Category: Marketing

Columnist Will Scott explains that the trick to franchise or multi-location business online marketing is to avoid adopting different online approaches for each business location. Just like a rock star commands an audience of fans, each business location must be able to command an online audience of customers. Take this nugget of wisdom from Bruce Springsteen: [blockquote]”Getting an audience is hard. Sustaining an audience is hard. It demands a consistency of thought, of purpose, and of action over a long period of time.”[/blockquote] Nowhere is that more true than in…

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Apple continues to improve its mapping product by adding new features and content, albeit often under the radar. Last year, reviews and content from Booking.com and TripAdvisor began to show for locations and travel destinations, especially outside the US. In June of this year, the company introduced public transit routing as part of iOS 9 […] Apple continues to improve its mapping product by adding new features and content, albeit often under the radar. Last year, reviews and content from Booking.com and TripAdvisor began to show for locations and travel destinations, especially…

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Looking to expand your business to Asia and not sure what to expect? Contributor Eli Schwartz shares insights gleaned from living and working overseas. About a year and a half ago, I relocated from California to Singapore to take on the challenge of marketing SurveyMonkey’s portfolio of products across Asia. Living and working in a new region, I’ve been learning new ways of marketing, communicating and relating to different cultures. While my new role consisted of online marketing, offline promotions and some business development, my initial focus was on search…

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Wondering why a link builder gives a link to someone? Contributor Julie Joyce takes us through a few failures and successes that can help you better understand why people link. I’m sure you get a bazillion emails a day. I feel like I spend half my time weeding through them because I’m afraid I’ll miss something legitimate. I might open one out of every 30 emails that come from someone I don’t recognize. The latest outreach email that really grabbed my attention had several things going for it: First, it was…

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Whether you’re planning to pursue links in 2017 or continue an existing link-building project, columnist Andrew Dennis reminds us that December is an ideal month to review your link campaign strategy. Link campaigns need strategy. Link building is a difficult, time-consuming process that doesn’t produce results overnight. However, strategic link acquisition is necessary to achieve long-term improvements in organic search. It’s possible to grab “quick win” links here and there (and I’d encourage pursuing these opportunities), but you will need an ongoing campaign to achieve sustainable results. A campaign model ensures research,…

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Columnist Corey Barnett explains that if you plan to use Yext to suppress duplicate local listings, you should first understand the strengths and weaknesses of the platform. A recent case study by Yext shows the impact of duplicate listings on local rankings in Google. Coordinated by local search expert Andrew Shotland, the core research evaluates Yext duplicate suppression for a national restaurant chain. I’m not here to dispute the research or results. Having consistent NAP (name, address and phone number) has long been regarded as a priority for local businesses. However, there are limitations to using Yext for…

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The Federal Communications Commission has issued a cease-and-desist to Avid Telecom over the company’s transmission of illegal robocalls. The FCC has been battling robocalls, working to shut down the companies that make them, as well as those that fail to block them. The agency has issued a cease-and-desist to Avid Telecom, saying the company is “apparently originating illegal robocall traffic on behalf of one or more of ts clients.” The FCC says the robocalls targeted American consumers with insurance-related calls. The agency is giving Avid the opportunity to block the calls…

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Columnist Greg Gifford recaps a session by Thomas Ballantyne about the value of online reviews, showing why businesses need to start thinking about them if they aren’t already. Closing out the excellent first time slot in the Local track at SMX West this year was Thomas Ballantyne’s session about online reviews. Far too many business owners either ignore or don’t care about reviews, so Ballantyne — the director of marketing at Bulwark Pest Control — built his presentation as a tool to help marketers get buy-in from their clients. Reviews…

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OpenAI has unveiled its own web crawler bot, GPTBot, and has provided web admins with the means to block it if they want to. AI training methods have become a hot topic, with the industry still trying to figure out the legality and ethics of training AI models using data on the internet. OpenAI is addressing those concerns head-on, by giving web admins the ability to block GPTBot. Usage Web pages crawled with the GPTBot user agent may potentially be used to improve future models and are filtered to remove sources that…

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Microsoft is expanding its self-repair program, giving customers the option to purchase replacement parts for their Xbox controllers. Microsoft has been increasingly embracing right-to-repair, expanding its self-repair options across its product lines. The latest expansion involves Xbox controllers, with the company offering replacement cases, buttons, and internal parts. A number of tech companies have slowly begun offering self-repair kits and parts, but Microsoft has arguably been the most supportive of such efforts. The company has even begun supporting right-to-repair legislation, a step beyond many of its rivals. Xbox customers can find more…

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