I met Jim Wynn of Sussex County New Jersey at a workshop a few years ago where I was speaking about how to capitalize in local markets with search engine optimization on Google. Jim has run a concrete installation business in Sussex County in Northern New Jersey for 25 years. Jim had a common problem. His most profitable skill was decorative stamped concrete pool decks but could never get a full pipeline of customers. As a result, he needed to take projects of all kinds, wherever he could get them to pay the bills.

Jim had spent a considerable amount with large, brand name web development companies who made promises that were never realized. Finally he started taking courses to learn how Google Pay Per Click could drive leads to his business. It worked but was not cheap. He was paying $5.00 – $6.00 per click but conversion to sale was low. (Google uses quality scores in their pricing, the higher the score on a 0 10 scale, the cheaper the click. Jim’s quality scores were 0-2. very low.)

We took a look at his site to figure out what was happening. Here’s what we found.

1. Site Lacked Clarity – It was created like a brochure. It was vague. It showed that he was a concrete contractor but provided little more than an old Yellow Pages ad.
2. No Geographic Focus – Local sites need to show what you do and where. Immediately. Someone searching has the power of a click in their hand. They don’t find what they want, they’re gone in a click.
3. No Clear Niche Markets – If you want pool decks, don’t mix with images of sidewalks and drainage ditches.
4. Content Would Never Rank – Google is a robot programmed to look for the best content to rank. Best content starts with a keyword phrase for each page. If Google doesn’t know what a page is about either will a visitor to your site and it won’t rank.
5. Google Quality Scores Are Low – Because the page content was not focused, Google could not see relevance from an ad to a page resulting in a low quality score and high cost per click.
6. No Control of Website – Jim had no way to login in to site to create content or add any tools to maximize the site.

The solution was a website makeover. We started out with keywords related to what he does and where. Then we started breaking down pages by niche keyword. The site now looks like a company specializes in stamped concrete pool decks with a secondary emphasis on masonry steps another niche. The ultimate goal was a local business capturing exactly the kind of profitable business he was capable of without the hassle of a big payroll.

Then we started the off site optimization including getting Google Places set up and writing articles we submitted to article directories to create links that pushed the site to the top of Google searches for many relevant keywords.

The result was Google Quality scores immediately jumped to 6-9 and cost per click dropped substantially. Within about 2 months his new site started to rank for free Google organic positions everywhere in Sussex County. Ultimately, Jim’s business started to capture exactly what he was targeting, pool decks and patios. Plus, the quality of the business increased. As his website drove business, his word of mouth referrals escalated. New clients and specialization resulted with increased profitability. His competitors were struggling to get business, ending up working for Jim.

Jim learned first hand the amount and power of local business that he never knew existed. Then Jim asked the next question.  How else can we capitalize on the strategy in Sussex County?

The result is a community site called Sussex Scoop. Every day the site is updated with fresh information about local businesses and events, an event calendar, forum and directory. Local businesses pay for optimized articles on the site. Within the first 6 months the site has become recognized as a go to source of local Sussex County information. The site is ranking for niche Keywords on Google. Local businesses are getting new customers from advertising on the site. Residents in New York City are using the site to find things to do and places to stay on the weekends.

Sussex Scoop has opened up the market to Sussex County and local businesses to new consumers who never knew about the amazing gem right in their back yard.

It’s amazing to see the opportunities available when you know how the internet really works. Jim Wynn is one of the unique innovators and entrepreneurs who are capitalizing on the power of local markets.

If you are looking for an opportunity in your backyard, keep visiting us and feel free to ask questions. If you want an insight to how local online marketing really works, grab your free copy of the NicheQuest Formula or join our newsletter for our inside secrets.

Recently I received a call from a client who wanted to stop paying for their Google rankings because they said it doesn’t produce leads. “Really” I said, “that’s odd”. “You get 80 phone calls a month”. The client said most of the calls were from people they knew who were using Google like a Rolodex. When I looked at Google Analytics, I could see exactly the terms people searched and it wasn’t the companies name, so I was a bit suspicious

We had a call tracking number on their site with a recording feature which records calls and left messages. For many local businesses, phone tracking is the best metric. If the phone is ringing enough times, I know they’re getting good leads. I asked the client if they would mind if I listened to the calls.

Sure enough, the calls were leads and lots of them. Problem was, the receptionist and the client were brutalizing the callers on the phone. They were treating the potential clients like many of us treat those annoying cold call solicitors. I was blown away. They’re getting a flood of clients who need their help and they are nasty to these people who spent the time to do a search, find what appears to be a solid company, then making the effort to call only to be treated in a condescending manner.

