Walt Goshert » Google Local Business Listing

Google Local Business Listing: Video

Walt Goshert — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:04:13 +0000

Wanna know the trick to making your Google Local Business Listing Rock?

Rock… meaning prospects actually visiting your website, calling you for appointments, hiring you, giving you money?

One word:

Video

Video is the ultimate killer app for Local businesses.

And it starts with adding video to your Google Local Business Listing.

Here are the reasons why you want to seriously consider adding video to your Google Local Business Listing, and spread your videos to other sites online.

1. Everyone has grown up in the TV, video game, multi-media World. Most of us like and prefer our information and entertainment served up in video- pictures, audio, and context.

2. Online video, while inexpensive and relatively simple to create and upload online, is technically more challenging to create and do. This narrows the playing field. Many Local businesses will not get involved with video.

3. Video has viral potential. YouTube is now the Number 2 online Search Engine behind Google, and the 4th most visited site in the U.S.

4. Online video is now more accessible with increased broadband connections, and 3 and 4G mobile access with more and more people using smart phones, such as iPhones and BlackBerrys.

Rocking Your Local Business with Video has never been easier.

You have two simple and inexpensive ways to get started with video for your Local business.

1. Use Screen Capture software or still Photos, Audio, and Text to create a Video Slide Show.

You don’t need tons of expensive equipment- video cameras, lighting, and software to create and edit video. It doesn’t take lots of time or any special “film school skill” to crank out interesting, compelling videos. In fact, you don’t even need a video camera to create videos!

You can create effective videos that showcase your Local business. You can tell your unique Local business story simply with photos, audio, and text. With programs already available on your computer such as Power Point and Windows Media, you can pull together videos. Or, check out onetruemedia.com, stupeflix.com , or animoto.com- free online sites where you can take your photos, audio, and text and create “instant videos”.

One of the easiest Free online Screen Capture tools to use is the Picnik Firefox add-on.

2. Flip Video Camera

For now under a $150 you can get an easy-to-use, take-everywhere, pocket-sized simple Flip Video Camera. With the Flip Video Camera, upload to YouTube is a simple “one-click”.

While a Flip Video Camera isn’t going to deliver professional grade quality video, it does put in your hands a simple, easy-to-use tool, to capture authentic, real moments about your Local business- your staff, demonstrating a product, describing a service, interviewing a client about their experience working with you

Here’s the thing…

Real and authentic trumps slick and ad-agency produced. People online can smell a slick, produced sales pitch a mile away nowadays. Folks are looking to plug into a community, to be part of something important to them and their lives. Capture unguarded 30 second to 3 minute moments in your business. Share your Local business moments with your prospects and clients using video and you have a powerful way to build community and naturally draw sales towards your business.

Post Your Video to your Google Local Business Listing

To post your videos to your Google Local Business Listing, you must first upload them to YouTube.

Go to YouTube.com and set-up your account. Pick the best name possible for your YouTube Channel, your Local Business name. Make sure you complete the YouTube Profile information. You’ll be indexed and easier to find. On your YouTube Channel, you can customize colors and background to match your Local business identity. You’ll want to add keywords about your business and a link back to your website. Here’s an example of a customized Local business YouTube channel: BMW of Freehold,NJ

After you upload your videos to YouTube, simply copy and paste the video URL (website address) into your Google Local Business Listing form.

For Free Video marketing tips, and a free site where you can syndicate (share and spread your videos far and wide) your Local business videos on the Internet, check out TubeMogul.

The key with video is it doesn’t have to be Hollywood or TV grade quality. Lots of people get hung-up on this thinking this is what their prospects and clients expect.

It doesn’t matter if it’s good, bad, goofy, funny, or even lame. Start recording.

Put your videos out there, starting with your Google Local Business Listing and have your online community spread ‘em for you.

