Posts Tagged ‘Marketing’

Importance of Las Vegas Social Networking and Marketing

Thursday, August 26th, 2010

Looking for traffic for your Las Vegas website? Here is why you should choose social media marketing!

Once you have your website set up there are quite a few things that you need to consider. Among these is the idea of traffic generation. Now you can generate traffic in many different ways including article marketing, press releases, video marketing, and PPC marketing. However, one of the best ways to generate some highly targeted traffic is social media marketing.

Let me explain, social media is basically a website that allows users to connect with each other and get active. Usually they allow you to create profiles, add friends, upload videos, and post links. So in other words, they are a breeding ground for potential clients or sales. However, many business owners don’t understand the power of social media marketing.

I could sit here and tell you the importance of social media marketing all day long but I am sure that you wouldn’t be convinced if I just told you. So please allow me to illustrate my point with some simple statistics.

At the time of writing this article there are well over 1 billion registered internet users world wide. And out of that 1 billion there are a 400 million registered facebook users. Think about that, 400 million registered facebook users and it is growing fast. If even 1% of that were people who are interested in what you have to offer you would have a target market of 4 million users just on facebook. Now if you were able to reach just 1% of that 4 million you would be marketing to 40,000 unique people who are genuinely interested in what you want to offer. Don’t you think that would have a pretty high conversion rate?

And the above example only utilizes facebook statistics, image in you added in twitter and the other social media sites. Your target market would be absolutely staggering in number. Now, before you say that there is no way you’ll ever reach that many people, allow me to explain something. Social media sites are special because they promote the idea of viral marketing. This means that when you post something on facebook there is a good chance it will go viral if just one of your friends clicks the “like” button. And the truth of the matter is that every social media network has a feature like this one.

So lets recap, by using social media as a part of your marketing plan you will have access to an absolutely HUGE amount of unique visitors with a genuine interest in what you have to offer. You also have hte ability to get viral traffic and reach hundreds or even thousands of people with just one simple post. Lets be honest, you really can’t get better traffic than that. Social media marketing allows you to build your business using laser targeted traffic that converts. There is no doubt in my mind that it should be a part of every serious business owners traffic arsenal

Want to get started? Here are some links:

http://www.facebook.com

http://www.twitter.com

http://www.youtube.com

http://www.digg.com

The Importance Of Internet Marketing In Las Vegas

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

Every business in Las Vegas knows how important it is to advertise but very few are using the full potential of the Internet to increase business. A website just isn’t enough these days, no matter what type of business you are running. Search engine optimization (SEO) is key to getting your message out there to the right people. This is even more important when it comes to Vegas compared to most other cities. People from all around the world plan trips to Vegas every year and most of them do a little research on the Internet before they ever leave home. Restaurants, gaming establishments, resorts, and spa’s will benefit from targeted Internet marketing the most. Even if you run a carpet cleaning service it would be still be wise to start an aggressive marketing campaign. Vegas is a huge place and many of the residents there have just recently relocated.

You need to make sure you have a strong Internet presence no matter what type of business you are running. SEO will help you get to the top of the search engines in order to target people who are specifically searching for the type of service you offer. Social media is another great way to get your companies message out there. Unless you are savvy when it comes to Internet marketing, you may need to hire some outside help. There are companies out there that will use extensive online networks to put your business’s name out there on twitter and face-book. Newspaper, television, and radio ads are still important to an overall marketing strategy but you are shooting yourself in the foot if you ignore the Internet.

Less people are buying news papers and even less are watching TV due to the fact that it is so easy to find it all on the Internet. Don’t be left behind with the rest of the businesses who are still relying on conventional media for all of their marketing needs. Even if you don’t know where to begin you should at least look in to hiring someone who does know what they are doing. Many companies that assist businesses in the online marketing world will give you a rundown of the services they offer and a free quote at no charge to you. Take advantage of the power of Internet marketing and get involved before your competitors catch on and gain a competitive advantage.

