Category Archives: Digital Marketing

Dec '21

How Long Should a Marketing Campaign Last in 2022?

Blog Cover Graphic With Title "How Long Should a Marketing Campaign Last"

Determining how long your marketing campaign should last is essential. Chances are, it’s costing you money to run your campaign in the first place, so ideally, you will want to pull the plug as soon as you have got your ideal return on investment, gained a new client base, have seen a good boost in conversions or otherwise accomplished your mission.

Several considerations influence an appropriate timeframe for any marketing campaign. So what is the answer to the question, ‘how long should a marketing campaign last?’ Unfortunately, there is no universal answer. Still, there are some helpful rules of thumb that you should know before you launch.

In the following post, Nolen Walker describes multiple scenarios and gives general time parameters for how long a marketing campaign should last. However, remember that there are more variables to account for, which you can learn about at Nolen Walker Academy, LLC.

Campaign Scenarios

Whether you are a business owner or a digital marketer looking to help out your client, it helps to have as many bases covered as possible. But, of course, if you are a marketer, then experience is the best teacher for figuring out how long a marketing campaign should last.

Still though, here are some scenarios that will give you a general idea:

Time Frame Variables Chart for Marketing Campaigns

Sales and Promotions

The duration of a marketing campaign concerned with a sale or special promotion should be at least as long as the offer is valid. In most cases, you will want to launch a campaign leading up to the beginning of the proposal – call it a week or two beforehand. After all, you want to generate some hype for the special offer.

Grand Openings

These are also pretty simple to figure out. If you are opening a brand new location or opening the doors of your business for the very first time, you will want to end your marketing campaign for it as soon as you are open for business, naturally. However, when to start your marketing campaign for a grand opening is a bit more complicated.

In general, you will need to consider the size of the local market. If you live in a densely populated urban area, you may want to campaign for 2-3 months before opening your doors. If the market is sparser, 2-4 weeks maybe just enough.

Brand Awareness

If the sole purpose of your marketing campaign is to raise brand awareness, the general rule of thumb is to run it for about three months. The triple-month campaign allows for enough time for the message to soak into the market, but not for it to overstay its welcome.

Campaign Variables

Next, let’s take a look at some of the factors you need to consider when answering the question ‘how long should a marketing campaign last?’ for yourself or your client.

Your Clientele

It would be best to consider your target audience first and foremost. If you have done your market research (as you already should have at this point), then you should know what kinds of patrons are likely to use/buy your product or service. In addition, audience research helps inform how long your marketing campaign should last.

For instance, if your clientele is primarily retirees, you aren’t marketing much online. You, therefore, may need to run your campaign longer so that print media, billboards, television ads, and other marketing platforms (which move slower) have enough time to saturate the market.

For example, a marketing campaign that runs mainly on the internet may only need to be live for a couple of months. However, the same campaign run on non-digital platforms may require four months or longer.

Your Market

Of course, your market is also an essential factor in determining how long your marketing campaign should last. This one is pretty intuitive overall: if you operate your business (or your client operates their business) in a small, rural, or suburban market, you won’t need as much time to reach the ideal saturation rate for your marketing campaign.

On the other hand, if you are in a big city or densely populated market, you should allow for more time for your message to get out.

Your Platform

Your platform will also determine how long your marketing campaign should last. Digital marketing (social media advertising, retargeting ads, SEO marketing, etc.) requires a good deal of fresh content.

For example, email marketing is almost instantaneous. However, a steady stream of new, sendable content is always in demand. So you can look at these types of campaigns lasting only about one week.

On the other hand, there is print media. Print media could include direct mail fliers, ads in the local newspaper, and local newsletters. Unfortunately, these platforms generally saturate the market much slower than almost any digital platform.

You have to be patient with print platforms. For example, direct mail fliers should be given at least a month to get the word out and maybe another month for you to start seeing responses.

Additional Tips

There are things you can do while your marketing campaign is live that will help you determine how long it should continue running and how effective it is. For instance, if you are doing any digital advertising, you will want to run A/B tests often.

If they are working like gangbusters, it could be a sign that it’s not time to pull the ads just yet. On the other hand, of course, if the A/B testing shows that you are getting abysmal click-through rates, it could be time to hang it up or at least make some changes.

We don’t want to state the obvious, but it’s worth mentioning that your budget should also be a determining factor when answering the question ‘how long should a marketing campaign last’ for yourself or your client. So don’t stretch yourself beyond your budget when you start, and be mindful of your bottom line.

