ED-Central


In This Issue


Small businesses and towns in rural areas many times believe their businesses live and die by interstate traffic. However, most of them fail to take advantage of the best source of traffic, the information superhighway, the World Wide Web.



Sponsor a contest: Challenge locals to create a video or montage of the best the community has to offer. The winning videos will be uploaded onto YouTube.

Small businesses and towns in rural areas many times believe their businesses live and die by interstate traffic. However, most of them fail to take advantage of the best source of traffic, the information superhighway, the World Wide Web. In the March issue we discussed using social media as a way to reach the public. This article will build on the March issue by discussing several “Best Marketing Practices” for rural areas that involve ecommerce. Remember, effective marketing no longer means spending thousands on ad campaigns; it means effectively utilizing all available media to reach your potential customers and clients. Next month, in Part II of Best Marketing Practices we will discuss more traditional “Best Practices” for rural businesses and organizations.

Chances are that you have used Google Maps to locate an address or obtain driving directions to and from a destination. But more importantly, can your potential customers locate your business using Google Maps? Have you taken the time to list your business on Google Maps so that customers can easily obtain your address and the driving directions to your location? It is completely free to add your business to Google maps, complete with a photo and a link for your business or organization’s website. You can add your business to Google Maps today by visiting http://maps.google.com/.

Click on the link for “Put your business on Google Maps.” From this site you will be able to enter your address and see if there is already a business listed at that location. The form that appears next will ask you to enter your business information. After entering your information click next. The map on the right will focus in on your location.

Please pay close attention to the red map marker; sometimes Google places it incorrectly. If this happens click on the link “Fix Incorrect Marker” underneath the map. You can drag and drop the marker to its correct location. Google Maps will then search its database to see if there is another business at that same location. If there is you can “claim” the listing and update the data to correspond with your business. Now, when someone searches for your business online it will now appear on Google Maps. If your business is not listed on Google Maps you may be missing out on business because potential customers simply cannot find you.

NAVTEQ.com is a company that provides highly accurate digital maps. Current clients include Sirius Satellite Radio, Yahoo, Mapquest, Microsoft, Garmin, Nokia, Motorola, BMW, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and MiniCooper. NAVTEQ provides maps that are utilized in these devices’ global positioning system (GPS). Anyone who owns these technologies is viewing maps that have been created by NAVTEQ. NAVTEQ “shows customers exactly where to find you, right when they need you the most – when they’re mobile and ready to buy.” You can have your business or organization added to NAVTEQ’s map, absolutely free, just by accessing their site and providing information about the location of your business. Say you own a pizzeria in Victoria, TX and you add your restaurant to NAVTEQ.com. A person unfamiliar with the area using their Garmin GPS system to find a restaurant in Victoria, TX would now be able to see your pizzeria’s location using their GPS. Adding your business or organization to NAVTEQ's database not only increases the chance that out-of-towners will choose your location but also ensures locals know where to find you as well. They cannot choose your business if they cannot find you or do not know that you exist.

Access the site at http://www.navteq.com/ and choose the link for “Map Reporter” located near the top of the page. In the address blank, type in the complete address for your business. If your business is not listed choose the Point of Interest (POI) section and select “POI is missing.” If the address for your business has another business or organization’s details choose “POI has incorrect details.” Scroll down and enter the correct information for your business. You can even upload comments and a photo of your business that will be displayed when potential customers access the map. Enter your e-mail address and submit the information to NAVTEQ.com and soon your information will appear on their digital maps, further maximizing your advertising efforts.

By now, most people have used the internet search engine Google to look for information on a variety of topics. These searches are performed using key words or phrases that relate to the information being sought. When you search for something using Google, Google’s search engine combs the entire internet looking for topics that relate to the keywords you have entered. Google then displays a listing of all of the sites remotely related to your search terms. Did you know that when you search a keyword on Google there are people vying for top billing on the search results that appear? You have the opportunity to create an ad for your business and structure it so that it appears when keywords relating to your business are searched using a tool Google has created called Google AdWords. Google AdWords allows you to reach customers who are actively searching for your product or service. Visit https://www.google.com/accounts/ServiceLogin?service=adwords today to learn more about Google AdWords and to start maximizing your online exposure.

For new users, Google AdWords Starter Edition is a great tool. The startup fee is $5.00, after that, you pay only when your ad is seen and clicked by a potential customer, who will then be sent to a website you specify. Using this tool you will decide how much your ads will cost, based on the cost you assign for each time a potential customer clicks on your ad. The lowest price you can set for an ad is usually one cent. You have total control over your budget, by setting your monthly allowance to any amount you want. Many businesses begin at $10 or less for a month. When your budget is reached your ad will no longer show for the month. Google ads give you the opportunity to change your cost per click and your budget at any time.

When you sign up for the Starter edition, Google’s Budget Optimizer will set your cost-per-click when you enter a budget amount. You will never be charged more than your budgeted amount. As you can imagine, ads with a low cost per click will not be shown as much as ads with a high cost per click. Google AdWords is similar to an auction in this sense. Very popular topics and keywords (such as real estate or hotels) can cost more because many others want to advertise on them. Do not let this discourage you from advertising with popular terms however, because even expensive key words can return dollars for pennies invested.

If you want to establish an online presence but are not the most tech-savvy individual then Google Sites is for you. You can access an overview of Google Sites at http://www.google.com/sites/help/intl/en/overview.html. Using Google Sites is completely free. All you have to do is create an account. After you have created an account you can log into Google and begin designing a web page for your business or organization. I have no background in web-programming or design and in a little over an hour I was able to create a simple Google Site for you to look at to get a feel for the type of site that can be created using this service. You can access the example at http://sites.google.com/site/newsletterexample/Home. To find out more about Google Sites and the opportunities waiting for your business on the internet click on the first link. With a little creativity you could create a web site that allows customers to access your business from anywhere in the world!

Skype allows you to talk to anyone in the world at no cost. The program offers 28 languages and all you need to talk to others is a simple internet connection. Using Skype you can make video calls, calls using traditional landlines and mobile telephones – all for free. This is a great networking tool. Consider the possibilities of “Skyping” with clients anywhere, at any time. If a customer contacts you using Skype, you could demonstrate product uses live with the video chat feature. Now that Skype has been released for the iPhone we anticipate it becoming a more common platform for mobile communication. This might be especially true for visiting international tourists. Visit http://www.skype.com/ today to learn more about this great technology.

Sponsor a contest:

Challenge locals to create a video or montage of the best the community has to offer. The winning videos will be uploaded onto YouTube. Have youth, adult and even business divisions to get the entire community involved. Talk to the journalism department at your local high school or college to get teachers involved in the contest. This project would make a great assignment for their students. Talk to the local movie theater about donating theater space for a night and create an event that showcases the best video submissions. Chances are the movie theater would love to be involved with the event and might profit substantially from concessions. Consider charging a small ($2) admission or having everyone bring a canned good for the local food bank in lieu of admissions. Let the community or a panel of judges decide the winner from each division. Get local businesses involved with sponsoring prizes for the winners – who knows maybe they would even be interested in sponsoring individual moviemaking efforts. The possibilities are endless – and result in positive online exposure for your community.