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larbyamiroucheblog · 4 years

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Tips for Stronger Affiliate Marketing 2020

Marketing is an ever-changing art form that continues to evolve as fast as humans do. Due to this, a lot of expert opinions have become obsolete. Especially during these times where online marketing has become a way bigger staple than before.

In this article, we will be talking about Larby Amirouche’s Affiliate Marketing tips in 2020. What your best bets will be, what will yield the most effective results, and what things you should know before spending resources on marketing.

1) Build trust with your audience by getting to know them

Anonymity is no longer an acceptable detail in the retail industry. People nowadays tend to purchase only from sellers they know. Because of this, it has become important to get to know your audience.

The best way to do this is to interact with them through newsletters and encouraging feedback. You can also tell stories through content which helps engage people. There are plenty of ways to connect with your customers, and all of them build trust in your relationship.

The biggest asset for an online business should be their audience. What you could do is assign a value to each one, and you’ll understand better how important a subscriber is.

2) Stick to one source

Affiliate marketing often looks like a simple task. However, this is the mistake that most amateurs make. This causes you to go big too fast and spread throughout too many media.

If you’re just starting, it’s best to stick to one source, develop your assets there, and learn from it. Once you’re confident in your skills as an affiliate for that medium, that’s when you try to start moving from one medium to another.

It takes a lot of time to build up natural traffic, and you may be tempted to create multiple accounts, but Larby Amirouche says otherwise. If you bite more than you can chew, you’ll end up not being able to earn anything.

If you’re new to affiliate marketing, the best possible approach would be to stick to one source and grow your audience there first.

3) Utilize marketing channels

Marketing channels might seem to be some type of expense, and to an uninformed marketer, it is. However, if you follow the second tip, and get to know your medium, you’ll find out that each has its own free and premium marketing channels.

You’ll have a general idea of how to utilize your medium’s marketing channels as you get better in using it. The most common way is through asking your audience to sign up for your newsletter or email list. This allows you to constantly communicate with them, and them in turn, to recommend you to their circles.

4) Assess product feedback and competitors

The best way to elicit response from your audience is to encourage comments. Take these comments as feedback, and learn from them. Some people will have comments comparing you to your competitors, and that’s fine.

The more you know about your competitors and your audience’s preferences, the better you can make you and your product appeal to them. As you listen to their feedback, action to change will be necessary.

This tip will only be useful if you maintain an open mind. If you do open your feedback channels, and yet complain about the negatives, you end up gaining nothing.

5) Create and maintain impact on social media

If you ask anyone right now if they had a social media account, their answer won’t be yes or no. It would be, “it depends, which one?”

Almost everyone nowadays has some form of social media. This allows you to tap into massive amounts of people without costing much.

The biggest skill you would need in tapping such a huge network nearly ‘costless’ would be vast knowledge on current events. The biggest problem you could face in social media is also the biggest benefit you gain from it.

If a competitor were to ruin your reputation, or if you were to post misinformation, negative results would be quick to follow. As you continue to post with proper decorum, the more you grow your audience.

As your social media impact grows, the same thing happens to your audience’s trust in you. These tips are interconnected with each other. Following one and the other will help you achieve better results in the long run.

6) Invest in mobile-responsive websites

Almost everyone that is anyone owns a mobile device. Due to this, it’s never a bad idea to impart some of your resources into making your site mobile-friendly. This allows people to see you without having the need for a stationary computer.

You have to be able to cater to mobile phones, tablets, and other forms of mobile devices. Following this bit of advice will do nothing but help you reach your marketing goals. It will never pay to try and keep up with the ages.

The ages dictate that you follow the trend and make yourself readily available. You stand losing out on the huge audience you can gain that are dependent upon mobile devices for living.

7) Focus on a niche

While you would want to grow your audience to the biggest it could be, this would entail a ton of effort and needless hard work. You would think that gaining a lot of indiscriminate audiences in the long run would only work for the best, however this isn’t the case.

Just like in tip number one, you will have to build trust with each and every one of your audiences. Doing so with a massive number without anything in common between them will make it insanely difficult for you to personalize each email list.

Conclusion

Being a pioneer in the world of e-commerce and internet marketing, these are the tips that Larby Amirouche continues to follow moving forward. If you’re aiming to be successful in the world of e-commerce, then following each and every tip on this article will be helpful for you.

Know that each and every one of these tips may be interconnected, and therefore, affect each other. As long as you do them right, you’ll be able to gain the results you want without even restricting yourself too much.

#Marketing #business

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mysticsparklewings · 4 years

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The Frustrated Introvert’s Dilemma

Well now, what do we have here? I'll go on record and say that yes, there is a specific event/topic that inspired this. But I'm not going to go into any more detail than that, because it's almost definitely going to come back to bite me nice and hard on the rear if I do. That's the unfortunate nature of our online-enabled world these days. That said, this actually happens to me a lot. Something will happen or I'll see a post (sometimes several posts all talking about the same thing) and I'll either have strong opinions on it or just otherwise be frustrated and want to share my two cents, and sometimes I really will go so far as to type out a Big Long Thing about it. Only, I think about it for a few seconds too long, and I end up deleting it. Because: What if the wrong person sees it? What if what I said gets taken out of context? What if I get labeled as [insert thing I don't want to be labeled as here]? What if I get in trouble some other way I haven't thought of? I don't have a very far reach, but I'd like to keep what I do have on good terms. But of course, deleting the post without posting it sort of misses the mark, and so normally I don't feel any better than I did before. But I rarely go back to it, since most of the time I either know or I think that I know posting my super-long (sometimes unpopular) opinion is only going to cause trouble I do NOT want to deal with. And thus, I'm better off keeping my mouth shut. Or, if I must, posting the vaguest-possible 1-2 sentences broadly touching on the subject. And that's where the caption, "Reasons Why I Don't Post Much" comes from. Aside from my art and the very rare things that make it past my "this is not a good idea to post" radar, especially on other social media that don't support long-form text like dA does, I'm usually fairly quiet. I am a "lurker" by nature, for the reasons above and because small talk kills me slowly. I'm sure I can't possibly be alone in this...whatever this is. This want to vent/rant/share your opinion but not being able to because you just don't want to deal with all the things that could possibly go wrong from doing so. So I made this little comic to expend my frustrations in the safest way I could think of. It gets the point across without nailing down a specific event/person/whatever. I haven't tried to make a comic in...in years. And the like 2 times I did, they were very simple and kinda dumb. (And I'm sure can still be found lurking in the depths of my gallery somewhere.) So hopefully this isn't too terrible. I tried to format it nicely so it's fairly clear and easy to read/follow, while still trying to keep it unique to me. (Or at least attuned to my own tastes.) I started with a rough traditional sketch of the four panels, done in a style similar to my Chibi Cards, which I use over on Twitter a lot these days. The character is, of course, supposed to be me, hence the purple hair, blue eyes, and black tank top. Fortunately, once the idea of doing a little "vent" comic came to mind, I was able to pretty quickly come up with a clear mental image/plan of what I wanted and what I would need to get the point across as simply as possible. And simplicity was a must because I knew I wouldn't be able to give this nice clean lines digitally unless I wanted to actually rip my hair out in the process. You can read the full details in my Ongoing Saga journal, but suffice to say I've been trying some things with my current not-Cintiq set up and Jesus Christ is it not becoming more and more aggravating. The biggest issue I dealt with here was the lack of precision, hence the messy, messy, messy lines, and the closer I got to completion with more layers involved, the worse staggering/lagging I also had to deal with. Obviously, I eventually got through it, but I am telling you guys I am so ready for a better tablet solution it's not even funny anymore. Anyway. I roughly traced my sketches to get the lines, then made the centering lines and rearranged things slightly, since my sketch wasn't perfectly centered or squared or anything. Then I expanded the canvas so I could add the frame. Then I moved on to coloring, and once again, for the sake of my sanity, I stuck with simple, flat, imprecise coloring. And I had to do it by hand since my messy lines mean the magic wand tool wanted to select about five times more area than it needed to when I tried to use it to just "grab" the sections I needed. My color choices were fairly simple. I know what colors I naturally am, and it made sense to me to make the background my "Mystic hue," since my walls are that color in real life, and it's just kind of my on-brand, go-to color now. The main colors I had to decided on were the desk and the computer screen. I went with a darker brown for the desk, hoping for a little extra contrasting, and the computer screen I kinda just went with what felt right. Picking fonts was a bit of an adventure. I wanted something relatively easy to read, but with a little be of extra flair than just Comic Sans or Generic Plain Computer text number 3,497. And I think this one hits a pretty nice place between something more computery and a handwriting look. I did have to use different fonts for the *type* 's on the second panel and for the caption/my name at the top to get the look/effect I was going for, though. It's not much and far from my best work. But at least it's a way to sort-of get my feelings out into the world. To know that I could at least do this one thing, even if I can't do anything else to vent my frustrations because other options will not end well. At the very, very least, I hope maybe somebody out there can relate or gets a small laugh out of it. ____ Artwork © me, MysticSparkleWings ____ Where to find me & my artwork: My Website | Commission Info + Prices | Ko-Fi | dA Print Shop | RedBubble | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram

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brentrogers · 4 years

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Podcast: Don’t Let Coronavirus Impact Your Mental Health

It’s often said that fear is the most dangerous virus on the planet. While a relatively small percentage of people will contract the new coronavirus, or COVID-19, the fear it provokes will chip away at the mental health of nearly everyone who hears about it. So why does COVID-19 inspire so much fear when there are other diseases lurking in the shadows? And what can we do about it? In today’s podcast, our guest Dr. David Batman, a registered medical practitioner in the U.K., discusses how this high level of unprecedented global panic is being intensified by the non-stop media, and specifically, social media.

