A few days ago, we went through how to start your local marketing research and how to better compete online.

As we discussed, your local marketing will continue to “suck” if you don’t use the right keywords.

In this post, I want to give you a sneaky little trick to pull a list of really juicy keywords right from your competitors websites.

After the last exercise, you should have a list of the competitors you are competing with online in your local area. (Here is the link to that post if you didn’t read it..http://www.marketfin.com/does-your-local-marketing-suck/ )

Re-cap, after the last effort you should have a list of all the websites fighting for eyeballs in your local search space.

Ok, time for a little local marketing espionage:

Step 1) Visit your competitors website in your favorite web browser

Step 2) In your web browser, Go to View | Page Source

Step 3) In the middle of all the crazy looking HTML programming, look for the text that says:

“<title>” and “<meta keyword=>”

Each of these will be followed by a list of keywords that your competitors are using. Yep, right there out in the open. Pay attention to how they are used.

DON’T just copy and paste these on your website. You can use these keywords to maximize your results quickly, especially if yours are blank.

Many small businesses have a blank title or keyword tags. At a minimum have your web developer add those local terms that make the most sense. Including your business name as well is always a good idea.

Repeat this step for the top competitors on your list and you will be well on your way to competing head to head in your local online marketing space. You can use this keyword list for optimizing your website, integrating into your online blog or website content, and Pay Per Click or Social Media campaigns.

As always, let me know if I can help!

Go Target, Attack, and Profit,

Matt

A little off the wall post today, but hey those are the best kind…

Watch this video as Malcolm Gladwell discusses differentiation. This has many applications for your small business.

Enjoy,

Matt

Strong words I know, but sometimes it is better to look at “what is” vs. what “should be”…

The reality is that with the right keyword strategy, then executing on it you will start getting traction very quickly online.

Most of you are small businesses that do business in a very localized area. You don’t have a national presence, yet all of your marketing and online marketing is focused on global keywords.

Here’s an example…

You are a CPA in Bellevue, WA. All of your online marketing targets terms like Certified Public Accountant, or Accounting Services.

What is the problem with this? Nothing is wrong unless you want to get leads online…That pond is too big for your small business. You need to focus on local marketing terms using local modifiers.

Here are three (3) steps that you can do right now to get your local marketing efforts on track:

1) Write down all of the global search terms used to find you and others in your profession. Use the global terms like CPA or Accountant.

2) Next write down all of the cities, suburbs, and Regions you want to target for your local marketing efforts. Combine all of the terms with those in step 1. You will now have your local marketing keyword list. This might be a lengthy list, but we are going to use this soon to get some real results for you…

3) Open your web browser and go to Google. Type in the different search phrases and write down the websites of the competition in each of these. The best thing to do is to create your local marketing Excel spreadsheet for tracking purposes. Maybe even a tab in the spreadsheet for “competitors”.

This process should take about 60-90 minutes. Not much time if you don’t want your local marketing to suck. And by that I mean more leads for your business.

Cheers,

Matt

I recently read about and used a strategy so simple and effective I had to share it…

Quite honestly, it is so good I need to use it more myself and make it a habitual response to a question many small business owners get on a daily or weekly basis.

Especially those of us that are heavy networkers.

Here it is…How many times does someone ask, “How are you?”, or “How is business?”. Quite often I imagine…

How often to you (or I) respond with “Great!”, or “Good”? Too often…

So here’s the small tweak, the one sentence that I have found first hand will generate more leads for your business.

Instead of responding with a simple “Great”, say this:

“Business is very good, but I am always looking for more clients who need <insert your product or service here>…”

Then, have the cards ready or better yet a referral card for them to hand out.

Very simple, Extremely effective.

Let’s make this a habit together.

To your success and prosperity,

Matt

First off, let’s clear up what a USP is…USP stands for “Unique Selling Proposition”, or more easily stated, what makes your business different than your nearest competitor. Why should prospects choose you over your competitors?

As I coach small businesses, many folks stumble trying to come up with what makes them different. They often state that all of their competitors offer the exact same thing. In fact in many cases, businesses just flat copy the marketing from their competitor and change the name of the product or service.

Or even more insane, they start with the price from their competitor then mark it down 10% or more and call it a strategy.CRAZY! I won’t rant too much on this, but many businesses don’t even understand their true cost prior to making this decision…Don’t do it!

Remember, there is always someone out there willing to out of business faster than you. Just don’t let it be YOU…Price isn’t the game you want to play. I know this is easy to say, but I am going to give you a different perspective on providing your product or service, then use that as your USP.

I want you to go through a really quick exercise and write down all of those things that make doing business with you unique. But instead of focusing on price, product, features, or benefits, I want you to focus on your process.

Keep in mind that as you think through this process, you may find gaps. No problem, just write them down.

Start with the first interaction with your prospect during your sales process, then continue through the FIRST interaction with your client, then on to the experience with you after you have just finished the transaction. I want you to get really detailed here.