Get the Most from Your Marketing Campaign

As you can see, there are many things to think about when answering the question, ‘how long should a marketing campaign last?’ If you want to learn how to nail the answer in every situation, join us at the Nolen Walker Academy. Our curriculum focuses on giving you the practical knowledge you need to thrive in business and marketing.

Oct '20

7 Fresh Electrician Marketing Ideas for 2022 (w/Digital Tips)

As an electrician, you provide an essential service. Still, many electricians compete for the same customers. That’s where electrician marketing becomes imperative. So you must ask yourself one crucial question: Is your business getting noticed? If not, the following electrician marketing ideas can change the course of your business in 2022.

Digital marketing becomes so crucial for your business. An effective digital marketing strategy will help get your business noticed in a virtual sea of electricians offering the same services as you.

The challenge is, therefore, launching an effective digital marketing campaign. To that end, we offer this list of electrician marketing ideas tailored to the trade.

What is Electrician Marketing?

Electrician marketing is the active promotion of an electrical contractor business to engage prospective customers and increase sales. Standard marketing strategies for electricians include search engine optimization (SEO), Google Ads, Facebook Ads, email marketing, and traditional advertising. Most modern contractors perform some form of digital marketing in 2022.

Electrical Contractor Marketing Ideas

1) Unions and Local Trade Organizations

Getting backlinks to your website is one of the fastest ways to establish it as an authority. Backlinks are one of the top factors determining which sites Google will index on relevant searches. But backlinks can be hard to come by. Fortunately, as an electrician, you have ins with your union and local trade organizations. Please become a member and request platforms list your site in their directory.

2) Content Marketing

Content marketing can be especially useful for electricians. That’s because homeowners often search to learn more about their electrical systems. So ask yourself: will they find your website if they want to know how to repair a blown fuse? Content marketing allows you to share your industry knowledge and become an authority that people will trust when they are ready to hire an electrician.

Blogs and video content are some of the most effective types of modern digital marketing. Post blog and video content that helps home and business owners navigate some common electrical problems.

3) Local SEO

Electrical work is very much local work. Your business needs to get noticed by people in your city, town, province, village, hamlet, holler, or wherever it operates. There are plenty of ways to enhance your local SEO, but establishing a good Google My Business profile is one of the most important. Doing so is one of the easiest ways to make it into the Google local three-pack. And the local three-pack account for nearly half of all search clicks.

And while setting up your GMB profile may not be a specific tip for electricians, it is nonetheless crucial. Make sure you claim your business, fill out the profile as much as possible, that your business name is consistent across all digital platforms, include all the areas you service, and provide a detailed and alluring description of your business.

4) Virtual Consultations

Lots of contractors are getting their name out there by providing virtual consultations. Going virtual is a great marketing strategy for an electrician because it allows your business to reach more prospects quickly. As long as you have Zoom, Skype, or are familiar with Google Hangouts, you can easily provide this service.

Don’t forget to let people know about it. Announce that you offer virtual electrical consultations on your website, your social media pages, your GMB profile, your Yelp profile, and your business cards.

5) Pay Per Click

Pay Per Click advertising is the right solution for electricians who are more or less running the entire show. You may not have much time to devote to organic digital marketing strategies as they are time-consuming. Pay-per-click ads represent a relatively quick and straightforward solution to get your website seen by more people and get more potential leads further into the sales funnel.

Pay-per-click ads account for 41% of click-through traffic on SERPs. Plus, the results are almost instantaneous. While you still need to be sure that you have informative and compelling content on your landing pages, pay-per-click ads can get the ball rolling for you with minimal effort.

6) Contact Form Plugins

Digital contact forms are a vital part of the sales funnel. They allow potential customers to set up service appointments or easily get the information they need. On your end, they can provide you with valuable market research and help generate a lead list. You can even use the information you garner (keep in mind that the data is provided willingly by the potential customer) to create an email list.

Digital contact forms can be tricky, but there are some great plugins that you can use to create effective, custom contact forms quickly. WPForms, Jetpack, and Conversational Forms are some of the best plugins to use if you have a WordPress site.

7) Email Marketing

Maintenance is a big part of electrical work, and it can be a huge “in” in terms of digital marketing. You can use an email marketing campaign to reach out to customers about service reminders and maintenance schedules. Email marketing can be beneficial because it makes the sales process that much easier for the client when they see your business name right in their inbox.