Tune in to hear a great discussion on how we can protect our mental health during the coronavirus pandemic.

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW

Guest information for ‘David Batman- Coronavirus’ Podcast Episode

Dr. David Batman has been a registered medical practitioner for 47 years and a Consultant in Occupational Medicine for 30 years. He spent 20 years as Head of Occupational Health, Safety and Employee Wellbeing for Nestle in the UK and Ireland and has special interests in mental health at work, risk assessments, rehabilitation and resettlement of employees.

He specializes in advising on lifestyle preventative approaches to medicine, developing resilience, and management of mental health issues. Dr. Batman previously served as Chief Medical Officer for Global Corporate Challenge (GCC) and is now a valued member of the Virgin Pulse Science Advisory Board.

About The Psych Central Podcast Host

Gabe Howard is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations, available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from the author. To learn more about Gabe, please visit his website, gabehoward.com.

Computer Generated Transcript for ‘David Batman- Coronavirus’ Episode

Editor’s Note: Please be mindful that this transcript has been computer generated and therefore may contain inaccuracies and grammar errors. Thank you.

Announcer: You’re listening to the Psych Central Podcast, where guest experts in the field of psychology and mental health share thought-provoking information using plain, everyday language. Here’s your host, Gabe Howard.

Gabe Howard: Welcome, everyone, to this week’s episode of the Psych Central Podcast. Calling into the show today we have Dr. David Batman. Dr. Batman has been a registered medical practitioner in the U.K. for over 40 years. He spent 20 years as head of occupational health, safety and employee well-being for Nestle in the UK and Ireland and has a special interest in mental health, at work, risk assessments, rehabilitation and resettlement of employees. Dr. Batman, welcome to the show.

Dr. David Batman: Happy to be here. Great to be able to participate.

Gabe Howard: Today, we are going to cover the COVID-19 pandemic that is on everyone’s mind. Specifically the mental health aspects. People are worried and that’s not just people with anxiety or mental health issues. Everyone is worried globally.

Dr. David Batman: I would agree with you on that, Gabe. I mean, I’ve been practicing medicine for 47 years. I have seen cases of malaria and rabies. I’ve helped businesses through avian flu, SARS, MERS. But in all my years, I’ve never seen anything that’s come on with this rapidity, severity worldwide. At the same time, and even as we talk, research is going on and we’re learning something new about it. I mean, it’s fascinating, but it’s rare that I’ve seen that look of fear on so many people’s faces. There’s a commonality here. It’s one thing that has actually brought humanity together across the world. So I’m hoping that when we get through this, and we will, something different will come out of this and possibly some real benefits.

Gabe Howard: Well, I certainly like that you’re looking on the bright side. You know, the phrase every cloud has a silver lining. I certainly hope will apply. But let’s talk about how quickly COVID-19 is evolving because people are feeling overwhelmed by just the disease in general. But the amount of information that is being shared, it’s coming out so incredibly rapidly. And I know that we in the best of times struggle to find reliable sources of information. What are reliable sources that you recommend people follow to stay ahead with factual information?

Dr. David Batman: I just have been through various things over my career. This is different, and I think the difference here and you’ve hit it on the nail on the head is the visibility of it through the media and not just standard media and mainly social media, which is which has caused the biggest difference in the past. We’ve had outbreaks of disease. When the news outlets were slow to get it to us, we had time to digest. This has been fast. I’ve been practicing mental health. I’m looking at people, mental health for many years now. And the common thread has been over the last eight to 10 years, a level of distrust and uncertainty. That’s been the new norm, the new stress. So why should we now suddenly start to trust what our medical profession, our leaders are saying when we’ve had all this level of distrust before? The social media has taken over and it’s catastrophized it. It is creating that fear. And I will say at this stage, I think it is a nasty illness. But for 90 percent of the people, you’re going to have a fairly mild illness. You might have a bad time of flu. But you are going to come out the other side. And we’ve forgotten that fact. We don’t talk about that enough. It’s catastrophized. None of us can give absolute reassurance. Some people will die. There’s no doubt about that. There’s just an unfortunate fact of life. Balanced against the number of people who die from flu, 650,000 people a year died from flu. In the states, every 30 seconds, somebody dies of a heart related condition, etc. Life comes to an end for some people, unfortunately. But this is very public and I think that’s the big difference. It’s very public now. Now, to me, sources I invariably go to is certainly the Center for Disease Control in the States, the CDC, a great source of information that. I go to the World Health Organization’s Web site and they are a wealth of information.

Dr. David Batman: Some here in the U.K., I look at Public Health England. Certainly, within the Virgin Pulse family that we’ve got, we’ve got a fabulous platform. We’ve developed a tool kit which is educational, it’s supportive, it’s resource heavy. You have experts like myself and others who are scientifically based, who are giving the right information. Johns Hopkins University has got a very good Web site. They’ve got a dashboard that one can look at which shows the evolving pattern of the disease and the numbers of diseases. Again, I’m going to give a degree of caution here to people. Because, the numbers, you know, if you look at death rates and that’s what people worry about most, quite catastrophic. The problem is here, we actually really don’t know the absolute numbers of people infected. We only know the number of cases who have actually been admitted to a hospital. So for the vast majority of people having this mild illness, etc., it doesn’t need reporting. And they self distance, they self isolate, they work at home, et cetera. We actually don’t have accurate data. But what we do know is it’s across every country in the world and it’s very visible. The science is developing. What I talk about today may be different tomorrow or the day after because the amount of research that’s going on is developing worldwide very fast. So sometimes what is right now is not right tomorrow. But I will say people really limit the amount of exposure that you’ve got through the media and to social media.

Gabe Howard: It’s really interesting that you said that we should limit our access to information. And I understand that from like a logical perspective because it’s so easy to get overwhelmed. And one of the things that you just said is that things are changing so rapidly and especially in America, we don’t like it when things change. And whenever somebody changes their opinion or their mind or the idea, you know, we call them flip floppers and we say that you can’t trust them because they can’t make up their mind. Again, speaking purely to my American audience, if you say something on Monday, you get new information on Tuesday and you update that opinion on Wednesday. We don’t like that. We want people to get it right the first time. Which, of course, is impossible, especially when something is changing so rapidly as this. Can you talk to us about that for a moment? Because I I have a feeling that the majority of people listening to this, they’re not going to stop watching the news even though they should.

Dr. David Batman: Yeah, the habits die hard, don’t they? It’s what I was talking on a webinar earlier today and we talked about why people were struggling to just regularly wash their hands, or to change their position of coughing and sneezing into the elbow rather than the hand, etc. We’ve all got these learned behaviors which are hard to break. And to break and create a new habit takes an average 60 days. You’ve got to decide why you want to do it. You’ve got to go through a contemplative stage. You’ve got to go through an assessment stage. It’s very difficult to be doing that. The world of medicine, most people tend to think of medicine, this is clearly part of it, as a science whereby we know everything and it is factual. In fact, medicine is more of an art and it is a developing art and there are different opinions from different experts. I’ve always quoted that if you put ten doctors in a room, you’ll probably get eleven answers because one will change their mind halfway through. And that’s what we’ve gone through. But because of the fear factor, because of the exposure, mainly on social media, this is sort of a death sentence, almost an apocalyptic scenario that’s coming to my village, my town, my state any minute now. And people find it very hard to accept and even the medical profession is asking the questions that your listeners are asking as well. And I think part of the realization has got to be that we are trying to give you as much information as possible, but literally we can be contradicted by something new coming in all the time. We’ve got a real conundrum here, but it’s really trying to create a paradigm shift in thinking and results. It’s only when we’ve actually crossed through this pandemic. And we will. I keep going back to your listeners, we will get through it. So only when we get back that we will learn. We’re not very good at learning from history, but we’ve got to learn from this.

Gabe Howard: Now, let’s flip the other way. We have a huge swath of the population that understands how serious this is because it is serious, but we also have a large portion of the population, again, especially in America, that really feel strongly that this is a hoax, that we’re overreacting, that this is no worse than the flu, that everybody’s gone mad. And this is all just an attempt to cover something up politically. What can we say to those folks? Because the fact is this is serious. I want to make that very, very clear. But I also sort of understand, again, especially in America, why people might think that we are overreacting, especially when they’re faced with, well, their routines being shut down. You know, here in Ohio, for example, where I’m from, we can’t even go to a restaurant or get a drink at like McDonald’s or meet at the local bar and throw darts or play pool to assuage our stress. So this really is allowing that other side to really fester. What can we say to that group?

Dr. David Batman: The problem is, I think at the moment, it doesn’t matter which country you go to is the political and economic situation in the early part of the spread of this, trying to protect companies, trying to protect countries, economies, et cetera, on the basis that we don’t want anything to happen. But now there is stark reality that no matter what you do, and it’s not their fault. At this moment in time, we didn’t know what was happening, clearly. They tried to give the best information, but they’ve got to have the trust, as we said. You’ve got to give as much information as you can because it has got to be accurate and it has to be consistent. Now, it’s hard to give that consistent information at the moment, it is variable, clearly, based on the way this disease is progressing. Now, I think part of the problem is it started in China and there’s always been sort of a level of distrust of that part of the world as to whether news is being suppressed and what’s actually happening. But when I look at the data and what’s happened, and the W.H.O. has actually had a delegation within the country. So the data and the information I’m getting, I trust now. Is that the measures that they put in worked, but they seemed to a lot of people very simplistic because we’re used to getting a disease, seeing a doctor, having it removed surgically or getting a treatment, then that’s all we need to do. But it’s very clear from watching out in China that data, they only had one new case yesterday. And you think of the thousands that they were having.

