This is a Digital Media Strategy Beginners Article.

Local Search Results

One of the biggest failures of the web to date has been the generally poor results you get from a local search - particularly here in Australia where only around 30% of small businesses have a website.  The poor performance is understandable when it's only logical that if your business doesn't have a website, then it's hard for Google to know you exist and for people to link to your site.  

There have been many attempts over the years to address this gap, from the old, once dominant, Yellow Pages type paper advertising directories (which have finally migrated to online directories); Government and commercial initiatives like Google and MYOB (leading Australian Small Business accounting software); consumer comparison and ranking website portals; through to customer generated content - forums, bloggers; Facebook Places; Fourquare; Twitter; new Google+ and my new favourite service www.quora.com (founded last year by the ex CTO of Facebook).

From a business owners perspective it's a Catch 22 situation - if your immediate sales are not generated from the web then why as business do you need to invest the time, energy and money to develop new skills; keep information up to date; maintain the website; and also communicate through these online channels - "I sell coffee I'm not some computer nerd!" they cry.   

The answer to that question is very simple - depending on what report you're reading then 50-90% of new customers will search online before purchasing - Online Retailing's SOBO "Search Online Buy Offline". 

If you're not actively marketing and communicating online then there's a very high probability your competitors are or will be.

Opportunity and Competition Drives Innovation  

Ten months ago, I wrote about a new coffee shop which opened in the local neighbourhood "Foodies Deli Cafe" which brought a refreshing new competitor to the local coffee drinking marketplace - back then as a test I asked how long would it be before they commented on my blog post.

Today, that moment arrived, Matt - one of the owners told me they'd launched a website a couple of months ago; that it wasn't ranking in Google and if I could take a quick look (contra coffee).

Sensing a potential mutual win relationship (and also content for my blog) once back in the office the first thing I did was a test search in Google - 

As Matt said the website http://www.foodiesdelicafe.com.au/ doesn't rank at all, so we take a look at source code.  If you right-click on your website from your browser there is usually a "source code" option - it's gobbly gook stuff Google sees.  Without going into finer details the website is not search engine optimised (SEO) and in its current form I doubt it will never rank in the top three search results.  Yes, the web developers didn't mention that!

As mentioned there are many elements which influence search engine ranking but the most important is the "Search Engine Term" your potential customers will use.

Search Engine Term and Inbound Links

The key point to note is that most people will NOT search for the name of the coffee shop, they will search for "coffee shop Dolls Point" or "coffee shop Sans Souci" or maybe "best coffee shop in St George area".  The most important element to SEO is the title of any external websites inbound link to your site.  

The higher the Pagerank of the external website "referring" the more influence that will have on your page ranking and your subsequent search results listing. For example, A Sydney Morning Herald food guide review will have a greater link importance than my website blog (except when it is published in my Istrategy blog post).

Example - The top three results "Best Coffee Shop Sydney City" includes one of my favourites Vivo Cafe - Vivo has a SEO website plus Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare accounts - all roads lead to a destination. 

Social Media is the New Search 

We are increasingly using social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Youtube etc and applications like Trip Advisor to ask friends or other web users for their feedback.  On top of the social media layer, services like Google+; Linkedin Q&A (think corporate Facebook) and the previously mentioned http://www.quora.com/ are facilitating question and answer and developing expert status.

Google is already indexing this high quality content (except where it has very recently been precluded - ie Twitter real time results and public Facebook Status) and you are beginning to see this data influence rankings. 

Social Media Pureplay

Another local coffee shop I must mention is social media marketing pure play Montgomery St Cafe, headed up by the highly talented Internet Chef and Electrolux brand ambassador Bridget Davis and Twitterati Iconic88.  They did an exceptional job at building awareness prior to opening through Facebook status updates, #mostreet and regular Youtube videos.  

Increasing Competition

Last week another new local coffee shop opened - "Kiss the Barista" at Georges River 16ft Sailing Club; and another around the corner couple of weeks. 

There are now three new coffee shops that have opened within a short (less than 500m) distance within the last 10 months making a total six.

As you can see even at the local coffee shop level it's a highly competitive online marketing but you know the most important thing?  The customer experience they then share.

