Google Business Profile New Reporting Features
Did you know that Google encounters over 3.5 billion searches each day? Many consumers head to the internet to search for local businesses offering the product or service they're looking for. Having an online presence is crucial if you run a local business.
Google Business Profile, formerly Google My Business, is one of the best tools you can use to improve your online presence. It's an easy and effective way to get discovered by new customers, bringing them into your location. Improve your customer reviews and search rankings by creating a Google Business profile.
In addition to a new name, Google Business Profile has also incorporated new features. These features make it easier for businesses to access their business profile on Google. This guide will discuss the recent updates you can access with a Google business account.
Manage Your Profile on Google
With the previous interactions with Google Business Profile, it was more challenging to use the dashboard on a desktop computer. The new update to the platform enables users to access their profiles on Google maps and search.
All you need to do is log into your Google account that manages your business profile. Once logged in, you can access your Google Business Profile account by entering your business's name into the search bar. A panel will pop up, and you can access various features, such as:
- Responding to customer reviews
- Viewing your latest star ratings
- Creating a Google ad
- Making a Google post
- Viewing your insights and analytics
You can also view your phone call metrics from your Google Business Profile Account.
Messaging Feature on Desktop
The messaging feature of Google Business Profile is available on the app. However, most account managers don't use or aren't aware of it. Google is making updates so users can utilize the chat option inside of their desktop dashboard.
You need to have messaging enabled to use the messaging feature on your Google Business Profile. Once it's enabled, viewers will see the "Chat" button on your profile. They can message you at any time.
Many business owners spend the majority of their day on their computers. When the chat is opened, you can quickly answer questions from your potential and current customers.
Updated Reporting
Google Business Profile also showcases new insights and data for you to review. Head to your profile's "insights" section to access this information.
In this section, you can review various metrics. You can see the number of messages and calls you receive within six months. Google will also show you this data by month.
You can also review the search term that users used to find your Google Business Profile. However, you won't be able to see how many website clicks you received due to your profile.
Improve the Visibility of Your Brand With Google Business Profile
Your Google Business Profile is a great place to connect with local businesses. Attract new customers by providing them with the information they need on the Google platform.
Do you need help growing the online presence of your business? Optic Marketing Group is here to help. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.
4 Things That Affect Your HVAC Business Reputation
Running a successful HVAC business depends a lot on maintaining your reputation.
No matter where you're doing business, people will need help with their HVAC systems. That doesn't mean that your business has an automatic path to success. There are over 100,000 HVAC businesses operating in the US, so if you want to stand apart from the crowd, you need a good reputation.
In this post, we'll tell you 4 things that affect your HVAC business reputation. With a good reputation, you can steadily grow your business and stay ahead of competitors. Keep reading and you'll know what you need to do to grow your reputation.
1. Customer Service
One of the most important things for the success of any business is how you handle customer service. You need to be friendly, informative, and helpful when dealing with your customers if you're going to convince them to use your HVAC services over the next person.
It starts with talking to customers over the phone and through email, but it continues through to how your technicians handle themselves on-site. If they're cordial and able to explain problems and how to prevent them in the future, your company will get a reputation boost.
2. Quality Work
Your HVAC business reputation also depends on the work that you do. When you're installing an air conditioner, for instance, it should be done correctly and in a timely manner.
When you're doing repairs, your customers should never have to call you back in with more problems. If you have a reputation for quality work, then you'll always see success in the HVAC world.
3. How You Market Your HVAC Business
The way that you portray your HVAC business through advertising and online through social media and digital marketing can enhance your reputation as well. Having professional marketing campaigns and a personable online persona will go a long way with your current and prospective customers alike.
Content matters in today's world, even for an HVAC company. Using a company blog or a YouTube channel to inform your viewers about the ins and outs of their HVAC system is going to grow your reputation as an authority in your field. Once you have that, you can direct people to your website and turn those readers and watchers into valuable leads.