A couple of things to keep in mind with regards to email marketing for electricians, though:

According to research, people are more likely to open your emails sent between 4 pm and 8 pm
Email campaigns that utilize segmented emails have a better open rate than ones that don’t

Learn Electrical Contractor Marketing at Nolen Walker Academy

These are some of the best electrician marketing ideas you will likely hear in 2022. But if you would like to learn the hands-on skills required to implement these strategies, enroll in Nolen Walker Academy. At Nolen Walker Academy, we specialize in training electricians to gain the marketing edge required to grow their business in 2022. Our instructors teach a proven SEO blueprint that drives results for our marketing agency clients daily. Best of all, you won’t have to rely on an expensive agency to promote your business.

Mar '20

How Coronavirus (Covid-19) Will Impact SEO & Digital Marketing

With predictions of Google seeing a 15% decline in travel ad revenue as well as a 20% drop in the second quarter thanks to the outbreak and Facebook facing serious drops in their total ad revenue in those travel and retail sectors, it begs the question as to what coronavirus (COVID-19) means for the rest of the internet in terms of digital marketing, SEO, and digital budgets.

To say that coronavirus has made quite the impact would be putting it very lightly. Schools have been closed, public events of the highest magnitude (hello, NCAA tournament) have been canceled, and even the NBA and NHL seasons have been suspended.

Seeing the impact that this virus has had on the physical world is substantial enough. But it leads to questions about what kind of impact that the coronavirus can have on the SEO and digital marketing worlds.

Ad spending is expected to fall in a lot of sectors and analysts expect that giants like Facebook and Google will see ad revenue declines for things like travel or areas that are affected by global travel issues.

What does this mean? Ultimately, media buyers and marketers are re-evaluating the short-term advertising strategies that the coronavirus has had an impact on. The outbreak has resulted in serious issues that could persist for up to six months based on the predictions of experts.

Google’s Pivotal Role

Since the United States and many other parts of the world are essentially on hold, many wonder whether Google’s major algorithm updates will also be temporarily suspended. At times like these, it would be devastating for businesses to lose major rankings while also combating the adverse economic impact of the outbreak. But the flip side to this rationale is that a frozen algorithm could invite targeted manipulation by digital entities with the assets to execute such a plan.

Aside from SEO as an industry, Google will need to step up as a community aid during this time of crisis. They have already been tasked with creating a website to help manage the coronavirus outbreak (although there’s been some confusion about what the site will actually present). Aside from this special task, Google is also populating COVID-19 related queries in the autosuggest mechanism of its search engine.

Concerns about Supply and Demand

There is little question that the supply chain impact on inventory is beginning to be felt in advertising spending. With so much production based out of China, there are concerns about maintaining inventory. This means that ads that run digitally may not be viable if the current stock cannot keep up.

If key products go out of stock, that means that Google search and shopping budgets could be cut as much as 40% based on anticipation. For example, a luxury international travel business has faced budget cuts of more than 50% from previous months and this is across all digital channels. Though there is flexibility to move some of that remaining budget to other channels and campaigns that many be more effective, there is definitely less to work with at the moment.

There are some businesses that have put a complete stop on their digital ad budgets as well. In the hospitality and events industries, advertising budgets have been effectively turned off since coronavirus restrictions on gathers has played such a monumental impact.

Another big factor to consider is the suddenness of all of this. The outbreak had people concerned initially, sure, but the banning of travel, the restrictions on gatherings, and all of these other cancellations and bannings have sprung up in the last week alone.

As the outbreak continues, and we learn more about it, that will lead to adjustments in the way that these situations are handled. The same goes for digital marketing and ad demand in the face of the coronavirus outbreak. It may take time, but the budgets will come back around at some point, even if they are aimed at different niches.

A Feeling of Uncertainty

It is the uncertainty of everything right now that has most businesses of all types on edge. Not knowing what’s coming, not knowing the impact that it will have, keeps businesses from making the plans that they need to move forward and remain successful and profitable.

In some instances, demand hasn’t dropped, but trends from around the globe have marketing clients feeling wary and cautious. Amazon revenue, for example, is clearly down, but there is uncertainty about whether this is a trend or a lasting effect.

Budgets for marketing agencies and digital advertisers remain something of a day-to-day plan. Some clients have not changed their marketing strategies while other budgets have to be handled delicately as the coronavirus outbreak unfolds and more bans are put into place.

And even though some of those marketing firms have seen clients stay the course, there is a distinct feeling that they are definitely nervous about where things are headed and the drastic changes that we have seen in just the last two weeks.

There are sectors of the marketing world that seem to be unaffected by everything, but those clients still remain rightfully cautious. Seemingly overnight, the coronavirus outbreak has had a tremendous impact on some of the biggest names in retail, both online and offline.

That cautiousness has led those seemingly unaffected clients to tell their brand managers and e-commerce managers to be prepared to pull back spending. This is because the rapid movement of coronavirus restrictions and bans can change the game for any industry at a moment’s notice.

