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How To Create Local Citations For Austin TX Business

March 14, 2013

Local SEO is the next big thing, and small businesses in Austin,TX that aren’t focusing on building local citations are running a risk of being left far behind in the race. With a whopping 20 percent of Google’s searches being local ones, and the numbers surging with the increased use of mobile devices, local SEO is no longer just an option. We are all familiar with search results showing only the top ten organic listings, which emphasizes the need for creating local citations.

The following guidelines highlight the most effective way to work on these citations and make them work for your business in Austin, TX-

  • Local Austin TX Based Directories- There are hundreds of directories available on which you can add your Austin-based business. These directories serve as aggregators for Google, and when these listings converge, you have a well-rounded local SEO strategy. You can find the best local directories for your industry by searching for Austin, TX + your industry on Google. Apart from getting listed in these directories, it is also advisable to be listed in leading directories like Yelp, Insider Pages, Angie’s List, Yellow Pages, etc.
  • Take a cue from your competitors- Paying attention to what your competitors are doing is a useful strategy in all types of SEO. This is particularly true for local SEO, where just searching for your competitor’s name with their phone number and address in quotation marks, can bring up pages worth of useful links on which you can create citations for your business.
  • Social media- Needless to say, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media networks are the one place that you cannot afford to be absent from. Make sure that you provide your accurate business information on your pages on these sites, and also look into options for localized advertizing on social media.
  • Local blogs- Local, Austin-based blogs are another great way to create local citations. It is a good idea to focus on blogs specific to your industry. Once you have these blogs covered, you can also move to national blogs to further your reach.
  • Offline citations- The interesting thing about local SEO, is that it doesn’t have to be limited to online efforts. There is a lot that can be done in the real world too, right from attending meet-ups and organizing events to getting noticed by the local media.

For SEO Services in Austin TX, visit us at Centex Technologies – (855) 375-9654

Online Marketing Strategy For Austin TX Businesses

March 7, 2013

Promoting one’s business is an intricate skill that involves a large amount of expertise. Business promotion techniques are critical to the success of any business, as they are what actually let the relevant people know what the business has to offer. When it comes to promoting a website for a local business, there are certain dos and don’ts that need to be borne in mind. The following guidelines tell you what pitfalls to avoid and what strategies to follow when promoting your local Austin TX based business-

  • Start off by listing your business. The first step to promoting a local business is ensuring that it figures in search results when someone is looking for that particular service in that Austin TX. This can be made possible by listing the business’ address on sites like Google Places, Yahoo directory, and other local Austin business listing directories. Remember to clearly indicate your phone number and email address so that if someone wishes to contact you they can do so without any hassle.
  • Another key tool when it comes to the online promotion of a local business in Austin is the use of banner ads, coupons, and text ads on popular websites. By placing ads for your business on websites that have built credibility among Austin residents, you stand a good chance of getting noticed by visitors to those sites. Always remember never to indulge in over-promotion when it comes to creating these ads.
  • Encourage customer reviews. With most customers turning to online reviews as a way to get first hand information about what to expect from a certain company, it is important for you to provide some sort of incentive to customers for adding reviews to your website. This could be in the form of rewards like coupon codes or special discount points for each review, irrespective of whether it is positive or negative. These reviews and ratings will help build your website’s credibility, while also encouraging customers to use your services.
  • Finally, make the most of content on your website. Whether in the form a regularly-updated blog, emails, newsletters, or product descriptions, you can never go wrong with original and informative content. Work with an Austin based SEO expert to make sure that this content is search-engine friendly, and incorporates the right keywords to ensure that your website’s search engine rankings are boosted.

Centex Technologies is a Austin TX based IT Consulting and SEO Company providing Search Engine Marketing, Internet marketing and SEO in Austin TX.

How To Generate Leads With Video Marketing

February 28, 2013

Video marketing is one of the most underrated social media marketing strategies, taking from how most companies tend to overlook the need to make the most of this technique. As a user of social media websites, anyone would agree that the effect achieved by a well-made video can hardly be matched up with blocks of text, or even images. Videos perfectly bring together the power of words and pictures, to put across a message with minimal effort from the viewer. The following simple steps tell you how you can boost leads to your website through video marketing-

Creating a video

You can use the same video on all the social media networks that you are active on, including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, etc. Some pointers to keep in mind while creating the video are-

  • Keep the video short- 2 to 3 minutes is ideal.
  • Start with a genuine greeting that’s relevant to your brand’s spirit and true to your personality. Throw in some humor or a thought-provoking statement to keep your viewer engaged.
  • Keep them gripped by jumping straight to what they want to know, which is what is on offer for them. This could be a content giveaway, a special discount, a one-time coupon code, etc.
  • Narrating anecdotes, whether personal, or third-person, always works greatly in videos.
  • Finally, remember to finish off with a clear call-to-action.

