Best Advice for Digital Marketing and Growing a Social Media

Posted on by Chris Jenkin

Whether you’re wondering how to ensure that consumers can find your business online, or need a few tips to boost your company’s social media presence, the following advice for digital marketing and social media will serve you and your customers well.

Best Advice for Digital Marketing and Social Media

Optimize Your Website

If your business isn’t easily located online, people won’t find you. A website that’s been fully optimized for search results is crucial if you want to attract new andrepeat business. A mobile-friendly website loads faster and displays correctly. If people are turned off by your website after they click, away they go…

Use Correct Metadata

If your website is outdated, your metadata probably needs to be cleaned up as well. Incorrect metadata can influence your ratings and, in turn, affect your search visibility. Go through your tags and descriptions and see if anything needs updating to reflect the content of your page or your business.

Go Local

Customers love to read online business reviews. Attract more locals in your area by optimizing your website with keywords and local happenings in your town. Your geographical location should be part of your site content along with your address so that your business can be discovered through a combination of local search strings and relevant keywords.

Be Social

Once you build your local business you’ll want to be social to stay in touch with your regular customers to encourage their repeat business, and of course, promote all of the events of your company. Social media management is a crucial part of your online marketing strategy and you should go at it with a good plan as to which social media channels you will be active on (Pinterest, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.) and the frequency in which you plan to post content. You’ll want to share the most useful and relevant content for your readers if you want to increase page engagement and shares.

Blog

Creating web content is one of the best ways to drive regular web traffic to your site. If you don’t have a blog, now is the time to re-think that. Posting a weekly or daily blog keeps your ranking fresh in search results. The more stagnant your website, the fewer visitors you reach. If you’re not creating engaging web content you should consider hiring a professional that can turn out blog articles that are informative, interesting, and that centralizes on the keywords and the theme of your industry.

Promote Content

Once you have your blogs you’ll need to promote them. This means you’ll need to publish your web content on social media networks. In addition, you should continue to promote your older, evergreen content as often as possible. As long as your shared content is still useful and beneficial, there’s nothing wrong with keeping strong blogs in rotation.

Keep Trying

No matter what your plan of attack is when it comes to promoting your business, the best advice for digital marketing and growing a social media presence is to be patient, analytical, and crazy enough to make a few changes as you see necessary. Successful digital marketing is a combination of both creativity and science. What works for one business might not work for your own brand. It’s best to get to know your audience and learn exactly why they research or buy from businesses like yours, and then connect with them.

Spend the time to research and analyze your efforts. Find our which published blog posts brought in the most traffic, for example, or determine which days your social traffic is most active. When you promote your business locally and then make the effort of maintaining a social presence, you position your brand for long-term success and encourage loyal shoppers. To encourage new customers, make sure your business website is always growing. An active, well-maintained and well-ranked web site is an indication of a strong and vibrant company that consumers are eager to do business with. You can’t get a better review than that! (Or at least that’s what Google thinks.)

Do you have a piece of digital marketing advice you’d love to share? Leave us a comment below. If you need to amp up your social presence or update your company’s website to a new and improved mobile-friendly version, please contact gotcha! Mobile Solutions today.

9 Reasons Why You Should Love Local Businesses

Posted on by Chris Jenkin

The following list of why you should love local businesses serves as a reminder that the little shop down the street, might need a little TLC. You don’t know what you got till it’s gone. Remember that. So instead of filling up your coffee cup with a Mocha-Lava-Java-Hot-Cuppa-Love at the big “S” this Valentines Day weekend, stop and smell the beans at a little charming coffee shop, and show your love!

9 Reasons Why You Should Love Local Businesses

There are many different reasons you should love your local businesses. Admit it, you’ve been shopping online, waiting for the UPS man, and heading out to Target on the weekends. Shame on you. Go buy a kite from the local toy store and instead, go outside to play. These are all the reasons a local business can brighten your day:

1. Accessible- Wrong size? Not a problem. While the modern convenience of ordering online has its perks, purchases such as clothing often find themselves in the return pile thanks to poor craftsmanship, quality, or a bad fit. Returning purchases adds not only to the original cost of the purchase when considering shipping expense, shoppers lose time as well. Local businesses are accessible throughout the week during their normal business hours. Poor quality or unwanted merchandise can usually be returned in person for an immediate exchange or refund. Spending your money at an accessible business is often a safer bet than dealing with online retailers.

2. Trust- Local businesses don’t have the luxury of conversing with customers over the computer, out of sight and out of mind. Instead local businesses have to stay involved with their customers to encourage repeat business. They have to go above and beyond the normal call of duty to please each and every customer. Most small businesses rely heavily on their reputation and a bad business deal is never desired. Local businesses work hard to earn the trust of their customers and are more likely to appreciate loyal shoppers.

