Have you ever done local advertising through PPC? Then you know it is not cheap, in fact it can break your bank if done incorrectly. When done correctly however Pay Per Click Advertising can offer your small business branding through local search engine marketing at a low cost.

When setting out to do PPC advertising to brand your company keep in mind that it will not be much cheaper than regular pay per click. The payout however is that after seeing your ad displayed for so long prospective clients who may have been wary about trying your service are now going to start noticing your persistence. If you want to keep your cost down it pays to target a local area close to your business and keep your bid cheap, as well as having some other way of finding you on the web.

If you have a strong web presence outside your PPC advertising such as a decent web page, social networking for your business or maybe just a blog then customers will be able to shop your company. This is where your local search engine branding comes in to place, a prospect sees your ad a couple times and decides to research your company, but if you have nothing to help support your brand then this is where it ends. Having a strong web presence can help to market your business when being found through PPC branding.

With a little support from internet marketing your pay per click advertising campaign can yield more customers and cheaper leads. That is local search engine branding through advertising and marketing and having a first page placement locally on Google could be just what your business needs to optimize its web presence and further its branding. Before deciding on using PPC advertisements as a part of your branding campaign you should take a look into local SEO for optimization of your local web presence.

You are probably familiar with Speed Networking events and the way they work. Basically, an even amount of professionals are seated across from each other and given a few minutes to talk before time is up and they rotate to the next person. This happens several times until each person has successfully met everyone in the room. It is a great way to meet dozens of professionals in one sitting.

However, what do you do at the conventional networking event, in which there is a room full of business people who are randomly speaking with one another? Simple, you can employ Speed Networking techniques at a conventional event. You should only do this if meeting a mass amount of professionals is your goal or maybe you are strapped for time. You may have other valid reasons but nevertheless, here are 5 steps for achieving this objective;

1. Have an Elevator Pitch locked and loaded.

An Elevator Pitch is a 15 to 45 second commercial about the better points of your products or services. It should be designed to be brief, interesting, impactful, and informative. I say “locked and loaded” because it should be memorized and ready to be delivered at any given moment.

2. Have a goal on the minimum amount of contacts you would like to interact with.

In a typical Speed Networking event, it is possible to meet 30 or more individuals in one sitting. In these events, you do not have to set a number because it is set for you. However, in a conventional event, you should set your parameters.

3. Have a method of keeping time.

At a Speed Networking event, all of the interactions are timed. However, in this case, you will have to take this responsibility upon yourself. Simply wear a watch with a second hand or some kind of digital time device will do. Pay attention to your time as you speak to different people.

4. Have a rock solid Conversation Exit Strategy. (CES)

When you speak to so many people very briefly, you want to make sure that you are not rude or abrupt. You should practice a very polite way of ending one conversation and engaging in another.

You should have a few different ones memorized. Remember, you are supposed to be making a good impression. So, make sure you pay special attention to your words and actions.

5. Make sure you leave a positive impression every time.

This is the most subjective and tricky part of the whole process. You want to attempt to make a positive and lasting impression on your new contacts.

There are many ways to do this. The first thing that comes to mind is to be friendly, professional, and to give a good listen to what the other person has to say. Sure, brevity is your theme but you must show genuine interest in a short period of time.

Building relationships is often looked at as a proactive activity. There are specific things that need to be in place in order to cultivate good business relationships over the course of time. There are various communicative aspects that need to be considered and acted upon as relationships grow stronger.

For the most part, it all seems like a givers game. You performing acts and watching the response. You offering favors and awaiting cosmic reciprocity. We are also instructed to “go for it” and firm up relations.

All of the above are effective and do their parts in making better relationships. I am not one to argue with what works, however, there is the other side of the equation. It is just as important and contributes to the strengthening of relationships just the same.

It is the art of receiving. Most people, are not aware that making relationships work requires being humble and grateful recipients. We are very quick to say “no thank you” or “really, I’m fine”. Doing this, unintentionally disarms the giver from fulfilling their position.

Maybe we somehow feel that if we accept, we will then be in debt. This is an incorrect and potentially destructive perspective to take. It is especially true in business relationships.

Most of the time, if we don’t see an immediate benefit with a contact, we will reject and refuse all that is offered. We should know, you never know who a person is connected to that could prove beneficial to you or someone you would like to help down the line. Therefore, all relationships are to be considered worth the time of day.

Furthermore, the above doesn’t take much effort but can be powerful. Below, are 3 ways to take the passive stance that build relationships, nevertheless;

1. Accept calls and return e-mails from ensuing colleagues.

The next time you receive a phone call or an e-mail from a new contact you would rather avoid because of their offers, take the call or respond to the e-mail. Put your fear and annoyance aside for a second and politely give an open ear. This show of respect, has reciprocal rewards and you may be positively and directly effected later on.

