, it is only natural that the businesses with the most dominant mobile web presence will receive more customers via mobile searches. Do you really want to let your competition have all the growth in revenues from this?
Research suggests that nearly 16% of all searches in 2011 will be on a mobile phone. Additionally, Google data on the U.S. smartphone users states that 88% of people looking for local information have taken action within a day. Wow, imagine how much better your business will be if you can capture these potential customers who are 88% more likely to visit your business?
Mobile searchers are ready to take action, so help them along by building your mobile web presence.
GET HIGHER ENGAGEMENT
Of course you want users to have a good experience when they land on your site but you also want them to engage and convert when they get there. You don't want someone who glances at your site for 5 seconds and then leaves - you want interaction.
Research from Omniture found that "mobile-optimized experiences produced an average 75% higher rate of engagements per visit for mobile users."
And, more importantly, when you're searching on the go what information do you find most valuable? A well-designed mobile-ready site focuses on giving the mobile searcher what they need like a phone number and address.
IMPROVE BRAND VISIBILITY
While you are providing a great resource for your mobile-savvy potential customers, you are also building your brand's image. Positive experiences equal better brand image for your business. And as the saying goes, perception is everything.
Consumers are making split-second decisions daily about the brands the come into contact with. Don't leave a bad taste in their mouth because they can't find you when they need you. You need to have a consistently good brand image across a variety of media outlets and this includes smartphones.
And if your competitors are behind on the times, a mobile web presence can be the factor that sets you apart from your competition and gives you an edge in your market.
So now that I've bombarded you with all the great reasons to get a mobile web presence, I bet you're wondering 1 of 2 things.
- How do I get a mobile web presence.
- Wow that sounds like a daunting task. Sounds like too much effort for me to undertake; I have to run my business.
Say hello to ReachCast!
GET A MOBILE WEB PRESENCE AND WEBSITE WITH REACHCAST
Getting a mobile web presence and website is far easier than you think. Certainly there are many tools and sites that you could use out there but when ReachLocal built ReachCast the goal was to optimize and improve the web presence of our customers across many sites and devices, including smart phones.
With ReachCast, every cast page is automatically mobile friendly the day it's published. Your ReachCast page features a fast loading page with clear calls to action such as a phone number and the ability to easily navigate content. But really, it's also aimed at conversions (that means getting people to call you or contact you via a contact form). We're not just in the business of getting you leads, we're in the business of getting you more business.
Overall, businesses that are planning and preparing to offer a mobile-ready site are better positioned to capture customers where they are surfing, searching and socializing online - even on their mobile phones.
How important do you think it is to be a mobile friendly business? Has your business seen any benefits from it or experienced difficulties by not jumping on the mobile friendly bandwagon?
________________________
If you're ready to make your business mobile friendly, TeamBishop would love to hear from you. Not only can we get the ball rolling immediately with ReachCast but we can discuss other strategies as well to improve your overall web presence. Let us be your Internet marketing consultants.
You can reach Dawn or Leslie via phone at 321.422.6600 x113/x122 or send us an email via our Contact Page. We'd love to have a conversation with you.
_________________________
Original content provided in part by: ReachLocal blog post "Three Ways A Mobile-Ready Site Can Help Your Business."
Photo courtesy of ReachLocal ReachCast Blog.
Last updated 2 years ago
What you probably already know is that we - me, you and potential customers - are using smart phones. What you may not know is how they are using smart phones to find your business, visit your business and make purchasing decisions.
Smart phones have become so important to our lives that 1 out of 3 of us would give up chocolate just to keep using our smartphones.
Not only are the important for making phone calls, surfing the web, and socializing on social networks, smart phones have become the ultimate shopping companion.
Do you know how many smart phone users use their phone while shopping?
Do you know why we use our smartphones while shopping?
More importantly, do you know how many smart phone shoppers made a purchase based on their smartphone search?
Watch Google's The Mobile Movement: Understanding Smartphone Consumers video to learn why your business has to become mobile friendly.
These findings come from research conducted at the end of 2010 among 5,013 US adult smartphone Internet users. Google commissioned this research with the objectives to better understand how smartphones are used in consumers' daily lives and how smartphones have influenced the ways consumers search, shop and respond to mobile advertising.
To learn more about Google's research and more mobile search trends, visit Google Think Insights.
Mobile's not the future, it's right now! Stick with us to keep pace with the mobile movement.
Last updated 2 years ago
ReachLocal is thrilled to announce a first-of-its kind partnership with Google that designates ReachLocal as a global premier Google AdWords partner.
Over the next three years, this partnership is designed to drive both growth in existing markets and expansion into new international markets. As Todd Rowe, Google's Head of Global Channel Sales said:
"Since 2004, ReachLocal and Google have worked together to drive the adoption of Google AdWords to small-medium business owners in both domestic and international markets. We believe this partnership will give small-medium busines owners around the world an additional opportunity to use Google AdWords to drive awareness and new business."
ReachLocal CEO and co-founder Zorik Gordon agrees. "International markets now represent more than 20 percent of ReachLocal's business and accelerating our international growth is a strategic priority for us."
ReachSearch, ReachLocal's proprietary search engine marketing solutions, allows small-medium business owners to drive customer leads from Google and other search engines with a scalable, automated and transparented Internet advertising platform. ReachLocal's feet-on-the-street sales force of Internet Marketing Consultants (IMCs) helps educate and support small-medium business owners in their online marketing efforts.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR SMALL-MEDIUM BUSINESS OWNERS?
Google's announcement to designate ReachLocal as their first global premier Google AdWords partner speaks high praise to the quality of work that ReachLocal has been doing for local business owners across the globe.
For those of you who have been concerned about some of the negative comments you have read about ReachLocal, consider this - if ReachLocal were as bad as some of those reviews make us out to be would an Internet giant and the leader in search volume decide to make us their first global premier partner?
This partnership means that you can put faith in ReachLocal's search engine marketing product to bring you more viable leads to your business.
Last updated 2 years ago
Since you're investing in advertising to drive traffic to your website, what are you doing to convert those visitors into leads?
TotalLiveChat that helps you capture more leads by proactively engaging your website visitors. Our highly trained agents use customized scripts to connect with each visitor and capture the most pertinent details about their visit. The result? More quality leads coming from your website direct to your email or phone.
Watch the video to learn how TotalLiveChat can bring you more leads direct from your website.
Benefits of TotalLiveChat:
- Increase leads from online advertising by 30%*.
- Immediately connect with highly engaged consumers
- Convert valuable online visitors into customers
- Reduce website abandonment
Connect with Highly Engaged Visitors
In today's fast-paced society, consumers want convenient, quick assistance - so give them what they want. Today, online chat is an ideal solution for many customers who prefer not to contact you via phone or email. Visitors are prompted to chat within seconds of landing on your site which can dramatically improve their experience with your business.
Live Agents, Live Monitoring
Our agents participate in live conversations with your customers and obtain their contact information and details about the products or services they are interested before they leave your site. Not only is your website monitored in real time**, but you also get detailed reports and an email summary of each chat so you can track your leads as they come. Plus, these leads get forwarded to your email or cell phone as they come in so you can reach back out to potential customers immediately - while they are still in search mode for your services.
Capture More Quality Leads
Our agents obtain website chat participants' names, contact information and details about the products and services they are interested in. As soon as the lead is captured and the chat ends, you receive a summary email from the chat system so that you can follow up with each potential customer. In addition, we monitor your chat engagements and provide comprehensive reports about each lead obtained.
(*ReachLocal testing resulted in an average increase of up to 30% in the number of leads received)
**Available 7 days a week, 9am-1am EST.