3. Reliability- What you see is what you get when it comes to most local businesses. Unlike large corporations that might stake false claims or over promise and under deliver, a small local business tends to operate in a reliable manner. If they want to keep their doors open and their customer base returning, reliability is key for any business.

4. Build community- Small businesses help to build local communities. Imagine that small little town that was practically asleep before the local coffee shop opened its doors and woke the streets up. Local establishments provide a place for community members, neighbors and friends to gather and meet. Becoming the local hangout doesn’t mean you have to offer the best product or even the most competitive pricing, often it is just a matter of becoming that favorite place for people to go. If you patronize a company that helps build community, you’re showing your appreciation for the efforts and expenses that business incurs to provide your town a place to call home.

5. In the family- Many people support local businesses because they know the owners like family. Or perhaps they ARE family. Generational businesses are popular within small communities because they have been around for a very long time. Pairing that will all the other qualities that make a good business, such as reliability, trust, and accessibility, established businesses also offer a nostalgic connection to friends and family members.

6. Customer service- How often have you heard a bad review regarding customer service from a well-established local business? Not often. Even when issues arise regarding quality or expectations, most professional and trustworthy local business owners know they can’t tell off their patrons without consequence. Customer service is key in building rapport within your community and that means service is usually served up with a smile.

7. Competitive- Local businesses know they have to fight for their dollar. This means they’ll often be much more competitive amongst one another, as well as with online competitors. If they can’t match prices a local business might offer a different perk such as a better selection, or even a more reasonable return policy. If it can be done most local businesses will offer a perk for going local, and for coming back. Find out if your favorite business offers any shopper rewards and be sure to sign up for emails or download mobile apps that keep you connected with store specials and promotional events.

8. You’re loyal- Many people love their local businesses simply because they’re loyal. It wouldn’t matter if the largest and best bookstore opened up around the corner, a loyal shopper knows that the dusty shelves of their favorite used book store is still abundant in worth. From the well-trained sales staff to the family-oriented special in-store events, local shops have that special charm that make them more inviting. What can your business do to create atmosphere?

9. Unique- Some things you just can’t find online. This is especially true when you’re dealing with a unique local business that stocks and sells exactly what you’re looking for. Shopping locally provides the opportunity to build relationships with business owners, who can then work harder to earn your repeat business by stocking the things that you love. Take the time to get to know your local merchants and help keep their doors open by asking for what you want, and then going to get it!

Build Better Business with Local SEO

Do you know where locals go when they want to make a purchase? They look at their phones. Whether it’s Googling a business review or checking directions for an establishment, local shoppers let their fingers do the discovering, and nobody cares about the Yellow Pages anymore. If your business if not listed in search results on the internet, local shoppers will not see your establishment’s name, location, contact information, or anything about your brand. Small local businesses need a Local SEO program to ensure business is healthy with an online presence. Do you need help positioning your brand locally? Contact gotcha! Mobile Solutions today.

7 Reasons Why Your Website Needs to Be Mobile Friendly Now

Posted on by Chris Jenkin

The internet has largely contributed to how we do things. And because of this, its usage has also vastly changed over time. The technologies used a few years ago may no longer be as useful as they are today. Moreover, the media people use to access the internet has changed. They no longer have to log into a computer to look for information. Instead, information is delivered straight to them through their smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches.

With these changes in place, it is so important for business owners to keep up with the times and have a website optimized for mobile use. Not to mention, Google has rolled out a mobile-friendly algorithm update that improves search rankings of businesses that have a mobile-friendly website. If you have implemented such a website, you’ll know that this is vital to your success. Otherwise, you might want to consider preparing your website to be mobile-friendly. Here are some reasons why:

You reach more people
Studies show that 58 percent of American adults have a smartphone,and teenagers also have their own devices. Just think of how many people you can reach with your website if it has been optimized for these devices.

People are making more purchases from mobile devices
Studies show that there is a higher number of shoppers who make purchases through their mobile devices as opposed to a computer or a laptop. You need to tap into this market so you can make your business visible to them.

It loads websites faster
A website that has not been optimized for mobile will load very slowly, if at all. In comparison, a mobile-friendly website loads quickly because its codes have been structured in a compatible format. And, as studies show, website users tend to abandon a website if it takes more than 10 seconds for a page to load. This is definitely something that could be damaging to your website.

It provides a better experience for the user
One good thing about optimizing your website for mobile is that when a user wants to open a link to your website, it will load on his browser without any problem. If a website is not mobile-friendly, it will take a long time to load and can be difficult to navigate. This is a big turn-off to mobile users who want to have information provided to them as soon as possible. If it takes a long time to load your page, you will lose their attention.