How to Write a Marketing Plan for Your Las Vegas Business

Saturday, July 3rd, 2010

How To Write A Marketing Plan for your Las Vegas Business

A marketing plan is the portion of your overall business plan that describes the market for your products, an analysis of your competitors, and your marketing budget. It is a complete breakdown of the services or products you will provide, your unique selling proposition, and your distribution plans. It will also describe your strategy for sales and pricing, as well as plans for promotion and advertising. Each of these topics are summarized in brief paragraphs with separate headings. Each paragraph will explain how you plan to get customers or clients to buy your products, and the advantages they can expect in return.

The products and services portion of your marketing plan will clearly define the unique qualities of the products or services you plan to offer, and how your customers can benefit from using them. This section of the marketing plan characterizes your product telling what it does, how it works, and how it differs from similar products distributed by your competition. Your marketing plan will define the services you are presenting to customers, and list the advantages you have over other companies that provide the same services.

Depending on the products or services that you will be providing, the benefits for your customers may be tangible (can be touched or felt), or intangible (untouchable). For this section of your marketing plan, think about the products or services that you will be providing, and then list as many benefits as you can. Narrow your choices to the benefits that suit your target customers, and write a paragraph highlighting the advantages of each one. Your marketing plan is a detailed description of your company’s products, and the benefits or incentives that you will offer your customers.

The heart of your marketing plan will define the unique selling proposition for your company’s products or services. It is important that you give specific details showing which features set your products apart from that of your competitors. The goal of your marketing plan is to send a message to your customers showing the advantages of using your products or services. The marketing plan is a direct form of communicating with your customers, it’s message should be clear and concise. An essential document for your business plan, your marketing plan will need to be updated regularly. Your updates will address issues such as changes in the market, product prices, and customer demand.

Writing a marketing may seem like an overwhelming task when you consider all the information that has to be included. A company with unlimited funds can hire a professional to write the marketing plan for them, and keep it updated. Small companies or home based businesses can have a well written marketing plan without spending a lot of money. Business software programs can be used to help you create a business plan, and a marketing plan for your company. There are websites that offer free downloads of templates that you can use to write your marketing plan. This templates can be customized to suit your business, and they include step by step procedures for writing a successful marketing plan.

V Finance is a website with free templates to help you write business and marketing plans for your company. They have an extensive website with templates that are designed for a large number of industries and careers. You can visit them at: www.vfinance.com.

How to Use Facebook for Marketing and Advertising in Las Vegas

Friday, June 11th, 2010

Facebook currently has more than 400 million active users all over the world, making this social network platform an extremely useful instrument for effective marketing and advertising for your Las Vegas business. Facebook allows you to create an advertisement that will be placed on the margin of a page.

You will be able to create or increase consumer demand for your product through Facebook advertisements; you can also attach social actions to your ads and make it more relevant to the Facebook users, and you can target Las Vegas Facebook users. Facebook allows you to choose your target group, including their location and age, thus maximizing the opportunity of bringing in new customers and revenues. You can create your Facebook ads easily by creating or uploading pictures and put on text-based information that will intrigue your potential customers. You can also advertise your website by creating a Page on Facebook to draw in fans. Finally, Facebook enables you to track the progress of your marketing with real-time reporting. The simple bar charts will help you compare what gender and what age group of Facebook users pay the most attention to your ads. After you understand who are clicking on your ads, you can then modify them to maximize the efficiency in drawing in new customers.

Here are some to enhance the effectiveness of your ads on Facebook:

  1. Use an enticing and relevant photo that will attract Facebook users to click on your ad. Most Internet users are numb towards advertisements so it is extremely important for you to use the visual element to attract their attention.
  2. Write a clear and concise message. Again, most Facebook users will not spend more than 30 seconds reading an ad. Make your tag line direct and relevant to accommodate to their short attention span.
  3. Utilize other Facebook features such as Page, Application, Group, and Event. This will allow you to increase the visibility of your website and they do not cost you extra money.
  4. Narrow down your target audience. As you are relying on Facebook to connect with potential customers directly, you have to make sure that your ads pertain to their interests and offer them service or products that they may need.