Dr. David Batman: And what they did was to put in containment, to break the transmission, to break the thread. Well, that’s hard for people to do it, but they have a population that actually listens. And because of the way that culture has grown, they comply 100 percent. We’re in a culture in the Western world where if somebody said to us, we are now contain and quarantine a city, a state, we are going to close borders of countries, that’s alien to our thought processes. And the message has never come across that first of all, that diseases need to be contained. We need to stop the transmission from person, from family to family, group to group, which is why we’re having to get into that and to do it. And therefore, we’re having to be fairly draconian to do that. And we don’t know how long that’s going to last. So there’s a conundrum here. I keep going back to we’ve never met before. There’s no playbook for this. There’s no way that we can go back and look at the score as to how it happened before. There isn’t one. We’re in a new play. We don’t know how many acts there are going to be. And we don’t know when the final curtain is gonna come down. So it’s very hard to put this into context, but it will be. People have got to have a belief in that at the moment. But there will be an end point and the vast majority of people are going to come through with this. This is the way it’s going to be.

Gabe Howard: We will be right back after these messages.

Sponsor Message: Hey folks, Gabe here. I host another podcast for Psych Central. It’s called Not Crazy. He hosts Not Crazy with me, Jackie Zimmerman, and it is all about navigating our lives with mental illness and mental health concerns. Listen now at Psych Central.com/NotCrazy or on your favorite podcast player.

Sponsor Message: This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp.com. Secure, convenient, and affordable online counseling. Our counselors are licensed, accredited professionals. Anything you share is confidential. Schedule secure video or phone sessions, plus chat and text with your therapist whenever you feel it’s needed. A month of online therapy often costs less than a single traditional face to face session. Go to BetterHelp.com/PsychCentral and experience seven days of free therapy to see if online counseling is right for you. BetterHelp.com/PsychCentral.

Gabe Howard: We’re back discussing the COVID-19 pandemic and managing our mental health with Dr. David Batman. We’ve talked a lot about the uncertainty, we’ve talked a lot about the things that we’ve lost. We’ve talked a lot about the fear. Let’s talk about some positive steps forward. What are some simple well—being activities that people can add into their day to keep them feeling positive and energized and keep good health habits on the top of their minds? In the midst of all this chaos and closure?

Dr. David Batman: Doctors are not always good at taking good medical advice, but I’ve always been a believer that 70% of your risk of becoming ill, 70% of your ability to actually get a cure and survive is due to lifestyle. And I believe this is all about lifestyle. Well, let me just give you examples of what I’m doing now. Because I’m approaching 70 next week, in this country, the edict from the U.K. government is now I’ve got to self isolate for the next four months. That’s a daunting figure. But I’ve got myself into a mindset now that says if I can’t change my circumstances, I’m going to change my attitude. And that’s sort of a banner that I keep putting out to people. So first of all, I’ve got myself a routine. I’m still working. I’m working from home. My sleep pattern is, sleep, the most important thing, probably one of the biggest risk factors we’ve got is lack of sleep. I will still go to bed at the same time. I still wake up at the same time. I set a routine that we can do. So that gets up. I still get washed and I get dressed into work wear, I’m not swimming around in my p.j.’s, etc.

Dr. David Batman: I’ve got my work set out. I’ve told my family that I need quiet time as to what I’m going to do. I’m exercising. I can go out and exercise as long as I’m six foot away from anybody else. I have a step counter. I’m still getting a thousand steps a day. I’m eating well, I’m drinking well, I’m getting plenty of fluids. And on the fluids side, a bit of research came out yesterday from a Japanese doctor, that said, this virus is sticky. If you’ve got a dry mouth and a dry throat, it sticks in your mouth, then it crawls its way down into your lungs. If you’re drinking all the time, the virus gets stuck into the fluid, gets washed into your stomach and the acid destroys it. So simple there. Don’t resort to alcohol to console it. Don’t resort to too much smoking too much alcohol, etc. My wife and I, she’s got the things that she does. I’ve got the things that I do. We have the things together. Because the danger is if you can come together with a partner 24/7, you’ve got nothing different to talk about. We can’t go out for a meal anymore. We’re gonna plan how we can have some special meals at home, etc.

Dr. David Batman: I’m communicating with my children, with my grandchildren, a lot more through Skype, through Facebook and through WhatsApp, and we’re doing that a lot more. So, I’ve got an outlook with the outside world. Within our community here, we’ve got a community app that we set up. We set up, and I’m helping them do, even though I’m here at home. We’ve got volunteers to help the elderly, the infirm, to get their food, to get their medicines. I feel as if I’m contributing, even though I’m isolating at the same time. All about lifestyle. I have limited, really do limit the amount of time I look on social media, maybe once, maybe twice a day, if I’m being honest into that area. I’m not getting the negative news. I’m looking at the positive news. But, my life goes on. I’ve got a to do list. I want to redesign my garden. So I’m going to do that. I’ve got some books I’ve always wanted to read. I’ve put time aside to read those, etc. It’s about positivity. What you’ve lost is your freedom a little bit at the moment. You can do so much, but it really is about I can’t change my circumstances. I’m isolated, but I can change my attitude.

Gabe Howard: I could not agree with that more, and I do think that a positive approach is very beneficial and I like what you said about we’re just not used to this, it really does show how much we take all of our freedoms for granted. Every morning I wake up and I flip the light switch in my bedroom. And I’ve got to tell you, every time I flip that switch, the light comes on. Ninety nine point nine nine percent of the time. But every now and again, I flip that switch and the light doesn’t come on and all I think of is, oh, how could this happen? What horrible luck. This is just terrible. So it really does show you it doesn’t matter how often something works. We really, really only focus on that one time that it doesn’t. Well, this is an extreme example of that. I really do think this is what’s happening to many of us. We’ve just really taken for granted how much we have on our normal day to day lives. And it’s become apparent to us now that so much of it is missing.

Dr. David Batman: I think you’re right on that. I think there’s a new norm that’s coming in. I think, I’m seventy in two weeks time. My wife and I have been planning for a year to go on a trip of a lifetime. But what it turns out is that trip of a lifetime was next Friday. We were due to go on a cruise around Japan. And yes, I’m sure you and your listeners can guess which cruise ship my wife had booked a cabin on. It was that floating petri dish; it was one of the big ones in the news with a floating liner in Japan. We looked forward to that. But at the same time, it’s gone. There’s no point dwelling in the past. The future will be there. It will be different. But people have been through transitions before. The world’s been through transitions and the world will sort it out. And I think at the moment, all we can do is trust the science. Trust the medics and indeed, accept that the change that is going on is developing. It’s not in any of my textbooks. It’s not anywhere on the Internet. As I said, there’s no playbook for this, and we’re going to have to ride through it. But there’s going to be an outcome.

Gabe Howard: And whatever that outcome is, we’re all going to arrive there together. Let’s switch gears a little bit and talk about your Coronavirus Toolkit for Employee Wellbeing. Can you tell us what that is and who it applies to?

Dr. David Batman: I’ve worked for the Virgin Pulse platform now probably for 12 years, et cetera, on our platform, and we believe in lifestyle change and what we are looking for is sustained behavioral change. It’s science based and what we, the aim is to empower people. We give people support for their mental health. We put mental health on the agenda. Financial help. We got counselors that can help. But suddenly realized we’re a different world here. And therefore, for the people who are part of our family, we thought we need to help them. And the one thing, again I come back to this and you alluded to it right at the beginning, where do we get sustained information that we can rely on? Everything that we put together, we’ve got a science advisory board, which I’m part of, therefore, everything is science based. And that’s when we said, well, what do people need? So we’ve got on that platform that people get access to it, we’ve actually got how can you keep your workforce motivated? Engaged in times of disruption, etc.? We’ve got the tipsheets, you know, tipsheets on how, we literally created one all about working from home. So how can you go into that new world of work where home has become the norm for work? Are we are giving you some healthy tips which know how they will work, etc. We’ve got a resource guide. We’ve got some prevention posters there, etc. as well. So it’s a myriad of things which are designed for employer and employee. What it is, is about getting consistent, scientifically based advice and that advice will change as the situation changes. We’re all working incredibly hard behind the scenes to make sure that this is consistent and correct and up to date, et cetera, providing both the employer and the employee with resources. So you don’t have to go to reinvent the wheel every time.

Gabe Howard: And where can our listeners find that tool kit right now?

Dr. David Batman: People will go on to the Virgin Pulse website, et cetera, and it’s linked there. We are putting it out whenever we are putting out our white papers, our information sheets. I have been working with one with one of my colleagues earlier on today, doing a webinar and a Q&A on that. And we will launch that with the link to that. We will use every opportunity to disseminate that to give people help. And yes, we share it with the businesses who are engaged with us there. But we also will put it through the links. It’s a myriad of things. It’s interactive. It’s moving with the time.

Gabe Howard: That’s wonderful, and of course, we will also put that link in our show notes over on PsychCentral.com so people can find it really, really easily. We’re nearing the end of our time. Dr. Batman. My final question is to kind of summarize this all up. What specific recommendations do you have for people adapting to this new time of uncertainty to get us through the next several weeks and and potentially several months?