Customers spend a longer time on your website
Another advantage you get with a mobile-friendly website is that your visitors will spend a longer period of time on your site. If your website can be easily navigated by people, you encourage them to stay on your website and check out more of your content. And if you are trying to sell something, this can easily convert your web visitors into customers.

Gives you a competitive edge
There is a good chance that your competitors already have a website that has been optimized for mobile. But there is also a chance that their website is not as responsive as it should be. If you want your business to have a good rank on Google Mobile Search, you have to take that first step and invest in a mobile-ready website. This is especially important for local businesses.

Take advantage of free tools
Apart from giving you a high rank on Google Search, you can also make use of Google’s tools for your business. One of these tools is the Click-to-Call feature which is available on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. With this feature available, users can easily get in touch with you by simply tapping on their screen.

The absolute best way to encourage new customers and repeat visitors is to ensure your website is mobile-friendly. Need help? Contact gotcha! Mobile Solutions today.

gotcha! Systems Engineer Bhaskarjyoti Roy Publishes Book

Posted on by Chris Jenkin

Our very own Systems Engineer, Bhaskarjyoti Roy (we call him Roy), has published his first book on Amazon, entitled “Mastering CentOS 7 Linux Server.” Roy is an expert in the field, and it’s important that he’s also a teacher. Here at gotcha!, we encourage our team members to instruct each other and be part of our internal “Educate Break,” where our resident experts hold classes for the rest of us.

As a special treat I have interviewed Roy about his book and his time here at gotcha! and this is what he had to say:

Chris: So we are all excited about the release of your book “Mastering CentOS 7 Linux Server” on Amazon. Everyone here at gotcha! is proud of you. Can you tell us briefly in laymen’s terms what your book is about?

Roy: This book is about CentOS 7 which is one of the most famous Linux distributions that you will find. It runs most of the web hosting servers worldwide and in other infrastructures as well. After reading through this book you will learn some advanced aspects of Linux/CentOS 7, and can manage several important services on it like web server, email server, DNS, FTP, etc. You will also learn about advanced services such as virtualization and cloud computing.

Chris: What was the inspiration behind the book? Why this topic?

Roy: After working several years on Linux/CentOS, I found there were not enough books written on this topic, which covers and teaches a System Administrator how to setup, configure, and secure services that are very important to run in an organization like website, email, etc. This book includes almost all the topics that a System Administrator needs to learn and work on today.

Chris: Why Linux over .net?

Roy: Linux is open source and there are distributions like CentOS which are free to use. You will always find a cost advantage running Linux in your organization. Over time, I’ve found that there are not many good books which actually cover exactly what you need for implementation. I tried to solve that problem by writing this book, and I emphasized only those topics which are actually important to run your infrastructure on Linux/CentOS 7 .

Chris: What was your biggest challenge going from Systems Engineer to author?

Roy: The initial planning and the content structuring were what I found challenging while writing this book. Because I knew this needed to be structured in such a way that a System Administrator could go through the topics and learn step by step about security, services etc., I had to think like a System Administrator who started his career in Linux and who wanted to know more about the topics that he needs to perform in an organization.

Chris: Will there be more books to follow and, if so, what types of topics?

Roy: Yes, I have plans to write more books in the future, covering more advanced topics like Virtualization, AWS, Cloud Computing, and Configuration Management.

Chris: How do you follow the latest digital trends? Do you have any favorite books or blogs you could share?

Roy: I follow different websites depending on what exactly I am looking for, but there is no specific one. To find the latest trends, I sometimes look into several freelancing sites and job portals to see and understand what companies are looking for in terms of System and Server Administrators. I think this is one way to understand the latest trends. Another way is to follow some providers’ websites to see what they are offering and what’s new.

Chris: What have you learned from your greatest mistake?

Roy: Personally everyone makes mistakes. What I have learned is to be more careful in what I am doing so I don’t make a mistake and and remember from past mistakes not to repeat them. I like to be armoured with solid in-depth knowledge of a subject.

Chris: Why gotcha!? Why not work somewhere else?

Roy: Freedom, support, inspiration and satisfaction. Here at gotcha!, we are encouraged to perform better and learn. We are a family here, not just a team, and we help each other whenever required. It’s crucial that I find a work environment like we have at gotcha! so that I can improve myself day by day, and be satisfied.

Chris: The secret to success is…

Roy: Enjoy the work you are doing. Be sincere, responsible and eager to learn and perform.

Chris: Excellent, and thank you Roy for what you do for our clients, our team, and the Linux community.

We are proud of Roy and our other team experts who strive to not only be great at their jobs but also be great people.

If you have any questions regarding CentOS 7, hosting, server management, or anything else digital, please don’t hesitate to contact gotcha! or one of our preferred distributors.

You can find Roy’s book on Amazon.