Update on my gas tank situation. Apparently when I sort of drove over the curb, it sort of snapped the strap that holds a gas tank up. Garage wants $500 to fix it. Feels like a search marketer telling me for $500 he'll get me top listing on Google. Is it a good deal? Can I fix it myself if I just have the right parts? What to do? Decision tomorrow.
Wow.....so I looked at Retaggr and just got overwhelmed with how many options there are for creating your online profile and how many potential feeds there are into that profile, including representations of 'me' in stuff as obscure as MisterWong. How is a Small Business supposed to make the decision to be in all of those places? What's the right master set of information?
I will say this. One thing many small businesses don't know is that all of the major search engines, business listings, yellow pages and directories pull their information about local businesses from a couple of 'aggregators' (infoXXX style folks) that define the standard data structures for businesses (like name, address, hours of operation, industry, etc.) and then provide this information in a structured format to the listings.
So for small businesses, whatever profile you decide to call home base, make sure it can collect that structured info in the required format and submit it to the directories and listings on your behalf. Having a great profile that is never found is useless.
At CloudProfile, we do this through our 'Get Listed' service, which collects and submits that structured info to over 40 of the top engines, directories, etc.
But it's not enough to have a profile and be submitted. You have to engage in the conversation. Even a post a week will keep you current and exciting for prospects. So start talking and use the power of your own voice.
So as noted yesterday, this morning I met with my brother, synced his profile to his existing Facebook account, and created him a Twitter Account. Also synced. Already has 20 bogus followers on Twitter, so I'll need to educate him on Twitter clean-up. Showed him how someone searching for stonemason in CT in Twitter would already find him based on the first syndicated post. He was impressed. Excited about the ability to email in photos, SMS in updates and have his word and vision for great stonework spread far and wide.
Next step is some more profile information about past jobs, photos, etc to complete the experience.
Okay...so none of us are really sure how things like Twitter will ultimately matter in small business marketing, but a few weeks ago I was in Washington, DC staying at a friend's house and I went to Twitter and searched on 'Best Pizza in Adam's Morgan' or something like that because it was late and I was hungry. A handful of results came back, ALL of them from consumers. Not a single business Tweet talking about their great pizza, or a special discount they might be running. And who can blame them. They're busy making pizza.
But with CloudProfile they could have sent that update all over the web, including Facebook and Twitter, just by posting to CloudProfile online - or even via email (like from a Blackberry or iPhone) or text message. Even if it was just a link to 'good pizza tonight, ask for a coupon', I might have been interested and they would have had a leg up on my business.
Here is a video from Matt Howard on how Facebook and Twitter integration with CloudProfile can work for you.
You may not know how it will work for you, but rest assured I can tell you how it won't.....
Can you afford to NOT be part of the conversation?
Okay - so Day 1 of the CloudProfile Case Study. I set up my brother's CloudProfile today at Brooks Stone. If you need stonework in CT, he's your man.
Just started and need to connect with my brother to start populating content such that the site will be indexed by the spiders. Will also submit his business to the CloudProfile Get Listed service such that his information is syndicated out to all the search engines, business directories, info411 listings and more.
Tonight I'll be getting him set up on Twitter and Facebook to begin the process of social discovery and will also need to get a bunch of the photos of his work.
Learn more and get your own CloudProfile site FREE from CloudProfile in just a few minutes.
