Keep It Simple??

Tell the audience what you’re going to tell them.

Tell them.

Tell them what you told them.

Practice and Prepare

The chances are that your boss told you to fill in and present in their place and you don’t have time to practice your presentation – make time. Prepare, know your content so you can speak to the audience and not at the screen or monitor like a PowerPoint ‘see and say’. Those are the worst. Never ‘wing’ a presentation, it won’t go well.

If you are new at presenting, have someone watch you and note areas you can improve. You also can record yourself and wince at your mistakes. Better to get those out of the way before the big day.

Create a Pre-Presentation Routine

Routines make us comfortable like a warm blanket and kittens. Put together your own pre-presentation routine to get comfortable before you present. Walkthrough the presentation to work out the final kinks if need be, but remember to breathe, smile, and relax.

Be Early

Nothing is worse than showing up late to your own funeral – which is what it will feel like if you are late to your own presentation. If you’re late to your own online presentation you might as well update your resume. Nobody likes to wait. Respect your audience and start on-time and be ready early. If 2020 has taught us anything it’s to expect the unexpected. Don’t let something tank your presentation before it starts and be early to tackle anything that happens.

Know Your Audience

Avoid using jargon and acronyms your audience has never heard of just to sound smart – you’re not. Use relatable examples they can understand and don’t bore them.

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Stop Using Filler Words

Filler words will kill your presentation and tank your audiences’ attention. Filler words are classics we all hate, ‘umm, kinda, sorta, you know, like…’. This is a presenters’ number 1 challenge – how to keep the presentation flowing without sounding like this is your first presentation.

Here are some great tips to stop using filler words:

• Replace filler words with pauses
• Get comfortable with silence
• When you practice, practice louder so you can hear your filler words.
• When you practice, replace filler word with ‘pause’ or ‘period’.
• When presenting, say ‘pause’ or ‘period’ in your head to replace filler word
• Record yourself presenting and count the filler words

Slow Down

We think faster than we talk, but when we present, we do our best to talk as fast as we think and that’s a problem. We all do it when we are nervous so don’t beat yourself up over it, I really need to improve in this area myself. Remember to pause, breathe, smile, and keep going. Slowing down gives us time to focus and to breath – two really important things to do when presenting.

Don’t Read the Slides

You put together the presentation which means you know the content. Reading the slides insults your audience, loses their interest, and is a terrible way to present. To make the presentation better, share the key takeaway or main point from each slide in your own words, and then read that one portion of the slide that drives your point home.

Use the Power of Repetition

Repeating key points throughout your presentation helps reinforce your key messaging and makes your presentation more memorable. When you present, you are telling a story and throughout that story, you hit key milestones that communicate the topic of your presentation. There is a reason we see the same ads on TV or on the radio. Repeat the good stuff to be remembered.

Demonstrate Proper Body Language

In the day of Zoom, this tip is critical. You’re on camera in your home and how you present yourself matters. How you present yourself matters! Slumped over a keyboard or not having a camera on, showing you are not engaged are all failures in our world of online presentations. When you sit up straight it gives you confidence and makes you a better presenter. When presenting in person, likewise, have good posture and use voice inflection to emphasize key points.

Never Run Over Your Allotted Presentation Time

You practiced and know how much time you need. Make sure you leave enough time at the end for Q&A. If this is a recurring meeting or presentation, you don’t want to schedule another meeting because you ran out of time.

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Watch Other Presentations

Presenting is not easy but you can learn a lot by watching other presentations. It will give you an opportunity to note what you can improve as well as incorporate it into your presentations. Being a good presenter is a journey and we all can improve if we look to continually approve our skills.

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Immediate and instantaneous are common themes of today’s digital climate; however, when it comes to SEO, the timeline to results is more long-term. Search engines consider such a high quantity of variables when ranking websites, and search behavior is constantly changing, which makes it nearly impossible to determine exactly when a website should start seeing results. SEO takes an incredible amount of work, so the hope to see positive changes quickly is understandable. It might be hard to digest that a realistic timeframe to begin seeing results is between 4-12 months, but the good news is that such a journey will lead to sustainable growth.

As noted above, an exact timeframe of when a website should start seeing results cannot accurately be determined, but we can make an educated guess by looking at a typical SEO campaign month-by-month.