Dr. David Batman: I know people feel anxious and fearful all the time. But I say to everybody, when you look at people walking around, people have got this public face where everybody on the surface, it’s a bit like a swan glides over the surface, but the feet are paddling like mad underneath. We’re all together. This is one of the few things across the world which is actually bringing people together. We’re all feeling the same way. We’re all feeling screwed up this time. We’re probably not sleeping well. We’re anxious. We don’t know what the future holds for ourselves and our families. Don’t be afraid. Ninety percent of you are going to go through this and you may have a mild illness to a moderate illness. You’re going to come through this. There is no treatment. You’ve just got to go through it. We will get a vaccine. It’s probably a year out before we’re going to get that vaccine. There’s no medication at the moment. Some may come along. The most important thing is listen to what the public health people are telling us. Social isolation. Distance yourself. Break those contacts from one person to the other. Six feet is a good distance. The isolation that we’re going to put people into, the closing of schools and offices, etc., is vital. Please listen to what the medics are saying. Listen to what our public health is saying. These are so vital. There is no magic treatment that will make a difference. You as individuals can make a difference not only to yourself. Your family, your community, your country, your country needs you. It’s been said before, but we need all to come together collectively by individual actions because nobody can do it for us.

Gabe Howard: And of course, I just want to echo what you said there, that we’re all in this together and that we will get through this together and that it really just is simply a matter of hunkering down and waiting it out and remembering that it’s one day at a time and we will all get there together.

Dr. David Batman: I totally agree, Gabe. It’s been a real pleasure to be able to actually come on in and talk to yourself and talk to your listeners, and hopefully we will take away some of that anxiety, that fear.

Gabe Howard: I cannot agree more, Dr. Batman, and thank you for being here and thank you to our listeners for being here. I know this is a time of uncertainty, so I hope that you will find the information that you can find on PsychCentral.com very, very beneficial. There are lots of other resources that you can check out. Just head over to PsychCentral.com and you’ll see it all there. And remember, wherever you downloaded the show, we’d like you to subscribe. We’d like you to rate, rank, and review. And remember, you can get one week of free, convenient, affordable, private online counseling anytime, anywhere, simply by visiting BetterHelp.com/PsychCentral. We will see everybody next week. Please stay well.

Announcer: You’ve been listening to The Psych Central Podcast. Want your audience to be wowed at your next event? Feature an appearance and LIVE RECORDING of the Psych Central Podcast right from your stage! For more details, or to book an event, please email us at [email protected]. Previous episodes can be found at PsychCentral.com/Show or on your favorite podcast player. Psych Central is the internet’s oldest and largest independent mental health website run by mental health professionals. Overseen by Dr. John Grohol, Psych Central offers trusted resources and quizzes to help answer your questions about mental health, personality, psychotherapy, and more. Please visit us today at PsychCentral.com. To learn more about our host, Gabe Howard, please visit his website at gabehoward.com. Thank you for listening and please share with your friends, family, and followers.

Podcast: Don’t Let Coronavirus Impact Your Mental Health syndicated from

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positivepsychologyinterventions · 4 years

Text

Podcast: Don’t Let Coronavirus Impact Your Mental Health

Tune in to hear a great discussion on how we can protect our mental health during the coronavirus pandemic.

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW

Guest information for ‘David Batman- Coronavirus’ Podcast Episode

About The Psych Central Podcast Host

Computer Generated Transcript for ‘David Batman- Coronavirus’ Episode

Editor’s Note: Please be mindful that this transcript has been computer generated and therefore may contain inaccuracies and grammar errors. Thank you.

Dr. David Batman: Happy to be here. Great to be able to participate.

Gabe Howard: We will be right back after these messages.

Gabe Howard: And where can our listeners find that tool kit right now?

from World of Psychology https://ift.tt/2UjMWZF via IFTTT

#IFTTT #World of Psychology

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isearchgoood · 4 years

Text

6 Local Search Marketing DIY Tips for the Crafting Industry

Posted by MiriamEllis

Think crafting is kids’ stuff? Think again. The owners of quilting, yarn, bead, fabric, woodworking, art supply, stationers, edible arts, and related shops know that:

The crafting industry generated $44 billion in 2016 in the US alone.

63% of American households engage in at least one crafting project annually, while more than one in four participate in 5+ per year.

The top three craft store chains in the country (Michaels, JOANN, Hobby Lobby) operate nearly 3,000 locations, just among themselves.

There are an estimated 3,200 US storefronts devoted to quilting alone. Thousands more vend everything from the stuff of ancient arts (knitting, with a 1,000-year history) to the trendy and new (unicorn slime, which, yes, is really a thing).

Our local search marketing industry has devoted abundant time to advising major local business categories over the past couple of decades, but crafting is one substantial retail niche we may have overlooked. I’d like to rectify this today.

I feel personally inspired by craft store owners. Over the years, I’ve learned to sew, quilt, embroider, crochet, knit, and bead, and before I became a local search marketer, I was a working fine artist. I even drafted a sewing pattern once that was featured in a crafting magazine. Through my own exploration of arts and crafts, I’ve come to know so many independent business owners in this industry, and have marketed several of them. These are gutsy people who take risks, work extremely hard for their living, and often zestfully embrace any education they can access about marketing.

Today, I’m offering my six best marketing tips for craft retailers for a more successful and profitable 2020.

First, a quick definition of local search marketing

Your store is your location. Your market is made up of all of your customers’ locations. Anything you do to promote your location to the market you serve is considered local search marketing. Your market could be your neighborhood, your city, or a larger local region. Local search marketing can include both offline efforts, like hanging eye-catching signage or getting mentioned in local print news, and online efforts, like having a website, building listings on local business listing platforms, and managing customer reviews.

Whatever you do to increase local awareness about your location, interact online with customers, bring them through your front door, serve them in-store, and follow up with them afterwards in an ongoing relationship counts. You’re already doing some of this, and in the words of Martha Stewart, “It’s a good thing.” But with a little more attention and intention, these six tips can craft even greater success for your business:

1. Take a page from my Google scrapbook

To engage in local search marketing is to engage with Google. Since they first started mapping out communities and businesses in 2004, the search engine giant has come to dominate the online local scene. There are other important online platforms, but to be in front of the maximum number of potential customers and to compete for rankings in Google’s local search results, your crafting business needs to:

Read the Guidelines for representing your business on Google and follow them to the letter. This set of rules tells you what you can and can’t do in the Google My Business product. Listing your business incorrectly or violating the guidelines in any way can result in listing suspension and other negative outcomes.

Create your free Google My Business listing once you’ve read the guidelines. Here’s Moz’s cheat sheet to all of the different fields and features you can fill out in your listing. Fill out as many fields as you possibly can and then Google will take you through the steps of verifying your listing.

Reckon with Google’s power. As our scrapbook says, Google owns your Google My Business listing, but you can take a lot of control over some of its contents. Even once you’ve verified your listing, it’s still open to suggested edits from the public, questions, reviews, user-uploaded photos and other activities. Main takeaway: your GMB listing is not a one-and-done project. It’s an interactive platform that you will be monitoring and managing from here on out.

2. Weave a strong web presence

Your Google My Business listing will likely be the biggest driver of traffic to your craft store, but you’ll want to cast your online net beyond this. Once you feel confident about the completeness and ongoing management of your GMB listing, there are 4 other strands of Internet activity for you to take firm hold of:

Your website

At bare minimum, your website should feature:

Your complete and accurate name, address, phone number, email, and fax number

Clear written driving directions to your place of business from all points of entry

A good text description of everything you sell and offer

An up-to-date list of all upcoming classes and events

Some high-quality photos of your storefront and merchandise

A more sophisticated website can also feature:

Articles and blog posts

Full inventory, including e-commerce shopping

Customer reviews and testimonials

Online classes, webinars and video tutorials

Customer-generated content, including photos, forums, etc.

The investment you make in your website should be based on how much you need to do to create a web presence that surpasses your local competitors. Depending on where your store is located, you may need only a modest site, or may need to go further to rank highly in Google’s search engine results and win the maximum number of customers.

Your other local listings

Beyond Google, your business listings on other online platforms like Yelp, Facebook, Bing, Apple Maps, Factual, Foursquare, and Infogroup can ensure that customers are encountering your business across a wide variety of sites and apps. Listings in these local business information indexes are sometimes referred to as “structured citations” and you have two main choices for building and maintaining them:

You can manually build a listing on each important platform and check back on it regularly to manage your reviews and other content on it, as well as to ensure that the basic contact info hasn’t been changed by the platform or the public in any way.

You can invest in local listings management software like Moz Local, which automates creation of these listings and gives you a simple dashboard that helps you respond to reviews, post new content, and be alerted to any emerging inaccuracies across key listing platforms, all in one place. This option can be a major time saver and deliver welcome peace of mind.

Structured citation management is critical to any local business for two key reasons. Firstly, it can be a source of valuable consumer discovery and new customers for your shop. Secondly, it ensures you aren’t losing customers to frustrating misinformation. One recent survey found that 22% of customers ended up at the wrong location of a business because online information about it was incorrect, and that 80% of them lost trust in the company when encountering such misinformation. Brick-and-mortar stores can’t afford to inconvenience or lose a single customer, and that’s why managing all your listings for accuracy is worth the investment of time/money.

Your unstructured citations

As we’ve just covered, a formal listing on a local business platform is called a “structured citation.” Unstructured citations, by contrast, are mentions of your business on any type of website: local online news, industry publications, a crafter’s blog, and lists of local attractions all count.

Anywhere your business can get mentioned on a relevant online publication can help customers discover you. And if trusted, authoritative websites link to yours when they mention your business, those links can directly improve your search engine rankings.

If you’re serving a market with little local competition, you may not need to invest a ton of time in seeking out unstructured citation opportunities. But if a nearby competitor is outranking you and you need to get ahead, earning high-quality mentions and links can be the best recipe for surpassing them. All of the following can be excellent sources of unstructured citations:

Sponsoring or participating in local events, organizations, teams, and causes

Hosting newsworthy happenings that get written up by local journalists

Holding contests and challenges that earn public mention

Joining local business organizations

Cross promoting with related local businesses

Getting featured/interviewed by online crafting magazines, fora, blogs, and videos

Read The Guide to Building Linked Unstructured Citations for Local SEO for more information.

