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Are Your Biz Dev Efforts Running Aground?

by BusinessInternet AdvertisingOnline MarketingSEOSocial Media Marketing

I was having a conversation last week with my Dad, who is retired but still has one of the better small business minds that I’ve seen. I value his counsel, and (occasionally) his often blunt and sometimes harsh assessment of my abilities in the office (my Dad, you see, is a tough man to impress).

Anyway, as I was complaining about the state of the economy and the headwinds we’re surely facing as a small business, he reminded me that I have not paid enough time or attention to business development this year. And unfortunately, he’s right.

I get so busy running the company and working with clients that I often put our sales on the back burner. Of course, I’m always available to speak with a prospective client when they call in, but it’s generating those perspective clients that I too often forgo.

We have several inbound marketing strategies that we employ, with the most important one being a paid search (Google Ads) campaign. It drives highly targeted leads to our business, but it requires effort and time to work properly. I tend to spend most of my time ensuring that our client’s Google Ads campaigns are performing at their best, and sometimes I don’t devote enough time to our own campaign. As a result, it hasn’t been performing as well this year as it has in previous years, and I need to change that.

It’s hard to admit when you’re wrong or deficient in something. And with raging inflation, climbing interest rates and record-high fuel prices, most businesses are surely facing economic headwinds right now. We’re no different. But this serves as a good reminder to not make the same mistake I’ve made, and forgo your business development needs. Even in times of economic struggle, it’s critical to reach out to prospective customers and let them know what you can do to help them. I know I’ll be redoubling my efforts in that regard.

Speaking of that, should you find yourself in need of more phone calls and clients, give us a call at 877-924-1543, and we’ll be happy to discuss what we can do for you.

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DanMatt Media is now offering 1 month of PPC and SEO services for free

by Internet AdvertisingOnline MarketingSEO

It’s no secret that inflation is raging right now. Everything from food, to gas, to patio furniture costs a lot more than it did a year ago. Businesses are feeling the pinch as well, and the problem is only getting worse.

Now, more than ever, your business needs more leads and more customers. That’s why we’re offering this special, limited time promotion:

Sign up for our Google PPC and SEO services (6 month commitment required) and we will give you 1 month free. That’s 7 months of our premium paid and organic search marketing campaigns, for the price of only 6.

At DanMatt Media, we specialize in driving more calls, leads, and sales to all types of businesses. Local or national, service-based or product-based. We offer the finest customer service in the industry, and we keep our rates at historically low levels, which puts more of your budget into your marketing campaign, and less into your agency’s pocket.

If you’re looking for more leads and customers for your business, give us a call at 877-924-1543 today. Put our decades of digital marketing experience to work for you.

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Are we headed into a recession? Why you might not want to cut your marketing budget…

by Internet AdvertisingOnline MarketingSEOSocial Media Marketing

If you’ve been to a gas station or a grocery store recently, you know that inflation is raging in the United States right now. The official government figures peg inflation at 7.9% as of the time of this article, but if you’ve bought a gallon of gas or a package of steaks lately, you know that number is woefully low.

No one really knows how much inflation is affecting individuals, because it’s dependent on what you buy, but a fair estimate is that groceries are up about 20%, and fuel is up 40% over a year ago. Regardless of what the actual numbers are for you, it’s safe to say that everyone is paying more, for just about everything, and businesses are no exception.

Typically, when inflation rages and a recession looms on the horizon, companies (and individuals) begin looking to trim costs. It’s only natural to go into protection mode at times like this. Hiring freezes go into effect, pay raises cease, and marketing budgets get slashed. It’s this last one that concerns me the most.

I know this sounds self-serving, and I suppose it is to some degree. After all, DanMatt Media is a marketing company. But my message to clients at times like this is always, “Don’t slash your marketing budget. Compromise elsewhere, and find a way to keep reaching your audience.”

As a business owner or executive, you still need to market your company, even in times of economic uncertainty. You still need to sell your products and services, and you still need to get your company in front of people who are ready to buy. Slashing your marketing budget might save you some money in the short term, but it will almost always cost you money in the long term. The phrase “penny wise, pound foolish” is applicable here.