Bucking the Trend

Having said that, not everyone sees budget-cutting to be the answer in these trying times. For those who operate heavily on trade show circuits, there is an effort to find a way to digitize the experience so that they don’t lose the leads they would normally pick up at those events.

Essentially, it has created the need to adapt, not avoid. Cost-cutting is understandable in some arenas but there is room for tweaking and adjustment. This can mean reallocating budgets elsewhere in the short-term to provide the answers that are needed to keep business moving without a substantial drop off.

For those aforementioned tradeshow circuits or businesses that rely on touring, putting more money into digital marketing and SEO can be the solution to that obvious deterrent. For companies that have aggressive goals to meet this year, that shift to digital marketing (and thus increase digital budgeting) can be a way to increase revenues in the face of a potential downturn. It really depends on the niche, the company involved, and the way that they attack the problem.

Shifting budgets will certainly be one strategy that many companies implement during the course of the year. That, in turn, could drive up competition and prices for media. That means that advertisers could continue to feel something of a squeeze even after the coronavirus panic fades.

The Biggest Impacts

Where the greatest impacts will be felt as far as digital marketing is in the travel industry and that should go without saying. Even if there hadn’t recently been a ban on international travel from President Trump, people will be more and more reluctant to want to travel. It only increases the chances that they catch the virus and that alone has everyone panicking.

Major outlets like Expedia expect to lose in the range of $30-$40 million because of the effects of the coronavirus outbreak and the widespread panic that has ensued. What isn’t realized is the effect that this has on businesses in the hospitality and restaurant niche.

Think about it: if far fewer people are traveling due to restrictions and fear surrounding coronavirus, the hotels, and restaurants that those travelers frequent will see less business as well. It is a domino effect that is spreading into the digital budgets of those companies and continuously trickling into other areas.

The impact on SEO is clear as well. Most see SEO as a means towards ranking in the top of the searches, but that isn’t the only reason. The reason is sales and a recession in sales can have a wide-reaching impact on the SEO game.

Search marketing can be heavily impacted because clients tend to drop off if they can no longer afford to pay for consulting. There have been lessons learned from similar situations in the past to not be completely caught off guard by a global panic such as this, but those lessons can only teach so much.

In the end, patience and adaptability will be the biggest keys for digital marketers and SEO specialists. Clients will panic and some will pull their marketing and advertising budgets. But the smart ones will tweak their approach and find other avenues in the short-term.

These adjustments may not prevent losses from occurring, but they can help to stifle those losses that would be larger in other situations. Besides, the coronavirus outbreak is not expected to be a long-term issue, just one that could last the next six or so months.

Conclusion

While the initial impact felt by digital marketing agencies and their clients is apparent, things have shifted into a “wait and see” attitude for the most part. Budgets being cut seems like a temporary solution to combat restrictions and difficulties put forth by coronavirus-related restrictions and bans, but there are definitely limitations on where these impacts are felt.

The industries that are most heavily affected by these restrictions and bans will likely shift their advertising dollars to other areas, though the impact remains to be seen as the internet has created the most powerful marketing tool out there.

Until we know more about the impact of the coronavirus will have and how long these restrictions and bans will be in place, the best thing that digital marketing agencies can do is to wait and see. Shifting funds may work in the short term but who knows how it will look over a six-month period or longer.

Jan '20

14 Insurance Marketing Strategies for 2021 (+ Agency Tips)

Looking for insurance marketing ideas and strategies for 2021?

Implementing the right marketing strategies can mean the difference between a struggle to find the proper leads and having a consistently growing and thriving business.

There are more than a few marketing strategies that you can implement that can help your insurance firm develop the leads that it needs to continue growing and thriving. Here are 14 ideas for 2021:

1) Spruce Up Your Website

Your website is the first thing that the vast majority of your audience will see first. If it is a visual wreck or doesn’t respond the way that you mean it to, that could cost you more than a fair share of customers.

There are a few things that you definitely need to do in order to spruce up your website. The most important is to have your contact information in an easily visible and accessible place. You should never make it difficult for customers to try to contact you.

Making certain your site is fast, clean, and intuitive will go a long way towards drawing in customers to your insurance company website.

2) SEO is Your Friend

SEO is what keeps even the smallest of businesses competitive. Best of all, you don’t have to spend much to have a strong SEO foundation.

Make certain that your images are optimized, that your content is both clean and relevant, and that you develop strong backlinks. These are just a few things that will optimize your website so that you can rank near the top of relevant keyword and location searches.

SEO can keep your insurance business relevant in all of the right searches.

