Image of Google Search Page

5 ways to improve your small business rankings in Google for 2019

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For many years, McKinney small businesses have understood the power of strong rankings in the search engines.

Indeed, achieving a strong page 1 ranking on Google can boost the number of customers for any business with an online presence.

But how exactly do you score a great ranking in Google?

With more and more small businesses in McKinney, TX turning to Digital Marketing, there is a growing need to understand the power of strong rankings in the search engines. The tactics have evolved from what they were just a few years ago. Let us outline 5 important strategies for small businesses trying to improve their exposure online.

Technical Onsite SEO

5 or 6 years ago, SEO was more of a technical exercise. Today this is still an important component of a small business SEO strategy. In fact, many of the same components are used. 

Overall, you will not rank for a keyword that is not physically on your website. We know this sounds obvious, but many small business owners don’t have strong content on their homepage, and can’t figure out why they don’t rank well.

Keywords needs to be strategically placed in the Title Tag and H1 Tag. If you don’t know what these are, learn them. It isn’t rocket science. This will also make you better able to communicate with your developer. Or if your website is on the WordPress platform, you can adjust these yourself with one of many SEO plugins available.

Having a website that looks good is important. Many people believe that Google is monitoring bounce rates and dwell times as indicators of user experience. An outdated website or one that is just confusing will repel users, and may hurt rankings. 

Ensure that your website is fast. Google explicitly tells us it does not like to rank slow websites. This hurts user experience, and rankings too.

Also build a mobile-friendly website. More and more users view websites on mobile devices. The latest stats available indicate that 58% of website traffic comes from a mobile device. Your business needs to be well represented on any digital device platform.

Google My Business 

Google presents a map for many keyword searches. They do this for keywords they believe to have local searcher intent, where seeing the business in a map is more helpful. The catch here is that Google is not presenting the business website itself, but rather the Google My Business page listing for that business.

Because of this dynamic, it is important that small business owners claim their business listing and ensure all the information is accurately updated. Business phone numbers, addresses, hours and other relevant information is critical. The way this information is entered in the Google database has been shown to impact rankings. 

Additionally, the number of times the phone number on file with Google My Business is seen by Google’s spiders around the internet has been identified as a ranking factor. These are known as citations, and sometimes NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number). To give your business an edge over the competition, post your NAP everywhere you can. There are also numerous services that can help you with this SEO process known as Directory Listing Services. Luce Media can submit your NAP to dozens of different directories and get you quickly ranking. Click here and scroll down to Online Visibility.

Strong Content

At Luce Media, we know that Google has a strong preference for long-form, well-researched content. For this reason, it pays to write very long blog posts on your website. However, the content needs to be informative and helpful for users.

Many small business owners claim they will have time to write blog posts themselves. However, after a month or two, they stop blogging (if they ever started in the first place). This is a critical mistake. If you can’t produce the blog yourself, hire a service to do it for you. Luce Media provides blog writing and content marketing in McKinney, TX.

Content published on the website needs to be visually appealing as well as well-written. This means many pictures and graphics – sometimes called visual assets. These visual assets should give the reader a visual representation of the main concepts of the blog post. This will help keep lazy readers engaged.

Many of the top bloggers recommend something visual to break up the words between every fold of the screen. This technique is strong because readers have something appealing to look at as they get tired of reading.

Backlinks

For many years, backlinks have been known to be a critical ingredient in search engine ranking success. This is no less true in 2019 than it was a few years ago. Great content will not rank without strong backlinks to the content from highly authoritative and relevant websites.

Backlinks are key to ranking higher in search engines.

Adam Stetzer, Ph.D. has been in the SEO business for 10 years and says: “Backlinks are one of the hardest concepts for small business owners to understand and execute. They understand on-site SEO and writing great content. They have a hard time committing to a great backlink building strategy because of the mathematical and conceptual nature of backlinks in the Google algorithm. Nonetheless, there are great places on the Internet to earn backlinks for free.” 

Search engine optimization experts generally agree that there are 2 major components of a backlink that determine if it will help you rank: Authority and Relevance. 

A backlink is considered to have authority if it comes from a domain with high Domain Rating or Domain Authority. These factors are easily queryable using free SEO analytic tools. In generally, you want a link from a high domain authority website. 

Furthermore, the backlink will help you more if it is on a specific page on that website that also has strong authority. Several years ago, Google started distinguishing which pages on a particular website were the strongest. This, again, is determined by how many backlinks are feeding into a specific page on a domain. So while a link from a high authority domain is good, a link placed on the strong web page on that domain (usually the home page) is the best.

The second criteria for a backlink is the relevance of that link. You want links from websites that are about the same subject matter as your website. If you are trying to rank a website about cars, a link from another automotive website would be much more valuable than a link from a foodie website.

How to weigh the relative importance of categorical relevance vs domain authority nobody can really answer except the engineers at Google. Most SEO’s go for relevance over authority. Both is ideal.

Relationships and Reputation

The final parts of the small business strategy are relationships and reputation. This is a very important part of any SEO strategy as negative reviews often rank very highly in Google. Additionally, the more relationships you have the stronger your ability to earn great mentions, reviews and backlinks.

Many small business owners overlook the idea that building relationships will help their online presence. Indeed, it feels old fashioned. However, human relationships are at the heart of all business, and it is humans that place great backlinks into powerful stories online. Understanding the importance of online reviews is critical for the business owner in McKinney, TX.

Small business owners need to be active in their communities, regularly attend meetups and maintain ties with those who can mention them online.

Conclusions 

Earning a top position for your small business in McKinney, TX on Google will bring in customers. Because these positions are so coveted, they are also extremely competitive. The 5 strategies outlined in this article represent an outstanding opportunity to move search engine rankings up and get the phone ringing.

This Post was originally Posted at: https://www.bmmagazine.co.uk/marketing/5-ways-to-improve-your-small-business-rankings-in-google/

Instagram with the Instagram icon

24+ Instagram Statistics That Matter to Marketers in 2019

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Instagram MarketingAre you using Instagram to connect with your audience?

And if not, should you?

Okay, that’s a loaded question.