A Year of SEO

The beginning of an SEO strategy consists of planning and research. To get a sense of what components are currently working and what needs improvement, an SEO audit of your website is the first step. A review of the following areas provides useful insights as to what elements of your site need the most attention, such as:

● Content
● Site Structure
● Site Speed
● Code
● User Experience

In addition to the audit, the initial stages of SEO are used to fully understand your industry and how you can create a strategy that considers trends, competitors, and search behavior. This information will ultimately influence your keyword research and planning because your website will need supporting content for any keywords you would like the site to show for during a search query.

The next step is to prioritize action items that will help progress the necessary work needed to accomplish your SEO goals. Using this list, create a project schedule which will help to organize work. Not sure where to start? The SEO team at Anvil can perform a wide range of extensive audits that are tailored to your needs.

3-5 Months
Around the third month, work on the website should begin and proceed according to the predetermined schedule. One of the larger tasks of an SEO campaign is content development based upon the list of target keywords. Writing compelling, unique, and valuable content for each page on a website can take time, and because content is such a crucial element of SEO performance, this should be started as soon as possible.

Around the 4-5 month mark is when subtle improvements should start to be noticed. Rankings might start to improve, organic traffic shows consistent positive-growth, or perhaps conversions start to increase. It is also likely that you may not see results yet. Again, there are not only a substantial number of factors that play into SEO, but the competitiveness of your industry could also be delaying progress.

6+ Months
This is typically about the time results should be seen. Yes, first-page rankings are the ultimate goal, but SEO focuses on other achievements that accompany larger business goals such as:

● Increasing the amount of organic, unpaid traffic that visits your website.
● Improving the quality of leads.
● Driving more conversions, such as phone calls or downloads.
● Expanding the overall visibility of your website across search engines.
● Creating a positive user experience.

Remember, SEO is not a short-term endeavor, and the work is never finished. Search engine algorithms are always evolving to best align with consumer behavior, which means that securing a timeframe to experience results will never be possible. However, the result of dedicated, ongoing SEO work is an abundance of benefits with minimal marketing cost. Are you looking to harness the power of SEO with the guidance and support of experts? Contact Anvil today!

Streaming Services

As a marketer piecing together your Paid Media Plan, video content could provide an efficient path to an extensive reach of fine-tuned targeted audiences across a multitude of ad supported streaming services and OTT options, vast social media platforms, website and app networks, programmatic providers…the list goes on. Not to mention the format and placement options have the potential to be as effective as possible in delivering the right message and visual to key buyers of the product/brand or service. Like most ads, you also have the ability to control the customer journey with the clickable factor leading a viewer closer to a conversion point.

2020 provided us with the derailment of normal life for the majority of the year due to the pandemic Covid-19, and the stay-at-home lock downs during Q1 and most of Q2 accelerated the viewership and streaming of video content. Nielsen recently reported some amazing streaming consumption stats, indicating viewership is up 74% compared to 2019. And the stats aren’t just coming from the top-of-mind, larger streaming sites such as Netflix, YouTube, and Hulu. The data also reports that almost 25% of total consumption is beyond the core, top 5 platforms. Take note marketers: this is a power moment for video strategy at all budget-levels in a highly engaged landscape.

Content Marketing

While putting dollars behind a video ad campaign is one option, it may not be feasible for all advertisers. However, content marketing on organic levels can be just as effective. There are benefits to producing and uploading video content designed strategically to support important KPIs that measure towards overall brand growth and sustained engagement objectives. Moreover, sprinkle some SEO (Search Engine Optimization) magic to help boost the optimal opportunity for discoverability and it becomes a truly powerful marketing asset.

Video Marketing Strategy

So where to start? We rounded out the top three main tips below on how to organize and position your video content strategy:

1. “Why?” What is your video content’s purpose?
2. “Who?” Know your audience as well as you know your product or service.
3. “Where?” Tailor your content to the intended platform, whether it’s your owned website or social pages.

Data, data, data. Content creation is balanced on the capability of strong creativity and, more importantly, understanding insights or analytics. Ultimately, same as every other consumer touch-point, it should be optimized to effectively catch the attention, keep the audience engaged, and deliver a purpose. Being able to answer a “why” behind it to avoid falling short on desired outcome, and resources used, is key.