Your social media presence

YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, crafting forums...choices abound! How much time and where you invest in social media should be determined by two things:

What your local competition is doing

Where your potential customers spend social time

If your shop is literally the only game in town, you may not need to win at social to win business, but if you have multiple competitors, strategic social media investments can set you apart as the most helpful, most popular local option.

In your social efforts, emphasize sharing, showing and telling — not just selling. If you keep this basic principle in mind, the DIY revolution is at your fingertips, waiting to be engaged. One thing I’ve learned about crafters is that they will travel. Quilting retreats, knitting tours, and major craft expos prove this.

If you or a staff member happen to create one of the most-viewed videos on YouTube for the three-needle bind off or crafting felt succulents, it could inspire travelers to put your shop on their bucket list. One of my favorite knitters in the world films the English/Swedish language Kammebornia podcast which is so idyllic, it would certainly inspire me to visit the island of Gotland if I were ever anywhere nearby. Think what you can do via social media to make your shop an aspirational destination for even non-local customers.

3. Abandon fear of ripping out mistakes (and negative reviews)

As the old adage goes, “Good knitters are good rippers.” When you drop a stitch in an important project, you have to know how to see it, patiently rip out stitches back to it, and correct the mistake as skillfully as you can. This exact same technique applies to managing the reviews customers leave you online. When your business “drops the ball” for a customer and disappoints them, you can often go back and correct the error.

Reviews = your business’ reputation. It’s as simple (and maybe scary) as that. Consider these statistics about the power of local business reviews:

87% of consumers read local business reviews (BrightLocal)

27% of people who look for local information are actually seeking reviews about a particular store. (Streetfight Mag)

30% of consumers say seeing business owners’ responses to reviews are key to them judging the company. (BrightLocal)

73.8 percent of customers are either likely or extremely likely to continue doing business with a brand that resolves their complaints. (GatherUp)

To be competitive, your craft store must earn reviews. Many business owners feel apprehensive about negative reviews, but the good news is:

You can “rip out” some negative reviews simply by responding well to them. The owner response function actually makes reviews conversational, and a customer you’ve made things right with can edit their initial review to a more positive one.

Most consumers expect a business to receive some negative reviews. Multiple surveys find that a perfect 5 star rating can look suspicious to shoppers.

If you continuously monitor reviews, either manually or via convenient software like Moz Local that alerts you to incoming reviews, there is little to fear, because customers are more forgiving than you might have thought.

For a complete tutorial, read How to Get a Customer to Edit Their Negative Review. And be sure you are always doing what’s necessary to earn positive reviews by delivering excellent customer service, keeping your online listings accurate, and proactively asking customers to review you on Google and other eligible platforms.

4. Craft what online can’t — 5 senses engagement

Consider these three telling statistics:

Over half of consumers prefer to shop in-store to interact with products. (Local Search Association)

80% of U.S. disposable income is spent within 20 miles of home (Access Development)

By 2021, mobile devices alone will influence $1.4 trillion in local sales. (Forrester)

There may be no retailer left in America who hasn’t felt the Amazon effect, but as a craft shop owner, you have an amazing advantage so many other industries lack. Crafters want to touch textiles and fibers before buying, to hold fabrics up to their faces, to see true colors, and handle highly tactile merchandise like beads and wood. When it comes to fulfilling the five senses, online shopping is miles behind what you can provide face-to-face.

And it’s not just customers’ desire to interact with products that sets you apart — it’s their desire to interact with experts. As pattern designer Amy Barickman of Indygo Junction perfectly sums it up:

“To survive and thrive, brick-and-mortar stores must now provide experiences that cannot be replicated online.”

The expertise of your staff, the classes you hold, and tie-in services you offer, the sensory appeal of your storefront, the time you take to build relationships with customers all contribute to creating valued interactions which the Internet just can’t replace.

This advantage ties in deeply with the quality of your staff hiring and training practices. One respected survey found that 57% of customer complaints stem from employee behavior and poor service. Specifically in the crafting industry, staff who are expert with the materials being sold are worth their weight in gold. Be prepared to assist both seasoned crafters and the new generations of customers who are just now embracing the creative industries.

Play to your strengths. In every way that you market your business, emphasize hands-on experiences to draw people off their computers and into your store. In every ad you run, blog post you write, phone call you answer, listing you build, invite people to come in to engage all five senses at your place of business. Soft lighting and music, a tea kiosk, fragrant fresh flowers, some comfy chairs, and plenty of tactile merchandise are all within your reach, making shopping a pleasure which customers will want to enjoy again and again.

5. Learn to read your competitors’ patterns

Need to know: there are no #1 rankings on Google. Google customizes the search engine results they show to each person, based on where that person is physically located at the time they look something up on their phone or computer. You can walk or drive around your city, performing the identical search, and watch the rankings change in the:

Local Packs

Maps

Organic results

If you’re doing business in an area with few competitors, you may only need to be aware of one or two other companies. But when competition is more dense and diverse, or you operate multiple locations, the need for competitive analysis can grow exponentially. And for each potential customer, the set of businesses you’re competing with changes, based on that customer’s location.

How can you visualize and strategize for this? You have two options:

If competition is quite low, you can manually find your true local competitors with this tutorial. It includes a free spreadsheet for helping you figure out which businesses are ranking for your most desired searches for the customers nearest you. This is a basic, doable approach for very small businesses.

If your environment is competitive or you are marketing a large, enterprise craft store brand, you can automate analysis with software. Local Market Analytics from Moz, for example, is designed to do all the work of finding true competitors for you. This groundbreaking product multi-samples searchers’ locations and helps you analyze your strongest and weakest markets. Currently, Local Market Analytics focuses on organic results, and it will soon include data on local pack results, too.

Once you’ve completed this first task, you have one more step ahead if you find that some of your competitors are outranking you. You’ll want to stack up your metrics against theirs to analyze why they are surpassing you. Good news: we’ve got another tutorial and free spreadsheet for this project! What emerges from the work is a pattern of strengths and weaknesses that signal why Google is ranking some businesses ahead of others.

Knowing who your competitors are and gathering metrics about why they may be outranking you is what empowers you to create a winning local search marketing strategy. Whether you find you need more reviews, a stronger website, or some other improvement, you’ll be working from data instead of making random guesses about how to grow your business.

6. Open your grab bag

Every craft store and craft fair has its grab bags, and who can resist them? I’d like to close out this article by spilling a trove of marketing goodies into your hands. Sort through them and see if there’s a fresh idea in here that could really work for your business to take it to the next level.

Be more! This year, Michaels has partnered with UPS at 1,100 locations in a convenience experiment. You run a craft store, but could it be more? Is there something lacking in your local market that your shop could double as? A meeting house, a lending library, an adult classroom, a tea shop, a Wi-Fi spot, a holiday boutique, a place for live music?

Tie in! Your quilt shop can support apparel sewers with a few extra solids, textiles, and some fun patterns. Your yarn shop can find a nook for needle arts. Your woodshop could offer wooden needles for knitting and crochet, wooden hoops for embroidery, wood buttons, stamps, and a variety of wood boxes for crafters. You may sell everything needed for beading jewelry, but do you have the necessary supplies to bead clothing? Crafters are hungry for local resources for every kind of project, especially in rural areas, suburbs, and other communities where there are few businesses.

Teach! There are so many arts and crafts that are incredibly challenging to learn without being shown, face-to-face. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a grandparent or parent to demo exactly how you do a long tail cast on or master the dovetail joint. If you want to sell merchandise, show how to use it. Look at JOANN, which just unveiled its new concept store in Columbus, Ohio, centered on a “Creators Studio”. One independent fabric shop near me devotes half its floorspace to classes for children — the next generation of customers!

Email! Don’t make the mistake of thinking email is old school. Statistics say that 47% of marketers point to email marketing as delivering the highest ROI and 69% of consumers prefer to receive local business communications via email. If you’re one of the 50% of small business owners who hasn’t yet taken the leap of creating an email newsletter, do it!

Survey! Don’t guess what to stock or how to do business. Directly ask your customers via email, social media, and in-store surveys what they really want. I’ve seen businesses abandon scented products because they found they were deterring migraine-prone shoppers. I’ve seen others implement special ordering services to source hard-to-access items in-store instead of letting consumer drift away to the online world. Giving the customer what they want is the absolute key to your store’s success.

Go green! Whether it’s powering your shop with solar, supporting upcycling crafts, or stocking organic and sustainable inventory, embrace and promote every green practice you can engage in. Numerous studies cite the younger generations as being particularly defined by responsible consumption. Demonstrate solidarity with their aspirations in the way you operate and market.

Doers, makers, creators, crafters, artisans, artists… your business exists to support their drive to embellish personal and public life. When you need to grow your business, you’ll be drawing from the same source of inspiration that all creative people do: the ability to imagine, to envision a plan, to color outside the lines, to gather the materials you need to make something great.

Local search marketing is a template for ensuring that your business is ready to serve every crafter at every stage of their journey, from the first spark of an idea, to discovery of local resources, to transaction, and beyond. I hope you’ll take the template I’ve sketched out for you today and make it your own for a truly rewarding 2020.

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luongthuyvy · 4 years

Text

6 Local Search Marketing DIY Tips for the Crafting Industry

Posted by MiriamEllis

Think crafting is kids’ stuff? Think again. The owners of quilting, yarn, bead, fabric, woodworking, art supply, stationers, edible arts, and related shops know that:

The crafting industry generated $44 billion in 2016 in the US alone.

63% of American households engage in at least one crafting project annually, while more than one in four participate in 5+ per year.