Statistically speaking though, it makes business dollars and sense.

Scan these Instagram stats that show its breadth and depth worldwide. Then use them to shape your Instagram marketing strategy.

Instagram user statistics

Who’s using Instagram? So nice of you to ask.

Well, over an eighth of the 7.6 billion people on the planet (and counting). A look at some Instagram user statistics to keep close to your marketing cuff.

1. 1 billion people use Instagram

Of the social networks, only Facebook and YouTube have more people logging in. With 500 million of them using Instagram—every day. Want some of them to like your business? Click here to for some tips on how.

2. 80% of users are outside the U.S.

That’s a whole lot of global ad revenue for your products and services. With estimates of almost $7 billion in mobile ad revenue in 2018. Interested in doing business in India, Brazil, Indonesia, Turkey, Russia and Japan? Go for it. Tens of millions of active users for your global products.

3. 39% women, 30% men, for U.S. Instagrammers

Women more than men are using this photo sharing app. But the gap has decreased slightly the past couple years.

4. 59% of U.S. users are under 30

…between 18 and 29 years old. Conversely, 33 percent of Instagram users are between 30- and 49-years-old. Another thing, 70 percent of U.S. users have a post secondary education. Now go slice and dice your marketing campaign accordingly.

5. 72% of teens use Instagram, every day

Only second to Snapchat. Yet, 63 percent of 13- to 17-year-olds use Instagram daily, compared to 54 percent for Snapchat. Less users, more engagement on Instagram. All there for you to influence these young-uns with your t-shirts, bracelets, songs, videos, or whatever they like these days.

6. 95% of U.S. Instagrammers use Youtube

…followed by Facebook at 91 percent, and Snapchat at 60 percent. So what, you say? Tell a coherent story for your brand across these platforms. A nice bundle waiting to hear from you.

7. 35% of online adults use Instagram

…with 28 percent of them in the U.S. And they have money to buy your stuff. The right products for the right income earners. For those adult Instagram users:

  • 30% earn up to $30K/year
  • 42% earn $30K – $50K
  • 32% earn $50K – $75K
  • 42% earn $75K+

8. Quick view stats

Quite a few user stats so far, eh? Some more, consolidated. To keep things simple.

  • 34% of Instagram users are millennials
  • 22% of all Instagram users log in at least once a day
  • 38% of users check Instagram multiple times a day
  • 25% of smartphone owners use Instagram

Speaking of statistics… want to see what your business’ Online Visibility looks like? Click here to do Luce Media’s free online visibility test.

That’s some of the who’s, now on to some of the how’s…

Instagram usage statistics

How are people using Instagram? Another great question.

Let’s learn some of the hows with these Instagram user statistics.

9. Under-25-year-olds use Instagram 32 minutes a day

Compared to 24 minutes per day for 25 and older. This is more than before. Why? Instagram stories. They make it easy to add a creative flair to any photo or video. You can do the same for your business.

10. Users ‘like’ 4.2 billion posts per day

…making Instagram the happiest place on the internet. And that was in 2016 when there were only 500 million Instagrammers. Is your brand feeling lonely? Get on the ‘like’ band-wagon to make new business friends.

11. 95 million posts per day

And that was in 2016. Surely, a (large) portion of that action is open to your products. What are you waiting for?

12. 400 million Stories a day

Up from 300 million in October 2017. Most brands (2 million of them) are telling their stories with Stories. Over 50 percent one month in 2017. With a third of the most viewed Stories created by businesses. It’s pretty obvious Stories work for brands unless you’re not telling any.

13. 80% increase, year-by-year, for videos

…while the number of videos created each day quadrupled from 2017. Yup, users love their video posts, right from the start. When they launched in 2013, 5 million videos were uploaded in the first 24 hours. Create and run a campaign to feed these video-carnivores.

15. Quick view stats

More quick mentions for how people are using Instagram:

  • 72% of users have bought a product they saw on Instagram
  • Facebook bought Instagram for $715 million
  • Users spend on average 53 minutes a day on the Android Instagram app

Instagram for business statistics

Why use Instagram for business? Because it’s already proven to be business-worthy. As noted by these Instagram business statistics. Whether for the global enterprise, or for your mom-and-pop business.

16. 71% of U.S. businesses use Instagram

…edging out Twitter, which has plateaued. But not Instagram. Things are still and will continue to heat up for this personal and business platform.

17. 25 million business profiles

And over 200 million users visiting at least one business profile every day. From clothing to concerts, lingerie to linguine. Including fashion brands, 96 percent of them are on Instagram. Got something to sell? Instagram has people to target.

18. 2 million monthly advertisers on Instagram

This is a great opportunity for businesses to connect with their audiences, whether on-the-go or in the moment.

19. 80% of users follow at least one business

They ain’t shy about following brands. Yet another stat proving Instagram means business.

20. 60% of users discover products on Instagram

More reason for B2C companies to get on the platform.

21. 75% of users take action

…like visiting a website after looking at a brand’s post. Got good looking products? Instagram is the place to show them off.

22. 70% more likely to buy via mobile

Over a third of Instagram users have used their mobile to purchase a product online– making them 70 percent more likely to do so than non-users.

23. Instagram has 2.2% interaction rate

…dwarfing the other networks, including Facebook with its 0.22 percent rate. Instagram is the engagement king.

24. 90% of the top 100 brands are on Instagram

How many more reasons do you need to hear, to engage on Instagram? Don’t answer that. Rhetorical question.

Other Instagram statistics

  • 50% of businesses on Instagram have produced a Story
  • 50% of Instagrammers follow brands, making them the social networkers who are most likely to do so.

If your business needs help with social media marketing in McKinney, TX. and Frisco, TX., please call us at (469) 907-1057.  Luce Media has deep expertise in Digital Marketing, B2B Marketing, Internet Marketing and is a well-established Digital Media Consultant in McKinney, TX.

Please follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn to continue learning.

This information was originally posted here.