One example: say you are a small business service provider looking to build a credibility footprint in your industry area and raise one up against competitors, you may want to target producing education-focused videos that provide evergreen value for consumers while establishing the expertise needed to drive consideration towards further engagement. Testimonials, or even case study, videos that provide benchmark comparisons all serve a purpose and support the sales funnel. Ask: where does your brand or service fall short and could benefit from optimized video content?

Data research platforms used heavily in SEO practices, such as SemRush can also help identify top keywords and search queries for an industry, or even to gain competitor insights. These tools are especially useful in discovering new ideas for video content targeting highly searched topics.

Know Your Audience

The intended audience is just as important. Having a purpose, but not customizing the content to the style and needs of your potentially new and existing customers would not be doing any favors to capture the attention or retention. If access to audience data research platforms and/or providers are not an option, there are other, simple ways to gather intel:

• Leverage your own brand or service website analytics. What are the sitemap pages, specific blog content (if applicable), popular products, FAQ searches mostly clicked on, number of users visited, time spent on site telling you? These types of data points could ignite the spark to opportunities to create specific videos to address certain support areas (think: “how to”).
• Owned social media pages and profiles are your best options for testing and optimizing what best resonates with followers and customers. What does the engagement look like with traditional posts or even current videos? Are the view-through rates high or drop off early? What do the comments, or questions asked, indicate about your content? Is a video post-reaction consistently better versus others?
• Are competitors building up a massive library of brand videos? What are the identifiable strategies in their video content? (I.e. how are they targeting tone? What are they specifically communicating? Are any video types noticeably higher engaged with on social?) Build a set of key questions that can serve as benchmark to finding opportunities of differentiation or improvement.

Another general rule-of-thumb is mindfulness of the varying platform formats and intended consumption. A purposeful visitor with an intent to solve a specific inquiry from a website may stay longer, viewing a video of greater length than a minute. For example: a demo or educational video or perhaps a particularly high piece of brand entertainment. However, it is less likely for that same person to consume the same video on Twitter. Formats also play a large role in how to plan for visual/audio edits, like Instagram’s Carousel (1-minute length per card), and Instagram Stories (15 seconds each) which has potential for highly engaging short form story telling. Sprout Social provides a continuous updated consolidation to social media specs here which could come in handy for production.

For a full, deep dive into SEO services and content marketing strategy, contact us at Anvil to discuss how we can support!

Image Extensions in Search Ads

Google has added the option for image extensions in Google search. This provides advertisers the ability to add an image to an ad that would typically be only text to give it a boost in the search results. This feature is currently in Beta, and some advertisers can get access to it if requested, but they are anticipating it rolling out to across all industries within the next few months.

Updates for App Campaigns Aimed to Simplify

Google recently announced some updates to simplify app campaigns, they include simplified image requirements (ratio based rather than pixel based), and the option to use a maximize conversions bid strategy. This is likely the first of many updates to make app campaigns more user friendly and streamlined.

YouTube Ad Video Creation

There have been multiple updates to YouTube features over the last few months. The two most notable, is the ability to create and edit videos within YouTube’s platform, and the option to use lead generation forms in YouTube ads. The video editing tool isn’t a robust editing/creation tool but for companies who don’t have the in-house capabilities to edit video, but want to create some content now have a way of doing so quickly and easily.? The lead generation forms in YouTube ads comes on the heels of other platforms such as Facebook, Google Search ads, and LinkedIn, using this feature to allow people to click and fill out a form right from the ad, rather than going to a landing page. It provides an easy and user-friendly option, especially for people at the bottom of the funnel.

Larger Text for First Headline

Within the last week or two Google rolled out a feature that will enhance the first headline of an ad with larger text, and then have a second “sub headline” underneath, both clickable. This will encourage advertisers to evaluate their ad copy to ensure the large headline is the one they would want prioritized. The specifics of this feature are not fully known as of now, such as whether or not it will apply to all ads, only the first ad, or just the ads that show above organic results, as it’s in Beta and only being used for a few specific advertisers/industries as of now. If it is only going to apply to ads at the top of the page or in the first position it will also encourage advertisers to make sure their ads are optimized so that their ad shows in this format. But assuming the results are good this feature should be more widely rolled out in the coming months.