Creating a Facebook advertisement is very easy. You simply have to go on to Facebook and click on the “Try Facebook Ads” on the right margin. You will then enter into a step-by-step guide that will provide you assistance along the way until you create your very first ad.

Are Directory Links Still Effective for your Website?

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

Lots of Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing Professionals are voicing their opinions and stating than directories and directory links are dead. Remember, these are the people that also say that Page Rank is dead, SEO is dead, and the latest this is dead theory.  So, is website directory link building no longer worthy for your business?

I believe the real issue with website directory links is that only some of them are good, while some others are junk, and being able to tell this difference is the key between loosing your time and having a fruitful link building campaign.  How can you tell if a directory is good enough for your website or that you should pass it?  Here are the 3 main criteria of identifying a good directory from a bad one:

  1. You can find the directory in the most popular search engines, Google, Yahoo, MSN, and Ask. Also the category pages of the directory are cached on the search engines, if the directory offers detail pages, these should be as well.
  2. Check the source code of the pages of the directory. Look to see if the links are plain a href’s, without the rel=”nofollow” attribute, and no sneaky redirects are present. By validating all these you guarantee that these links are seeing and counted by Search Engines.
  3. The directory doesn’t link to questionable websites, specially topics like gambling, casino adult, and illegal content websites. Be very wary about directory that offers sitewide likes to these type of sites.

How to Keep Las Vegas Brochure Printing Costs Low

Friday, April 23rd, 2010

Promoting your Las Vegas company’s products and services can be done by radio advertising, television advertising or have it printed into a brochure (much cheaper of course). However not all businesses can afford to advertise on television and radio, so printed marketing materials, especially a strong brochure, becomes the next best thing.

Brochures are simple overviews of your business and can be easily handed out, mailed, etc. A well-written and designed brochure can grab a potential customer’s attention. You can make them even more polished and professional if you choose special papers, unique sizes, special paper coatings and such, however, this will add to your printing costs.

Here are some ways to keep your Las Vegas brochure printing costs low:

  1. Talk to a printer before you begin. Get quotes from high-end printing companies, online printing companies and even Kinko’s. Know what your options are and how much each option will cost.
  2. Know your audience and HOW to distribute your brochures to potential leads. For example, leaving them on windshields in a parking lot may not be the most effect way of advertising; and you would be wasting brochures you paid to have printed.
  3. If you are going to be printing huge quantities of your brochure (in the thousands) that you should try to find a bluk or wholesale printer to keep costs down.
  4. Don’t include info that might change in the near future. For example, if you’re planning on moving your business six month from now, but you’re printing brochures you plan to use for the next year, you might consider leaving your address off.

A Simple Las Vegas Web Promotion Tool with Big Rewards

Sunday, April 18th, 2010

If you operate or own a web site in Las Vegas, then you know that you have to promote both on and off the internet.  You have to incorporate both factors  to be successful with an eCommerce Las Vegas business.  I have talked several large Internet retailers and they gave me a helpful insight into their internet marketing programs.  Made perfect sense, so I thought I’d pass it along to our client.

We all know that eBay is the #1 auction market place on the internet today, correct?  Millions of dollars are spent every week on their website promotions on the internet and it continues to grow every day. I’m not going to tell you to open up a store and start selling your entire product line to Ebay buyers… that would be costly with too little profit.

What I will say is to put a few of your company’s top sellers in an auction, either fixed or auction type.  This will help you attract viewers because your product is hot and people will want to purchase it.  The key to this tactic is to place links on your auction site that direct viewers to your main corporate site which carries your entire product line.  If you do it correctly, your traffic could explode with all targeted customers.  You might not be making a ton of money with eBay items that you sell, but if you do it right the profit you make from these targeted customers will far outweigh small profit margins.  Just give it a try because there’s nothing to lose and you just might be happy with your results!

5 Ways Increase Las Vegas Web Site Conversion Rates

Tuesday, April 6th, 2010

If you run an eCommerce website you probably ask yourself often how many people visit your website and DON’T purchase from you. Are you confident that your site converts visitors into customers at the highest rate possible? Do you feel like you have truly tried everything possible to increase your conversion rate?

