Friday, December 28, 2012

2013 Small Business Online Marketing Tips | Social Media First?

Happy 2013, everyone, and here's to your most profitable year ever using the digital marketing and advertising tactics that really move the needle in your local market.


What are they? Hint: It's NOT social media, folks!

The more time I spend running social media campaigns for multiple business types and dozens of local businesses, the more I see the true, daily impact of social activities on these firms.

What I see: We've ALL bought into the notion that social media, the OOH SHINY PENNY! of marketing is critical to every business in America.

The reality: Social is in 4th place in terms of focus/importance. And most businesses shouldn't be touching it at all before they understand the full digital marketing landscape.

First Place: Search Engine Marketing


Find a trusted partner to run search engine marketing (text ads, called SEM or PPC) on Google,  bing and Yahoo! to turn searches for you, your brand, your products into qualified clicks, targeted to our local market(s).

Think about it: Nearly all shoppers head to Google to conduct research before they head to a local store to make a purchase. If you're not running a solid SEM campaign run by the very latest technology, you're sending business to your competitors and losing sales.


One of the few companies that's doing this well is Netsertive. Why?
  • They focus on only 5 kinds of businesses, they've hired EXPERTS in each field to create high-performance campaigns
  • Every client gets a direct line to an account rep to ensure communication and success
  • Their patent-pending technology actively makes every account perform better and better over the long term (set and forget online advertising campaigns are the hallmark of Netsertive's competition)

In fact, here's a 1 minute video by a Netsertive client who's TRIED THE REST and now relies on the company to bring him ALL of his new customers each month: http://www.netsertive.com/whynetsertive



In second place, you must run display ad banners with retargeting turned on. 


How it works: Your search engine marketing (text ad) campaign will send qualified customers to your website. If they're not in the market for what you sell TODAY, they LEAVE your site. Without ad retargeting turned on, you've lost them to the digital winds, likely never to return.


With display retargeting turned on, however, your display ads will follow them to other websites after they leave. They'll see your banner ads in the Yahoo! inbox, on the Wall Street Journal, and on other contextually relevant sites for a full 30 days, reminding them of your store/your products and enticing (reminding!) them to return to your site.



So your second biggest spend: Display Ads w/Retargeting.

Third place: Online mobile advertising. 


Specific text ad and display campaigns with the right keywords/call to action/features that an on-the-go, qualified customer needs to see when they're conducting searches on their smartphones while they're in the car and in the market to buy NOW to come to your store/dealer.

Here's an article I wrote to auto dealers about mobile in 2013; it will spread to ALL other verticals as well: http://www.netsertive.com/car-shoppers-using-mobile-phones-more-likely-to-buy-within-hours

Fourth place/LAST: Social media


Last place, because your goal is to generate more sales with digital marketing, right? Social media should only be attacked after you're spending $1,500-$8,000 per month as a small business owner on search, display, and mobile.

Social media is the place you go to engage with customers who've already bought from you. When they have a great experience, or you offer them something free/a contest, or a regular coupon, they'll Like your Facebook page so they can get the deal and write a great review. And once they Like you, it's your chance to turn them into a repeat buyer.

Repeat after me: Social media will not bring you new customers. 


It will give you a platform to nurture existing customers. And the number of Likes you receive doesn't matter; the quality of the Likes are critical.

To do social media right as a small business, you'll need to set aside 5-15 hours a month to write content (manual posts about your products, what's going on in your store, even personal photos), then spend time everyday engaging with your CURRENT customers WHO HAVE ALREADY BOUGHT from you. Interact, turn them into repeat buyers, sure. But more Likes does nothing. You need to be a content strategist, be able to engage for an hour or more a DAY. 99.9% of small business owners cannot and will not do this.

And they shouldn't.



Today is the day I say it loudly: Business owners, you're right to question WHY you should be doing Facebook and Twitter and Pinterest and LinkedIn and XXXXX Flavor of the Month campaigns.