2. Honor invitations and respond to RSVPs.

You are busy. We all are but you should take time to accept invitations to lunch, events, and otherwise. Also, if you do not intend on attending an event, RSVP that you will not be able to make it. You can also add something personal to this message. This is a relationship builder for sure.

3. Accept gifts and answer politely to sales pitches.

Sales pitches can be an annoyance to our day. I will not condone them here but I will suggest taking the opportunity to give an open ear and politely decline. Take this opportunity to create one more leg in your business network.

Business networking can be similar to walking through a mine-field. Have you ever made this analogy? In a mine-field, your objective is to make it through to the other side successfully, without stepping on a landmine and blowing yourself to smithereens.

In this case, it is a matter of life and death. You have to know that when you step into the mine field, one wrong move will cost you everything. So, you proceed with extreme caution and put every ounce of instinct, training, and experience into play. While all of this is happening, you have your primary objective in the back of your mind.

It stays in your mind as the silent motivator. Nevertheless, it is real and worth your journey through the field. Also, you know that once you have gone a certain distance, turning back offers the same amount of potential danger. So, you proceed to move in a forward direction, ready to seize the prize.

Networking in business is very similar. As you meet people passing through networking events, you are walking into unknown territory. You are putting yourself in position to be susceptible to just about anything anyone can deliver. A variable mine-field.

You make your way through very cautiously, avoiding potential dangers the best way you can. On this journey, you will use every ounce of instinct, training, and experience. You will put it all into play in order to locate the jewels of success and avoid the death of your business or career.

You will take special care to avoid individuals who could hinder your pursuit for success. You will navigate yourself in such a way, that every move you make is strategically formed with your primary objective in mind. You will inch along every step of the way as if the next move could prove costly if executed incorrectly. It is true, business networking can be this intense if you take it seriously enough.

This analogy is not meant to frighten or intimidate you in any way but it does help you to grasp a perspective of concentration and urgency. When considered in this light, your networking immediately has more meaning and won’t be taken for granted. It never should be.

Tomorrow, as you continue your journey in business networking, consider the mine-field analogy and apply it to your actions. Can you, for even a moment, afford to make a miss-step that could potentially cost you your career?

Of course, mistakes and errors cause you to improve. However, the mine-field analogy will cause you to remain focused, or else.

Networking can be a challenge for a lot of people and you may even be one of them. However, through trial and error things that were once difficult have become easier. When a person overcomes shyness for any length of time, they may even forget that once upon a time, they were very shy.

I have heard it said before that “Today’s highs are tomorrow’s lows.” This is true on so many levels. Have you ever started an exercise challenge, for example. You may have been required to do a certain amount of reps in order to achieve a certain result. If you kept with it, a week later, it was much easier. A month later, it was a piece of cake. If business networking continues to be a slight challenge but less than it used to be, here are some hints and tips that you’re making progress;

1. Your conversations are leading to tangible results.

As we progress through business networking, there are milestones and minor achievements to take note of. Also, we network to achieve certain results.

You may have noticed that recently the conversations with new contacts have been leading two more sales, more referrals, or even better introductions to potential clients or partners. These are tangible results and a sign that your communication skills, which are networking skills, have improved.

2. You notice a larger group of contacts with whom you are very familiar.

Just like the exercise analogy above, if you have kept with your networking activities, you’ll notice an increase in your contact base. This is a great triumph and it shows how your efforts have compounded.

Anyone can have a large list of contacts but they may not feel very familiar and warmly connected to them. My point, is that you have become more familiar with your network and they have now become more familiar with you as well. That’s progress.

3. You seem to be giving out more free advice on a regular basis.

When you are communicating with colleagues, clients, partners, etc., you are participating in a form of networking. If you are giving advice, even if it’s for free, it shows a growth in your results. We all would like to be paid for all of the advice and recommendations we give but communicating in this way elevates our expert status and leads us to paying clients and more. All of the above may seem like it is happening by default but it is a sign that networking is getting easier for you.

If you have ever played sports you know how useful coaches are in guiding your path and keeping you motivated to win. It’s hard to measure the real value of a good coach, especially when the affects continue throughout your life. You may overcome a current problem because of something that had been embedded in you years ago because of effective coaching.

Business coaching is an important add-on to winning in business. Business Networking Coaching holds true to the same. A business coach can guide and motivate you through general business practices but a coach in business networking will strengthen a most vital element in your career – Business Relationships.

Can you imagine having a really lucrative professional career without the foundations of strong business bonds? The following, are some of the advantages you will gain by using a Business Networking Coach;

1. Help in realizing your goals through relationships.

Any business person has goals and they may not have originally seen these goals as being achieved through the proper relationships. That’s where the Business Networking Coach comes in. A good BNC can pinpoint the best way to create and use relationships for ultimate success.