Pay special attention to all of the details you create as an “experience”. Think about the experience from your prospects perspective. Then look at how you engage with your customers while you are doing business with them.

If you are a carpet cleaner, this might be as small as putting booties over your feet. Or, if you are a Realtor providing a moving truck at no cost to move your customer into their new house.

In my opinion, you can create an experience that is so excellent that your customers will be raving about the “experience” you created. The small things you did as part of your operations process that made doing business with you easier. See how powerful this is?

So here’s your homework…

If you don’t have a process that creates a “Wow” experience for your customers, create one. Start right now and create a simple list of processes you could add one at a time to create this experience. AFter you put them in place, make sure you leverage this in your marketing. Leverage testimonials, and get the word out there that you are DIFFERENT and UNIQUE because your process is different.

If you have to, go experience your competitors service or product then make yours better.

If you are committed to this, you will have an advantage and by the way…

A USP, a true differentiator, and a reason to NOT focus on price and instead focus on the value you are providing for your customers.

To Your Success and Prosperity,

Matt

I want to share a strategy that is working for many other small businesses like yours to generate more business with one single relationship…

This single strategy (if executed correctly) has put $100,000’s of dollars in my clients pockets.

So pay attention here…

Most all businesses I work with have what I like to call “power partners” that they are either working with now or can identify very quickly with a 30-60 minute exercise.

The key here is to get real clear about who your “power partners” are in your local or online markets. After you are clear, it will be much easier to identify the “Elephants” to target directly for joint venture opportunities or referrals.

Let’s walk through three (3) steps to identify your the “Elephants” you can ride all of the way to more revenue and profits for your business.

Step 1 – Get Clear, Identify your Power Partners.

Set aside 30-60 minutes and go through this exercise. It is important that you get clear on potential partners, and also industries that align well with your business.

Start writing down Industries that can potentially refer you business, then make another list of businesses that you can refer business TO. Remember, the whole goal here is to create VALUE for the Elephant first. In order to find that one “Elephant” you need to be clear on what industry they exist in first.

Ok good, we have our list and we can move on to step number 2…

Step 2 – Create The List

This step takes a little more research. But hey, we are talking about growing your business here. This might take you 3-4 hours initially but well worth the effort.

Take your list, pull open your web browser and start searching for businesses in your city, state, or region that are potential partners in the key industries that you identified in step 1. Try to focus on the top 3-5 largest in your area. Dig deep here and try to find key contact information for each organization. You may have to call to ask for the person responsible for referrals. One strategy I have used is call a business and say, “If I wanted to refer business to your company, who would I need to call?”.

See what we are doing here…? We are creating value first, then building a relationship..

An example would be a house painter. I might build a list of contractors, plumbers, electricians, and basically any other trade that might reach my potential prospect.

Step 3 – The “Magic” Bullet

Ok, so here’s where the real magic happens…

For each contact, you want to write a quick letter and email to introduce yourself, then follow-up with a few key questions to open the conversation. This is very powerful!

1) I am looking for a partner to refer business to in the <Profession> industry in my area. Who is your ideal client?

2) What is the best way to refer you business?

If you want a sample email I use, click here to email me and I will send it over to you.

Just like any marketing system, it may take several contacts to get in touch with the right person. With a little sweat and persistence you will find the Elephant in your market. All you need is one, that’s it!

Now get out there and take some action. The tip I gave you today is enough to grow many small businesses by 10%+ if you do something with it…That is always the key, you have to take the action.

Go Target, Attack, and Profit!

~Matt

As part of building my own referral engine, I will be highlighting local businesses and vendors I highly recommend doing business with. I call these “New Economy Heroes” because instead of putting their head in the sand, they are out there building their businesses and providing excellent service for their customers.

I think giving referrals is as important as receiving them. If you are looking for a landscaper in the Seattle area, I highly recommend you call Bob.

Visit Bob’s website for Lovins Landscaping at http://www.lovinslandscapeinc.com

…we all have the same amount of time every single day. 86,400 seconds…

Sounds like a lot more in seconds doesn’t it. The truth is, your competitors have the same amount of time each day. The same amount of time to target your ideal client. The same amount of time to create a targeted marketing system and strategy. The same amount of time to execute and take action.

Is your competition out hustling you?

This topic came up recently when I was meeting with a prospective client. As I analyzed their marketing system, and started doing some research on their competition I realized they were flat out getting their a#$es handed to them. These guys were just out hustling them on multiple fronts…

They realized the economy wasn’t the same. They realized that results don’t come from standing on the sidelines “wishing” they had more leads. It’s a tough reality, but “getting the phone to ring” isn’t a black magic. It is a process of identifying your target, creating a strategy, and more importantly getting stuff done.

I highly recommend a book from David Allen called “Getting Thing Done” or GTD. This system has revolutionized how I get stuff done.

I want to encourage you as a small business owner to get more done and execute more. Make a commitment to your marketing and sales systems.Spend time away from email thinking about your systems, how your staff answers the phone, what’s working and what’s not working. Spend time thinking, and work on your business a little.

To getting more done,

Matt