Flickr Photo Credit: Carissa GoodNCrazy

Top Ten Reasons Why You Must Add Video to Your Marketing Mix This Fall (biztipsblog.com)
YouTube reaches fifth birthday (guardian.co.uk)
Google Local Business: How to get your business to appear at the top of the local search engine results at no cost (krishnade.com)

Google Local Business Listing:Photo Tweaks and Tips

Walt Goshert — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 14:28:51 +0000

Now, you’ve claimed your Google Local Business Listing…

But, one or two lame photos?

Come on… Show me more!

Ok, so, you’re asking…

“Why is it so freakin’ important to add my own photos, with Keyword Tags, to my Google Local Business Listing?… I got a real business to run here!”

First of all…

If you don’t, there’s a chance Google will auto-fill your Local Business Listing with stock photos…

Or… even worse…

Photos of your competitor.

Now aside from Google taking liberties with your Local Business Listing, you probably already realize…

Pictures DO paint a story and stir the imagination in the minds of your prospects and clients.

Today’s online world is a multi-media experience. Plain old text ain’t gonna cut it.

While Local SEO pros are divided about how much influence photos have in determining your Google Local Business Listing rank in the 7-Pak rankings, everyone pretty much agrees…

Photos do improve Click Through Rates to your website, potential phone call inquiries, and visits to your store, shop, or showroom.

Your Google Local Business Listing accommodates 10 photos. Use a variety of photos to portray your Local business.

Your location/building/store front.
You and your staff
Your Products
Your Services

In addition to adding your 10 Photos to your Google Local Business Listing,here are two tricks to get the most mileage from your Photos online.

1. “Tag” all your Photos with Category and Geo-Targeted keywords. For example:

“kitchen design/build , Lancaster County PA” on a Photo of a recent kitchen remodel project.

Tagging helps the search engines find keyword information. Tagging your Photos also makes organizing them easier. As you take and add photos to your website and other areas online, when you’ve added tags, it’s easier to sort and find related photos- both for you when creating new content, and visitors to your website.

2. Post your Photos not only on your Google Local Business Listing, but also add your Photos (with keyword “Tags” of course) to:

Picasa- Google’s Photo sharing site.
Flickr- Yahoo’s popular online Photo sharing site

Now, with only a bit more time and effort, after you’ve posted 10 Photos on your Google Local business Listing, 10 Photos on your Picasa site, 10 Photos at your Flickr account, you’ve now claimed 30 more spots, with your keywords added, for your Local Business. You’ve taken one little additional step. Yes, while it might seem like a waste of time and duplication of information, keep in mind this information you provide goes into the huge Internet database. Search Engines are simple the tools your prospects use to find information in this database.

It’s these little tweaks… claiming your Google Local Business Listing, and then taking the steps that 99% of businesses don’t take, like adding photo Keyword tags and then posting to Photo sharing sites…

These are the little things that make the difference of your business getting found on-line rather than your competition.

Not only have you claimed more spots in the Google Game. You’ve given your prospects an interesting way to learn more about your business.

Oh, one more thing. Each day, more and more Local Business sites and Directories give you the ability to create free Local Business Listing. Many of these sites have the option to upload and add your Photos.

You’ll want to claim your Local Business listing at these sites, and while you’re there add your Photos.

Check out sites to list your Local business for Free such as MerchantCircle.com, Kudzu.com, and Yelp.com.

Plus, don’t forget possibly the Number One place to Profile your Local Business… with unlimited keyword tagged Photos.

Do you know you can create a Business Page on the one of the top five busiest sites Online… for Free?

And include unlimited, keyword tagged photos, with links back to your website?

Yep, a Facebook Business Page allows you to upload and create Photo albums of your Local Business.

Stay tuned…

More Google Local Business Listing Tips.

And Coming Soon:

All about Facebook Business Pages

Flickr Photo Credit: victoriapeckham

More on Google Local Business Listings:

Understanding Local Listing Sites as Google Changes the Game (marketingvox.com)
Local business listings hijackings