When you slash your marketing budget, you lose the market share that you were previously enjoying. Your competitors can then swoop in and gain that market share, which puts you further behind. It’s a lot like holding onto your investments during a recession. Yes, the value of your 401K falls, but when the market conditions improve, you can buy back on the cheap.

The same is true with your marketing. Let your competitors make the mistake of slashing their budgets. When their ads no longer show, yours will, and those customers who might go to them will become yours instead. That in turn will grow your business and your revenue, even in harsh economic times.

The lesson here is to be disciplined and take the longview. When the economy sours, maintain your marketing budget and your presence in the marketplace. Get your ads in front of people who are still looking to buy, and snatch the customers that your competitors have given up trying to recruit.

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Is your law firm looking to advertise? We can help!

by Internet AdvertisingOnline MarketingSEO

DanMatt Media is a full service advertising and marketing agency, and we have clients in all types of industries. Some are service based and focus on a single metro area, and some are product based and focus on the entire country. One industry where we have really proven our value is with attorneys.

Many times, Google gets a bad reputation. Some of that is well deserved, but the fact is, Google marketing just flat out works for lawyers. People turn to the world’s largest search engine when they are in need of an attorney, whether for a divorce, an auto accident, or a criminal complaint. If you have a law firm, you’d better make sure your ads are visible at the top of page 1.

We offer our attorney clients both PPC (paid search) and SEO (organic search) services on Google, and most or our law firm customers choose to use us for both of these channels.

On the PPC side, while legal keywords are not the least expensive out there, we have found unique and creative ways to keep the costs down while still positioning our clients at the very top of page 1 on Google. That translates to lower budgets and extra savings for our attorney customers. Whereas in the past, a divorce attorney might need to spend between $50 and $100 per click, we’re now able to deliver outstanding results for $10 to $25 per click. A personal injury attorney used to need $75 to $150 per click to make the phone ring. We’re now able to get those same phone calls for under $50 per click. This allows us to do more for our clients with less of their budget.

On the SEO side, we have kept our monthly pricing low, in order to foster a longterm partnership between our agency and our law firm clients. Unlike many of our competitors, who charge exorbitant sums for their SEO services, we charge only what we need to deliver quality SEO on-page and off-page services each month. This saves our clients thousands (sometimes tens of thousands) of dollars a year, while still providing the finest SEO solutions in the industry. In other words, our business model revolves around longterm success, rather than squeezing as much revenue as possible out of our clients. It’s a win-win for everyone.

Pairing these lower prices with industry leading customer service and 100% dedication to our clients results in a significantly higher ROI for our attorney customers. If you have a law firm and you’re looking to grow your practice, give us a call at 877-924-1543 today. We can help!

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Have a small business? You need Pay Per Click Marketing…

by Internet AdvertisingOnline MarketingUncategorized

Small businesses are uniquely qualified to receive a great benefit from a properly designed and executed Pay Per Click campaign. PPC, also know as paid search or Google Ads (you can also run paid search campaigns on Bing Ads) is by far the most important marketing channel for almost ANY small business.

Why PPC is so crucial for your small business

Most people think of Google as a free search engine. Just type in what you’re looking for, and thousands of articles and businesses magically pop up in less than a second. Free of charge. Amazing!

But Google is a for-profit company, just like any other organization, and paid search is where they make their money. Have you ever wondered why the paid ads appear at the very top of the page? Now you know.

And that’s why it’s so crucial to get your small business at the very top of page 1 of Google. It’s where the phone calls, website contact forms, and new leads come from. Yes, SEO and Social Media Marketing have their place, but we look at those channels as secondary or tertiary options. Whenever we speak with a prospective small business owner, we’re always steering them towards PPC first.

A quick primer on how PPC works

Like SEO, paid search campaigns are focused on driving traffic through the use of keywords. Let’s say you’re a divorce attorney in Denver. You’re going to want to appear in those crucial top 3 positions for keyword searches like “divorce attorney”, “family law attorney”, “Denver child custody lawyer”, etc. And you’re going to want to reach everyone in your target area, which in this case is Denver Metro.