Call Recording Feature

Google Ads has always provided a call tracking feature to be able to track where calls came from, but now it’s offering the option to record the calls that come in from ads in an effort to help advertisers better qualify their ads and to be able to go back and listen to calls for reference.? This option does require advertisers to let Google add a preset disclaimer at the beginning of calls to let the caller know that the call is being recorded. So assuming that’s not a deal breaker, this feature will help provide insight and the ability to relisten to calls, as well as see call duration, and tracking data to help inform strategy going forward.

Shopping Ads Product Material Information

Shopping Ads has recently added the ability to provide information within feeds about the material that a product is made from to be displayed in the shopping ad. This is a small thing, and only shows in small text at the bottom of the product visual, but it provides buyers with more insight, without having to click through to the website. For people who are looking for products made from certain materials, due to allergies, or other factors, this will make for a much better user experience.

All six will play a role in overall performance and provide value as well as a better user experience. We are excited to see how the features still in Beta will look when the fully roll out.

What is SEO writing?

SEO writing is the process of planning, writing, and fully optimizing a website’s on-page content with the goal of ranking well in a search engine results page. A website that is well written for SEO should focus on the keyword or query of a user, covering only what the searcher wants to know. Digressing into tangents or changing to a subject different than what was advertised will likely cause users to leave your site and can dilute your keyword relevancy.

In writing for SEO, keywords should be used naturally within the flow of the article and appear anywhere from 4-5 times for every 400 words. Going overboard on the use of keywords is what we call keyword-stuffing and is not a viable or useful tactic in the eyes of Google and other search engines.

While there are many other aspects to writing for SEO, writing content that is grammatically sound, clear in focus, and concise is incredibly important. Users may be able to forgive a few small issues, but the more they spot errors or faults in the writing, the less likely they are to trust the content. Writing well is a key component to demonstrating expertise, authority, and trustworthiness.

What is White Hat SEO?

White Hat SEO, and its counterpart Black Hat SEO, refer to the methods and practices that a webmaster uses to optimize a website. White Hat tactics are SEO tactics that fall in line with the policies, terms, and conditions of the major search engines (the good guys). White Hat SEO generally avoids any penalty or warnings against their website by using the principles and accepted methods laid out within the respective search engines terms of service. Examples of these include:

• Creating strong keyword-focused content.
• Using structured data to markup information on your website so Google and other search engines can more easily crawl and understand the site.
• Optimizing the site for mobile accessibility.
• Creating a site that loads fast on any device.
• Writing and implementing keyword-focused title tags and meta descriptions as well as using a logical heading structure within your content.
• Optimizing the site for user experience to ensure its easy to navigate.

Generally, if you use common sense when optimizing a website, and do not partake in any activities meant to purposefully deceive the search engines or user, you are wearing your white hat.

What is Black Hat SEO?

The antithesis of White Hat SEO is Black Hat SEO. Black Hat SEO employs tactics and practices that are not inline with the accepted best practices, guidelines, and terms of service laid out by search engines. Black Hat SEOs are generally considered unethical and these tactics can lead to penalties and outright banishment from search engines.

A webmaster engaging in Black Hat SEO is usually looking for a quick and easy way to boost a page’s ranking within a search engine results page. Some of the most common forms of black Hat SEO include but are not limited to:

• Hidden Text or Links.
• Creating pages with plagiarized content and claiming it as your own.
• Link manipulation or link schemes, including purchasing links.
• Sneaky redirects that send a visitor to a different URL from their original request.
• Pages with malicious intent like phishing, viruses, or malware.
• Other examples can be found on Google’s webmaster guidelines support pages.

Anvil strives to always remain in the realm of White Hat SEO. If you would like an assessment of your site to make sure you are following the best white hat SEO practices, contact Anvil Media.

What is Local SEO?

Local SEO is a subset of Search Engine Optimization focused on targeting and ranking for searches in your businesses’ local area. Local SEO is great for businesses of any size that operate within a geographic area or out of a brick and mortar location.