Should you devote your precious time and limited marketing dollars on social if you're not doing search, display, and mobile and doing it WELL/properly funded to deeply penetrate your local market? No way.

Unless you're willing to do some serious manual posting and daily monitoring/content planning every week and month, and actively market your presence in ALL of your marketing materials and bring your own personality to your posts/social activities, it absolutely WILL NOT impact your bottom line.

Without a solid, comprehensive online strategy with the proper amount of fuel (budget) built from TOP to bottom like THIS:


  1. SEARCH ENGINE TEXT ADS (SEM/PPC) (MOST CRITICAL)
  2. DISPLAY/RETARGETING
  3. MOBILE
  4. SOCIAL (LEAST IMPORTANT)

You have zero business touching social media until 1, 2, 3 are set up and running at top speed/spend to get the best results.

If you're working with Yodle, Reach Local, Orange Soda, WebVisible, DEX or ANY other SEM PPC search advertising provider, it's time to move to a company who delivers the best results using all of the most profitable tactics.

If you're still not convinced, and your business has been burned by past online marketing campaigns that didn't deliver results using Reach Local, Yodle or other companies, WATCH THIS and work with the best:



Find out more about Netsertive. You will not be sorry. Profit, click here:




Happy 2013 everyone!

Tim McLain
timothymclain@yahoo.com
919.800.9893 (Cell)


Wednesday, December 26, 2012

From Atoms to Bits | Wordless Wednesday


I love the old photo on the final print issue of Newsweek, viewed on my iPad and sporting a Twitter hashtag headline: #LASTPRINTISSUE. 

As a child of print, now a fully-digital adult, the digital r(evolution) taken place in lock step with my 20 year career.

From atoms (newspaper/magazines/Yellow Pages) to bits (TV news, Internet startups/Google), from the '70s to the '10s > #LASTPRINTISSUE pic.twitter.com/hpCwxISY

The rapid pace of the digital business evolution is all part of my experience. The photo is a perfect summary of the first 20 years in the professional business world. (Full LinkedIn profile.) 

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Netsertive doubled our F150 sales | Automotive Dealer Online Advertising


"Frankly, Netsertive doubled our F150 sales." - Village Ford, Dearborn, MI

11.5 HOURS. That’s how long new car and truck buyers research a purchase using search engines like Google, bing and Yahoo! Then they go to a local dealership to buy. Will YOU be found online first? Or will it be your competition?

 Netsertive accelerates sales for single + multiple rooftop digital auto dealers and top brands. Our custom-written, localized search, display and mobile ad campaigns, as well as retargeting, deliver max car and truck sales opportunities. With transparent reporting, you’ll always know exactly how your auto dealer Internet advertising budget is being spent, and how Netsertive is growing your automotive sales.

Contact our Netsertive automotive experts today; they'll turn online discovery of your dealership into new sales opportunities: 1.800.940.4351

Monday, December 03, 2012

Netsertive Internet marketing campaigns grow the Michigan state economy one business at a time

While the rest of the country is reading headlines that highlight negative news coming out of Detroit and Michigan as a whole, Netsertive's online marketing campaigns have been quietly and successfully fueling the state's economic resurgence since 2009.

With a majority of Michiganders using the Internet to researching purchases of new products (think new cars and trucks, appliances, and audio video installations) in their local area, it's more important than ever for Michigan businesses to be highly visible online.

Netsertive recently spent time with just three of our Michigan area clients to record, first-hand, how Michigan businesses are surviving and thriving through the power of Netsertive's online advertising programs.

Netsertive is fueling Michigan one local business at a time

Contact Tim McLain, Netsertive Marketing Manager at tmclain@netsertive.com, 919.890.3908 (desk) or 919.800.9893 (cell) to arrange interviews with clients and our management to tell this positive story about Michigan's turnaround to your viewers and readers.