Paid Social Media Marketing

For 2019 – Some Simple Concepts to Deliver on Paid Social Media

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Social media marketing is a very odd thing. On one hand, social media is a medium which enables brands to dazzle and delight users, in an effort to build trust, loyalty, and evangelism. On the other, it’s the most sophisticated aggregation of data for marketing purposes in human history. The dichotomy between “warm and fuzzy” and “tactical business value” is a difficult thing for most brands to comprehend.

From our experience, the scale usually tips too far to one side or the other, and when that happens, social media marketing often disappoints in terms of business results.

Paid Facebook Ads Since I’m a firm believer in using the ‘fun’ aspect of social media to support tactically driving business, social media advertising fascinates me.

With the right strategy, social media advertising can help support almost any business goal, for almost any industry, however a few key, fundamental elements have to be correctly put in place. And while they aren’t overly complicated, each is immensely important – here are four critical elements of a successful s

1. Targeting

Knowing who you want to reach with social media advertising is the first piece of the puzzle. Studies show that 76% of U.S. consumers have purchased a product they’ve seen in a brand’s social media content, and with the right targeting, you can make sure you hit the most valuable audience at the right time and with the right message.

There are a few key targeting parameters to be aware of when crafting a social media advertising campaign:

  • Age – Obviously you can target users by age range.
  • Gender – You guessed it! You can target by gender as well.
  • Interest Data – Interest data is aggregated based on what users interact with on each respective social channel – if a user frequently engages with content from wine brands, for example, they’ll be bucketed in the “Wine” interest category.
  • Behavioral Data – Behavioral data is aggregated based on what users do, both on and off the social platforms. Through data partnerships, you can target users based on buying habits and other actions.
  • CRM Data – CRM data is essentially your email list. You can upload your email list to almost every social channel and target users via their email address. This is a no-brainer, as long as your list is healthy. People tend to give fake email addresses to brands. Be careful.
  • Website Activity – Through the magic of pixels, you can target people based on the actions they’ve taken on your website. This could includes pages they’ve visited, content they’ve consumed, you can even find audiences that look and behave exactly like your website visitors (lookalike audiences). This is great for prospecting.

Unlocking the power of social media advertising begins with using the right targeting parameters. Be sure to research your target audience as much as possible when building out your targeting.

2. Creative

Once you know who you’re going after, the next step is to consider what kind of social media creative you can use to make them stop scrolling in their feeds long enough in order to absorb your ad messaging. This is critical, since the average human attention span is roughly eight seconds.

Your creative needs to be intriguing, engaging, and enticing if you want users to stop browsing other content and spend some time with yours.

Sounds easy right? Wrong Getting social media ad creative right is tricky – here are some best practices:

  • Demonstrate Context – Use the visual/s in your ad to show people in situations in which your product or service comes in handy. This can help users relate to the messaging, especially if the targeting is accurate.
  • Use Color – As you scroll through your feed, you’ll notice a lot of photos from your friends and family mixed in with images from brands. If you add bright color to your social ad creative, it can help your content stand out a bit more against the rest of the material in the feed – a pop of color can win attention.
  • Have Clear Calls to Action – Social media users are familiar with ads, and what to do when they see one that interests them, however having a clear call to action is always a great idea. The reminder will nudge users to act.
  • Add a Value Proposition – Why should anyone click on your ad? What are you offering them? What does the user get out of the interaction? Be sure to clearly state whatever value you’re bringing to the table in a clear and concise way – remember, you have approximately eight seconds, so don’t waste time. Tell people about your offer, discount, free shipping – whatever it is that your brand is offering, and do so quickly.

When you layer the right social media ad creative onto the right audience targeting, magic happens. Be sure to test different images and videos to see exactly what performs the best.

3. Landing Page

In talking about social media advertising, the discussion about landing pages is almost always forgotten, which makes no sense, considering the landing page is the place where the users you paid good money to target will convert.

Without an effective landing page, optimized for conversion, you’re wasting time, money, and effort with your social media advertising.

Many brands think sending ad traffic to their home page is sufficient, however, doing so is not ideal. Here are a few tips to ensure your landing page complements your social advertising campaign:

  • Consistency – Ensure that your social ad creative has a consistent message, look, and feel which aligns with your landing page. This will help users confirm that they’ve been sent to the right place, and will find what they were promised in the advertisement. This means that, ideally, your campaigns should have unique landing pages whenever possible.
  • Simplicity – The landing page you send traffic to should be simple and easy to understand. Make sure that the information promised to users is there, as well as other relevant, snackable content pieces for users to interact with if they aren’t ready to convert at that time.
  • Design – Keep the important information above the fold (the point at which the user must scroll to get more information), including conversion points, unique call-outs, and calls to action. Place everything users need to know front and center so it’s easy to see.

4. Tracking

Now the fun part – what good is a social media advertising campaign if you don’t have proper tracking in place?

We recommend ensuring that your site, and all relevant landing pages, have Google Analytics set up, social pixels installed (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.), and as many of the lower-funnel standard events and custom conversions established as make sense.

If this sounds like a foreign language, don’t worry – while implementation of such tracking can be tricky at first, it’s fairly straight-forward once you’ve gone through it a few times. And by setting up these tracking tools, you’ll be able to register how many people have interacted with your social media ads, what they’ve done on your landing pages, and if they ended up converting on a subsequent visit.

The more data, the better – here are the recommended social media advertising key performance indicators (KPIs) you should be tracking:

  • Clicks  – The amount of people who click your ad
  • Page Visits  – The amount of people who actually load the landing page
  • Impressions  – The amount of times your advertisement was served to users
  • Click-Through Rate (CTR)  – The rate at which users who see your ads click them
  • Cost Per Thousand Impressions (CPM)  – The cost of 1,000 impressions
  • Cost Per Click (CPC) – What you pay every time your ad is clicked
  • Time On Site – The amount of time users spend on your website or landing page
  • Pages Per Visit – The number of pages a user visits when on your website
  • Conversions – The amount of last-click goal completions or conversion actions users make
  • Assisted Conversions – The amount of conversions that come from a subsequent action or website session

Easy peasy, right? Running a social media advertising campaign the correct way does take experience, some patience, and a willingness to undertake a certain amount of risk. However, when you’re tracking the right data, you can almost always find your way to a winning campaign that drives results.