Bad for the client, great for the competitor. The power of the internet lies in the consumer. Have a negative experience, then click and find someone else.  However, there is a good chance that word gets out.

I’ve seen this with more than 1 client, in fact I’ve seen this a lot. It’s common for a client with quality skills but lacking in leads, to confuse their talent with prime Google rank. Rank on Google and clients call you rather than what most businesses are used to. Before the internet, we all had to call the client, now the clients call us. For many business owners new to the internet, this is a 180 degree paradigm shift. It’s a real boost to the ego when a cold caller calls looking to spend money for our services. The biggest mistake and a sure way to ruin a reputation is to forget about customer service.

Many local businesses are reaching markets they never had access to due to online exposure. When clients call, they are frequently sold and ready to spend money. However, they may not be ready to spend today. They may be just searching for information before they buy or not just ready to part with their money. But i have found that anyone who makes the initiative to call a complete stranger from an internet search is going to make a purchase at some time in the future.

Tip – A sure way to win is with a friendly voice and outstanding customer service. Help your prospects and tell them you appreciate their call. You’ve now started a new relationship, potential word of mouth referrals. That’s money in the bank.

So, You Want It All. You Can With The Right Plan

When I was a real estate broker in NYC we had developed a business development system that worked like a charm and became the foundation of the NicheQuest Formula . It was very simple and worked for every agent who applied the system. But, tweak or deviate from the system and it stopped producing.

We found that targeting a market with 320 property owners was the optimal size. Then we catalogued every building with a photo of the building and owners contact information. Next step was to contact 8 owners per day and send out a newsletter once per month. It worked every time. In fact one year I grossed $2 millions dollars in commissions in a small, neighborhood market. The plan was very focused, based on specialization and getting good at 1 thing.

We discovered some amazing little tidbits that you can apply directly to your business marketing and specifically search engine optimization and your social media posts.

Let me explain.

1. 8 Calls Per Day – Why so few? First we believed that systems work and deviating from the system didn’t. 8 calls per day became a huge amount of calls when you’re working on deals, the fun part of the business. Cold calling to your market was not so fun and easy to drop when you get busy. 8 calls per day was manageable. Those who tried to step it up to 10 calls day or more per day eventually failed. It was too much. Try running 5 miles a day. You’ll lose weight but probably quit. 1 mile a day is manageable. Your online plan is the same thing. Your online plan must be manageable or you’ll quit.
2. Newsletters – 1 per month worked. I was always excited when I sent the newsletter out expecting a flood of leads. Most of the time I never got a direct lead from a newsletter mailing right away. One day, a property owner who never took my calls in 7 years called me out of the blue. When I met with them (one of the wealthiest families in NYC)  they had every newsletter stacked in front of them. They were saving my newsletters! They called me because they believed I knew the market better than anyone else. That led to $25 Million in sales and many millions more from word of mouth. Systems work!!!
3. My Market – 66th Street to 86th Street, Fifth Avenue to Lexington Avenue – I was constantly asked, Why do you work such a small market when you have the entire city?” One of the biggest mistakes I made or anyone in our agency was leaving our target market to work on a deal somewhere else. I remember getting hired by a bank to sell a foreclosed apartment building near the South Street Seaport, a mere 4 miles away downtown. My eyes were huge, a $7 Million dollar deal. Big Commission. All I saw were dollar signs. Problem was, it took 45 minutes to get to the building to show prospective buyers – Each Way! It took at least an hour to show the building and more time to discuss it afterwards. Plus it took 9 months to sell. I learned later, if I had just stayed in my market, I would have done more business in my target market. Systems work, deviating doesn’t. Tip. Avoid the quick buck. Stick with your plan
4. Stick With Your Market – Another painful lesson that ultimately has benefited many of my clients was the time I took a retail store leasing assignment at the corner of 69th Street and Madison Avenue right next to a building I was marketing for sale (my business was selling buildings, not leasing stores). I figured, it’s right in my market and one of the best retail locations in NYC being part of the Westbury Hotel. The Westbury was extremely high end frequented by Celebrities, the Super Rich and International Dignitaries who wanted privacy. What a mistake. The Westbury wanted a retail tenant that complimented the prestige of the hotel. Almost immediately we were swamped with offers above the asking price. Problem was, they were not the right image. How do you explain that? Their brokers and the prospective tenants didn’t take kindly to be being turned down, that they didn’t measure up. In fact, I started getting panicked calls from the hotel manager (very proper and stuffy guy like Alfred in Batman) that these prospects and their brokers were storming into the hotel making a huge scene. They demanded that they see the manager and wouldn’t leave until they had a deal. (Who were these animals? They were from another market, a market I had never experienced)  It was bad and did not end well for me. I lost the business and my firm was embarrassed, big time.