3) Create a Blog

Remember that content mentioned in the previous section? It is actually one of the most important aspects of any website. Google is a fan of relevant, informative content because it wants to provide nothing but the most relevant search results.

If your insurance website is informative and answers questions that your target audience wants to know the answer to, that will draw traffic to your website and make it an authority that will draw your target audience in.

Answer questions relevant to the industry, ones that your target audience is asking. This will create consistent traffic to your website.

4) Make it Simple

Here’s one simple truth: insurance is a complicated endeavor to understand. That is why you need to make it easy for your target audience to understand. Create something like an “insurance 101” section or an interactive guide that your audience can reference.

Maybe create a quiz that helps your potential policyholders understand what it is they are looking for in an insurance policy. Things like this will go a long way towards helping your audience have a better understanding of what policies they need and how you can offer it to them.

5) Pay Per Click (PPC) Advertising

While SEO is a fantastic way to keep your website ranking near the top of relevant keyword searches, it isn’t 100% effective, either. Your SEO will only take you so far before you need to look into other avenues that can be effective to your campaign.

PPC advertising is one of the most common ways to get to the top of relevant search engine queries. This means that your business can be seen first and foremost, putting it right in your target audience’s line of sight.

This can be a hugely beneficial way of marketing to keep your business relevant in the eyes of your audience.

6) Video Marketing

Video is one of the largest growing trends in insurance marketing with United States consumers watching up to six hours of digital videos each day. This makes for a wonderfully beneficial avenue to reach your target audience and have the greatest impact.

Best of all, creating digital video content is easier than ever before. You can shoot high-quality videos on a smartphone these days and quickly edit it with any number of editing tools. That gives you the ability to create engaging content in a flash unlike ever before.

7) Reviews Generation

Reviews are one of the most important features of any effective digital marketing campaign. This is for two reasons. The first is that your reviews establish and create the tone of your business, encompassing its trustworthiness.

The second is that positive reviews tie into your SEO rankings. If your website gets a ton of great reviews, it will only strengthen your website’s SEO, making it more likely to appear near the top of the search rankings.

Reviews can be your business’ best friend if you have an ample amount and know how to properly use them. Check out this awesome review software for your website which can help showcase and generate reviews.

8) Highlight Achievements

This might seem a bit like tooting your own horn, but that is a good thing to do in order to set your website apart from the others in your industry. Maybe you’ve won a few awards or have a huge amount of positive reviews. These are all great things to feature somewhere on your website.

The key is to point them out without sounding like you are patting yourself on the back. Illustrate to the customer what sets you apart from the rest and they will see that perhaps your business is the one to choose based on those accolades.

9) Email Marketing and Newsletters

Email remains one of the most effective ways to reach a target audience. This is due mostly to the prevalence of smartphones in today’s day and age. People have quicker and easier access to email than they ever have before.

Using email to communicate with both current and potential policyholders is a great way to keep your business in their mind’s eye, to enforce your brand, and to inform them of any new or important updates.

Email marketing remains effective because it allows direct access to both current and potential customers in a way few other avenues can offer.

10) Social Media Presence

There was a time where having a social media presence was an option; that time has come and gone. If you don’t have a social media presence, you are leaving out a huge factor in marketing your insurance business.

Social media allows for direct access to the customer, allowing for the sharing of links and deals, the addressing of problems and issues that customers might be having, and a general direct interaction that can make a huge difference.

Social media is an asset like few others and can have a substantial impact on your insurance business as a whole.

11) Door-to-Door Promotion

This might seem like an archaic way of doing things, but direct interaction with your target audience can have an impact like no other. The only way to truly achieve this is by going door to door.

Not only that, there are a ton of benefits. The leads are free and they are personal. People get a feel for you during these sessions, making them more likely to use your business and to trust you as opposed to an email that can feel impersonal.

This might be an old-school way of insurance marketing, but it remains effective.

12) Show You Care

This is one of the truest methods of getting your target audience to understand your business and develop a level of trust with it. Showing your target audience that they aren’t just a number, that you care about them, can be a real difference-maker.

This means going above and beyond wherever possible. Taking the time to deal with the personal situations of your clients can give them a level of trust in your business that is unattainable otherwise.

Show your customers you care above all else and the rest will fall into place.

13) Facebook Live

Live, streaming video is one of the newest, hottest trends. With Facebook Live, in particular, you can invite both current and potential policyholders to interact with your business. Show off updates in policies or hold a live Q&A.

These kinds of things promote interaction with your target audience, promoting engagement that may not be possible through any other format. When you do this, you create a unique setting to interact with your target audience, allowing them to gain valuable information about your business that they may not have been able to get otherwise.