At its root, Local SEO is about ensuring a potential customer in your geographic service area can find your business and visit your website. Much like traditional SEO, the core of successful Local SEO is having a well-optimized site that is easy-to-use and provides the user with clear, concise information related to their query. Some of the key elements of local SEO include:

• Ensuring your business’s name, address, and phone number (NAP) are accurately and clearly displayed on your website.
• Performing keyword research and optimizing the businesses website for local terms.
  • There are several local keyword research tactics including creating service/location terms, looking for keyword ideas on local message boards like Craigslist, and researching the terms your competitors are ranking for.
• Creating listings on Google My Business, Bing Places, Apple Maps, Yelp, and other locally focused directories.
  • With any listing created across the web you want to make sure your NAP is always accurate and consistent across the web.
• Managing your reputation.
  • With local rating sites like Yelp, it is important to monitor your reputation among your local customers. While the goal is to always provide a level of service that will earn you the best score, managing any negative reviews in a constructive and helpful manor can help demonstrate your dedication to your customers.

If you would like to learn more about how Anvil Media approaches SEO you can view our Anvil Media Search Engine Optimization Services.

Conclusion

Search engine optimization is a multifaceted and complex set of practices and concepts that marketers use to help build, update, and maintain a website. We hope this article answered a few of your questions regarding SEO. If you or your team have any questions about SEO or are curious to learn more about how Anvil Media can help optimize your web presence visit our website today!

Why did you choose a career in digital marketing?

RM: Digital Marketing combines all my passions into one, and this industry allows for endless innovation and creativity that can change people’s lives. Additionally, digital marketing is constantly evolving which means you never stop learning or growing.

What originally attracted you to Anvil?

RM: The fact that Anvil was not only a successful agency, but their core values and passion for the work they do inspire me to be my best.

What is the favorite part of your job at Anvil?

RM: Helping our clients accomplish their business goals by providing insights and recommendations that develop from extensive research and data analysis.

Who is your favorite Anvil client and why?

RM: It is hard to pick a favorite as I’m only two weeks in and they all seem great. However, I would say Coastal is my favorite thus far because they are great to strategize with, and I am excited about the opportunities to help them grow.

What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment to-date at Anvil and why?

RM: Each of my first reporting calls went very well, and I have been able to provide substantial recommendations to clients that will make significant improvements.

What digital marketing influencers, blogs, podcasts, or publications do you find most informative for your career?

RM: In addition to the popular Search Engine Land and Search Engine Journal, I really enjoy learning from Backlinko. There are always highly creative strategies with straightforward explanation.

We appreciate Rachel for taking a few minutes to answer our questions. With a drive and passion for search engine optimization, she’s helped our clients’ accounts reach new heights. Keep reading our blog for more industry information and news about Anvil Media Inc.

Why did you choose a career in digital marketing?

JC: From my college days at Portland State University I became very interested in digital advertising and learning about the platforms we use every day. With the surge of social media, I knew companies had to take advantage of these platforms to stay competitive in their industries. I knew this was the right industry and I can’t wait to see where it takes me.

What originally attracted you to Anvil?

JC: Anvil first caught my attention when I was researching marketing agencies in Portland, OR. I was looking for a company where I would be a good fit for where I was at in my career. Thankfully, they liked me and I am glad to be working at a top tier agency in the Northwest.

What is the favorite part of your job at Anvil?

JC: I enjoy working on different projects every day from social, email, SEM, and whatever falls on my plate. Everyone at Anvil is great to work with and very collaborative to make sure our clients get the most out of their advertising spend. Our Friday after work happy hours are also fun.

Who is your favorite Anvil client and why?

JC: My favorite Anvil client is Inspire Fitness. I have a passion for working out and I feel that I can relate very well to them and what they are trying to achieve digitally.

What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment to-date at Anvil and why?

JC: I’m new to Anvil, but I can’t wait to help our clients achieve digital success. I look forward to the challenges ahead and am excited to begin my journey here.

What digital marketing influencers, blogs, podcasts, or publications do you find most informative for your career?

JC: I enjoy listening to marketing podcasts when I am out walking my dog or relaxing at home. Some of my favorites are The Social Media Examiner and Marketing Over Coffee. I also like to spend time on LinkedIn reading articles and digital marketing news. At Anvil, we have weekly meetings where we present industry news that is helpful in our line of work.