When someone sees and clicks on your ad, your budget is dinged for that click. Click prices can vary wildly by industry and keyword, but by and large keyword costs have actually come down over the years. The real success in PPC comes from writing attractive ads and ad extensions, finding the right mix of keywords that target the best prospects given the budget limitations, and creating a plan for the best times and days for those ads to show. That’s critically important, because most small businesses do not have huge marketing budgets. Those investments need to be properly allocated to achieve the best ROI possible.

But can’t I do this on my own?

The short answer is yes, you can. Google has a vested interest in accepting money from anyone who will pay them. Accordingly, you can set up a PPC campaign and start running it immediately. You could also do the electrical work on your home by yourself, or pull your own teeth. None of these things are advisable.

Chances are, as a small business owner you have a lot of your plate. You are an expert in running your business. You know your industry backwards and forwards. What you aren’t an expert in, and what you don’t have time for, is your digital marketing.

At DanMatt Media, we get that. That’s why we’re in business. We’re experts in Pay Per Click marketing, and we know exactly how to structure, design, and execute PPC campaigns for all types of small businesses. We know how to stretch budgets, we take smaller management fees than our competition (thereby putting more of your budget into the campaign, and not into your agency’s pocket), and we pride ourselves on offering the best customer service in the business.

If you’re looking for more customers, give PPC a try today.

 

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The Importance of Goal Setting

by Internet AdvertisingOnline Marketing

We’ve all heard how important goal setting is. Whether the goals are personal or professional, they give us something to work towards. Something to measure ourselves against. They provide structure and balance.

The same approach should be used with your digital marketing campaigns. You’d be surprised how many business owners begin one without having clearly defined goals in place. I always begin a conversation with a prospective client by asking what they want to get out of this. Typically I hear “more clients” or “increased sales”. Those are laudable goals, but they represent the end result, and not the means by which to achieve them.

In marketing, I tend to focus more on the immediate goals, rather than the longterm ones. For example, I like to follow up to the above responses by asking, “how do we reach your ideal customer”? “How can we convey the best message possible to them”? Those are far more relevant and immediate goals than just driving more sales or leads, and if you accomplish them, you will almost certainly get what you want out of the marketing campaign.

Look at it another way. If you go fishing, your goal is to catch a fish. But you’re not going to accomplish that ultimate goal without accomplishing a few more immediate ones along the way. Your immediate goals might be to find the right lure, and to figure out the proper way to cast. In doing so, you can work towards achieving the ultimate goal of actually catching a fish (something I’ve yet to accomplish with much regularity).

If you’re sports minded, you might have a goal of becoming a better golfer. Maybe your goal is to break 90, or 80. But to do that, you’re going to need to set and accomplish much more immediate goals, like improving your short game or putting. Or keeping your tee shots in play more often. It’s those smaller, more immediate goals that lead to success in the bigger ones.

Back to marketing, if you’re a business owner who is looking to improve his or her revenue, start by setting smaller, more immediate goals like identifying your target customers, and crafting a message that tailors your products and services to them. How will you separate yourself from your competition? If you can set and accomplish those smaller marketing goals, it will help you to tackle the bigger, longterm ones.

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Driving calls and leads with limited budgets. How we do it.

by Internet AdvertisingOnline MarketingSocial Media Marketing

We have quite a few PPC (Google Paid Search) and SMM (Social Media Marketing) clients. But with the exception of just a few of them, budget is ALWAYS an issue. Simply put, to be successful in digital marketing, you need to get good at doing more with less. So how do we do it?

Part of the reason you hire a digital marketing agency like DanMatt Media is because you’re too busy running all the other aspects of your business to focus on your marketing. But the biggest reason you hire someone like us is our expertise. Anyone can run a paid search campaign on Google, or a paid ads campaign on Facebook and Instagram. These companies have a vested interest in making their marketing services available to everyone. But that doesn’t mean that everyone SHOULD run their own marketing.

When I speak with a prospective client, I always quote them an entry level figure that we feel we must have to give the campaign a realistic chance to succeed (as well a high end figure, to give them a range of options to choose from). Yes a PPC or SMM campaign can be run at any budget, but we have no interest in taking people’s money if we can’t deliver results for them. Google Ads is an auction, and no matter good your ad copy or your bid strategy are, if your competition has 10X your budget, you’re going to struggle. But if we have the minimum budget we feel we need to succeed, we can almost always get new clients enough of an ROI to where they are pleased and looking to expand.

Without giving away the keys to the kingdom, I can tell you that our ability to stretch budgets is directly related to two things. The first is to do the research and get a very good idea of what keywords to prioritize, and what times of day to run the ads. With a limited budget a client will have to make some sacrifices, such as forgoing certain expensive keyword phrases and # 1 rankings. But that doesn’t mean they can’t occupy the top 2 spots for at least SOME of the time each day. Indeed, they need to, because that’s what drives the phone calls and leads. The trick is balancing it all, and that takes experience and research.

The second way we stretch limited budgets is by writing better ad copy than the competition. The more attractive we can make a client’s ads and ad extensions, the more likely a searcher is to click through those ads to the website. That raises quality score and CTR (Click Through Rate), and drives more calls and leads, which in turn increases ROI. A better ROI equals a happier client.

Most businesses have a need to advertise and market their products and services. At the same time, almost all of them will have budget constraints. It’s the job of the marketing agency to be honest with their clients about what budget is required for success and what results the client can expect for that investment. And then of course, the hard work begins. Can you take that limited, entry-level budget and stretch it to get the best results possible?

Here at DanMatt Media, we’ve got that dialed in.

SEO company Washington DC

The digital equivalent of cold-calling, and why it doesn’t work…

by Internet AdvertisingOnline Marketing

Happy New Year folks! It’s a new year and a new month, which means it’s time for a new rant…

This time I’m going to vent my frustrations with the digital equivalent of cold-calling, particularly via LinkedIn and through email. I’ve had my profile (and my company’s profile) on LinkedIn for many years now, but to be honest I’m not sure why I still have it up.

Over the past week I have literally declined at least 25 requests to “join my network”. Why? Because they’re essentially spam. WIth the exception of a single market research client I picked up 10 years ago, I have never once benefitted from a cold LinkedIn connection (note: I’m not talking about connecting with friends, clients, or business colleagues that I already know, just the digital equivalent of cold-calling). Every single cold reach-out I’ve received since then has been absolutely, positively worthless to me from a business standpoint.

Typically the people reaching out are looking to sell me something. It might be the latest and greatest software solution to whatever problems my business might encounter, or it might be a competitor who either hasn’t read the list of services we offer or for some reason thinks we need to find an outsource partner at this very minute (another note: we don’t outsource). Sometimes I’ll even read things about a “partnership”, but I can tell you from experience that the sender’s definition of a partnership is very different than mine. In this case, the term “partnership” means we send money to them, in one direction, and it never flows back to us. That’s not what I would call a partnership.

Moving forward, I’ve decided that unless someone can provide a compelling reason for me to connect with them on LinkedIn (beyond lining their pockets), I’m going to reject these cold reach-outs. It’s not that I mind having a bunch of irrelevant connections on a social media platform. That doesn’t really harm me in any way. What I don’t like is the bombardment of emails and messages that come with them. For every one of these irrelevant connections I allow in, I receive at least 2 or 3 emails or messages asking me to get on a call that I know will not produce anything of value for my company.

For what it’s worth, I see the same thing in cold emails as well. I probably receive 10 or more of these every day, and just like with LinkedIn, they never prove valuable. Sometimes they’re not even addressed to me (“hey” is my least favorite way to begin a business email). As someone who relies on bringing in new business to keep his company afloat, I would suggest a better way of attracting new prospects.

Run a quality digital marketing campaign, like a targeted Google PPC program for example, and when the phone rings take the time to answer your prospect’s questions and provide them with solutions to their problems. Give them prices that make sense for both parties and commit yourself to honesty and transparency in all that you do. Doesn’t that sound like a better approach?

And leave the spammy, cold LinkedIn and email reach-outs where they belong. In the trash bin.

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The Power Of Pay Per Click Marketing

by with No Comment Internet Advertising

Here at DanMatt Media we offer a full suite of digital marketing solutions, but without a question of a doubt, the one that typically gives our clients the greatest bang for their buck is PPC (Pay Per Click).