14) Partnerships and Backlinking

One of the best ways to establish your trustworthiness and authority is through backlinks from other relevant businesses. This is usually achieved through sheer authority, which takes a lot of time, or through established partnerships within your area.

These partnerships can go a long way towards establishing those helpful backlinks that make your business the authority within the industry and establish that trustworthiness that businesses covet. Those partnerships can be mutually beneficial, helping both sides along in their quest to establish quality insurance marketing campaigns.

Dec '19

Tree Service Marketing Ideas for 2022 (with/Updated Plan)

What is Tree Service Marketing?

Tree service marketing is the process of promoting a tree removal company with the intention of generating high-quality leads that can convert into new customers. Techniques used to execute a marketing plan include SEO, PPC advertising, social media advertising, and traditional promotional tactics.

Tree Service Marketing Ideas for 2022

Strategizing how to grow a tree service business is difficult to do. In a company like the United States, many markets already have a handful of established tree care companies with huge budgets and a mile-long head start.

Trying to compete with odds like that is something that simply can’t be done if for no other reason than they can outspend you if they so choose.

That doesn’t mean that you can’t compete and grow your business, though. Most tree service companies rely on similar marketing tactics, so making a name for yourself can be about picking the right battle.

With the right advice, you can start generating tree service business leads that will not only grow your business but won’t require draining your bank account to do so.

Tree Service Facebook Advertising & Marketing

Despite all the flack that it has taken in recent months for the handling of private user information, Facebook remains a giant when it comes to marketing potential. There are, however, some marketing companies that specialize in tree care that will tell you to avoid Facebook.

Oh well, their loss is your gain. Creating a Facebook business page is essential and can give you a litany of new opportunities. It is one of the easiest ways to build your brand and the values that are behind that brand. But ultimately, Facebook is a tool for how to get more tree work.

It is also a way to communicate with customers to share deals, spread the word about your business, and communicate with happy customers that have previously used your service. And most of all, it is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to run your own ads.

Ad campaigns for tree service companies generally focus on immediately measurable results and immediate returns. The problem with this is that it can also undervalue the aspect of social media marketing, like Facebook.

Think about it. If someone sees one of your posts on Facebook, clicks through to your website, and then calls, companies would say that the website did all the work. Similarly, posting informative content might not get you immediate calls, but it does help to strengthen your SEO and expand your network.

Think of it as a “word of mouth” form of marketing. Only, well, word of keyboard. In any event, Facebook marketing is a serious opportunity to market your tree service company in order to grow potential leads and generate revenue.

Google My Business for Tree Trimming

Google remains one of the internet giants because it is the place to go for anyone with any questions about, well, anything. Because of this, Google’s My Business listings are a wonderful marketing tool. Appearing in the Local Map can help you generate free leads for your tree service.

You can set up a listing for your business for free, and it only takes a few minutes to complete. It is important to note that you must ensure that all of your information is properly filled out. People will skip steps and wind up with incomplete information, which does not get the most out of a Google My Business listing.

Having this local listing makes you eligible to show up for local listings for keywords relevant to your business. Part of the problem that companies have is that they cut corners or don’t utilize them effectively. Here is how to positively use Google My Business:

Use your actual business name. Your business has to be precise with no added keywords. Fake names are easy to correct, and businesses that try to implement them are generally harder to find over the long term.
Use your actual business phone number. If you are thinking of using a tracking phone number, don’t. Google will check it against all the other data they can find on you; inconsistent data typically means less visibility for your business in searches.
Use your actual business address. Many businesses try to use a virtual office or P.O. Box, not realizing that it can do a lot of damage to your visibility. Use your real address, even if you work from home. You can hide it from searchers, so they can only see your service area.
Include categories that make sense. For tree service companies, other things are typically offered. If you do lawn care and landscaping, include them. This broadens your visibility in the eyes of search engines, and you can always refine this later.
Include your entire service area. You can always constrict this to your ideal service area later when you can afford to be picky.
Include hours of operation. This is another data point that Google uses to decide what companies to show in its search results. Your hours of operation can be one thing that sets you apart from the competition.
Add photos. Add real photos, too. Photos of equipment, work performed, and employees. This is because businesses with many photos tend to show up more frequently in Google searches. Make sure that you rename image files to include specific services and cities to give you an extra edge.

Google My Business can make a huge difference in your marketing while drastically helping your SEO. If you don’t have a Google My Business listing yet, you should make it one of your next goals.