4. Online Reviews
One of the biggest factors that affect a business' reputation these days is its online reviews. Over 90% of consumers say that online reviews influence their decisions to purchase a product or service. If you can maintain a high average star rating and get lots of positive reviews, you're cooking with gas.
Online reviews are also crucial for local SEO, which is one of the most important ways for a local HVAC business to get more business. With more good ratings and reviews, you'll launch yourself up the search rankings.
Boost Your HVAC Business Reputation Today
These are just a few things that will have a drastic effect on the reputation of your HVAC business. When you've got a good reputation, it's important to use it to your advantage in your marketing tactics. If you're feeling in the dark about how to market your HVAC business, look no further than Optic Marketing.
We're a full-service marketing agency that specializes in helping HVAC and plumbing businesses with their advertising campaigns. Whether you need help with SEO, web development, or social media, contact us and find out how we can help boost your reputation and take your HVAC business to new heights.
How Does a Blog Help My Plumbing Business?
With 80% of all businesses using blogs these days, your plumbing business needs a company blog in order to attract customers.
You probably didn't go through years of plumber training and certification so you could write a company blog. That said, growing your plumbing and HVAC business in 2022 requires you to embrace content marketing, social media, and other forms of digital advertising.
In this post, we're going to tell you exactly how a company blog is going to help your plumbing business. Marketing for plumbing companies doesn't have to be complicated. Keep reading and learn how being consistent and engaging with your content marketing will put you ahead of the competition.
Establishing Authority
One of the reasons you should be writing a plumbing blog is to establish your knowledge and authority in the field. If you can be the one to provide the most informative content to your readers, you're going to end up building more trust.
A lot of companies see blogging as a way to exploit keywords and boost their SEO. That's not really how it works anymore, as more value is placed on providing a great user experience. Provide answers to important plumbing questions and you'll see results.
With your authority established, readers will come to your site more often to get their information. Once they're there, you can convert them into leads and then paying customers.
Brand Identity
With a company blog, you can really let the personality behind your plumbing business shine. This is one of the biggest keys to successful content marketing. When you nail your brand identity, you can build a greater sense of loyalty among your followers.
Developing your own writing style for your blog content isn't easy. Sometimes, the best thing to do is involve a great marketing company from the beginning. Using industry experience and knowledge, they'll help you craft your content in a way that allows you to showcase your personality in an enticing way.
SEO Rankings
SEO remains one of the most important aspects of marketing for plumbing companies. If you can manage to get your blog pages to rank high on the results page for specific search terms, you're going to see sales numbers start to rise as well.
There are many ways that blogging helps with SEO. We mentioned keywords earlier, which still play a role in your SERP rankings. Blogging also gives you more visibility and makes it much easier to get lots of backlinks, both of which are crucial to SEO.
The longer your customers spend reading your blog posts, the longer they're dwelling on your site. Since SEO is all about the user experience, this inadvertently plays a huge role in boosting your rankings.
Starting a Blog for Your Plumbing Business
Now that you know some of the benefits your plumbing business will see when you have a company blog, it's time to get started on yours. To get help with your content marketing strategy, contact us at Optic Marketing Group.
We're a full-service marketing company that specializes in the plumbing and HVAC industry. With our expertise and experience, we can help you launch a business blog that will drive more traffic to your site.
Is It Time for an HVAC Website Redesign?
When was the last time you updated your company's HVAC website?
Around 40% of people will stop interacting with a poorly designed website within a few minutes. Most experts would recommend that you go through a website redesign every few years. For an HVAC company, your website is especially important because it's how most customers are going to find you.
In this post, we're going to help you figure out if it's time for an HVAC website redesign. Redesigning your website can help you improve your online presence and boost your user experience, so keep reading and learn if it's time to give your site an overhaul.
You Aren't Accomplishing Goals
When you set out to design a business website, you should always have certain goals in mind. Whether you're having trouble driving sales, grabbing leads, or boosting conversions, if your website isn't giving you results, then you need to make a change.
Hiring a company that specializes in HVAC websites will make it easier to pinpoint goals. At Optic Marketing Group, we specialize in HVAC and plumbing web design, so we understand what your goals are and how to design a website that can meet them.