The top three craft store chains in the country (Michaels, JOANN, Hobby Lobby) operate nearly 3,000 locations, just among themselves.

Today, I’m offering my six best marketing tips for craft retailers for a more successful and profitable 2020.

First, a quick definition of local search marketing

1. Take a page from my Google scrapbook

2. Weave a strong web presence

Your website

At bare minimum, your website should feature:

Your complete and accurate name, address, phone number, email, and fax number

Clear written driving directions to your place of business from all points of entry

A good text description of everything you sell and offer

An up-to-date list of all upcoming classes and events

Some high-quality photos of your storefront and merchandise

A more sophisticated website can also feature:

Articles and blog posts

Full inventory, including e-commerce shopping

Customer reviews and testimonials

Online classes, webinars and video tutorials

Customer-generated content, including photos, forums, etc.

Your other local listings

Your unstructured citations

Sponsoring or participating in local events, organizations, teams, and causes

Hosting newsworthy happenings that get written up by local journalists

Holding contests and challenges that earn public mention

Joining local business organizations

Cross promoting with related local businesses

Getting featured/interviewed by online crafting magazines, fora, blogs, and videos

Read The Guide to Building Linked Unstructured Citations for Local SEO for more information.

Your social media presence

YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, crafting forums...choices abound! How much time and where you invest in social media should be determined by two things:

What your local competition is doing

Where your potential customers spend social time

3. Abandon fear of ripping out mistakes (and negative reviews)

Reviews = your business’ reputation. It’s as simple (and maybe scary) as that. Consider these statistics about the power of local business reviews:

87% of consumers read local business reviews (BrightLocal)

27% of people who look for local information are actually seeking reviews about a particular store. (Streetfight Mag)

30% of consumers say seeing business owners’ responses to reviews are key to them judging the company. (BrightLocal)

73.8 percent of customers are either likely or extremely likely to continue doing business with a brand that resolves their complaints. (GatherUp)

To be competitive, your craft store must earn reviews. Many business owners feel apprehensive about negative reviews, but the good news is:

Most consumers expect a business to receive some negative reviews. Multiple surveys find that a perfect 5 star rating can look suspicious to shoppers.

4. Craft what online can’t — 5 senses engagement

Consider these three telling statistics:

Over half of consumers prefer to shop in-store to interact with products. (Local Search Association)

80% of U.S. disposable income is spent within 20 miles of home (Access Development)

By 2021, mobile devices alone will influence $1.4 trillion in local sales. (Forrester)

There may be no retailer left in American who hasn’t felt the Amazon effect, but as a craft shop owner, you have an amazing advantage so many other industries lack. Crafters want to touch textiles and fibers before buying, to hold fabrics up to their faces, to see true colors, and handle highly tactile merchandise like beads and wood. When it comes to fulfilling the five senses, online shopping is miles behind what you can provide face-to-face.

“To survive and thrive, brick-and-mortar stores must now provide experiences that cannot be replicated online.”

5. Learn to read your competitors’ patterns

Local Packs

Maps

Organic results

How can you visualize and strategize for this? You have two options:

6. Open your grab bag

6 Local Search Marketing DIY Tips for the Crafting Industry Theo dõi các thông tin khác tại: https://foogleseo.blogspot.com 6 Local Search Marketing DIY Tips for the Crafting Industry posted first on https://foogleseo.blogspot.com/ #FoogleSEO #luongthuyvy Nguồn: http://bit.ly/2MgqwnZ #luongthuyvy

0 notes

chauhuongtran · 4 years

Text

6 Local Search Marketing DIY Tips for the Crafting Industry

Posted by MiriamEllis

Think crafting is kids’ stuff? Think again. The owners of quilting, yarn, bead, fabric, woodworking, art supply, stationers, edible arts, and related shops know that:

The crafting industry generated $44 billion in 2016 in the US alone.

63% of American households engage in at least one crafting project annually, while more than one in four participate in 5+ per year.

The top three craft store chains in the country (Michaels, JOANN, Hobby Lobby) operate nearly 3,000 locations, just among themselves.

Today, I’m offering my six best marketing tips for craft retailers for a more successful and profitable 2020.

First, a quick definition of local search marketing

1. Take a page from my Google scrapbook

2. Weave a strong web presence

Your website

At bare minimum, your website should feature:

Your complete and accurate name, address, phone number, email, and fax number

Clear written driving directions to your place of business from all points of entry

A good text description of everything you sell and offer

An up-to-date list of all upcoming classes and events

Some high-quality photos of your storefront and merchandise

A more sophisticated website can also feature:

Articles and blog posts

Full inventory, including e-commerce shopping

Customer reviews and testimonials

Online classes, webinars and video tutorials

Customer-generated content, including photos, forums, etc.

Your other local listings

Your unstructured citations

Sponsoring or participating in local events, organizations, teams, and causes

Hosting newsworthy happenings that get written up by local journalists

Holding contests and challenges that earn public mention

Joining local business organizations

Cross promoting with related local businesses

Getting featured/interviewed by online crafting magazines, fora, blogs, and videos

Read The Guide to Building Linked Unstructured Citations for Local SEO for more information.

Your social media presence

YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, crafting forums...choices abound! How much time and where you invest in social media should be determined by two things:

What your local competition is doing

Where your potential customers spend social time

3. Abandon fear of ripping out mistakes (and negative reviews)

Reviews = your business’ reputation. It’s as simple (and maybe scary) as that. Consider these statistics about the power of local business reviews:

87% of consumers read local business reviews (BrightLocal)

27% of people who look for local information are actually seeking reviews about a particular store. (Streetfight Mag)

30% of consumers say seeing business owners’ responses to reviews are key to them judging the company. (BrightLocal)

73.8 percent of customers are either likely or extremely likely to continue doing business with a brand that resolves their complaints. (GatherUp)

To be competitive, your craft store must earn reviews. Many business owners feel apprehensive about negative reviews, but the good news is:

Most consumers expect a business to receive some negative reviews. Multiple surveys find that a perfect 5 star rating can look suspicious to shoppers.

4. Craft what online can’t — 5 senses engagement

Consider these three telling statistics:

Over half of consumers prefer to shop in-store to interact with products. (Local Search Association)

80% of U.S. disposable income is spent within 20 miles of home (Access Development)

By 2021, mobile devices alone will influence $1.4 trillion in local sales. (Forrester)

“To survive and thrive, brick-and-mortar stores must now provide experiences that cannot be replicated online.”

5. Learn to read your competitors’ patterns

Local Packs

Maps

Organic results

How can you visualize and strategize for this? You have two options:

6. Open your grab bag

6 Local Search Marketing DIY Tips for the Crafting Industry Theo dõi các thông tin khác tại: https://foogleseo.blogspot.com 6 Local Search Marketing DIY Tips for the Crafting Industry posted first on foogleseo.blogspot.com from https://chauhuongtran.blogspot.com/2019/12/6-local-search-marketing-diy-tips-for.html

#digital marketing

0 notes

theinjectlikes2 · 4 years

Text

6 Local Search Marketing DIY Tips for the Crafting Industry

Posted by MiriamEllis

Think crafting is kids’ stuff? Think again. The owners of quilting, yarn, bead, fabric, woodworking, art supply, stationers, edible arts, and related shops know that:

The crafting industry generated $44 billion in 2016 in the US alone.

63% of American households engage in at least one crafting project annually, while more than one in four participate in 5+ per year.

The top three craft store chains in the country (Michaels, JOANN, Hobby Lobby) operate nearly 3,000 locations, just among themselves.

Today, I’m offering my six best marketing tips for craft retailers for a more successful and profitable 2020.

First, a quick definition of local search marketing

1. Take a page from my Google scrapbook

2. Weave a strong web presence

Your website

At bare minimum, your website should feature:

Your complete and accurate name, address, phone number, email, and fax number

Clear written driving directions to your place of business from all points of entry

A good text description of everything you sell and offer

An up-to-date list of all upcoming classes and events

Some high-quality photos of your storefront and merchandise

A more sophisticated website can also feature:

Articles and blog posts

Full inventory, including e-commerce shopping

Customer reviews and testimonials

Online classes, webinars and video tutorials

Customer-generated content, including photos, forums, etc.

Your other local listings

Your unstructured citations

Sponsoring or participating in local events, organizations, teams, and causes

Hosting newsworthy happenings that get written up by local journalists

Holding contests and challenges that earn public mention

Joining local business organizations

Cross promoting with related local businesses

Getting featured/interviewed by online crafting magazines, fora, blogs, and videos

Read The Guide to Building Linked Unstructured Citations for Local SEO for more information.

Your social media presence

YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, crafting forums...choices abound! How much time and where you invest in social media should be determined by two things:

What your local competition is doing

Where your potential customers spend social time

3. Abandon fear of ripping out mistakes (and negative reviews)

Reviews = your business’ reputation. It’s as simple (and maybe scary) as that. Consider these statistics about the power of local business reviews:

87% of consumers read local business reviews (BrightLocal)

27% of people who look for local information are actually seeking reviews about a particular store. (Streetfight Mag)

30% of consumers say seeing business owners’ responses to reviews are key to them judging the company. (BrightLocal)

73.8 percent of customers are either likely or extremely likely to continue doing business with a brand that resolves their complaints. (GatherUp)

To be competitive, your craft store must earn reviews. Many business owners feel apprehensive about negative reviews, but the good news is:

Most consumers expect a business to receive some negative reviews. Multiple surveys find that a perfect 5 star rating can look suspicious to shoppers.

4. Craft what online can’t — 5 senses engagement

Consider these three telling statistics:

Over half of consumers prefer to shop in-store to interact with products. (Local Search Association)

80% of U.S. disposable income is spent within 20 miles of home (Access Development)

By 2021, mobile devices alone will influence $1.4 trillion in local sales. (Forrester)

“To survive and thrive, brick-and-mortar stores must now provide experiences that cannot be replicated online.”

