Are you ready to harness the power of Internet marketing and make your phone ring? If you are, here are eight important tasks you need to push to the top of your to-do list:
#1 – Make sure every ad you place—online or offline—has your website clearly listed.
#2 – Make sure your homepage is geared to service first-time visitors. Focus on the needs of the people who are looking for your services and then anticipate them. What types of emergencies might they encounter? What types of troubleshooting calls would they most likely need us for? Are there specific types of new equipment or installation work they might be seeking?
#3 – Make a clear-cut call to action on your homepage for visitors to take, whether it's filling out a form or calling your toll-free number.
#4 – You will increase your inbound new customer calls by prominently placing your toll-free number on your website and giving them a reason (and a promise) to call. If you will call back within 60 minutes, tell them that. If you answer the phone 24 hours a day and on weekends, tell them that. If you have same day service, tell them that.
#5 – Be sure your website is listed on Google Local — http://www.google.com/local, if not, add it for free!
#6 – If you already spend money on advertising, consider placing a geographically targeted ad on Google Adwords. By placing an ad locally, you get really cheap, but effective advertising that is equal to, if not greater than a simple Google Local listing.
#7 – Remember the 3 Ps. Make your website personal — let them know you are a real caring person. People do business with people. Make your site professional — don't have a website that looks cheap and slapped together that makes finding things difficult for your visitors. Lastly, provide proof that you can do the job by offering up testimonials from past satisfied clients, pictures of jobs completed, and logos and certifications you've earned.
#8 – Anytime you can offer a gift or an incentive to take action, do it. Things such as coupons for first-time visits or other free gifts work well.
Remember that, what you say about yourself is interesting. But, what a customer really wants to read (or hear) are testimonials from customers like them!
Great marketers know that whether they are communicating online or offline, it all begins and ends with a clear message that’s written directly to their target audience. You must have a solution to their problem that helps them take the next step, which is a response to your call to action.
Engage these eight steps correctly and watch your investment in Internet marketing start to pay off.