Ask yourself: Do you have a strong call to action? Have you tried different messaging with a split A-B landing pages? There are always different strategies and tactics to explore when marketing your Las Vegas website. Unless you’re 100% sure that your website has no room for improvements, then you should take some time to explore how to continue to maximize sales.

Here are some website marketing strategies you might consider:

Bait your website visitors with the right cheese

Online shoppers are increasingly more sophisticated each year. Assume that your prospects will visit several competitor websites before they make a decision to purchase. Your website needs to stand out and clearly communicate the benefit your website holds over your competitors. You might need a special nugget of “cheese” that encourages visitors to surf around your website for example, free shipping, suggested selling or a free sample offer. Decide what cheese you can use to entice visitors.

Create value-add offers

Partner up with other websites and companies with whom you can cross promote each other’s products or services. Exchange bonus offers with each other and help each other grow. You could offer a discount on each other’s services, gift cards, an inexpensive give-away, gift cards, etc.

Offer free gifts that encourage viral marketing

Think of a promotional item that your website visitors will keep in their purse, wallet or car at all times. A well thought out promotion item helps create awareness and can help in creating a viral marketing buzz. A phone card is a great example. You can brand it, people keep it in their wallet and they are design for repeated use and keep your brand in front of them several times a week.

Personalize your offers

Try to find ways to personalize your offers, make your prospects feel special, customize your offer with their name, by their city, state or country. Find a partner you could help cross-promote with personalized branded giveaways, coupons or offers.

Give away an item that is perceived as valuable

Free offers are nice, but “free” sometimes can sound a bit negative, so keep the percieved value of what you are offering a prospect high.

Here’s an example:

“Get a FREE phone card if you order by midnight.” (versus) “Receive your complimentary phone card worth 2 hours of free phone calls worldwide as our personal thank you gift for your online order today.”

With a little thought and research, you can find that perfect cheese that will help YOU convert more sales on your eCommerce website!

Branding for Law Firms in Las Vegas

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

At the heartbeat of a strongly branded business firm lies the real essence in which the visitors, clients, and partners all conceptualize for their own selves. Find out about branding for law firms, and how it is of utmost importance to any law firm.

What Branding is not

One must first look at what branding for law firms is not, in order to see what branding for law firms is. Branding is not the identity of the business firm, nor is it the logo, marketing, or mission statement. Branding is not an advertisement, nor an ad campaign.

Having said that, what the business firm wants to portray is what the clients conceptualize it to be. A brand provides a relationship between a firm and its services and the client or potential clients. Branding for law firms must promise and deliver what they say they will to live up to with that brand name; thus, needed trust any great relationship will have.

In addition, for a client, he finds surety and solace in formulating a relationship with a reputable law firm. A business firm that has his trust makes him very confident. For the various customers, they see what the business firm has portrayed itself as.There certainly needs to be consistence of high quality with the manner in which the business firm does do business.

People Pay for Branding

Meanwhile, branding for law firms is in full swing these days in the legal communities. Law firms that are branded, that stand solid, are those that are trusted most. It gives people a real good reason to stay with the best brand. That is why people pay about double the prices, just to get that name brand, wherever it can be found.

Of importance, branding for law firms helps the firm send an unwavering message out there in the public eye as well as within the business firm. It also keeps price battles at bay and keeps marketing costs down. Above all, it will inevitably end up in more net earnings and new clients for the law firm.

Ease and confidence

Also, a well known law firm provides care, comfort and trust for the clients. Research has shown that people will pay more, absolutely without question, for a name brand than for a lesser known item or place.That means customers can save time by going to their own trusted firm.

Free Las Vegas Marketing Resources

Friday, February 26th, 2010

It’s always great to find valuable marketing resources online and when we find them, we publish them for our Las Vegas blog visitors so that they can benefit from the online resources as well.

Here are some great websites to visit that can help market your Las Vegas company: