“Wait, what?” you might say.  Ending a year of speculation as to how (it was never really an “if”) Google+ Pages for Businesses would impact Google Places, yesterday Google flipped the switch on the integration.

80 Million Google Place Pages were converted to existing Google+ pages, but if a business has not yet created a Google+ page, the Place page is still active.

The new Google+ Local page contains most of the same information previously on the Google Place page.  A map, reviews, photos (served via tab), general location and the biggest new change, an area that captures and scores ratings.   By the way Google, you might want to name that area of the page, since it’s kinda hard to describe. The ratings served up are a combination from the Zagat guide, Google reviews, and will certainly also include any reviews from people in your circles.

These Google+ Local pages will be delivered through search on Google.com, Google Maps and Google+, all yielding slightly different search result pages.  Additionally, the Places layer on Google Maps on android mobile will also deliver this improved content, so be sure to check that out.

One new change to note with Google+ Local is the addition of  a tab on the left-side nav bar of your Google+ Page.  It delivers recommended places near your current location and also allows you to publish (and be credited for) any of your previously written Google reviews.  There does not seem to be a way to personalize the content on this page (yet) but it’s likely in the works.

 OK — so what does it all mean?

Well, if you are a small business and had not set up a Google+ Page, you’ve got no reason to wait around any longer.  You should also list your business through Google Places, if you haven’t already.  The official “Google and Your Business” blog mentions that business information will continue to be managed through the Google Places portal.

And here’s the clincher: Google+ Local pages will be indexed on Google– unlike Google Places, Facebook or Twitter.  From an SEO perspective, there will be a tremendous advantage for businesses that deploy their Google+ Local pages over those that do not.

There are certain to be additional changes as the integration rolls out, so stay tuned.

Which brings me to a “new” but “old” concept in marketing: Handwritten Addressing on envelopes. Sure, you can add a hand written note inside as well. But the focus here is that direct mail continues to be a great option for many types of campaigns, and the results get even stronger at the local level when small businesses figure out how to use it effectively. As Local Marketing continues to gain more momentum, the national brands are all looking for ways to make sure they are participating more now than ever at the local level. The introduction of several platforms, including SproutLoud, are carving a very nice niche in this space by providing the infrastructure for these large brands to support their retail and distributed selling partners in promoting their products.

SproutLoud recently introduced their Handwritten Addressing service to a select group of customers. While all the numbers are not in yet, the initial lift results are very encouraging. We’re talking about a significant lift in open rates and inquiries. So much so, that one customer is now switching many of their upcoming campaigns to use this technology.  The technology and automation that marketing resource management systems like SproutLoud provide in back end manufacturing keep the costs lower than even most small retailers would pay at their local print and mail vendors for standard ink jet addressing on their direct mail. We know it works, if you are interested in raising your direct mail ROI, remember to not only think out of the box, but start thinking  “out of the envelope”!

SEM

SEM uses current search engine technology and marketing techniques to promote a website or special offer, increase traffic to the site, increase sales and generate leads. Most SEM techniques involve spending money to achieve immediate results with higher-ranked listings/placements on the search engine results pages (SERPs).   
Methods include:

• Pay-per-click ads (text or image)
• Display advertising
• Remarketing
• Directory submissions
• Site map submissions to search engines
• RSS Feeds

SEO

SEO serves as a component of SEM. It involves shaping web site content to attract both search engine spiders and human visitors. SEO strategists combine keywords, page optimization, meta tags, link structure, off-site SEO/inbound linking and high-quality content to optimize the site. SEO done right will help organically move a page up in search results. It normally takes longer to see results from SEO than with SEM. However, once a page ranks high, it will generally continue to perform without additional costs.

Good SEO builds will keep bringing you traffic. Good SEM will bring traffic also, however, the moment you stop paying for positions, the traffic stops.

When reviewing the templating process, one of the most important things that we always keep in mind is that the system’s end users, local small businesses, are not graphic designers or IT experts. With that said, I encourage the brand to guide their users each step of the way. Following some basic best practices is a good way to begin to develop easy-to-use, comprehensive templates.

Here are three of the best practice tips:

Less is more, keep it simple. The more blank fields a user is asked to fill out, the more cumbersome the process becomes. The less complicated the process, the simpler and more inviting it seems.

Do not mark too many fields as “required”.  Marking a field “required” means that the user will be forced to enter information before they can move forward. The only things that should be marked as required are the pieces of information that would upset the overall design if they were missing.

Use suggested text. Supplying suggested text for customizable fields gives the user helpful direction on what information should be used in that area. It also allows you to have better control of your brand by supplying the specific wording you would like used on the piece.

Remember, the beauty of using templates is that this offers a way to stay true to your brand while still allowing the user some (guided) creative freedom. Happy Templating!

Agile is an umbrella term of software development methodologies that at the heart of it relies and thrives on an iterative process with short time-boxed intervals. The idea is to allow teams to adapt to changing needs. It also allows the organization as a whole to adapt and course correct as often as needed and feasible.

Given the above, it is very likely that if Marketing and Development follow the same iterative cycle, their goals are more likely to align. The framework of agile by itself will allow for disconnects to surface and prevent the usually known heartaches.

How We Do It at SproutLoud

Here at SproutLoud, we were lucky enough to have the whole executive team buy into the concept of AGILE. This has allowed us to trickle the framework into every department. What we found that as a whole it aligned us better as a company and led to much fewer wasted resources. When marketing takes on a project, we talk about it in a planning meeting and explore the options together. Once a backlog item has been created by the stakeholders in marketing, the development team picks it up in their next sprint. Surprises are less as the developers/designers are already expecting the backlog item and have a good idea of what it means.

During the sprint cycle, there are constant meetings and updates from either side to avoid any surprises or disconnects. At the end, both parties are happy to deliver something that is aligned with the overall marketing goal. The retrospectives at the end of a sprint are key to avoid future mistakes and also highlight the good points so they can be preserved for future sprints.

Another good point of having AGILE has been that developers/designers have more of an appreciation of the ever changing marketing challenges/landscapes and marketing appreciates what it takes to get a concept to reality. The 2 weeks of a sprint act as a good vetting period of concepts and then allow us to continue or abandon ideas that don’t work.

Using local website automation software to create a network of locally relevant sites can help you in the land-grab play for local organic search listings.  These listings are free relative to the competitive PPC world. And with more than 20% of searches being local according to Google, this number will only be growing.

The reality is that most national brands are spending so much on their national SEM strategy that they are missing out on low-hanging fruit – particularly when their brand is being re-sold by small businesses at the local level.

If you are in charge of marketing for your national brand, see how you are faring by taking this simple test:

1. Type your Brand name and your product (Purina would be a brand, dog food would be a product = Purina Dog Food) into a search in Google and take a look at all the real estate served up in the Search Engine Response Page (SERP).  If you take up a good portion the SERP in paid and organic listing spaces, pat yourself on the back.

2. Now try the same thing without using your brand name (in this case, dog food)  so you are searching strictly from your generic product category. How are you doing? (This one is a bit more difficult)

Now this is where it gets interesting….

3.  Repeat 1.) but add your geographic location i.e. the city and state you are in.

4. Now try repeating 2.) but add your geographic location

Did your SERP change significantly? You bet. In both 3.) and 4.), many national brands will  find that clicking through the newly served links may lead you to:

1. Local resellers with websites that are under-optimized (meaning they will soon be replaced by better sites)

2. Local resellers featuring competitor products

3. Online resellers carrying heavy discounts

4. Competitor’s resellers or web properties leading your brand

So what does this all mean? Your national marketing strategy could be doing a fantastic job of ranking and driving demand, but without the use of an effective local marketing strategy, you marketing funnel has a very big hole and you’re missing opportunities.

Welcome to the world of Local Search

Recent studies show that aside from the missed opportunities, potential customers executing local searches are much further down the sales process with intent to make a purchase.  And when combined with mobile, these numbers are staggering.

In my next article, I’ll prove that localizing search is a huge strategic priority for search engines like Google – and give you some eye opening numbers why you need to have a dedicated local web strategy.

If you use any sort of distribution channel to sell your products or services, the answers can be quite elusive. When the end consumer contact is happening with local sales forces, or even independent retailers, feedback from the front line doesn’t always make it back up the chain to corporate marketing. So why not go to the source by directly asking your existing consumers and the local small businesses that sell to them what factors influence the purchase of your brand?

Surveys provide a fast, inexpensive way to get directly into the minds of your local consumers or sales channels, and can be used for a variety of reasons, including reseller feedback, end-buyer opinions, and product research. They also offer the ability to provide feedback to your local sales network insight on specific issues. You can also localize surveys by geography to suit the cultural or local nuances in the tastes and opinions of your target consumers.

There are lots of survey sites online that are easy to set up, use, and aggregate results, with an array of pricing ranging from free accounts to high volume plans.

 5 Fast Tips for Creating Surveys

1. Create a goal, not a list of questions.

Focus first on what you want to gain or accomplish with the data; the questions you ask will evolve from your objective.

2. Don’t ask a question, unless you really want the answer.

This includes information you don’t really care about as well as being prepared for negative responses.

3.  Avoid jargon

If you want good information, make sure your survey recipients understand what you’re asking.