Low Conversions, High Bounce
Having a high bounce rate is usually a sign that you need website redesign services ASAP. When a customer "bounces," they've only visited one of your landing pages before leaving. This means they didn't find what they wanted and saw no easy way to find it.
Conversions happen when a user does exactly what you want them to do on your site. If your conversion rates are low, then it's a sign that you're not accomplishing the goals that your website is designed to achieve.
By looking at either of these metrics, you can quickly determine if your website is doing its job.
Too Slow and Hard to Navigate
Website speed and navigation are famously important for the user experience. Something like 70% of consumers say that page speed affects their decision to purchase a product or not. If it doesn't happen, your bounce rate is going to skyrocket.
When it comes to navigation, your site needs to make it really easy for visitors to find what they're looking for. Ultimately, to achieve the best user experience, it should be essentially effortless for users to navigate your site. It helps to work with a website redesign service that understands the ins and outs of UX.
Mobile Responsiveness
About 55% of all page views came from mobile devices in 2021. As this number keeps rising, so does the importance of mobile responsiveness in web design. If you're using a website design from 4-5 years ago, there's a good chance it's not working properly on today's devices.
Without a website redesign, you're alienating a lot of potential customers for your HVAC business. Hire the best HVAC website designers and get your mobile site in order to see your mobile traffic increase in a huge way.
Redesign Your HVAC Website Today
If you've noticed any of these signs, then your HVAC website just isn't cutting it anymore. To keep up with the local competition, you need an HVAC website redesign and there's no one better to help you with this than Optic Marketing Group.
With years of experience in web design and digital marketing for HVAC and plumbing companies, we have the knowledge and tools to take your site to the next level. Contact us today to discuss your vision for your new business website.
Does Website Hosting Impact SEO Performance?
It is now estimated that there are over 330,000 hosting providers in the world, though not all of them are created equal. Some can provide much better levels of service than others at the same rates. But if you are setting up a website, do you know how important hosting is?
If not, then we can help you understand them. Read on as we discuss website hosting and how it impacts your SEO performance.
What Are Website Hosting Services?
When people access the files required to run your website, they type in your domain address. This sends them to the server where all your files, code, and images are stored. Your website hosting is the company that owns the server you place these on.
Hosting is vital as it can impact your SEO performance. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a set of principles that impact your ability to rank higher on search engines. This gives you access to organic traffic which you can convert into leads.
How Does Bad Hosting Impact My Website SEO?
If you want to know how to rank higher on Google, then SEO is key. It can be broken down into three broad areas which you need to address if you want to rise higher in the search engine rankings.
The three areas are on-page SEO, off-page and technical. Good hosting services can help in a lot of the technical SEO areas, which are concerned with the efficiency of your website, its security, and how it runs.
Slow Page Speed
Your page loading speed is a factor used by Google to calculate SEO rankings. If low bandwidth hosting is causing low page speed, you will suffer. When you have shared hosting, the provider may have too many websites on the same server.
A slow page speed also impacts another factor, known as your bounce rate. This is a measure of how long people stay on your website, telling search engines how relevant your content is. If the page takes too long to load and they leave, you lose SEO juice.
Security
Low-cost hosting providers will let anyone onto their shared servers. If scammers and spammers get on, they can use the server to steal data. Google will also deprioritize servers that house these spam websites, even if yours is not one of them.
Server Downtimes
Another factor that can increase your bounce rate is when your server goes down, which can happen frequently with bad hosting. This does not only increase your bounce rate further, but it can cost you lost business and revenue.
Server errors are an extension of this. They usually occur when too many people try to access your files and the server can't handle them. In this case, you need to find a provider that can cater to your needs.
Choosing a Provider
Getting the right website hosting provider will all depend on your individual needs. Even if you are opening a small blog, plan for growth. You may need more resources in the future than you expect when you start.
Optic Marketing should be your first stop. From SEO services to the building of your site, all of your needs can be catered for with our company. Contact us here and let us help craft your digital presence.
