Comscore this month reports that local search grew 58% last year, reaching a total of 15.7 billion searches. Internet search grew only 21%. Local search is defined as the use of search tools like Google to find local businesses, products or services. Local search now comprises 11.5% of all internet search, and the percentage is growing.

Analysis shows that 75% of the top 100 keywords searched on Yellow Pages are non-branded. Neg Norton, president of the Yellow Pages Association said “Even if the searcher doesn’t know the company or brand they will ultimately give their business to, the decision to actually make a purchase has often already been made.” This is compelling evidence in favour of local businesses developing a strong online presence. Any advertising plan for local business should incorporate a local search strategy as growing numbers of planning-to-purchase consumers move to the web to research what, and more importantly where they will buy.

Bread and Breakfast Advertising - What Are The Most Effective Ways?

Does your current bed and breakfast advertising ensure that you are fully booked 100% of the time?  Chances are you just answered no and you are looking for ways to improve your bread and breakfast marketing plan.  In today’s economic times, it is essential for a B & B to advertise effectively and affordably.  To ensure that the dwindling number of people who are looking to stay at a bread and breakfast in your area choose to stay with you; you must keep ahead of your competition.  The sad truth is that the current economy makes it very difficult for a bed and breakfast to sustain itself.  So what do you do?  Sit back while your rooms go empty and hope the economy picks up, or do you actively fight back.  If you found this article, you are fighting back.  One way you can fight back is to add an online video commercial to your bread and breakfast advertising mix.  Let me explain.  People search online for bread and breakfasts to research where they are going to stay.  Searching online is the number one way people look for products or services before they purchase. Here are examples of the Google search numbers for bread and breakfasts:

• Oshawa ON – 52 people search every month for a bread and breakfast
• Sonoma CA – 2321 people search every month
• Bowling Green KY – 110 people search every month
• Des Moines IA – 237 people search every month
• Ardmore OK – 110 people search every month
• Eau Clarie WI – 137 people search every month
• Victoria BC – 4824 people search every month

Right across North America, in almost every town/city people are researching for a bread and breakfast to book with.  Are you being found by  all those searching online for a bed and breakfast in your area?  You can affordably capture the interest of these people with an online video commercial showcasing your bed and breakfast.  Video commercials used to be expensive but with today’s technology, a professional online video is now feasible even within the most modest marketing budget.  An optimized and distributed online video can get your bed and breakfast listed multiple times in the top 30 results of a Google search for your geographic area.  People will find your business listed multiple times in the Google results when they search online for a bead and breakfast in your town/city.  Serious advertising for a ridiculously low price.

In addition, add the video to your web site to boost your web site’s position in the search results.  Add your video to your online Yellow Pages ad and all the online directories you are in.  Online video commercials are relatively new so chances are you will be the only bed and breakfast in your area to use the power of video to showcase your business in this way, effectively keeping you ahead of your competition.  Research has proven that people prefer to watch a video over reading and looking at pictures.  If a picture is worth a thousand words…what is a video worth?  Add video with optimization and distribution to your bed and breakfast marketing plan and protect your business’s success in the current economic climate.

How Do You Affordably Step Up Your Builder Advertising To Counteract Today’s Economy?

All businesses, not just builders are searching for the answer to this question.  However, home builders have an advantage; the vast majority of people who are looking for a builder begin their research online.  Online every home builder has the opportunity to shine.  Online - all builders are equal.  If you are not currently concentrating your home builder marketing dollars online, in all honesty, you are missing the boat.  Let me explain.  People search online for a builder to research who they are going to contact, and ultimately choose as their builder.  Searching online is the number one way people look for products or services before they purchase.
Here are examples of the Google search numbers for home builders:

• Stockton CA – 138 people search for a home builder every month
• Kingston ON – 397 people search every month
• Frederick MD – 70 people search every month
• Toronto ON – 2284 people search every month
• Pensacola FL – 312 people search every month
• Charlotte NC – 5798 people search every month
• Louisville KY – 813 people search every month
• Killeen TX – 150 people search every month
• Chandler AZ – 234 people search every month

People across North America in both small and large towns and cities are looking for a home builder.  If you are not dominating the search results in your geographical area, you are missing all these potential clients.  Can you imagine the positive impact to your bottom line if you captured 10% or even 5% or even 2% of these buyers?  Even if you take the smallest search numbers from above – 70 x 2% = 1.4 – how would your bottom line improve with just 1 additional client every month?

Now that you know why you need to dominate the search results, the question becomes how.  An online video commercial added to your current home builder marketing plan can do this for your business.  Online video commercials used to be very expensive but with today’s technology, it has become one of the least expensive choices for a home builder marketing their business.  If you are a builder advertising with an online video that is optimized and distributed, you can achieve multiple top 30 positions on a Google search for all the people looking for a builder in your geographical area.  All the people who search every month for a builder in your area will find your business listed multiple times on the first three pages – they will find your video showcasing your skills and workmanship.  The power of video for a builder is incredible.  Serious advertising for a ridiculously low price.  Can you afford not to have online video working for you?