Hopefully these tips will help you in your 2019 approach.

This article first appeared here.

Social Media Marketing Tips for the Holidays

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Social media is the perfect place to promote your business during the holidays. People are looking on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter for gift ideas and great deals. With the right social media marketing strategy, you can boost holiday sales, engage with potential customers and spread holiday cheer.

The holiday season is generally considered to run from late November through the New Year. Unlike birthdays and anniversaries, this gift-buying frenzy is spread across the whole of society at the same time. That means a lot of consumer spending

Here are five tips on how your business can use social media to boost sales this holiday season.

 

1. Use Facebook Live, create events and run giveaways.

Hosting Facebook Live videos is a great way to give your followers the scoop on your deals for the holidays, what new products you have or what services you’re offering. One big benefit of using Facebook Live is that you are guaranteed to get more reach than with any other type of Facebook post.  Facebook tells us you get as much as a 12 times the number of people as a normal post will get you.  Check out our other blog on 10 Things You Need to Know Before Going Live on Facebook by clicking here.

Along with Facebook Live, you should also use Facebook’s events feature.  You can create Facebook Events for any in-store events you might be hosting during the season. Once you’ve hosted a live video or created an event, be sure to continue to post all your promotions on your social accounts.

Another great way to engage and connect with your followers is with a giveaway contest. People can use a little help this time of year and the chance to win a big gift that someone on their wish list may appreciate is a very attractive prospect and grabs quite a lot of attention.

2. Use Twitter polls to identify customer pain points.

Social media platforms are constantly updating and adding helpful features. From Instagram questions to Twitter polls, there are a range of ways to easily engage and connect with your followers online.

You can use those features to identify pain points and then provide a solution. If you can identify a problem your customers are facing and solve it for them, you will create customers for life.

3. Use Instagram stories.

Introduced in 2016, Instagram Stories quickly became a popular social media tools and marketers need to take advantage of this feature this time of year. Today, Instagram Stories are the most engaged platform of all social media platforms.

Stories have nearly taken over the Instagram platform with their temporary availability and features that allow for product-feed integration and swipe-up to shop, simplifying the purchase experience for users. And don’t forget about Highlights. Your temporary content can be saved to Highlights on your profile for the duration of the holiday season and removed come January.

While focusing on Instagram stories doesn’t mean you should forget about posting a regular picture, it does allow you to supplement your content and post more frequently. Not convinced that you need Instagram stories for your business? Check out our blog post on why Instagram stories are crucial for small businesses, here.

4. Engage with followers and get creative.

While you use social media to market your business, your followers use it to have fun and engage with their favorite brands. Being creative on social media such as running a contest, creating a holiday playlist for your business on Spotify or offer holiday tips is a great way to boost your business.

Tips for the seasonal holidays or winter season in general make excellent social media posts. Whether you are discussing holiday safety or decorating tips, the holidays are a great time to give your business a personal appearance and voice.

When you’re creating your company’s social media strategy, it’s important to keep in mind why customers are on the platform. Try to avoid being too salesy. Be the type of business customers ‘know, like and trust’ and have fun with it. After all, if you’re not enjoying the process others likely won’t either.

5. Get Festive.

Many of us like to decorate our home or office to get in the holiday spirit. It’s a good idea to give your online presence a similar type of makeover by applying holiday themes to your website and social profiles.

Adding small touches to your website with holiday-themed graphics and colors helps signal to your customers that the season of giving is upon us. Bright, engaging colors and animated GIFs tend to work well.

Though the holiday season is in full swing, there is still time to boost your social media marketing efforts and earn customer loyalty by improving the way you interact with them on the various social media platforms. Leveraging the power of social media marketing is vital for increased sales, satisfied customers and a whole lot of holiday joy.

Even when it’s not the holidays, your company’s social media presence is extremely important to the success of your business. At Luce Media we have all the tools and more to make sure your social media success lasts year round. Check out our social media services and then schedule a time to talk about how we can boost your business. From everyone here at Luce Media, we wish you a safe and Happy Holidays!

This information was originally posted here and here.

Images will generate more than 94% more views

Social Media: It’s All About The Images

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Why are images so important to the Social Media Scene?

Social media marketing has evolved significantly over the past few years, and staying up-to-date on trends is crucial for success. One of the biggest trends is image-centric marketing rather than traditional text-based.

Humans are visual creatures and the way we interact with imagery online is no exception. Your website and social media platforms should have consistent, high-quality imagery that effectively showcases your products or services. This will help ensure that your audience is actually engaging with and absorbing your content. If you’re looking for ways to succeed in social media marketing in McKinney, Luce Media is here to help with any and all of your social media needs. We can ensure you are getting the most out of your social accounts for your business.

Humans: We are visual beings

Of all human communication, 93% is visual. Two-thirds of all stimuli reach the brain through the visual system. Our brain processes visual information 60,000 times faster than text alone. Think how often you’re scrolling through your own feed and continue right past a text post, but pause at a photo, graphic, or video.

Between 65 and 85 percent of people describe themselves as visual learners. This means they digest information more easily by viewing an image instead of reading text. Understanding this phenomenon can help optimize your social media marketing campaign and give you an edge over competitors who mainly publish written content.

As mentioned before people are visual beings. Online consumers can retain only 10 to 20% of the information they read or hear about. However, once that information is paired with visual elements, the retention rate suddenly goes up to 65%.  Posts with visuals (images and video) receive 94% more page visits and engagements than those without. A good visual is crucial for expressing an idea quickly and effectively getting through all the clutter that we experience everyday – online and in real life. Another example, Facebook posts with images typically received more than twice as many comments as those without.

Get Straight to the Point

Most people have a limited attention span. In an information age where data can quickly become overwhelming, people have to pick and choose among plenty of content options. This has resulted in many people skimming through content looking for something compelling or relevant.

When there’s a long winded post with nothing but text, it will turn many visitors off because they simply don’t have time to read through it. However, incorporating images is a natural way to grab attention. Better yet – including images with important data is even better. It’s the perfect motivating force to encourage visitors to stick around and explore content in greater detail.