What does this have to do with internet marketing for local businesses? EVERYTHING.

I spend the majority of my time helping business owners develop a strategy to capture online leads that are aligned with their business. When most business owners see the kind of results they can achieve online, their eyes get big, they want it all. But it doesn’t work that way. You want 6 pack abs? You can’t get them in 1 day. Even if you can get 6 pack abs with 50 crunches a day for a year, will you stick with it?

Andrew Carnegie was quoted in Napolean Hills, “Think and Grow Rich” said anyone can amass $10  Million Dollars with the right plan.

Today, this is more true than anytime in history thanks to the internet. But you need a plan that is aligned with what your customers want, where are they and what are you capable of producing.

My suggestion  with your online marketing, start small, then replicate and expand with what works. You may want to consider starting with the free NicheQuest Formula ebook and discover what works and how you can apply it to your business.

Remember, success online is easy and fast with the right plan and systems. I give you the plan and the systems and I’m constantly developing new ones.

Let me know how this helps or not and leave a comment or ask a question. And come back often

At a recent workshop with successful small business owners I asked the question. “If quality content is the key to success online, what is quality content and why do you think you’re failing online?” Everyone was wrong, but most were 1 step away from success but were failing because they didn’t know what quality content was.

You may be asking yourself the same question. So I created the video below that shows how I edited a web page for a client to create quality content. Quality is based on how the search engines and Google in particular rank pages. They don’t look at websites, they look at individual pages

Each web page is crawled by the Google robots. They evaluate numerous criteria starting with keywords. What is the page about, how does it compare to other pages and is it valuable to a search visitor? Then Google positions the page based on what they perceive as quality relative to other pages. The best pages rank and get the lead. You don’t need to be the best business to succeed, but you need the ranking. Sorry, like it or not, that’s the way it is today. The best marketer wins.

Google is not a dictator, they base their results and pages that rank on consumer behavior. Every day they are crawling through billions of pages and evaluating what produces the best user experience. That being said, quality is based on what appeals to a consumer. The internet is demand driven marketing. It’s 180 degrees from the way businesses promoted their products and services before the internet which is called interruption marketing.

Interruption marketing is a television commercial, a radio add, a cold call, printed brochure, even a business card. Today, the consumer is in control. Think about how you get what you want. You Google it. You start searching for what you want. You keep clicking as you get educated until you find what you want. When you find it, you stick.

Many of my clients tell me at first they don’t like the content I create. But when they see the results, they start to understand it. When a contractor gets a $500,000 project from an internet call, they get it. Or a commercial real estate broker gets a lead that might be a $100,000 commission, they get it.

The reason then that most businesses fail online is that they don’t create quality content that converts a customer to a sale. They create what they think a customer wants, they don’t stop and consider what the customer really wants.

The formula for creating “quality content” is easy. You just need to know how it works. The NicheQuest Formula eBook lays it out in detail. Every message online to be successful starts with a simple formula that very few know. But it’s right there. Most business owners are writing blogs, creating posts on Facebook, Twitter Google Plus, Linked In and getting zero results. They are creating white noise. A big humm that produces nothing.  They don’t have a plan or a system. They just jump in and start using free tools. An anology would be like going to Home Depot, buying a power saw and thinking they are now a real estate developer. Or just because you own a tennis racquet you think you’re a tennis pro. Do you have an online plan? Just because you have a website and a bunch of social media accounts doesn’t mean you do.

To go from failure to success online for your business is easily achieved when you know how. Watch the video below. It takes a few minutes. It’s the foundation for your success.

Internet Marketing Strategies For Hospitals

After a long conversation today about the changing landscape in the healthcare field and how many doctors and medical professionals are working directly for hospitals, I thought I’d summarize my call.

Like with every business, internet marketing strategies for hospitals start with general and deep niche keyword phrases. Plus there is the local aspect. Hospitals are local, but how big is the local reach? For some niche specialties the local reach might be broad covering a state, numerous states or a few counties. Some niche markets might be very small requiring a reach in a single town or city.

Drafting an in depth and comprehensive internet marketing plan is step #1. Following the core strategies in the NicheQuest Formula will provide the foundation and framework for a multi dimensional strategy. Because of the size and scope of services, hospitals have a unique opportunity to capitalize on keyword combinations and many results from a single effort to dominate for online search.

