Five years ago, only a handful of people had ever heard of social media. It certainly wasn’t a tool that businesses were using to promote themselves on the web, but now social media has become an essential component of every successful marketing campaign. This is just one example of how quickly technology evolves and how important it is as a growing business to stay on top of these changes.
We strive to stay on top of new technology as well so that we can provide the latest tools to our customers. Our goal is to keep your business one step ahead of your competitors when it comes to online marketing tools and services.
Take a look at these new FREE tools and let us help you put them to work for your business:
• QR Codes
You might have seen these little boxes of black and white pixels on recent advertisements. It’s a special barcode that smart phones (with a camera and a barcode reading application) can scan to receive information. The barcode can send the mobile user straight to your website or provide a message such as a discount coupon code.
How is this an advantage? Well, if you’ve ever searched the web on your mobile device you know that it’s not always a quick and easy process. Instead of making someone pull up their mobile browser and search for your website or type in the address, they can simply scan the bar code and go straight there.
• YouTube Direct
Have you ever wanted to harness the power of YouTube on your own website? With YouTube Direct, you can add a video uploading and rating system to your site so that clients can upload their own videos and rate them without having to go directly to YouTube.
While this tool isn’t for every business, attractions and other businesses that offer an experience to their clients could benefit from adding video interaction. It also generates more content, which in turn gives people more ways to find you on the search engines.
• Google Places
Customers who search for your business on Google are most likely to come across your Google Places page first. This free page built right into Google features a map with your location and some basic information, but it can be so much more. You can add photos, videos, hours, a short business description, a link to your website and more. Just visit the Google places link, enter your address, and supply the necessary information. Google will send you a postcard or give you a call with a verification code so that you can certify that you are the business owner.
Once you’ve got your Google Places page set up, encourage your customers to go and leave a review of your business. The review system on Google Places is one of the biggest advantages to the system. More reviews and high ratings will help your website move up in search engine rankings while also providing potential customers with positive endorsements. Google Places also pulls reviews from other sites like TripAdviser, Hotels.com and other sites with reviews and ratings.
Want more information? Give us a call!
Old City Web Services can help you get set-up with all of the above services on your website. Just give us a call today for estimates and pricing.