We appreciate Jared for taking a few minutes to answer our questions. We are excited to have him and his skillset at Anvil. Keep reading our blog for more industry information and news about Anvil Media Inc.

What is the boycott?

Facebook has been under fire for allowing posts that promote hate speech, threats of violence, and misinformation on its platform. While other platforms like Twitter have taken down similar posts that promoted this behavior, Facebook has chosen not to. The Facebook ads boycott is a movement that encourages brands not to spend their advertising budgets on Facebook and Instagram for July. The #StopHateforProfit campaign, and others, who advocate for equal rights are hoping the boycott will influence Facebook to change its policies on these issues. As we are over halfway through July, it is very interesting to see how companies have responded to this.

How is this impacting Facebook?

Facebook made over $69 Billion in ad revenue in 2019, according to Statista. While that may seem like a lot, there are about 8 million advertisers that spend their advertising budgets with Facebook every year, most of them are small to medium-sized businesses, according to Marketwatch.?

While more large corporations are boycotting than small businesses, Facebook will only lose out on a small fraction of their ad revenue in July. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said, “We’re not gonna change our policies or approach on anything because of a threat to a small percent of our revenue, or to any percent of our revenue,” according to The Information. Facebook does not seem worried about the boycott and is expecting things to return to normal soon. If the boycott continues, Zuckerberg may have a different opinion on the situation. Only time will tell.?

How does this impact advertising?

A basic rule of digital advertising is that the more competition there is for ad space, the higher the costs are to advertise and the less competition there is, the cheaper costs are to advertise. With that being said, Facebook is seeing slightly lower costs on their platform. This is not something to go crazy about, but you can get more bang for your buck. If the boycott continues into August or September, we expect to see costs to lower as Facebook will need to fill ad space.?

If you are curious how Anvil can help you succeed on social media please read about our services here.

Who has stopped their advertising on Facebook?

Hundreds of companies around the world have joined in the boycott of Facebook advertising. The highest-spending 100 brands accounted for $4.2 billion in Facebook advertising last year, according to Pathmatics data, or about 6% of the platform’s ad revenue. Some of the well-known companies are Adidas, Coca-Cola, Starbucks, Ben & Jerry’s, and Patagonia. You can read the full list of companies here. As more and more companies jump on board the boycott, Facebook does not seem worried that the boycott will last long. Facebook CEO and Founder Mark Zuckerberg said, “ My guess is that all these advertisers will be back on the platform soon enough.”?

Should my company stop advertising?

At Anvil, we have gotten many questions from businesses on whether or not they should join the boycott of Facebook advertising. At this moment, we ask you and your business to consider your company values and well-being to see if this is something your business wants to support. We, unfortunately, can’t make these difficult decisions for you, but we can give you some insights to both sides.

If you decide to boycott Facebook advertising, you can promote that you are not supporting Facebook as they are allowing hate on their platform. We recommend promoting this by releasing a press release statement to tell your customers and followers that you won’t tolerate this behavior. This could be a great public relations gesture that could be even more beneficial for your brand reputation. We also highly recommend steering your advertising efforts toward Google or Bing, to not lose momentum.

On the flip side, if you choose to continue advertising, there has been less competition for ad space leading to lower costs while the big advertising giants take a break in July. If you decide to continue advertising, it does not mean you support hate speech and Facebook’s approach to this behavior. With Covid-19 present and cases skyrocketing daily in some areas, businesses have had to close retail stores, reschedule events, and cancel other revenue streams. Digital advertising may be the last way for you and your business to bring in revenue or stay afloat during these unknown times. If this is the case, we recommend making this decision very clear to your customers as to why you are not joining the boycott.?

In summary, the Facebook ad boycott is happening, and while many companies participating, others are not. It is up to you and your company to decide whether or not to boycott Facebook advertising at this time. And, as your partner in digital, Anvil will be here to give you a better understanding of the situation and clarify any questions you may have.?

For more information on how Anvil can assist you in social media advertising and in other digital platforms please contact us.

What is Google My Business?