As explained in the Formula, a plan driven by deep niche keywords, quality content as per what the search engines reward and validated with keyword driven social media posts, articles and press releases will dominate the market. Internet marketing strategies for hospitals follow the same semantic and social formula.

Here’s an Example That Can be Applied to Internet Marketing Strategies for Hospitals

Lets use Headaches as a niche. When someone has a headache they will search for solutions with keywords such as treatments, remedies, natural solutions, medicine to name a few. Then there are various types of headaches like migraines, stress, anxiety, muscle fatigue, tension, chronic and so on. By combining these keywords into longer (Long Tail) deep niche keyword phrases in a web page or blog post, a hospital can capitalize on keyword combinations with numerous semantic search results from a single effort.

A blog title might be Natural Solutions for Chronic Stress and Anxiety Headaches. By creating a blog post with keyword density of 2% and additional quality content components such as Heading tags, proper title tags, meta descriptions, photo tagging and relevant text links to pages or blogs, one post could easily rank for 5 or more searches. Take it a step further and a relevant headache related blog post could also rank for 5 keyword searches. However when done properly as described in the Formula, the keyword combination results in exponential search rankings. Easily 2 blog posts could rank for 25 search terms from just 2 blogs.Apply the Formula over and over and the search results grow exponentially.

When these keyword driven blog posts are added to your social media tools like Google Plus, the message is very defined and far reaching. Keyword driven messages have impact unlike much social media white noise being peddled online which has zero value. In effect, learn from Google how to create a social message that results in word of mouth communication.

I could create volumes just about internet marketing strategies for hospitals, but the plan starts by building a foundation and framework that can be replicated to capitalize on semantic search.

Internet Marketing Strategies For Hospitals – Get The Free eBook.

My experience is that businesses and organizations of all sizes jump in without knowledge of how to get results online. It’s easy to be busy making mistakes all day without anyone noticing. If you are looking for internet marketing strategies for hospitals that produce a meaningful and measurable return on investment, grab your free copy of the NicheQuest Formula eBook. It’s simple and scalable.

Here’s a recurring story about beautiful websites that happens every day. The owner of a business named JW Construction specializes in stamped concrete pool decks, patios, for residential homes and commercial properties. Jim, the owner, had spent well over $10,000.00 on websites designed by big name companies. He never got a lead.

Jim and I met at an event where I was speaking about online strategies for business owners. My theme was that websites don’t produce new customers, website strategies do. Jim had never been able to get ranked for free on Google. He thought ranking was a myth or a fantasy and never knew it was possible. All he ever heard from his web developers was “we promote your site to the search engines”. If you’ve ever heard that, well join the millions of business owners who have spent money on beautiful websites thinking that they would get tons of new customers and didn’t.

Jim approached me about building a website applying the NicheQuest Formula for ranking on Google. At first he didn’t like the site. He didn’t like the content either. I told him to point his Google adwords ads to the relevant pages on his new site, then call me back and tell me if he still doesn’t like the site.

Sure enough, Jim called back and was blown away. His Google quality scores (Google ranks quality of ads based on a 0-10 scale, 10 highest) amazingly went from 0-2 all the way up to 7-10 instantly. His cost per click dropped about 25% – 40%. I explained that content, not design is what matters to Google because that’s what converts new customers. Here’s his site.

Today Jim dominates his market in Northern NJ. He has customers calling him constantly. He ranks everywhere on a Google search for any keyword phrase possible relevant to his business. He has more business coming in than he can handle. Jim is in a unique position to only accept projects that are exactly what he is good at. Profitability has skyrocketed. His competitors are now working for him and wonder why he gets so much business when they don’t get leads anymore.

Jim is smart enough to ask the question, what else can we do with the internet? That has led to a new venture in his local market. He has built a community website called www.sussexscoop.com which he is monetizing with local ads,a directory and applying the online strategies he has learned applying the NicheQuest Formula.

The NIcheQuest Formula

Jim Wynn, “If you’re like me and never got an internet lead, you need to take the NicheQuest Formula course. In a world of scam artists, this course is the honest truth, it works and it’s easy when you know how!”

Looking for new customers. Grab your free copy of the NicheQuest Formula eBook at the top of the page. Let me know your experience online. Suucess, failures, I’d like to hear them all.

10 Steps Everyone Needs to Know to Generate Sales Online

There are unlimited ways to generate sales online for your business. What you may not know is that customers are searching for services like yours everyday, all day. Think about how you find what you want or need. You Google it. Those at the top of a Google search are not there by chance.