People can quickly make up their minds about a business based on their social media profiles. Make sure you don’t turn people away on the first visit. 67% of consumers consider a clear, detailed image to be more reliable and carry more weight than product information or customer ratings. Think of it this way, why just tell someone about your product or service when you can show them?

If you’re a small business owner looking to optimize your online visibility in Mckinney, Frisco, or Plano, be sure to take a look at our blog explaining why it is so important to be digitally active by clicking here.

Quality Images Are Always Best

What kind of image you post also matters. While a good visual can grab your customer’s attention, a bad one can cause them to dismiss your content completely. What’s considered bad? It really depends, but images that are blurry, pixelated, or have that “stock image” feel can really put people off.

Don’t just throw anything up for the sake of having a visual. It’s important to make sure it’s good quality and relevant to your brand.

Consistently using good visuals with your content can help ensure your customers are engaging with your content. And ensure they’re not scrolling right past it. It will help your business feel more professional and legitimate in your customer’s eye.

Visual elements, such as images, videos, infographics and other are undeniably more interesting and appealing to social media users and online consumers. Implementing visual content into your social media marketing will not only improve views, engagement and social following, but it will also help your content attract the right kind of attention. It will also majorly boost engagement from your target audience. Take a look at how small businesses in Mckinney are using social media marketing by clicking here.

While you are honing your image and infographic-crafting skills, you need to be able to track the reach, likes, shares of your creations to see what types are well received. That way you’ll be able to boost your social media presence and get the jumpstart your company needs. Here at Luce Media we can take care of that for you easily and ensure you have optimal online visibility for your business. Give us a call at (469)-907-1057. Luce Media has deep expertise in Digital Marketing, B2B Marketing, Internet Marketing and is a well-established Digital Media Consultant in McKinney, TX.

Instagram with the Instagram icon

Why Small Businesses Absolutely Need to Use Instagram Stories

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Instagram is a great social platform to bring a strong identity to your brand, have interaction with new followers and expand your reach. Not only are Instagram Stories fun and creative, but they’re great for growing your engagement, building brand awareness, driving traffic to your website, and even making e-commerce sales!

Today, over 400 million people use Instagram stories each and every day. If you are a small business in McKinney looking to market to your customers – this is one place you are going to want to be.

However, if you’re simply posting images to your business’s Instagram page, you’re missing out on a major opportunity on the platform: Instagram Stories. With stories, you are able to show the personality of your business.  Is it fun, serious, very people oriented, etc?  Instagram stories are great to show a behind-the-scenes look at your business. Stories can also allow you to build authentic relationships with your followers.

If you’re still wondering: What’s the point? There are over 400 million active daily users of Instagram Stories, and 33 percent of the most popular Stories are from businesses. Not only that, but 20 percent of Stories posted by businesses result in direct messages.

While it might sound daunting at first, you’ll never know until you try. To help you get started, here’s a quick guide to using Instagram Stories.

First and foremost, it’s important to prepare — brainstorm a plan for the story you want. It’s all about the images- you can upload new or older images to Stories now.

Next, figure out the best time of day to post by taking a look at your audience. Generally, user engagement levels are highest on Mondays and Thursdays between 7 and 9 p.m., but this can vary based on your followers. Another important piece of advice is to make an impact in the first four seconds of your story. Viewers’ attention drop after four seconds, so it’s important to get to the point.

Within the world of social media marketing, and especially within the world of Instagram, Instagram Stories is an important place for your business or brand to show up. Among all the social platforms, Instagram is where people engage the most.

If your business needs help with Social Media Marketing in McKinney, TX or anywhere in the Dallas area, please contact us at Information@LuceMedia.net.

Infographic About Instagram Stories

If your business needs help with social media marketing in McKinney, TX., please call us at (469) 907-1057.  Luce Media has deep expertise in Digital Marketing, B2B Marketing, Internet Marketing and is a well established Digital Media Consultant in McKinney, TX.

Google My Business image with GMB logo and mapping

Image from Luce Media showing Google My Business logo

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Why Google My Business, Google Maps, and Online Reviews are CRUCIAL to your business? Here’s What You Need To Know.

Image from Luce Media showing Google My Business logoGoogle My Business provides you with the ability to list your business location on Google Maps and local search results. You can display valuable and key information about your business, including the opening/closing times, contact phone number or a link to your website. You can display important information about your business, including the opening/closing times, contact phone number or a link to your website. More recently Google has also released a new feature allowing you to post a link to articles or up and coming events.

Setting up your Google My Business listing is one of the simplest and most effective ways of establishing your business to be found online. More and more search queries are becoming geographically specific, and Google’s algorithms have been developed to consider user intent. Why do this? Check how often your business shows up in local searches by clicking here. (Scroll down to FREE Online Visibility Check)

So, how important are Google Reviews for Local SEO in 2018? Several studies regarding Google reviews provide proof of the reasons that your business should be soliciting reviews.  These reasons include things like “most consumers read reviews before making a decision” and “people trust online reviews as much as personal reviews.”

These reasons are completely valid and will come into play creating larger conversion and clickthrough rates to your website when a potential customer has found you and is deciding between your business and a competitor. For these reasons Luce Media Video Talks About Google My Business and Google Reviews

When it comes to reviews – here is the bottom line. 

The quality and quantity of reviews on Google is one of the most important ranking factors for local SEO. And, when a person scans the search results for a local product or service in Google, the business listings that include customer reviews present greater credibility and, naturally, receive more clicks.

Watch as Mark Toney, CEO of Luce Media talks about the latest information for small to medium-sized businesses in completely filling out the information on Google My Business as well as the importance of soliciting Google Reviews for your business.

 

We can not stress the Importance of Google My Business, Google Maps and Good Reviews for Small to Medium Sized Businesses.

This is just one of many of the aspects we focus on for your business -and encourage YOU to look at all these variables.  Do you want to GROW your business? Do you want more online presence?