Must-Have Social Media Tools for Small Business Owners
Social media management is a vital organ of modern business. Entrepreneurs with the right social media tools can become an unstoppable force in their field.
But while maintaining a social media marketing strategy can feel like a full-time job in itself, the right tools can save not only time but money. It's about working smarter, not harder!
So, what are the must-have social media tools out there designed to make life easier? Keep reading to find out.
Sprout Social
Sprout Social is a monster of a tool! It claims to be an all-in-one solution to your social media management needs. Features include data analytics, scheduling posts, organizing content across platforms and managing communication. This tool has been praised for helping small businesses understand their audience and keep up with marketing trends. It syncs many, if not all, of the social media platforms in your inventory.
Sprout Social continues to expand its functions to facilitate social media management, and although a paid service, it continues to be worth every penny.
Tailwind
Pinterest is the unsung hero for driving external traffic to business websites and online shops. When it comes to this objective, no social media platform holds a candle to Pinterest. Unfortunately, it's often forgotten for its tedious nature of "pinning" posts for the sake of consistency.
However, Tailwind is an app that allows you to schedule pins weeks, even months, in advance. Setting a couple of hours a month aside will ensure that Tailwind is consistently pinning while you continue to manage other aspects of your business.
Later
Later has multiple functions that focus primarily on Instagram. However, it does have scheduling functions for other platforms like Pinterest, Facebook etc.
While it is popular for scheduling posts, its unique strength has to be its rich analytics dashboard. Its detailed Audience Insight reports can help you schedule your posts in the most effective way. Again, this is a paid service, but the benefits far outweigh the sacrifice.
Hubspot
Hubspot is not solely a social media management tool, it's a general marketing tool. For many, this is the be-all and end-all of digital marketing tools. Like Sprout Social, it prides itself in being everything you need for social media marketing. What makes it unique, though, is its sophisticated CRM system.
While Hubspot's higher tier subscriptions may be a little exps¡nsive for some small businesses, it's clear that this program has many functions to build an effective small business social media campaign.
Make the Most of Social Media Tools
The amount of attention you pay to social media management can make or break your business. There are far more tools out there than the ones mentioned in this article. But this gives you a taster of just how easy digital marketing can be with the right social media tools.
If you need a little more support with your brand's social media strategy, why not contact us for more hands-on guidance in giving your business the marketing it deserves?
4 Email Marketing Examples for Home Services
It's estimated that millennials spend 6.4 hours a day reading their emails. However, it's not only this age group that finds themselves glued to their screens and refreshing their inbox...
Most of us are victims of the internet culture when checking our emails is normally one of the first things we do in the morning. For many businesses, email marketing is becoming their main advertising tool.
So, here's how to make the most of the platform and a list of some email marketing examples to get you inspired.
The Top 4 Email Marketing Examples
When it comes to building a successful email marketing campaign, there are a few strategies that work best for home services and their target audiences.
One of the most common questions marketing agencies get is, how do you start an email campaign? The first part is to gather the information of your target audience and optimize it through personalized content.
Take a look at these top email marketing examples to help you get started.
1. Terminix
This pest control company uses subject lines to its advantage. For example, one of their emails read "Termite swarms are now in your area" which is an effective way of grabbing the attention of readers.
You can use this method to engage subscribers but also create a sense of urgency. This will encourage them to reach out for help and use your business.
2. Portland Plumbing
If you want to focus on your long history of reliable and functional service then Portland Plumbing is a great example. Their home services email marketing is centered on highlighting their trustworthy brand.
Another way to use emails is to build trust with your target audience by reinforcing why they should pick you, which you can create through client testimonials and storytelling.
3. Heaven's Best
Sometimes, less is more when you're crafting your email content. Heaven's Best keeps its text minimal and carefully chose a design to represent its message.
This stops readers from being overwhelmed with endless paragraphs.
Email marketing ideas like this are a guaranteed way to get more people to subscribe to your business as your messages are quick and easy to read.