Google My Business is a free platform that allows businesses to connect with customers. The goal of your listing is to let your customers know you provide what they need and that you are a reputable business. While the standard details such as your company name, address, and phone number are important, there are several other features to utilize.? An optimized Google My Business profile is also crucial for SEO as it is one of the best ways to work your way into the local 3-pack. Go beyond the basics to drive more views and engagement from Google users.???

Google Reviews

The biggest influence on a customer’s decision to purchase is reviews. In fact, 97% of people say reviews affect their buying decision. Google reviews not only confirm your trustworthiness, but you can prove you truly care about your customers.

• Overall Rating is not the only thing that matters. The number of reviews is important as well as how recent the reviews are. If your listing has not received any reviews in a few months, it is time to get some new ones.?
• Respond to your reviews whether they are good or bad.?
• Do not fear to get a few negative reviews. Studies have shown that a perfect 5.0 rating can seem unrealistic, which means the sweet spot falls between 4.5 – 4.8?

The easiest way to start getting reviews is to involve your entire team. For every positive interaction with a customer, there should be a review request that immediately follows. For more information on the value of reviews, check out our previous blog post: Customer Reviews: a Digital Marketing Goldmine

Photos

Represent your brand, products, services, and more by regularly updating photos to your listing. Photos attract engagement with your profile which impacts visibility. While the focus should be on quality over quantity, it is recommended that new photos be uploaded at least once per week It is also important to remember the purpose behind uploading photos should revolve around your customers, not to simply rank higher.?

Services Offered

What can you do for customers? How can you let searchers know your business provides a service they need? Google My Business allows you to add services to your listing either by choosing from auto-suggestions or by adding your own custom service. The best way to add services is to reference the information on your website.?

Product Highlights

In Google’s own words “The Product Editor allows merchants to build a presence on mobile and the computer to showcase their products and drive consumer interactions. Consumers will see a more curated showcase of a store’s products on the Business Profile Products tab on mobile, or the Product Overview module on the computer.”

There are two methods to choose from when adding products to your Google My Business profile:

1. Add individual products you would like to highlight.
2. Add product categories to show a more generalized product offering.?

Products can then be linked to pages on your website which means a user can discover your listing, browse your products, click-through to your site, and make a purchase.?

Google My Business Posts

Posts on Google My Business help to increase local visibility, highlight any promotions or events, and boost organic traffic through linking posts to your website. Posts display towards the bottom of your profile and give searchers more insight into your business. Google My Business posts also have several call-to-action buttons to choose from, which include:?

• Book
• Order Online
• Buy
• Learn More
• Sign Up
• Get Offer
• Call No

Similar to products, you can link a post directly to a page on your website. Posts are incredibly easy to create and effective in terms of increasing engagement. One of the easiest ways to get in the habit of publishing posts is to incorporate Google My Business into your social media strategy.?

COVID Updates

The coronavirus pandemic forced businesses everywhere to adapt their marketing strategies. Once quarantines began, online shopping and presence became the immediate focal point. Because of this, Google added new attributes that allow businesses to communicate how they are operating during these times. These attributes include:

• Online Care
• Online Appointment
• Online Estimates
• Online Classes

Optimizing your Google My Business listing for COVID-19 times will show customers you are still operating and available to them.?

Google My Business is a great opportunity for businesses to connect with their customers. Profiles that are fully optimized and regularly updated are more likely to rank higher, and if you ever want to show in the map pack, you absolutely need a Google My Business profile. For more information about optimizing your Google My Business listing,?contact Anvil.

We’re excited to partner this quarter with the Urban League of Portland, empowering Black communities in Oregon and Southwest Washington since 1945. Urban League of Portland is one of Oregon’s oldest civil rights and social service organizations, empowering African-Americans and others to achieve equality in education, employment, health, economic security and quality of life.

We began our Charity of Choice program because we wanted to bring value to local organizations through our work, as opposed to monetary assistance. This is a staple on which our President and Founder, Kent Lewis, has founded Anvil. He prides himself on forming a team that wants to contribute to the community, to delight and elevate it. You can learn more about it on our community outreach page.

Past winners have included The Oregon Humane Society, Mercy Corps Northwest, Blue Mountain Wildlife, among others. Thank you to everyone who participated this quarter and in the past!

If you are interested in nominating a nonprofit, send an email to Meg and she’ll ensure you are considered in future Charity of Choice polls!