Luce Media works strategically helping all of our clients grow. Get started today with our FREE Social Media Analysis. We analyze your website, all current social platforms you are on plus tell you immediately what your Online Visibility looks like.  I guarantee you will learn key elements to grow your business.  And it is FREE.

Please follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn to continue learning.

If your business needs help with social media marketing in McKinney, TX., please call us at (469) 907-1057.  Luce Media has deep expertise in Digital Marketing, B2B Marketing, Internet Marketing and is a well-established Digital Media Consultant in McKinney, TX.

10 Things You Need to Know Before Going Live on Facebook

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SinceWhat Small Businesses Need to Learn From Facebook Insights its launch in April 2016, Facebook Live video has swept the world.

As a platform, Facebook Live has unparalleled reach when it comes to reaching fans organically. Facebook’s News Feed algorithm highly prioritizes Live video, meaning your followers are way more likely to see one of your Live videos than any other content you post.

That’s why it’s not a half-bad idea to consider making Facebook Live a part of your social media marketing strategy.

You might be wondering where to start and what to do. That’s why we’ve put together this list of 10 Things You Need to Know Before You Go Live on Facebook!

Let’s get started.

10 Things You Need to Know Before Going Live on Facebook

1. Set a Goal

While celebrities, influencers, and more prominent brands have the gravitas and fanbase to use Facebook Live for more casual purposes, like broadcasting their surroundings or going Live for a few minutes at a time to interact with fans, chances are you don’t have the same resources.

Because of this, you need to focus the time you spend on Live.

Ask yourself what goal you’re trying to achieve with the video, as well as if and how the broadcast will help you make it.

If you can, try to choose an objective that’s more specific and results-driven than “social engagement” or “brand awareness.” Though these things are great, they should be secondary to other goals like lead generation or sales.

Once you and your team have settled on an objective, plan your video with that objective in mind. It should reflect in the topic you choose, as well as the way you present it.

For example, if we were putting together a Live video for a fitness center that wanted to highlight the benefits of personal training, we might choose to do a Live Q&A with one of our trainers, showing off his knowledge and encouraging viewers to sign up for a training session.

2. Have an Outline or Direction

Even though Facebook Live is relatively spontaneous as far as content mediums go, it’s still a good idea to craft at least some sort of outline, depending on the intent of your video.

This goes hand-in-hand with having an objective in mind, like the way you organize your speaking points should point Live viewers towards your goal – don’t go Live for the sake of going Live!

Before you go Live, outline your talking points and go over them with your co-host (assuming you have one). Get at least a rough idea of what you want to say, as well as any specific points or examples you’re sure you want to include.

My colleagues did a Live video a few months back about using content upgrades to generate leads for our sales team. Though it wasn’t without its hiccups, one “victory” of the broadcast was the way we organized it. It was clear and structured, highlighting the different steps of the process and the tools (within our product) viewers could use to generate leads for their own team.

Having an organized outline based on the goal of communicating the value of Wishpond and driving signups helped immensely with the quality of our broadcast.

That being said, don’t be afraid to go off-script – it is Live, after all! Be loose and have fun with it!

3. Prepare a Pre-Show

Even after you’ve announced your live video, many of your would-be viewers won’t show up right at the start of your broadcast.

Because of this, you’ll want to put together some sort of pre-show to fill time in your Live broadcast leading up to the start of your presentation (whatever that may be).

Don’t jump right into the meat of your content the moment you go Live. Either go Live 15-20 seconds before your scheduled start time to let people come in as they get notified, or start on time but don’t get into your content until a decent amount of people join your show.

You can do a couple of different things for this “pre-show” portion. If you’re not up to entertaining, feel free to pop in a countdown timer to get people ready and waiting. If you do feel like interacting (and we recommend you do), talk to your viewers. Welcome them to the broadcast, answer their comments, and get them excited for the show to start.

This is also a prime time to get your viewers to share your video – remember, Live videos get a massive boost on News Feed placement, so getting your fans to share your Live broadcast can significantly increase its organic reach.

4. Interact with Your Viewers

One of the principal benefits of Facebook Live is the fact that it allows you to interact with your fans in real-time, meaning you’re about as close to face-to-face as you can get without actually meeting them.

Though it’s not necessary, we’d recommend you put at least some effort into responding to fan comments and answering questions! It’s an easy way to make your Live broadcast super engaging, and it makes fans feel appreciated, meaning they’re more likely to stick around and watch.

At the start of your broadcast, greet people by name as they join. You don’t have to get to every single person, but acknowledging your viewers gets them pumped up for the upcoming broadcast.

As far as questions go, we’d recommend you set aside breaks in your broadcast or save for them the end, as opposed to answering them on the fly, which could put a serious wrench in your broadcasting flow and make your broadcast feel disorganized.

5. Promote Your Live Video

A Live video is a special occasion, and as far as promotion goes, you’d be well off treating it like a webinar.

By this, we mean you should put as much effort as you can into getting as many people as possible to show up for the Live broadcast as people, even though they’ll be able to watch it back later once the replay has gone live.

Here are a few ways you can make sure your Live video reaches as many people as possible:

  • Send an email: One benefit of having a mailing list is that you can reach out to them in cases like this! Send a simple newsletter a week or so before your Live video to your subscribers, linking them to your Facebook profile and letting them know when they’ll be able to catch you going Live.
  • Post on social: If you’re doing a Live video on Facebook, it makes perfect sense to promote it there, as well. Create a set of posts that count down the days to your Live broadcast to remind fans to tune in.
  • Advertise!: Though you can’t boost a live post, you can boost an announcement in the days leading up to it. Though it’s not a sure-fire way to get people to watch as you go Live, it opens the door for new potential fans to check out your broadcast.
  • Go Live beforehand: Do a short Live broadcast informing viewers that you’ll be going Live in the next few days. Though this might seem silly, Facebook’s News Feed algorithm heavily boosts Live video, meaning more people will see it. On top of that, you can prompt viewers to turn on Live notifications for your Page so they are reminded when you go Live next (and in the future).

6. Recap As You Go

Live Videos are unique in that people can join anytime during the broadcast.

It’s great in the sense that people don’t need to be ready beforehand – they can jump in as soon as they see it on their News Feed.