Listed below are the 10 steps everyone needs to know to generate sales online. To succeed with your website or social media marketing it’s imperative that you understand these steps. Every tool online is designed with these 10 in mind. This is what Google is programmed to look for because they know that this formula is what triggers consumers to make a purchase, fill out a form or make a phone call. Understand these 10 steps and you will know more than most web developers.

You can apply these 10 steps to generate sales everywhere online.

1. Permalinks – Each page of a website has it’s own unique url. The url needs your target keyword. For example http:www.nichequest.com/generatesalesonline
2. Heading Tags – These are referred to H1,H2,H3 – when you write a web page or blog post your Heading or H tags contain your target keyword phrase. The tags indicate what the page is about and connects with the visitor who types in a specific keyword phrase into a Google search. When a potential client has desire or need aligned with their search and they land on a relevant web page, conversion to a sale or lead is dramatically increased.
3. Keyword Density – This is a critical concept to understand for an content online. Google looks for quaility information online, that includes keyword density. This means your target keyword phrase should be used approximately 2.0 – 2.5% of the time or approximately 2 times per 100 words.
4. Word Count – 300 words on a page is a rule of thumb sweet spot. However that depends on the competition online of your target keyword phrase. I’ve written blogs of 75 words that still after a few years rank at the top of a search and generate sales for clients. High competition keywords require more effort, even as much as 500-1000 words.
5. Photo Optimization – You target keyword phrase can be applied to photos in the alt text field and/or caption. If you need to increase your keyword density apply keyword phrase to a photo caption.
6. Title Tags – These are very important. A title tag is the first line your potential customer sees in a Google search. This is your first point of contact with your potential customer. Include your target keyword in your title tag, use the important keywords in the beginning and use less than 60 characters. Any more than 60 characters and you will not rank.
7. Meta Description – This is line 2 and 3 below title tag in a Google listing. Use your target keyword in the beginning and use less than 160 characters. Meta descriptions are part of what Google looks for because they know that this is what entices consumers to click to your site.
8. Keywords – There is a field in a website for listing your keywords. Though not huge impact, I use this field to list my target keyword, synonyms and Geographic areas.
9. Internal links – Google crawls through web pages from top to bottom and follows links from page to page. Linking pages together teaches Google the relevance of keywords and pages. Follow the formula here, link pages together and your rankings will grow exponentially.
10. Blogs – Blog posts are a form of pages. Use the formula here to create new pages and expand your keyword diversity. Link to other pages on your site for exponential keyword growth.

Bonus – Access Your New eBook and discover 10 Steps Everyone Needs to Know to Generate Sales Online

Google Plus is an amazing tool that complements web sites and blog posts. Use the formula here on Google Plus to optimize photos, videos and create links to your website and blog. Grab a copy of our free eBook for more detailed information and tips for generating more sales for your business.

How To Get Customers With Your Website

Their are very few businesses that get a continual flow of leads from their online marketing investment. Most don’t know the internet can deliver more business that they can handle online. Those who know how are experiencing huge growth and are expanding into niche markets they never dreamed possible. If you want to know how to get customers with your website, you need to start at the beginning.

In the video here I discuss with Adam Levine the founder of WrapIt Gift Bags how easy it is to get new customers from a website when you know how. I met Adam at a Ryan Lee event in Stamford CT. Ryan Lee is a hugely successful online coach. Adam was in the process of bringing his new product to market and looking for ways to reach his target customer online.

Adam and I discussed online strategies that he never knew were possible. For example, Adam mentioned an upcoming gift trade show at the Javitt Center Center. Yes, there is a trade show for everything. I gave Adam a unique idea that he could capitalize on, very quickly and easily. The concept was this. People would be coming from all over the country to attend the NY NOW Gift Show. Everyone wants to know where to park, eat and a hotel nearby. To find the answer to these questions, most people will search online.

Sure enough, there was zero online competition for search terms like Restaurants near the NY NOW Gift Show. Try searching that phrase on Google and you’ll find WrapIt Gift Bags.

Adam went from knowing absolutely zero to an online marketing wizz in no time once he knew how the internet works and specifically what it takes to rank on the top of a Google search.

If you want to get new customers with your website, even more than you can handle, you need to know the basics. Once you master the basics, everything else online will start to produce for you including all the social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, Google Plus, You Tube. Then you just replicate. It’s that easy.

How To Get Customers With Your Website with NicheQuest Formula

I have put together a simple step by step course that shows you exactly how in just a few short hours how to get customers with your website. Visit www.nichequestformula.com to discover the secrets to free traffic online.