4. Handy
Handy sends emails that involve the reader in their business. They ask them to vote for their most hated household chore, or what they struggle with when cleaning the house.
This gives your subscribers active input into the brand which is ideal for building genuine interest and loyalty from your consumers.
Use Email Marketing to Your Advantage
As you can see from these email marketing examples, there are many ways to use this advertising tool to your advantage. No matter if you want something more personal or minimal, there's a choice for every brand.
However, if you have no idea where to begin and you need a little more help after reading this article, then we have you covered.
As a marketing agency with a diverse skillset in branding, web design, and other forms of marketing there's nothing we can't handle. Reach out to find out more today.
4 Advertising Tips for Plumbers That’ll Make Your Business Blossom
As of 2022, there are nearly 200,000 plumbing businesses in operation. You're competing against several other plumbers and companies for business every single day, so you need to learn some valuable ways to stand out.
Professional plumber advertising and marketing will help you win your share of customers so you can serve to your community and earn plenty of revenue in the process.
These four advertising tips will help you become the best plumbing professional possible.
1. Give Out Cards and Information
Using business cards can still create amazing results when used genuinely. Don't think of them as passe. Think of business cards as a necessary way to remain on people's minds and to leave your contact information.
You can also put together a brochure of information that you can hand out to generate repeat business and earn new customers.
2. Start a Plumbing Blog
Blogging is one of the main strategies that people use today when they'd like to get better search engine optimization results. Blogs are valuable because they're an easy way to share information with people about the things you do best.
Longer blog posts are ideal today because of their effectiveness and the fact that they offer more value. The average blog post today is about 2,200 words in length.
You can get more out of your plumbing blog by hiring professional writers that can capture your tone and write well-researched, quality content. Add some high-resolution images to your blog, along with 3 to 5 different authoritative links.
3. Make How-To Plumbing Content
When you teach people about plumbing, you will become their guru on the subject for a long time. People today gravitate to video because it's the easiest content to take in.
Plumbing professionals should learn to master video content to connect with the widest audience. You can post plenty of how-to videos on YouTube.
When you post useful videos, such as helping people learn how to unclog toilets or tighten plumbing connections, you'll have an easier time growing your traffic and selling your services. A digital marketing company can help you with editing and adding graphics to your video content.
4. Get Involved in the Community
Plumbing is one of the most local types of business. You can always sell courses and books online, but for most plumbers, local customers are their bread and butter.
Get involved as much as you can in your local community so that you become a regular fixture in it. Don't limit yourself to plumbing-related issues. You can donate to schools, hold canned food drives, or even start a competitive softball team.
People will feel more inclined to do business with you when they see you regularly showing up in the community.
Advertising Tips for Plumbers
These four advertising tips for plumbers need to be part of your regular repertoire. Plan your plumbing company's goals so you can figure out advertising strategies that will work.
Optic Marketing Group can help you tell your story so that it resonates with customers of all types. To learn more about how we can help with your digital marketing strategy, drop us a line or call us at (844) 700-4781.
10 Ways To Get Referrals for Your Home Services Business
Your ability to get referrals is often make-or-break when it comes to a home services business. That's especially true when you're doing the work yourself and not employing professionals.
See, most people trust referrals from friends more than they do professional marketing. Get your first customer talking, and it will lead to more customers with higher customer lifetime values. This article shares 10 quick strategies for generating these highly valued leads.
1. Ask Current Clients
Every business starts with one client. Find them, do a great job, and getting referrals is academic. Simply ask for the names of friends or family members who need similar services. If they can't give you any right away, that's fine.
Don't be pushy. Just plant the idea in your customer's head, and keep doing your best with future services.
2. Track Referrals You Receive
Another key part of how to get referrals is to track whatever you receive. This helps you know who to follow up with.
3. Create Incentives
Sharing the benefits of referrals (that is, the incentives for referring others) acts as a sign of good faith. This could be a gift card, a discount off their next service, or a giveaway that creates value.
4. Make Receiving Referrals Easy
Referral marketing should be simple. Don't create a lot of hoops for your customers to jump through.