Many of you reading this article will be at least vaguely familiar with PPC. Sometimes called SEM or paid search, it’s the paid component to Google’s search engine (Google Ads). The PPC ads appear at the very top of the SERPs on page 1, and have you ever wondered why that is? Google is a for-profit company, and as such they have a vested interest in offering paid ads that searchers will actually click on. That’s why the paid ads appear at the very top of the page, and it’s why most of our digital marketing clients include PPC as a big part of their overall marketing strategy.

PPC campaigns are fully targetable by age and location, but even more importantly, they’re targetable by interest. Our client’s ads will not show up until someone is searching for the products and services that they offer. In that way, Google PPC produces a tremendous ROI for our clients. We get them placement in the coveted Top 3 positions at the top of the page, and they get phone calls, sales and leads from people who want to do business with them.

So what type of businesses benefit from PPC marketing? Well, just about anyone. We have service-based clients such as attorneys, pest control companies, dentists, bathroom remodeling companies, and garage door installation companies. And we have product-based companies such as online florists, self massage products, airport parking lots and online jewelry. With very few exceptions, your company is likely a fit for one of our custom PPC campaigns.

You may be thinking that PPC campaigns are too expensive for your business. While it’s true that they are often not the cheapest options, you get what you pay for. On balance Google PPC produces a far better ROI than social media marketing does, and unlike SEO it doesn’t take months or even years to start working. With PPC, we’ll have your new ads at the top of page 1 of Google the same week your campaign goes live. And for many local businesses, we can begin at very modest budgets of around $2,000 to $3,000 per month. Typically our clients report that their new PPC campaigns are paying for themselves within 1-2 months.

If you’re looking for more phone calls, more customers, and more sales, give us a call at 877-924-1543 for a free quote and evaluation. Chances are, we can help you.

best seo company Denver

Delivering increased value in the era of COVID-19

by with No Comment Internet AdvertisingOnline MarketingSEOSocial Media Marketing

Like most businesses these days, we’ve been hurt by the Coronavirus pandemic. We’ve lost some clients due to the forced shut downs, and others have remained with us but cut back on their marketing spend. It’s inevitable.

As a result, we’re being asked to do more with less; which I gather is a common problem that many companies are facing right now. Doing more with less requires delivering increased value to our clients. So how are we doing that?

1. Reassess your strategy

The marketing strategies that we had in place prior to arrival of the COVID pandemic were sound. They were tried and tested, and producing great results for our clients. But then the world got flipped upside down, and some of those strategies became obsolete, or at least less effective. As a result we had to go back to the drawing board, particularly with our Google PPC campaigns, and create new strategies that better reflected the current state of affairs. Flexibility and the willingness to adapt are crucial right now.

2. Check in with your clients frequently

Admittedly this is something that we do anyway, but it’s even more critical these days. Reach out to clients and ask how things are going. When calls and leads come in, find out how valuable they are and what keywords drove them. Be proactive and avoid laziness.

3. Use promotions and discounts whenever possible

Again, this is a sound strategy that we employ during “normal” times, but it’s even more important right now. You must give people a reason to buy from you, and you must stand out from the competition. Accordingly, we are proactively designing and implementing new client promotions with our PPC, SEO, and Social Media Marketing campaigns to make them as relevant and attractive as possible.

4. Constantly analyze the data as it comes in

This is tied into the first one. As data comes in from our PPC, SEO, and SMM campaigns, we are constantly evaluating what is working and what is not working. You should do that on a regular basis of course, but as cities and states open up and then shut down again, it’s vital to our clients that we stay on top of new trends. The only way to do that is to keep your finger on the pulse of the data that comes in.

 

These are tough times. No doubt about it. Unless you’re manufacturing hand sanitizer or face masks, chances are your business has been negatively affected by this global pandemic. As a result, we’ve all been forced to get leaner and meaner, and to provide more value to our customers. The above examples are just some of the things that we’re doing right now to deliver increased value. If this sounds like something your business could benefit from, give us a call at 877-924-1543 or send us a website inquiry.

Hope springs eternal for better days ahead.