Building an all-rounded strategy

Just a 2-minute video is not going to be enough, and you have to structure an effective campaign around it. To start off, it is a great idea to put together all of your premium content, including images, blog posts, etc. together in a single theme. Also make sure that you have a professional landing page that summarizes what’s being offered through the campaign.

It helps to divide your content into two types- Indirect content, which offer users genuine information to build your credibility and encourage them to share their details, and direct content- which focuses on putting out your offer.

Ensuring maximum “shareability” of your video

Start off by optimizing it on Youtube, with a clear call-to-action. Make sure you have a great title for your video, as this makes a world of a difference. You also need to post links to your video on all your social media channels.

Email Marketing- Tips And Tricks To Achieve Best Conversions

February 21, 2013

Email marketing, when done correctly, can be that one magical tool that can help boost your conversion rates, build brand value, and most importantly, add to your customer base. The end result of all this is a higher return-on-investment, which is every business owner’s ultimate goal. If you are new to email marketing, it might sound as easy as typing out an email and sending it to bulk email ids. However, when you actually get to it, you realize that it is a lot tougher than that.

While sending an email is as simple as hitting an email, the real challenge lies in making users actually read it, and act upon it. The following tips and tricks show you how to make that happen-

  • Ensure that your emails are spam-filter free- The first step to an effective email marketing campaign is ensuring that your emails land in the inbox of your recipients and not in their spam mail. Certain promotional keywords can make even the most fantastic email prone to spam filters, and must be avoided in email campaigns. The goal is to keep your email as authentic as possible.
  • Include a clear call-to-action- Remember that no matter how effective your email might be, chances are that only a small percentage of recipients will bother to read all the way to the end and see what you are trying to say. You need to ensure that whoever opens your email is immediately prompted to a clear action, in the form of a link or any other call-to-action.
  • Resend effective emails- Even though this should be a no-no in an ideal world, but the truth is that when it comes to email marketing, a little bit of nudging is necessary. So if you didn’t achieve the desired results with your first email, resend it with a little tweaking a few more times for better results. Sending it thrice usually does the trick.
  • Design your landing page in tandem with your email campaign- When you have crossed the first two obstacles of getting recipients to open your email and act upon it, the last thing you want is your plan to backfire at the final stage. To avoid this, you need to work on your landing page, and ensure that it is well-coordinated with your email. You do not want users getting confused when they land on it, and bouncing off just as quick.

Check Out The New Myspace

February  14, 2013

So Myspace is all set to make a momentous comeback, and is already sending ripples in the world of social marketing. The new Myspace layout has a lot to offer to business owners, and even though the site is still in its beta version, there is a lot that you can do to start planning your profile and doing the groundwork for a great start. Myspace is branding itself as a “social entertainment network”, as it shall include a lot more than just social networking, including movies, TV shows, music, and a lot more!

To set up an account on Myspace, you shall first have to choose a category that you belong to, out of categories like brand, fan, comedian, etc. This selection shall be important in deciding your account type, but you shall be able to change it later on. The site is being closely integrated with other popular social networks like Facebook and Twitter, and shall make it possible to not only connect with friends you have on these networks, but also share your Myspace status updates on other social media sites.

A striking difference between the new Myspace and the older version is that this one has a much simpler interface. You shall notice this right from the get-go, with the process of updating your profile information being a lot easier and quicker. The home page brings together the best of everything, right from a cover photo to a section dedicated to your website’s link, which is great for businesses. The “manage” option in different profile types allows you to customize them as per your selected choice, and also easily upload files. The new Myspace is laying major focus on music and audio clips, and this just might be what makes it stand out in the social media sea.

Once you are done with setting up your profile, you shall be able to post updates of up to 150 characters and a photo. You shall also be able to customize your stream and add filters to it, to decide what kind of information you want to see in your stream. Since the website is still in the Beta version, you can only join it via someone who already has a profile on it. You can then connect your existing social media accounts to your Myspace page to add more connections.

We at Centex Technologies provide Social Media Marketing, SEO and PPC services to clients in Austin, Dallas and Killeen areas in Central Texas.

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