Bill & Rod's Appliances
Netsertive Michigan Success Story #1



Netsertive helped Livonia, MI-based Bill & Rod's Appliances grow sales more than 20% with a custom appliances online advertising campaign.

We recently spent a day with Tag the official customer greeter and learned more about this Michigan-based family business led by Kim, Linda, and Joe Legato.



Joe, as the third generation owner and operator, found Netsertive through a Brandsource buying group webinar. (Netsertive also works directly with MEGA Group USA and Nationwide members.)

After signing up, Joe quickly boosted sales more than 20% by harvesting online searches for Maytag, Kitchenaid, Amana and related repair services in his local Michigan target market.

His custom, localized Netsertive search and display ad campaign has driven his business to the top spot and helped him sell more products and services, month in and month out, over the long term.

Village Ford Auto Dealer
Netsertive Michigan Success Story #2



Bob Wheat is the General Manager at Village Ford in Dearborn, MI. His dealership dates back to first days of Henry Ford's company.



Netsertive built a custom Internet advertising campaign for Wheat's dealership to harvest online searches for F150, F250, and F350 truck models in his Michigan target market.

The results? Village Ford has doubled its truck sales and greatly boosted overall call volumes (BDC) for F150 through the power of Netsertive's auto dealer online marketing.

Paulson's Audio Video
Netsertive Michigan Success Story #3



Netsertive helped Paulson's Audio Video in Farmington Hills, MI, grow their business over the long term through the power of localized, custom audio video integrator Internet advertising.

In our short video, co-owner Dan Paulson talks about how Netsertive built a custom Web search and display (Local Extend™ banner ad) campaign for his custom home theater, lighting control, and local electronics business.



Paulson's is effectively harvesting online searches for his top products and brands - Integra, McIntosh, Bowers and Wilkins (B&W), Lutron, AudioQuest, Crestron, Control4, and others - in the Detroit metro target market, and has seen sales increases over the past 18 months and more.

As his Michigan primary marketing effort, Paulson's turnkey online campaign has grown the company's bottom line consistently over the long term. Netsertive sends thousands of purchase-ready customers to Paulson's website and storefront month in and month out.

As you can see, Netsertive (www.netsertive.com) leverages its powerful technology to help our clients in Detroit and across the state of Michigan to harness the power of online discovery in a way they couldn’t do previously. With fully 95% of retail sales spending occurring locally, offline, there is a massive amount of demand to be harvested through online discovery leading to local product sales.
Netsertive has served more than a billion targeted ads in hundreds of local markets since 2009. The company has raised more than $14.5 million in venture capital to date and has since hired over 75 employees, and expects to double that number in 2013 in order to keep up with its rapid growth. The company has performed at a high fiscal level, with 2011 revenues reaching nearly 7X its first year revenues in 2009.
Netsertive introduced an Ad Industry first with its Local Extend™ Digital Co-op marketing service, which automates delivery and performance of co-branded online ads across hundreds of local markets and dealers throughout North America. The Company has implemented these Local Extend™ campaigns for many major brands including Harman International, Serta, McIntosh Labs, Integra, Bowers & Wilkins, and many others.

Local Extend™ is the foundation of Netsertive’s innovative Digital Co-op service, which helps channel marketers achieve major efficiencies at both the brand and local levels by automating the cooperation and shared funding of the brands and their local channel partners.

The Company also created a one-of-a-kind online advertising technology which automates efficiencies in search, display and mobile advertising campaigns. Its patent-pending "Learning Engine" system achieves the best possible return on investment for online advertising spending in a given local market, at a defined budget level, for a defined set of advertised categories. This high-performance search (PPC Google AdWords) ad technology drives stronger, more measurable results, yielding a better return on advertising investment for its clients.

Contact Tim McLain, Netsertive Marketing Manager at tmclain@netsertive.com, 919.890.3908 (desk) or 919.800.9893 (cell) to arrange interviews with clients and our management to tell this positive story about Michigan's turnaround to your viewers and readers.