Tree Service Referral Program

The aforementioned word of mouth continues to be one of the most powerful forms of marketing around. This remains true for one important reason: people trust people they know more than they trust your business.

That makes sense, so why not leverage that aspect? When you have a happy customer, try offering a referral fee. Something like “if they refer you a new client who spends $100, you’ll send them a $10 gift card.”

Something along those lines gives them an incentive to actually tell people about your business instead of “keeping you in mind.” This can mean a huge uptick in bookings if you have quality services. There are a few common mistakes, though.

Don’t be cheap about it. If you have to spend an inordinate amount of money to get a few bucks, people won’t bother. Not only that, pick a plan and stick to it. Having multiple deals can get confusing, leading you to mix up who got what deal.

It also goes without saying that you must give exceptional service to those who receive recommendations. If you provide flaky or uneven service, there won’t be another recommendation for that first person.

Also, consider to who you give this offer. There are some sources, like real estate agents, that could potentially send you hundreds of clients to take advantage of those referral bonuses. You could even put a cap on the total number.

Local Business / Non-Profit Partnerships

Regardless of how many five-star reviews you receive, you likely will never be as popular as a nonprofit. To put your business on the map, find a local nonprofit that you share values with or is doing something particularly amazing within the community.

Ensure that they have a sizable local presence but that they are small enough to have value in your help. Then make them an offer like this: 5% of total revenue goes straight to charity in exchange for promotion.

Many smaller charities will likely jump at this opportunity as it is an obvious benefit for them. Even better, you get the extra promotion and a boost for having your business’ name attached to their good name.

You need to make certain that contributions are defined throughout the project, though. Don’t assume that they’ll put the offer on their Facebook, in their newsletter, or on their home page. Make it clear what you are looking for from the jump, so there is no miscommunication or misunderstanding.

Even if it only results in a marginal uptick in business, you can take pride in knowing that the effort went towards a good cause. Ultimately, it benefits all parties involved: you get the attention your business needs, and a charity gets valuable funds for its cause.

These are just a few of the methods that a tree care service could implement to substantially improve its marketing efforts. For smaller businesses, the key is consistent growth, not an explosion in business.

These are methods of marketing that are meant to promote steady growth over a long period of time. The key here is to have patience. You won’t see a huge uptick overnight, and that is okay. Again, this is about steady growth.

Building a successful tree care business definitely is not an easy job. But with tips like these, anyone can be far more prepared to turn it into a successful endeavor. There are, of course, other methods to pursue, like SEO. That is one of the best ways to market a tree care business, whether you are a startup or an established business.

But for now, these tips should help you toward a more successful path.

Source: https://ctpa.org/membership-application/

Learn The Tree Trimming Marketing Plan at NWAcademy

Marketing is only as effective as its measurable results. It is very difficult to achieve sustainable success if you do not track your wins and losses. Obviously, the goal is to generate tree service business leads, but the routes in which you reach that destination are the most measurable. We often hear from arborists who want to know how to grow a tree service.

It is not rocket science to perform well online, but it does take patience and a real understanding of how digital marketing works. Is there a single best way to promote a tree service? The answer is no when considering the different challenges that arborists face depending on their budget, location, and other dynamic circumstances. Sure, you can pay services dedicated to finding tree removal jobs, but those seldom allow you to sustain success with your business over time.

Setting up Google Analytics and Google Search Console allows you to track where your leads are coming from and which keywords generate the most outside interest. You can also notice things like search impressions and click-through rates. If you have a high impression on a keyword but a low click-through rate, there is something about the page that is discouraging customers.

Arborists can enroll in Nolen Walker Academy to learn how to maximize their digital marketing campaigns in 2022. Nolen Walker Academy provides the highest level of SEO training for business professionals. We aren’t some guru selling SEO courses without ever doing SEO, as we’ve worked with thousands of businesses over the past decade.

Nov '19

How To Diversify Marketing Channels and Become Less Reliant on Google

Google is the industry standard when it comes to marketing campaigns online. This is for good reason, however: more than 90.46% of searches worldwide go through Google. When you consider that literally billions of people now have the ability to get online and that 80% of them are searching with Google, that means a whole lot of potential eyeballs that can see your product or service.

Google AdWords, meanwhile, is the standard in the industry when it comes to pay-per-click advertising. A pay-per-click ad is one that attaches itself as the user goes through their searching. This will keep that business in the peripheral of the user and doesn’t cost the company anything until it is actually clicked. It is a cost-effective way to get more leads for your business.

And with their purchase of YouTube, your ads can show up on only Google platforms and still have an enormous potential audience. Being able to have your ad pop up on millions of websites and reach over 90% of users on the internet, it is kind of hard to imagine what your options are if you are either banned by the internet giant or if you are simply looking for other avenues.