On the other hand, it can be tough as a content creator because people who join your video late might not be able to follow what you’re saying.

Because of this, it’s important that you periodically recap what you’ve been talking about as you go. Every so often, you can say something like “if you’re just joining us now, we’ve been talking about [recap].” This will help retain viewers who may otherwise leave because they have no idea what you’re talking about.

7. Check Your Hardware

There’s no worse feeling in a Live broadcast than having your audio or video randomly cut out, or watching your broadcast back and realizing everything is blurry, or you can’t hear anything.

Luckily, these are all issues you can easily avoid!

Before you double-check your setup, put some effort into making it as good as possible. Aim for high quality and reliability – an iPhone 7+ camera might be better than your 2012 MacBook’s webcam, but it also has a higher chance of dying while you’re broadcasting.

Pick a reliable setting as well – bright, solid-color backgrounds work great (see below). If you can, do a practice run-through with all of your hardware to make sure it’s all working.

Here are some quicker audio-visual rules of thumb:

  • Adequate lighting: Making sure your subjects are well-lit means you’re not left with two silhouettes on an overexposed background. Use some additional lights if you need them.
  • The sound is everything: Seriously. People can deal with 360p video (remember 2008?), but if they can’t hear you, they’re going to leave. I guarantee it. If you can, use an external mic (like a USB condenser mic) for your audio – it’s dozens of times better than your laptop’s built-in mic.
  • Use a tripod: Unless you’re live-streaming an event, you want your video to be as steady as possible. Thankfully, a tripod takes care of this easily.

8. Use Third-Party Broadcasting Software

Though we don’t condone or recommend it, there is a way to stream a Facebook Live video without actually being Live.

Without going too far into detail, Facebook allows you to broadcast Live to your page using an external program, such as Open Broadcasting Software (OBS). Because OBS can stream video and audio from a number of sources, you could technically stream a pre-recorded video to Facebook Live using the software, just as Tesla did in the example below.

Third-party broadcasting programs like OBS can also be helpful if you’d like to edit your videos slightly before they go Live. These cases might include adding overlays (like logos or graphics, as you can see below) or if you’re just not sure you’ll get it right on the first take.

That being said, don’t chop up your video or stream a professionally edited video as if it’s Live – your fans will know, and they probably won’t like it.

9. Get Viewers to Subscribe to Live Notifications

If you’re considering making Live video a big part of your social media marketing strategy, it’s essential to maximize the number who show up to your broadcasts.

One way to increase the chances your fans will tune in is to get them to turn on Live notifications. We touched on this earlier in the article, but it’s important enough to merit its own point.

We’d create a post or graphic with the following information, and maybe append it to your Facebook Live announcement mailout, too.

Here’s what your viewers need to do:

  • Visit your Page on desktop or mobile
  • Click the “Notifications” button under your cover photo
  • Pressing the “edit options” pencil icon in the drop-down menu
  • Turning on notifications under “Live videos” for “All Live Posts.”

Facebook Live Image 9.png

And that’s it! It’s super simple, and you now have the benefit of having your fans be notified every single time you go live.

This increases the effectiveness of future Live broadcasts, too, and your viewers only need to do it once (though we’d add this information to every Live announcement for new fans or people who haven’t already done it).

10. Add an Ask or CTA

Finally, add some sort of CTA to your Live broadcast. This is a tactic that will give you the best chance at generating some kind of immediate return on Facebook Live.

Either add an “ask” to the end of your video (or sporadically throughout it) to direct viewers towards your ultimate goal, whether that’s your e-commerce store to get them to buy the product you’re highlighting in your video, or to a sales page to get them to book a call.

One great way to add this without needing to bring it up during your video continually is to use OBS (or another software) to add it to your broadcast as an overlay. Make it unobtrusive, so your video is still the primary focus of the broadcast, but visible and enticing enough that people will act upon it.

Either way, make sure you give viewers an avenue to convert in some way – trust me, driving a sale or demo from a social media marketing strategy is a good feeling.

Wrapping it up

There you have it – 10 awesome tips and strategies to think about when you’re planning your next Facebook Live video. Hopefully, you’ve learned something new about this rapidly growing video format!

If you have any questions about Facebook Live (or just Facebook in general), we’d be more than happy to answer them in the comments below.

If your business needs help with social media marketing in McKinney, TX., please call us at (469) 907-1057.  Luce Media has deep expertise in Digital Marketing, B2B Marketing, Internet Marketing and is a well-established Digital Media Consultant in McKinney, TX.

20 Creative Ways to Market Your Business on a Budget

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High-quality marketing is expensive. However, it doesn’t have to be. Thanks to the Internet, the playing field has been significantly leveled for a small business, which now has access to the reach and influence formerly only reserved for the big brands. There are actually many low-cost methods for reaching out to your customers and spreading the word about your business. Here are 20 creative options to market your business online on a budget that you can try.20 Creative Ways to Market a Small Business On A Budget

#1 Run Contests

Contests are a fun and highly interactive way to get greater visibility for your small business. Some suggestions include caption contests and giveaways. Caption contests are good for a laugh and you can provide a small prize for the winners. Giveaways are great for growing your e-mail lists via the entry form. Polls are also helpful because they not only draw attention to your business and its plans but also provide you with valuable data.

#2 Write Guest Blog Posts

Pursuing guest post opportunities is an important way for a small business to grow your influence without spending any money. You may even get paid for your content. These posts benefit both parties because they give the host opportunities for new, unique content from different contributors and they benefit you by reaching a wider audience. Quality backlinks from these sites will also improve your search engine rankings, giving your business further exposure.

#3 Answer Questions on Forums or Answer Site

It costs nothing to offer advice or answer someone’s question. Doing so will establish you as a knowledgeable professional and help you gain the trust of clients. Sites like Quora and Reddit are full of people with questions. Answering a question also offers longevity. These questions and your answers remain up on the site, so anyone looking for a similar answer in the future is bound to stumble across it.

This is really a great way to market your business online on a budget. Why? Because this will show your expertise in your industry, you might become a thought leader if you’re consistent and this will help you generate leads.