5. Learn to read your competitors’ patterns

Local Packs

Maps

Organic results

How can you visualize and strategize for this? You have two options:

6. Open your grab bag

from The Moz Blog https://ift.tt/34uxWdg via IFTTT

#IFTTT #The Moz Blog

0 notes

whitelabelseoreseller · 4 years

Text

6 Local Search Marketing DIY Tips for the Crafting Industry

Posted by MiriamEllis

Think crafting is kids’ stuff? Think again. The owners of quilting, yarn, bead, fabric, woodworking, art supply, stationers, edible arts, and related shops know that:

The crafting industry generated $44 billion in 2016 in the US alone.

63% of American households engage in at least one crafting project annually, while more than one in four participate in 5+ per year.

The top three craft store chains in the country (Michaels, JOANN, Hobby Lobby) operate nearly 3,000 locations, just among themselves.

Today, I’m offering my six best marketing tips for craft retailers for a more successful and profitable 2020.

First, a quick definition of local search marketing

1. Take a page from my Google scrapbook

2. Weave a strong web presence

Your website

At bare minimum, your website should feature:

Your complete and accurate name, address, phone number, email, and fax number

Clear written driving directions to your place of business from all points of entry

A good text description of everything you sell and offer

An up-to-date list of all upcoming classes and events

Some high-quality photos of your storefront and merchandise

A more sophisticated website can also feature:

Articles and blog posts

Full inventory, including e-commerce shopping

Customer reviews and testimonials

Online classes, webinars and video tutorials

Customer-generated content, including photos, forums, etc.

Your other local listings

Your unstructured citations

Sponsoring or participating in local events, organizations, teams, and causes

Hosting newsworthy happenings that get written up by local journalists

Holding contests and challenges that earn public mention

Joining local business organizations

Cross promoting with related local businesses

Getting featured/interviewed by online crafting magazines, fora, blogs, and videos

Read The Guide to Building Linked Unstructured Citations for Local SEO for more information.

Your social media presence

YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, crafting forums...choices abound! How much time and where you invest in social media should be determined by two things:

What your local competition is doing

Where your potential customers spend social time

3. Abandon fear of ripping out mistakes (and negative reviews)

Reviews = your business’ reputation. It’s as simple (and maybe scary) as that. Consider these statistics about the power of local business reviews:

87% of consumers read local business reviews (BrightLocal)

27% of people who look for local information are actually seeking reviews about a particular store. (Streetfight Mag)

30% of consumers say seeing business owners’ responses to reviews are key to them judging the company. (BrightLocal)

73.8 percent of customers are either likely or extremely likely to continue doing business with a brand that resolves their complaints. (GatherUp)

To be competitive, your craft store must earn reviews. Many business owners feel apprehensive about negative reviews, but the good news is:

Most consumers expect a business to receive some negative reviews. Multiple surveys find that a perfect 5 star rating can look suspicious to shoppers.

4. Craft what online can’t — 5 senses engagement

Consider these three telling statistics:

Over half of consumers prefer to shop in-store to interact with products. (Local Search Association)

80% of U.S. disposable income is spent within 20 miles of home (Access Development)

By 2021, mobile devices alone will influence $1.4 trillion in local sales. (Forrester)

“To survive and thrive, brick-and-mortar stores must now provide experiences that cannot be replicated online.”

5. Learn to read your competitors’ patterns

Local Packs

Maps

Organic results

How can you visualize and strategize for this? You have two options:

6. Open your grab bag

from The Moz Blog http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/9375/13073150

#The Moz Blog

0 notes

thanhtuandoan89 · 4 years

Text

6 Local Search Marketing DIY Tips for the Crafting Industry

Posted by MiriamEllis

Think crafting is kids’ stuff? Think again. The owners of quilting, yarn, bead, fabric, woodworking, art supply, stationers, edible arts, and related shops know that:

The crafting industry generated $44 billion in 2016 in the US alone.

63% of American households engage in at least one crafting project annually, while more than one in four participate in 5+ per year.

The top three craft store chains in the country (Michaels, JOANN, Hobby Lobby) operate nearly 3,000 locations, just among themselves.

Today, I’m offering my six best marketing tips for craft retailers for a more successful and profitable 2020.

First, a quick definition of local search marketing

1. Take a page from my Google scrapbook

2. Weave a strong web presence

Your website

At bare minimum, your website should feature:

Your complete and accurate name, address, phone number, email, and fax number

Clear written driving directions to your place of business from all points of entry

A good text description of everything you sell and offer

An up-to-date list of all upcoming classes and events

Some high-quality photos of your storefront and merchandise

A more sophisticated website can also feature:

Articles and blog posts

Full inventory, including e-commerce shopping

Customer reviews and testimonials

Online classes, webinars and video tutorials

Customer-generated content, including photos, forums, etc.

Your other local listings

Your unstructured citations

Sponsoring or participating in local events, organizations, teams, and causes

Hosting newsworthy happenings that get written up by local journalists

Holding contests and challenges that earn public mention

Joining local business organizations

Cross promoting with related local businesses

Getting featured/interviewed by online crafting magazines, fora, blogs, and videos

Read The Guide to Building Linked Unstructured Citations for Local SEO for more information.

Your social media presence

YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, crafting forums...choices abound! How much time and where you invest in social media should be determined by two things:

What your local competition is doing

Where your potential customers spend social time

3. Abandon fear of ripping out mistakes (and negative reviews)

Reviews = your business’ reputation. It’s as simple (and maybe scary) as that. Consider these statistics about the power of local business reviews:

87% of consumers read local business reviews (BrightLocal)

27% of people who look for local information are actually seeking reviews about a particular store. (Streetfight Mag)

30% of consumers say seeing business owners’ responses to reviews are key to them judging the company. (BrightLocal)

73.8 percent of customers are either likely or extremely likely to continue doing business with a brand that resolves their complaints. (GatherUp)

To be competitive, your craft store must earn reviews. Many business owners feel apprehensive about negative reviews, but the good news is:

Most consumers expect a business to receive some negative reviews. Multiple surveys find that a perfect 5 star rating can look suspicious to shoppers.

4. Craft what online can’t — 5 senses engagement

Consider these three telling statistics:

Over half of consumers prefer to shop in-store to interact with products. (Local Search Association)

80% of U.S. disposable income is spent within 20 miles of home (Access Development)

By 2021, mobile devices alone will influence $1.4 trillion in local sales. (Forrester)

“To survive and thrive, brick-and-mortar stores must now provide experiences that cannot be replicated online.”

5. Learn to read your competitors’ patterns

Local Packs

Maps

Organic results

How can you visualize and strategize for this? You have two options:

6. Open your grab bag

0 notes

buitatphu · 4 years

Text

6 Local Search Marketing DIY Tips for the Crafting Industry

Posted by MiriamEllis

Think crafting is kids’ stuff? Think again. The owners of quilting, yarn, bead, fabric, woodworking, art supply, stationers, edible arts, and related shops know that:

The crafting industry generated $44 billion in 2016 in the US alone.

63% of American households engage in at least one crafting project annually, while more than one in four participate in 5+ per year.

The top three craft store chains in the country (Michaels, JOANN, Hobby Lobby) operate nearly 3,000 locations, just among themselves.

Today, I’m offering my six best marketing tips for craft retailers for a more successful and profitable 2020.

First, a quick definition of local search marketing

1. Take a page from my Google scrapbook

2. Weave a strong web presence

Your website

At bare minimum, your website should feature:

Your complete and accurate name, address, phone number, email, and fax number

Clear written driving directions to your place of business from all points of entry

A good text description of everything you sell and offer

An up-to-date list of all upcoming classes and events

Some high-quality photos of your storefront and merchandise

A more sophisticated website can also feature:

Articles and blog posts

Full inventory, including e-commerce shopping

Customer reviews and testimonials

Online classes, webinars and video tutorials

Customer-generated content, including photos, forums, etc.

Your other local listings

Your unstructured citations

Sponsoring or participating in local events, organizations, teams, and causes

Hosting newsworthy happenings that get written up by local journalists

Holding contests and challenges that earn public mention

Joining local business organizations

Cross promoting with related local businesses

Getting featured/interviewed by online crafting magazines, fora, blogs, and videos

Read The Guide to Building Linked Unstructured Citations for Local SEO for more information.

Your social media presence

YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, crafting forums...choices abound! How much time and where you invest in social media should be determined by two things:

What your local competition is doing

Where your potential customers spend social time

3. Abandon fear of ripping out mistakes (and negative reviews)

Reviews = your business’ reputation. It’s as simple (and maybe scary) as that. Consider these statistics about the power of local business reviews:

87% of consumers read local business reviews (BrightLocal)

27% of people who look for local information are actually seeking reviews about a particular store. (Streetfight Mag)

30% of consumers say seeing business owners’ responses to reviews are key to them judging the company. (BrightLocal)

73.8 percent of customers are either likely or extremely likely to continue doing business with a brand that resolves their complaints. (GatherUp)

To be competitive, your craft store must earn reviews. Many business owners feel apprehensive about negative reviews, but the good news is:

Most consumers expect a business to receive some negative reviews. Multiple surveys find that a perfect 5 star rating can look suspicious to shoppers.

4. Craft what online can’t — 5 senses engagement

Consider these three telling statistics:

Over half of consumers prefer to shop in-store to interact with products. (Local Search Association)

80% of U.S. disposable income is spent within 20 miles of home (Access Development)

By 2021, mobile devices alone will influence $1.4 trillion in local sales. (Forrester)

“To survive and thrive, brick-and-mortar stores must now provide experiences that cannot be replicated online.”