4. Keep it short and easy to exit

Enough said.

5. Allow NA or Don’t Know as answers

Offering an opt-out of a question is better than receiving than a forced, and potentially inaccurate, response.

Top 4 Tips for Sending Your Survey

1. Introduce your objective immediately.

Explain what you’re asking for, why you want it, and how long the survey should take.

2. Offer an incentive.

They are already customers, so give them a reward for helping you out.

3.  Test  everything.

Make sure the survey makes sense and the page buttons work properly.

4. Say thank you.

Yes, this may seem obvious, but it is often overlooked.

Once all responses are collected, you can use this feedback to tailor your marketing efforts and marketing reseller support, and better equip your resellers with the tools they need. Ultimately, a well crafted survey will help you become more aware of what your company does well, what your local sales channels are doing, and where you could improve to help the sales efforts of your partners.

* Frederick F Reicheld (The Loyalty Effect, Harvard Business School Press, 1996 Chapter 2 – The Economics of Customer Loyalty)

From a corporate perspective, recognizing what your marketing team does best, and seeking outside assistance for additional skill sets when you need them can give your company a strategic advantage. It puts your employees’ marketing skills to their optimal use and streamlines the execution of other tasks that may not be in their range of managerial or functional expertise. As a result, corporate marketing gets the best input, and can produce the best output. This boost also translates to the local marketing activities you support and can give sales channels the best tools possible to help boost revenue.

While outsourcing marketing activities in which other companies specialize such as public relations, social media, or graphic design may seem like an expense rather than an investment, doing so ensures the things people were hired to do are being executed by the best people and in the best manner possible. There is a reason the phrase “jack of all trades, master of none” exists. Wouldn’t you rather have a master working for your business? So would the partners in your local marketing.

The new millennium has ushered in an unprecedented number and variety of new media options.  And every time the latest and greatest takes the spotlight, it heralds the death of existing ones. Remember the predictions on direct mail, then email? How about MySpace? Each of these has had their popularity pendulum swing radically, yet they have all found their footing and place in the media mix, and that mix can change among different marketing channels.

The current media trend is that when something new comes out, everyone joins the bandwagon. And while the rush to be the first established  in any new media space may could be a competitive advantage,  the learning curve is bound to produce failures. However, the failure of a new medium to work for a campaign, product, or even a brand doesn’t render the medium itself a failure. It just means that the marketing industry needs to figure out what works in each channel, and what doesn’t. To quote Thomas Edison on the process, “I haven’t failed, I’ve found 10,000 ways that don’t work.”

But that can be expensive. As well as discouraging, or even embarrassing.  So it’s easy to see why marketers are so quick to slough off a new media darling when their ROI is at stake. And so the pendulum swings wildly from marketing savior to media whipping boy, but over time settles and steadies . And the key to stabilization is that the marketing industry as a whole embraces change, and has a willingness to be creative, and to optimize channel marketing solutions.

As a result:

• Pinterest’s value will be harnessed by those who can capitalize on imagery and visual search
• QR codes will be seen on buildings with high foot traffic, and removed from billboards on highways
• Flash sales will find the right niches and deal flexibility

All of which cumulates in a drive toward using new media in ways that make more sense to the users.  And that’s what we’re all striving for in marketing.

So take a deep breath, relax, and don’t close your Pinterest account just yet. Instead, focus on finding the ways to experiment without too much risk, and be willing to be part of a collective solution that harnesses each medium’s best qualities. And recognize you work in an industry where you never have to be bored. Something new and interesting will be launching tomorrow.

The most successful designs are the simple ones. If you look at some of the biggest and most successful brands out there, it’s easy to see. From a design and production perspective, we embrace the KISS (keep it simple and straightforward) method to maximize your marketing efforts.

Simple designs get the message across quickly. In today’s internet-speed society, people want information now and don’t have time to digest complex, heavy advertising. Yet it seems like it’s everywhere you look: magazines, billboards, newspapers and bus shelters. Designs that often leave you guessing,  ”What are they selling?”, and,  “What is this ad about?”  It can become sensory overload, and most likely, leads to that person moving past the message. Think about how many ads catch your attention, or more pointedly, how much advertising noise you manage to screen out on a daily basis.

The KISS concept is especially important to design when local businesses become involved with branded marketing and advertising programs. Customizable design templates that are easy to use will result in higher adoption. People are more likely to participate in things that are simple and easy, not cumbersome and irritating. A direct mail postcard, email, or print ad that is easy to create and customize will increase its usage. That improves results not only for the local small business, but for your brand as well.

So remember, when it comes to focusing on your bottom line, the answer really is simple.