Accept referrals verbally, over the phone, by email, or in any other way that they're willing to give them. You can always organize your system later.
5. Use Social Media
Many home services business ideas can get started through Facebook, Instagram, or another social network you feel comfortable using. You don't even need a website.
Start your page. Reach out to existing friends and family asking for their help. Then, post regularly, offering value and incentives along the way.
6. Strategize
Determine the ways that you plan to create value for your customers. Look for opportunities in various places and online groups. Track where all your successes are coming from, as well as where you're seeing no success.
7. Build WOM
Why are referrals important? They create word-of-mouth marketing. This reduces your overall ad-spend and results in a much higher quality lead. The only way to build it, though, is to deliver a service that people value highly.
You do this through the service itself. But you also do it through follow-up, professionalism, customer service, and effective communication.
8. Provide Real Value
Go the extra mile for your customers whenever you can. Point out a problem they may not have noticed and fix it for free.
Share advice and simple fix-it advice on your online platforms. It's okay to charge nothing for a small service if it leads to a longer relationship.
9. Adjust As Needed
Not everything you are going to do will work. Failure is as important as a success because it points you in the right direction.
Make every written strategy or marketing plan a living document. Allow it to breathe and change over time.
10. Take Chances
Lastly, don't be afraid to get out of your comfort zone. Try approaches that have never been done before (at least, in your area). You can always steal great ideas from other parts of the country.
Need More Suggestions for How to Get Referrals?
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of ways to get referrals. You're only limited by creativity (and the occasional regulation). So put your creativity to work.
Start by delivering value. After that, just ask! And employ the tips we've shared here. Or, reach out for help! Optic Marketing Group is eager to help. Just reach out and let us know where you're struggling.
Why Your Home Services Business Needs a Blog
Blogs are a marketing tool for about 80% of all businesses. Meanwhile, nearly 79% of bloggers report that their blogs deliver marketing results. A blog could increase your conversion rate by six times, too.
Blogging four times a week could drive 3.5 times more traffic for your site as well.
Not sure if you want to add a blog to your home services website? Here are a few benefits of blogging to consider first. Read on to discover why your home services business needs a blog today!
Improve Search Engine Rankings
About 68% of all online experiences begin with a search engine. However, 75% of search engine users never click on the second page. Blogging fresh content and using search engine optimization (SEO) can boost your rankings.
Improving your search engine rankings will ensure consumers find your home services businesses before a competing brand.
In fact, 60% of marketers agree good SEO generates the highest-quality traffic and leads. Marketers who prioritize blogging are 13 times more likely to achieve a high ROI, too.
Communicate Your Value
Consumers might struggle to trust your business if they can't recognize your experience and expertise in the industry. You can use blogs to convey your expertise. In time, you could even become a thought leader and industry expert.
You can also use blogs to convey the unique value you can offer consumers.
Consumers will start to rely on you as a go-to resource. They might decide to contact your home services business for help in the future, too.
Conveying your value and demonstrating your expertise could help you generate more leads and sales.
Generate Brand Awareness
Consumers won't choose your home services business if they don't realize it exists. Content marketing can help you appear in front of consumers online.
In addition to using SEO, you can also share your content on social media. More people will view your brand, boosting your brand visibility. Eventually, brand awareness will grow into recognition.
Gain More Traffic
You can share your blog posts online to generate more website traffic, too. As people visit your site, they can learn more about your offerings. Then, you can start converting those visitors into paying customers.
Increase Leads and Sales
As you convey your value and begin generating more website traffic, you'll also have fresh opportunities to convert visitors. Content creation and blogging are cost-effective, allowing you to improve your ROI in the process.
As you generate more leads and sales, you can start setting your business up for lasting growth and success.
Business Blogging: Create a Blog for Your Home Services Business Today
Want to help your home services business grow? Consider these amazing benefits of blogging! With a content creation and SEO marketing strategy, you can start reaching more clients online.
You don't have to develop your marketing strategy alone, though. We're happy to help!
Contact our team today to get started.