How do you rank on Google and what are your customers saying about you on social media?

"There are approximately 70 words to a 30 second script.

On websites you've an average 12.5 seconds to get attention and engage your new visitors - that's 28 words!

At Maxys, we can help you increase your website effectiveness.

Browse around and Contact Us."

Connection Addiction - pull out the plug

Don't you hate it if you're talking to someone and they take a call or worse receive and reply to a text.  You're better to concentrate on the task at hand and let the message go through to the keeper.

Anyway, I'm due for a new phone and have been thinking about a Crackberry (Blackberry) so that I can check emails all the time. On the other hand all this technology is increasingly intrusive to our lives. 

My question is how much value does instant messaging really add to corporate communications? 

I read yesterday that there is an increasing number of people who, when they first wake up of a morning check their computers or phones for messages - even before a pee and a cup of coffee - "I'm not alone!" I cry but then I realise I've got "Connection Addiction!" - YOU KNOW that one message that has to be replied to in an instant.

When you think about it - what a load of crapola!

How do we deal with this constant flow of information?  Are new skill sets required?

"Shallow rivers run fast, think strategic" I hear my dad say.

I look around my office - I currently have four screens on my desk - two for each computer - my laptop and my desktop - geez I'm in deeper than I thought! 

1. One has my Skype account,
2. TweetDeck (Twitter client) and Woopra live web tracking,
3. my emails (multiple accounts)
4. my web browser

Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr and all that other social connection stuff are accessed through the day - they run from early morning till late.

It's madness but I suppose that's the business I'm in - it's no wonder it's a challenge for most businesses to comprehend and implement.  It's not like a 9-5 shop.

I wonder what would happen if I just suddenly turned them all off or took back control  

• limiting emails to 2 or 3 x 1 hour sessions a day - setting up auto reply to let senders know you'll get back within 24 hours or to call if urgent. 
• Twitter at periodic coffee breaks.  (the water cooler metaphor)
• Facebook to social times (the pub metaphor)

What would the prospects and clients think?  How would it impact sales?  Would more important work get done?

I know from my pub and call centre management days that response time is very important but what about web businesses?

So anyway we'll see - brb - the phones ringing!

Interested in your thoughts?

The Gatekeepers

Maurie the doorman stands with his arms crossed outside the football teams locker room and lets the TV Crew enter.  It wasn't like that in the old days he thinks to himself.

Gatekeeper (plural gatekeepers)

1. A person who guards or monitors passage through a gate
2. A person or group who controls access to something or somebody
3. A common butterfly, Pyronia tithonus.

From the earliest days of society we built walls around our towns and cities to stop attacks and keep our people and businesses safe.

In most sports, arts and business we have also have gatekeepers - those burly guards at the door of football team locker rooms, nightclub or building; the Artist Manager; the CEO's Secretary or Personal Assistant filtering calls, interruptions and potential time wasters.  All diligently protecting the jewel from the masses.   

As people we also build our own walls and our own personal gatekeepers.  

Emails, Advertising and Marketing Communications

Today we're all bombarded with thousands of messages per day trying to get us to do something or sell us something we mostly think we don't need.

All those messages a bit like rock star fans screaming for attention and action.

Our mind, as the gatekeeper, constantly filtering our sensory inputs for what is important. 

Not everything has the same level of importance and there is ofter a difference in perspective to what is important between the sender and the gatekeeper.

Maurie has a job to do and he'll do it to the best of his ability. 

More than often, the gatekeeper is unaware of the any bigger picture issues and problems but if the gate is closed then no solution can gets in.

Understanding Problems and Discovering Solutions

Every person and business has challenges - more time, more money, more happiness.

Back in the old days solutions weren't as easy to find as a Google Search but a "solution" is much more than a product or service.

What makes us select this product or service over someone else?  What are the most important elements to sales and marketing success?

• A real solution to a customers problem
• Getting past the Gatekeeper
• Trust in you to deliver the solution
• The price the customer is prepared to pay

The greatest influences on our decisions - trusted Word of Mouth (WOM) referral - and that's were Digital Media Strategy (DMS) and online social media marketing comes in.