#4 List Your Business on Online Directories and Review Sites

Customers use these directories when looking for a business, and so it is important to make sure your company is listed on them. Heavily trafficked sites to list your information on include Facebook, Google My Business, Yelp, Angie’s List and Apple Maps. These sites are free to list on, although you may need to meet some of their requirements first and prove your business is legitimate.  Luce Media has a very cost-effective program to get your business on the top 50 online directories.  To check what your online visibility looks like, click here.

#5 Join Industry Groups and Communities

Industry groups and communities are very helpful places for building your network, growing your authority and both giving and receiving advice. There are industry-specific groups present on sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Google Communities on Google+. If you can establish yourself as a helpful contributor to these groups, your influence and reputation will grow. You never know what kinds of cool insider tricks you may learn as well.

#6 Leverage Pinterest

Pinterest, like many social media sites, is free to use and should not be underestimated as a significant marketing force. It is especially useful for sharing images of your products, displaying infographics and driving traffic to your site by linking to it from the image. Pinterest is a great channel to grow and what’s amazing about it is that marketers don’t use it that much yet. This is why Pinterest is a great way to grow your business online on a budget.

Visual media tends to attract the eyes of customers more often, so one of the largest image sharing sites on the Internet should not be overlooked. A staggering 87% of Pinterest users have purchased a product because they saw it or heard it recommended on Pinterest.

#7 A Small Business Should Heavily Use Referral Marketing

If you don’t have one already, you should work on forming a referral program within your company. This encourages your loyal customers to spread the word about your business and bring in more customers. According to Nielson, 84% of customers around the globe believe that friends and family are the most trustworthy sources of information about products.

Referral marketing is a cost-effective growth strategy that can bring you explosive growth. There are many referral marketing examples you could get inspired by.

#8 Actively Participate on Social Media

The interest of marketers has clearly been captured by social media. Facebook, for example, has 8 to 9 times higher click-through rates than regular web ads. Instagram is the fastest growing social platform out there today.  But posting occasionally is not enough. It is equally important for a small business to give regular updates so users are continuously being reminded of your presence and what you do.

I recommend any business of any sizes to have a large social media presence. Social media is inexpensive and is a great option to market your company if you’re on a shoestring budget. You should also get involved in the community, such as by participating in themed hashtag days, for example. You never know what other professionals and customers you might connect with.

#9 Give Out Free Stuff

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that people love free stuff. Some people love it so much that they frequent deal sites. For example, if you are selling a book, giving away free books on a major platform like GoodReads will increase exposure for both your book and your company. Giving away occasional freebies also gets your products into the hands of potential customers and may win you loyal fans.

Graphic Showing Marketing Strategy for a Small Business#10 Create Lists of Statistics

A post consisting of interesting statistics about your industry is a relatively easy way to drive traffic to your blog. People find statistics interesting and love to share them. You don’t even have to go out of your way to do this – it can come naturally from market research you have done or other high authority sources of information you came across while learning more about your industry.

#12 Interview Experts

Interviewing experts in your field is another way to increase your authority. You can interview them with set questions, such as over e-mail, and write up the interview in a blog post to share. The people you interview will also likely post your interview, which shares it with their followers and widens your reach. This is one of my favorite ways to market your business on a budget because by interviewing experts in your industry, not only you’ll leverage their community, you will also connect with them.

#13 Write How-To Guides and Ebooks

There are always people looking to get started in your industry, whether as an employee or an entrepreneur. Writing how-to guides and ebooks for this audience can be a significant source of income as well as grow your influence and establish you as a professional in your field. You might not have the time for this, so it might be worth looking into hiring a ghostwriter. Remote collaboration between content editors and ghostwriters is often highly successful.

#14 Leverage Your E-Mail Signature

In your e-mail signature should be your name, what you do, your contact information and links to your website. You can also include your company’s slogan and social media accounts. Make it colorful, eye-catching and interesting. This reminds or announces to anyone you contact this way that you exist, and thus serves as a good marketing tactic.

Your email signature is just one email marketing tactic. You’ve got a lot of email marketing strategies you can integrate into your campaigns. Plus, email marketing has a great ROI!

#15 Offer Limited-Time Discounts

You have probably noticed how often major companies have sales, which is at least a few times a year, if not more. They do this for a reason – it works. Customers are more likely to take a chance on a new product or service when it is on sale.

As a small business, you need to plan your sales carefully and space them evenly throughout the year. For example, discounts at specific times of the year, namely holidays, are popular. For online businesses, participation in Cyber Monday in November is practically a must.

#17 Ask for Testimonials and Reviews

For most people, testimonials and reviews weigh heavily into their decision-making process when choosing which company to do business with. The New York Times identified that, on average, 65% of a company’s new business comes from referrals. The best way to get referrals is to ask. Also, make sure to ask a customer’s permission before using their testimonial in your marketing or posting it to your sit

#18 A Small Business Can Offer Free Consultations

If you provide a service, whether you are a personal trainer or an attorney, offering free consultations is a great way to bring people in. They can then meet you and see if you can provide what they need. Use this opportunity to impress them so they will want to go forward with working with you.

#20 Comment on Other Blogs

You likely read many blogs to stay up to date on what is going on in your industry. Simply leave comments and start discussions about these posts. Doing so shows that you are actively engaged in the community and lets other users know that you are a professional.

So, how to market your business online on a budget?

Effective marketing is not just about the money. To be successful takes a lot of time and effort. Plus it helps to understand the latest digital marketing consultant - Luce Media McKinney TXopportunities that digital marketing and social media marketing have to offer.  At Luce Media, we encourage your small business to focus on what you do best and let us do for you what we do best.  Never stop looking for new and creative ways to reach your customers, and you will find a winning combination that works for you. Luce Media specializes in helping businesses on a budget grow. We use growth hacking, digital marketing, data, product development and a lot of creativity to do so. If you want to see your business reach new heights, give us a shout at Luce Media now and we’ll start growing together! We provide digital marketing and social media marketing in McKinney, Frisco, Plano, and Allen.