Greg Heller-LaBelle | July 3rd, 2012 | 0 comments
The 4th of July this year has disrupted everyone’s vacation plans by falling in the middle of the week. But as you squint at the calendar and ponder why we’re so specific with this holiday’s date, it’s worth using this mid-week holiday to remember some habits and excuses from which your business could use a little independence.
Please, stop giving us phone books
The city of Seattle had this particular issue.
1. The phone book ad you keep paying for because you always have.
I was talking to a friend this week, and he confided that his business – which is a thriving local business currently expanding – spends thousands of dollars per month on phone book listings. He knew this was probably a waste of money, but everyone in the office was so used to it that they couldn’t stop. This same business, incidentally, was spending nothing on search engine marketing.
If you’re snickering, stop. Lots of small businesses still use the phone book not because they think it is important, but because it’s easy. For a low monthly fee, you can feel like you’re “out there.” The problem is, for that same amount of money or less, you could really be driving your business with SEO or a new website or advertising that people see.
2. You’re not using social media because it takes too much time
We’ve all made this excuse. Social media is a time-sucking activity, and we’d rather be doing something else. But what would we say if someone told us he didn’t have customer service because he didn’t have enough time? We wouldn’t accept that.
Social media needs to be a part of what you do to keep your business visible and to show people how passionate you are about what you do. It can be intimidating if you’ve never learned it, but it’s not hard to pick up. And, if you have the right direction, it doesn’t even take that long.
Realistically, you just need to pick the social networks that make sense for you, and use them correctly. A good firm can help you get moving in the right direction, and a little bit of time every day can dramatically help SEO and your brand.
Take the time to make money
Use you time to make money.
Lots of customers
Would you send them away?
3. Your old website is good enough
Some sites are built well enough that they age very well, and hold up even after seven or 10 years. Most, though, aren’t.
Technology changes, and things that made sites work three or four years ago are now a hindrance. Take Flash: when it came out, it was dazzling, but now we have millions of mobile devices on which it doesn’t work. The entire business of SEO has grown and developed, and so our understanding of content and management systems has changed dramatically.
A new site, with a functioning CMS and consistent seo-friendly copy, is an investment that will pay your business back quickly