2. Daily accountability causes comfort zones to be shattered.

In our university system, information is learned and then homework assignments are given. There’s no coincidence why the system is this way. The bottom line is, success through accountability. When one knows an assignment is due, the small bit of pressure can create superstars.

3. Personalized, team-like focus on relationship issues.

“Two heads are better than one” is a very common saying. When you apply it to solving problems in business relationships, you may see it’s obvious benefits. When a company deals with Customer Relations, there is usually a small team of people assigned to this task. When you employ the services of a BNC, you are adding this to your personal business arsenal.

4. The gaining of fresh perspectives on old relationships.

Sometimes, when we become used to certain colleagues or companies, we tend to communicate the same way regarding older relationships. A BNC can you give powerful new recommendations for adding new and productive elements for improved communication.

5. Questions directly answered by an expert.

Since a Business Networking Coach is hired to work with you on a one on one basis, he/she is available to answer your questions as they come.

While you are busy and engaged in running your business or career, you may not have time to completely figure out the proper ways to handle those sensitive issues that come up in relationships. Having a BNC available to assist and offer you advice at these times can work wonders in keeping your personal business relationships running smoothly.

Making over your network of available contacts could be the best move you’ll ever make. If you have a huge collection of business cards, take a look at them and ask yourself how many of these people will prove useful to your future success. It doesn’t have to be a stack of business cards, it could be tons of connections on your business online network. (LinkedIn, for example). If you are steadily working towards achieving a goal, this may seem time-consuming but taking the time to do this may get you to your objectives faster than you thought.

Making over your network entails parsing through your contacts one by one and putting together a prospective story for each. While doing so, you will ask yourself, “Does this person fit in to my plans?” As you make these decisions, you don’t have to completely delete the person from your life but you can categorize them accordingly.

Organizing yourself in this way can lay the foundation to help build your success. Here are 3 more reasons why you should get started ASAP;

1. Opportunity awaits.

Making over your network does not just mean placing your contacts into different categories. It also means clearly knowing who else you need to meet to assist you in your pursuits.

There are plenty of potential partners out there just waiting to come into contact with you. They are waiting and in position to be added to your new network of contacts. However, these encounters will never happen to the extent that they can, until you make your network over.

2. It’s always good to unclog a filter.

Do you understand the purpose of a filter? A filter is basically designed to hold onto what is valuable and allow the garbage to make its exit. When a filter is left unattended, sooner or later, the garbage no longer makes its way out. It becomes intertwined with what is valuable. Is your current network this way? If so, it’s time to unclog the drain.

3. It could be your missing link.

You have probably tried many different strategies to achieve your business objectives. Some have worked and others are questionable. You must ask yourself how well your current business network has served in contributing to your success.

When you do this, I’m sure you will see positives and negatives. Imagine how well you could do, once new options are put into place. These could be the deciding links to get you to your next level.

The Google AdWords pay per click advertising system can seem quite daunting when you first get started with it. And it can be tough to write adverts that get a high click-through rate (CTR). A high CTR is the number of times people click on your adverts out of every 100.

So if 2 people out of every 100 visiting Google click on your ad, your CTR IS 2%. A high CTR is what you need to get the best returns from your campaigns.

So how do write adverts that get clicked on often?

Let me show you how I do it. I’ve used the following format and it works very well:

For the Headline: the keyword on it’s own or with a question mark at the end. Examples are: Home Teeth Whitening, Order Blues Music?, Download MP3 Songs, Download eBooks.

Product name keywords also work well here such as the brand and model of say a digital camera.

For Description line 1: The best benefit of your product or service. Here are some examples: Whiten Your Teeth at Home & Save $100s, Free bottles on selected packages, 20% discount on some models, price match guarantee, free shipping on orders.

For Description line 2: A call to action. So what the visitor needs to do next. Here are some examples: Order Your iPhone 4 Online Now, Order Now While Stocks Last, Download Your eBook Instantly, Join Online Now- Risk Free, Sign Up Online Now.

Other things to consider

The word “free” is a very powerful word so emphasise this where you can. Relevancy is a also a great way to get more clicks. So the more relevant the headline to the bidded keyword the better.

If you can use the exact model name or name of a product or service in the headline it really helps.

Also make sure that your landing page delivers what is promised in your ad and the product is easy to find and order. Because if visitors don’t stick around too long on your pages, you will get a high bounce rate which means Google will put your cost per click (CPC) up.

If you are still stick for ad ideas, do a search in Google for your keyword and see what the top ads look like for ideas. Just get an idea for your ad but NEVER copy them. You can easily improve on them.

Summing up

The best way to get the most clicks on your ads is to split test 2 ads, but never more than 2 as it will make it difficult to track changes and make improvements. Ensure you set the option to “Rotate: Show ads more evenly” under settings/advanced settings in your AdWords account so both ads get the same exposure.

Find the winning ad out of the 2 and improve on it further.