How To Succeed With Funeral Home Advertising

As we are all aware, very few people like to discuss or think about death.  People do not want to be reminded on a regular basis that they will lose a loved one or of their own mortality and that they will need the services of a funeral home.  The traditional ultimate goal of marketing and advertising your business, products/services is to ensure that your business is always in the minds of your potential customers so that they think of your business first when they need to make a purchase.  It is really difficult to successfully do this when yours is a business that people do not want to deal with or think about.  One could speculate that funeral home advertising is actually ignored by most due to the unpleasant thoughts and feelings it provokes.  Yet as funeral home owners know, it is vitally important to choose the best funeral home, for oneself or a loved one.

So the question remains, how do you market your funeral home?  How do you advertise your funeral home effectively and affordably?  The answer is nontraditional marketing and advertising.  Instead of trying to keep your business in the minds of people on a regular basis, so they think of it first when the need arises, market and advertise your business to those who have an immediate need for your services just before they buy.  Now we are not saying to hang out at hospitals and corner offices and market to those who have just lost a loved one.  What we are saying is to make sure that those who need your services are able to find you when they really need you, are searching for you and must make a purchase decision.  Imagine the positive impact to your business, if you were able to showcase - market your funeral home in a professional, compassionate way to 81.3% of the people who need to buy funeral services, in your local area, 365 days a year.

How do you approach your funeral home marketing professionally and with compassion to those who have demonstrated an immediate need to buy funeral services?  Is there a way to target your funeral home advertising to this group of buyers?  The answer yes, with an inexpensive, professional, online, video commercial that is easily found by those who are looking to purchase funeral services, in your local area.  81.3% of all funeral planning begins online.  One can assume that this number is so high because of the reasons we already explored – people to not want to think about buying and planning funeral services until they absolutely need to.  People who need to buy funeral services are searching online for a funeral home.  Here are examples of the Google search numbers for funeral homes:

• Appleton WI – 176 people search for funeral homes every month
• Niagara Falls ON – 238 people search every month
• Norman OK – 214 people search every month
• Los Vegas NV – 309 people search every month
• Winnipeg MB – 282 people search every month
• Tallahassee FL – 217 people search every month
• Spokane WA – 284 people search every month
• Chilliwack BC – 75 people search every month
• Allentown PA – 200 people search every month

Across North America, in almost every town and city, people who need to buy are searching online for a funeral home.  Searching online is the number one way people look for products or services before they buy.

There are many funeral home directories online, and most funeral homes are listed in these directories.  Directories are good but their purpose is to list all funeral homes, not just yours.  In a directory

• your business is listed right along with all of your competitors
• no or limited opportunity to highlight why you are the best choice
• no opportunity to connect personally with the prospective client

Many funeral homes have a web site.  This is important.  Your web site markets your funeral home and your funeral home only.  The question is; does your web site come up multiple times, in the top 30 spots in the search results when people search for funeral homes in your town/city on Google?  Is your web site being found by the 81.3% that are looking to immediately buy funeral services?

With an inexpensive, yet professional and optimized online video commercial, your business can come up multiple times in the top 30 results of a Google search.  Multiple appearances of your business name in a top 30 Google search is powerful and effective marketing.  An online commercial

• showcases YOUR business
• immediately provides prospective clients with the information that will positively influence their buying decision
• establishes a personal connection

Your funeral home is advertised professionally and compassionately to the best possible group of people - those that are buying funeral services now.

This video was made to advertise online video commercials to funeral homes.  It is under 1 minute in length.  Watch it and see for yourself, the power of video.  Then imagine your business reaching your buyers in this format just when they need to buy.

You now know how to market you funeral home - how to advertise your funeral home in an effective and affordable way.  The secret it out, and just in time.  Arm your business in these tough economical times; keep ahead of your competitors and compete with the corporate giants by leveling the playing field.  Those that advertise and market their small business successfully and affordably, those that keep ahead of their competition will survive and flourish, despite the current economic climate.

The video below was created for Rawhide International, a Toronto area leather furniture store and manufacturer.

My Dental Home, office of Dr. Kevin F. Brown, is a family dentistry practice operated in Sabiston Heritage House, a century home in Markham, Ontario.

We created this video for Toronto lighting store, Sescolite.

Welcome to the JiffySpots Journal, a place where we’ll look at the use of online commercials and Video Search Engine Optimization to help local and niche businesses gain Page One organic links on Google.

In particular we’ll look at JiffySpots clients and their successes with our online commercials / Video SEO service.

We have several projects underway for clients whose organic search results we will document here shortly. Our objective is to gain and sustain at least one or two Page One organic links for our clients on Google for their specific core keywords.

The bottom line benefit to our clients is not the Page One organic links per se. The return on investment stems from the offline phone calls prospective customers will make to our clients after having watched their online commercial.

Thanks for joining us and we look forward to a fast-moving and exciting future at JiffySpots. We intend to be a leader in a new marketing communications strategy that leapfrogs first-generation SEO, making it possible for local businesses or small businesses in a tight national niche to take advantage of the power of Google’s Page One organic links without having to manage a website to do so.