Bay Area Inbound Marketing Blog

Let me get to the punch line, this blog article describes the top ten things you can do now on your website to increase your sales today.

Custom Calls-to-Action can make all the difference in how many leads you get from your inbound marketing efforts.

Blogging and creating other content like ebooks and webinars are powerful ways to help more of your potential customers discover your business online.  Once you have developed a clear understanding of your business's keywords and optimized your website for search engines, your next step should be to attract more visitors through blogging.

A website without a fully-optimized blog is poorly positioned to drive traffic and leads. Is your company blogging? Maybe you are, but maybe you’re not doing so frequently enough or in a way that maximizes SEO. Or maybe you’re not because time is an issue. No matter the reason, search engines won't pop you to the top when potential customers are searching for your products and services without the right keywords positioned in the right way via blog articles.

When thinking about “how do I increase revenue for my business?” look to your existing customer base. It costs five times more to gain a new customer than to retain a current customer. What can you do keep your customers coming back for more?

When consumers look for local businesses, 97% look online. Yet only 20% of businesses use internet marketing. If you are buying ads in the newspaper, on the radio, on TV and in the paper Yellow Pages, people looking for you online will not find you. Here are five tips to increase your number of site visitors and convert more visitors to leads.

1.    Identify your niche
Start by thinking about your market niche. How are your products and services specialized compared to your competition? Develop keywords that describe your niche.
    
2.    Establish your authority
Write blog posts around the keywords that describe your specialty. A blog gives you an opportunity to shine. Show your expertise by answering common questions your customers have.

3.    Share
Every time you create fresh, interesting content, share it on social networking sites. The content could be in written or video form. Share it on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or You Tube. Encourage people to “Like” your business page.

4.    Start a dialogue
Web 2.0 has changed business communications forever. Consumers want opportunities to ask questions and social networking sites facilitate a two-way flow of information. Plus, giving consumers information about your products and services will help them make the right buying decisions and position you as an authority in your field.

5.    Take advantage of free search
Post your business name, address and phone number in several free local business directories. Yelp, Yahoo! Local, Bing, Google Places and yellowpages.com are the main ones.

Following these tips will increase the number of leads in your sales funnel without paying to advertise. If you want to do pay per click internet advertising, Facebook, Google AdWords Express and Yahoo! Audience Match will place ads on their site that target your key demographics. Pay per click means you only pay when someone clicks on your ad.

Local marketing on the internet is worth exploring since 40% of online searches are for local products and services. Building your web presence in these five areas will show you are a valued resource in your community and in turn drive more traffic to your site.

When people look for information about a product or service they want to buy, many people start with an internet search. Give them a chance to find you by having a business blog on your site.