5. Learn to read your competitors’ patterns

Local Packs

Maps

Organic results

How can you visualize and strategize for this? You have two options:

6. Open your grab bag

0 notes

paulineberry · 4 years

Text

6 Local Search Marketing DIY Tips for the Crafting Industry

Posted by MiriamEllis

Think crafting is kids’ stuff? Think again. The owners of quilting, yarn, bead, fabric, woodworking, art supply, stationers, edible arts, and related shops know that:

The crafting industry generated $44 billion in 2016 in the US alone.

63% of American households engage in at least one crafting project annually, while more than one in four participate in 5+ per year.

The top three craft store chains in the country (Michaels, JOANN, Hobby Lobby) operate nearly 3,000 locations, just among themselves.

Today, I’m offering my six best marketing tips for craft retailers for a more successful and profitable 2020.

First, a quick definition of local search marketing

1. Take a page from my Google scrapbook

2. Weave a strong web presence

Your website

At bare minimum, your website should feature:

Your complete and accurate name, address, phone number, email, and fax number

Clear written driving directions to your place of business from all points of entry

A good text description of everything you sell and offer

An up-to-date list of all upcoming classes and events

Some high-quality photos of your storefront and merchandise

A more sophisticated website can also feature:

Articles and blog posts

Full inventory, including e-commerce shopping

Customer reviews and testimonials

Online classes, webinars and video tutorials

Customer-generated content, including photos, forums, etc.

Your other local listings

Your unstructured citations

Sponsoring or participating in local events, organizations, teams, and causes

Hosting newsworthy happenings that get written up by local journalists

Holding contests and challenges that earn public mention

Joining local business organizations

Cross promoting with related local businesses

Getting featured/interviewed by online crafting magazines, fora, blogs, and videos

Read The Guide to Building Linked Unstructured Citations for Local SEO for more information.

Your social media presence

YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, crafting forums...choices abound! How much time and where you invest in social media should be determined by two things:

What your local competition is doing

Where your potential customers spend social time

3. Abandon fear of ripping out mistakes (and negative reviews)

Reviews = your business’ reputation. It’s as simple (and maybe scary) as that. Consider these statistics about the power of local business reviews:

87% of consumers read local business reviews (BrightLocal)

27% of people who look for local information are actually seeking reviews about a particular store. (Streetfight Mag)

30% of consumers say seeing business owners’ responses to reviews are key to them judging the company. (BrightLocal)

73.8 percent of customers are either likely or extremely likely to continue doing business with a brand that resolves their complaints. (GatherUp)

To be competitive, your craft store must earn reviews. Many business owners feel apprehensive about negative reviews, but the good news is:

Most consumers expect a business to receive some negative reviews. Multiple surveys find that a perfect 5 star rating can look suspicious to shoppers.

4. Craft what online can’t — 5 senses engagement

Consider these three telling statistics:

Over half of consumers prefer to shop in-store to interact with products. (Local Search Association)

80% of U.S. disposable income is spent within 20 miles of home (Access Development)

By 2021, mobile devices alone will influence $1.4 trillion in local sales. (Forrester)

“To survive and thrive, brick-and-mortar stores must now provide experiences that cannot be replicated online.”

5. Learn to read your competitors’ patterns

Local Packs

Maps

Organic results

How can you visualize and strategize for this? You have two options:

6. Open your grab bag

0 notes

ductrungnguyen87 · 4 years

Text

6 Local Search Marketing DIY Tips for the Crafting Industry

Posted by MiriamEllis

Think crafting is kids’ stuff? Think again. The owners of quilting, yarn, bead, fabric, woodworking, art supply, stationers, edible arts, and related shops know that:

The crafting industry generated $44 billion in 2016 in the US alone.

63% of American households engage in at least one crafting project annually, while more than one in four participate in 5+ per year.

The top three craft store chains in the country (Michaels, JOANN, Hobby Lobby) operate nearly 3,000 locations, just among themselves.

Today, I’m offering my six best marketing tips for craft retailers for a more successful and profitable 2020.

First, a quick definition of local search marketing

1. Take a page from my Google scrapbook

2. Weave a strong web presence

Your website

At bare minimum, your website should feature:

Your complete and accurate name, address, phone number, email, and fax number

Clear written driving directions to your place of business from all points of entry

A good text description of everything you sell and offer

An up-to-date list of all upcoming classes and events

Some high-quality photos of your storefront and merchandise

A more sophisticated website can also feature:

Articles and blog posts

Full inventory, including e-commerce shopping

Customer reviews and testimonials

Online classes, webinars and video tutorials

Customer-generated content, including photos, forums, etc.

Your other local listings

Your unstructured citations

Sponsoring or participating in local events, organizations, teams, and causes

Hosting newsworthy happenings that get written up by local journalists

Holding contests and challenges that earn public mention

Joining local business organizations

Cross promoting with related local businesses

Getting featured/interviewed by online crafting magazines, fora, blogs, and videos

Read The Guide to Building Linked Unstructured Citations for Local SEO for more information.

Your social media presence

YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, crafting forums...choices abound! How much time and where you invest in social media should be determined by two things:

What your local competition is doing

Where your potential customers spend social time

3. Abandon fear of ripping out mistakes (and negative reviews)

Reviews = your business’ reputation. It’s as simple (and maybe scary) as that. Consider these statistics about the power of local business reviews:

87% of consumers read local business reviews (BrightLocal)

27% of people who look for local information are actually seeking reviews about a particular store. (Streetfight Mag)

30% of consumers say seeing business owners’ responses to reviews are key to them judging the company. (BrightLocal)

73.8 percent of customers are either likely or extremely likely to continue doing business with a brand that resolves their complaints. (GatherUp)

To be competitive, your craft store must earn reviews. Many business owners feel apprehensive about negative reviews, but the good news is:

Most consumers expect a business to receive some negative reviews. Multiple surveys find that a perfect 5 star rating can look suspicious to shoppers.

4. Craft what online can’t — 5 senses engagement

Consider these three telling statistics:

Over half of consumers prefer to shop in-store to interact with products. (Local Search Association)

80% of U.S. disposable income is spent within 20 miles of home (Access Development)

By 2021, mobile devices alone will influence $1.4 trillion in local sales. (Forrester)

“To survive and thrive, brick-and-mortar stores must now provide experiences that cannot be replicated online.”

5. Learn to read your competitors’ patterns

Local Packs

Maps

Organic results

How can you visualize and strategize for this? You have two options:

6. Open your grab bag

0 notes

nutrifami · 4 years

Text

6 Local Search Marketing DIY Tips for the Crafting Industry

Posted by MiriamEllis

Think crafting is kids’ stuff? Think again. The owners of quilting, yarn, bead, fabric, woodworking, art supply, stationers, edible arts, and related shops know that:

The crafting industry generated $44 billion in 2016 in the US alone.

63% of American households engage in at least one crafting project annually, while more than one in four participate in 5+ per year.

The top three craft store chains in the country (Michaels, JOANN, Hobby Lobby) operate nearly 3,000 locations, just among themselves.

Today, I’m offering my six best marketing tips for craft retailers for a more successful and profitable 2020.

First, a quick definition of local search marketing

1. Take a page from my Google scrapbook

2. Weave a strong web presence

Your website

At bare minimum, your website should feature:

Your complete and accurate name, address, phone number, email, and fax number

Clear written driving directions to your place of business from all points of entry

A good text description of everything you sell and offer

An up-to-date list of all upcoming classes and events

Some high-quality photos of your storefront and merchandise

A more sophisticated website can also feature:

Articles and blog posts

Full inventory, including e-commerce shopping

Customer reviews and testimonials

Online classes, webinars and video tutorials

Customer-generated content, including photos, forums, etc.

Your other local listings

Your unstructured citations

Sponsoring or participating in local events, organizations, teams, and causes

Hosting newsworthy happenings that get written up by local journalists

Holding contests and challenges that earn public mention

Joining local business organizations

Cross promoting with related local businesses

Getting featured/interviewed by online crafting magazines, fora, blogs, and videos

Read The Guide to Building Linked Unstructured Citations for Local SEO for more information.

Your social media presence

YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, crafting forums...choices abound! How much time and where you invest in social media should be determined by two things:

What your local competition is doing

Where your potential customers spend social time

3. Abandon fear of ripping out mistakes (and negative reviews)

Reviews = your business’ reputation. It’s as simple (and maybe scary) as that. Consider these statistics about the power of local business reviews:

87% of consumers read local business reviews (BrightLocal)

27% of people who look for local information are actually seeking reviews about a particular store. (Streetfight Mag)

30% of consumers say seeing business owners’ responses to reviews are key to them judging the company. (BrightLocal)

73.8 percent of customers are either likely or extremely likely to continue doing business with a brand that resolves their complaints. (GatherUp)

To be competitive, your craft store must earn reviews. Many business owners feel apprehensive about negative reviews, but the good news is:

Most consumers expect a business to receive some negative reviews. Multiple surveys find that a perfect 5 star rating can look suspicious to shoppers.

4. Craft what online can’t — 5 senses engagement

Consider these three telling statistics:

Over half of consumers prefer to shop in-store to interact with products. (Local Search Association)

80% of U.S. disposable income is spent within 20 miles of home (Access Development)

By 2021, mobile devices alone will influence $1.4 trillion in local sales. (Forrester)

“To survive and thrive, brick-and-mortar stores must now provide experiences that cannot be replicated online.”

5. Learn to read your competitors’ patterns

Local Packs

Maps

Organic results

How can you visualize and strategize for this? You have two options:

6. Open your grab bag

0 notes