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  1. 9 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Marketing Budget

    Sticker shock has, unfortunately, become the norm. It seems no matter where you go, prices are going up. Consequently, budgets at both home and work are being stretched like an out of shape rubber band. However, when it comes to the business world the old adage is still true, “You have to spend money to make money”.

    If you are looking for ways to boost your business, cutting out marketing expenses is not the answer. After all, how can you build your business’ bottom line if people don’t know who you are or what you have to offer?

  2. Benefits of SEO

    SEO Versus Google Ads – What Works the Best?

    Which is better – investing in SEO or Google Ads? While it might seem like a very simple question, there is no such thing as a simple answer. In fact, according to a recent report based on just over 1,000 marketing professionals and business owners whose both organic and paid search tactics the results were nearly tied. 

    More than three quarters said both were effective, however, if forced to pick just one, 36% lean towards SEO and 64% opt for Google Ads.  Some of the criteria each of the approaches were based included effectiveness, benefits, importance, simplicity and cost.  However, it should also be noted that a separate survey found that only 30% of Small Business Owners had an SEO strategy. When done well, the cost of SEO and using Google Ads are typically about the same if you have to hire an agency to perform the SEO and a writer to develop all your content each week.

    So, when it comes to choosing to focus on SEO or Google ads, how do you determine where to put your efforts? The short answer is most businesses should be implementing both strategies. Each strategy has advantages and disadvantages over the other. But assuming you only have the resources to pursue one strategy first, let’s take a few minutes to compare and contrast the two.

  3. Social Media Marketing: Predictions for 2016

    The abundance of new social media platforms emerging practically overnight has given new meaning to the adage “Social media never sleeps.” Have you checked out Periscope (live streaming)? Blab (live personal “talk show” chat)? Yik Yak (anonymous local conversations/chat)?

    These are just a few of the new sites and apps seeking to tap into the ‘social’ scene — which the Pew Research Center found to include 65 percent of adults in the U.S. (October 2015).

    Meanwhile, established players in the field such as Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus are introducing new capabilities in order to remain in the game.

  4. Email Marketing on Steroids: Mailchimp Introduces “Pro”

    “It is now 44 years since the first email was sent and its hard earned status as one of the strongest weapons in the marketer’s arsenal shows no signs of diminishing,” reads the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) National Client Email Report 2015.

    How is this weapon working for your business? Are you ready to take it to the next level?

    For small business email ‘power users,’ there’s a new tool available – MailChimp Pro. Designed with small businesses in mind, it’s targeted to those with lists of 50,000 or more who want to ramp up their email campaign results to grow their business.

  5. Customer Feedback: Are You Listening?

    Businesses of all sizes have a valuable resource right at hand for improving the success rate of their products and services — yet many often never tap into it. What is it? Customer feedback.

    Recently, Website Magazine featured an article by Kevin Dunne entitled, “Check Your Ego: How to Avoid Killing Customer Feedback,” which addresses the importance of hearing from and listening to your customers.

    “To succeed in a fast-paced world with increasing customer expectations, development teams need agility. Agility means adapting product to customer, and that agility can only come from visibility into what the customer really wants,” writes Dunne.

  6. Google Places Helps Customers Find Your Business

    Where do you turn when you’re looking for a local business? Chances are you pull up Google and search either by business name or service. Gone are the days when you turn to the big Yellow Pages phone book stored on a shelf.

    Google Places is the new ”Yellow Pages.” This is particularly good news if you are a small business owner (especially one with a brick-and-mortar location) because Google Places listings are free. By simply claiming your listing and keeping it updated, you help customers and prospects find your business – both virtually and physically.

  7. 12 Social Media Tips from the Pros

    Has scanning the available training resources for social media left you overwhelmed and wondering where to begin? There seems to be an endless supply of books, blog posts, videos, workshops and webinars addressing the “how to’s” of social media for small business. At Page Progressive, we strive to simplify internet marketing — including social media — for our small business and non-profit clients. So, we’re dedicating this post to 12 social media tips from the pros featured recently on a Hootsuite webinar.

    Social media marketing gurus Peg Fitzpatrick and Guy Kawasaki focused their comments on the “four kings” – Facebook, Google+, Pinterest and Twitter. Here are the highlights:

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