For a Dex Media Throwback Thursday event, we’ve decided to highlight our timeless articles that apply just as much in 2014 or 2015 as they did when they were originally written.
Advertising
Business Sign Basics – This article from 2012 points out that regardless of changes in technology, a good sign on your brick and mortar business will help customers find you and attract new business.- Free Advertising for Small Businesses – One of our most popular articles from 2012, by Scott Stirling, describes where to create online listings to promote your website. While new listing and review sites like Manta and Yelp should be added to the list, this list is a great place to start to build a basic online presence for your local business.
- Local Discovery: Can Customers Find Your Business? – Providing accurate, consistent information across all of your listings and properties is still as important today as it was in 2013.
Blogging
Let Your Personality Come Out In Business Writing – Business writing advice hasn’t changed since 2010. In this article, Marion Jacobson points out when to use personality in your business writing and when to avoid it.- What Not To Write On The Company Blog – Sometimes, knowing what NOT to write is more important than what to write on your company blog.
- Why Your Business MUST Have a Blog – While it takes less convincing these days, the fact remains that most businesses need to have a blog.
Business Websites
Creating a Small Business Website – If you’re just now creating your local business website, here are the basic services, features and components that you’ll need to have and consider.- Reviewing Your Small Business Website – This post highlights basic information that every business website should have today, just as it did in 2011.
- 6 Best Practices for Choosing a Domain Name – Choosing a domain name for your business website is still one of the most important decisions you will make for your online marketing success.
Mobile Marketing
While the prevalence and importance of mobile marketing in your overall local marketing plan has grown, the basic principles of mobile marketing haven’t changed.
Mobile Marketing Basics for Local Businesses – Here is a good list of reasons why a local business needs to be involved in mobile marketing and some basic steps to take to get started.- Five Ways You Can Help Your Business Go Mobile – This post gives a good basic list of things to consider when creating a mobile marketing strategy.
- Don’t Think You Need a Mobile Website? Think Again – Having a mobile website or a mobile or responsive version of your website is more important than ever before.
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) & Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising
Advantages Of Pay Per Click (PPC) Advertising – PPC advertising is not new, but it is still an effective way to get traffic to your website.- How to Spend Your Internet Marketing Dollars Wisely – If you’re spending money on an SEM campaign, it is easy to sink a lot of money into it without seeing great results. This article gives advice on how to get the most out of your paid search campaigns.
- Landing Page Reviews for Maximum Conversions – If you’re spending money on paid search campaigns, you want to make sure that the visitors you’re paying to attract to your website find what they’re looking for, so they can be converted into customers. This article tells you how to improve your conversion rates.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
How to Outsource Small Business SEO like a Pro – SEO is probably not something you want to take on by yourself. Here is a guide to figuring out how to get a good consultant to optimize your website.- 6 Good Ideas That Are Terrible for SEO – There are many opinions on what should and shouldn’t be done to help your site rank better in Google. Here are some things that you may have heard should improve your Google rankings which didn’t work in 2012 and still don’t work today.
- Want to Show Up Prominently in Google? Try Taking Their Advice – Â Google isn’t shy about describing what they look for in relevant websites. Here is a list of Google properties that will help you monitor how your business website appears in Google search results.
Social Media Marketing
Social media networks seem to come and go all the time, so it seems that social media marketing advice wouldn’t be valid over time. However, here are some good articles that discuss overriding social media marketing principles that are timeless.
Social Media Success For Small Business – If you’re just starting to explore social media marketing for your business, this post explains why you should be involved with social media and how to get started.- 6 Keys to Measuring Your Social Media Results – Is your social media marketing plan working? Here are six things you can do to monitor your success.
- 6 Tips to Handle Customer Service and Complaints on Facebook – One of the main advantages of having a social media presence for your business is that you are able to see and respond to online customer complaints and praises. Here are some great tips on how to incorporate social media into your customer service process.