If that is the case, you might have to get a little bit creative but there are certain strategies that you can implement that can make your marketing applicable even if you are no longer relying on the powerhouse that is Google.

Spread out your offerings

One thing that will get you restricted, if not outright banned, by Google is advertising something like “technical support by third-party providers”. Still, if you create a blog that is valuable with things like trustworthy tips or discussion trends, you can then pay to promote those specific articles on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook.

Those two sites are hugely popular, reaching millions upon millions of users each and every single day. You could use these articles to help draw new customers to your website which would then potentially attract a new audience to your services.

Social media is a great way to help avoid the giant that is Google. The aforementioned methods are proven to work with constancy as well as quality content; you could also build a Facebook Business Page as a way to attract users to your page to see what other customers are saying about your business and to get a better idea as to the trustworthiness and reliability of your business as a whole.

Twitter is another fantastic way to drive traffic to your website. When you create the unique content mentioned above, you would then be able to share it out to your audience on Twitter and even reach users who might not know about you or your business using the correct hashtags. Additionally, you can tweet out links to your content which will then drive up traffic to your website. The more eyes that you have on your website, the more potential conversions to actual dollars that you can potentially make.

Use influencer marketing and email campaigns

What exactly is an influencer marketing platform, you might be asking? Well, it is a software solution that has been designed to assist brands with their influencer marketing campaigns. These provide discovery tools for agencies and brands and will offer pretty massive searchable databases for finding potential influencers.

Let’s say that your business is centered around a clothing line. These influencer marketing campaigns would entail finding influencers from YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and other forms of social media and paying them to advertise your goods or business. Influencers have been shown to have a tremendous and unique impact on the way businesses reach their audience, particularly if they have a younger demographic.

Email marketing might sound outdated but it continues to be one of the most consistent methods for reaching your audience and letting them know who you are and what you have to offer them. Obtaining that valuable user information – name, email, address, etc. – is how businesses continue to grow.

They send out a feeler email offering their services or a discount on one of their products to entice the user. The user will then usually either dismiss it entirely or go to the company website to see more about that business. This is huge as it is the goal of your marketing to drive traffic to your custom mobile website so that users can see what you have to offer. Just getting your product in front of as many eyeballs as possible can make a huge difference towards your bottom line.

Email marketing is also a great way to get customers to leave you reviews. Reviews are one of the most important aspects of an online business for several reasons. If you are not banned from Google, having good reviews (and a good amount of reviews) can make a huge difference in your SEO ranking, making your website that much easier to find in Google search rankings.

Reviews are also the quickest way to vet your business. Obviously, most businesses will tell you how great they are; few are going to say that they are mediocre or bad at what they do. So, you need to be able to vet that they are in fact what they say they are, right?

Reviews left by others who have used your service or business is a great way to build trust with potential clients. If you have a ton of positive reviews, it should not take long to build a level of trustworthiness with the audience that you are attempting to reach.

Even if you have negative reviews, that is okay so long as they are not overwhelming in number. Addressing negative reviews in a constructive manner will show whoever is looking through the reviews that you cared enough to take the time to address the situation. It is obviously better to have positive reviews but addressing that criticism positively will go a long way.

Focus on building your brand, reputation, and SEO

Even if you are looking for a way around making Google a focal point, optimizing your SEO strategy will only help to make your site more of an authority. Websites that have exceptional SEO, with content so good that it generally ranks in the top three of the results on Google, will only be outranked through the Google AdWords network.

Not only that, websites that did not have to pay for users to find them generally are deemed as more trustworthy and far more clickable than those who have the ad marker next to its name. Building that level of trustworthiness makes your website an authority in the industry and makes the user more likely to click on your page.

Likewise, building your brand and reputation is equally as important. Let’s say you are a new business and don’t really have that many reviews or much of an online footprint. Working to get positive, quality reviews as soon as you can help to make your brand more trustworthy.

Additionally, when consumers begin to recognize your business for being trustworthy and a reliable source within the industry, you not only begin to become an authority on the subject but your brand becomes more recognizable for that specific thing.

Brand recognition is one of the most important aspects of getting users to notice a business and it is something that businesses everywhere strive for. If you can get your customers to begin associating your type of service or product with you specifically, you have successfully developed brand recognition.

Make use of alternative ad networks

Even though Google AdWords is the standard in the industry, that does not mean that it is the only option out there. Even if your industry isn’t one that is in a restricted sector, you should still try to expand your overall online advertising platforms.

Depending on your goal, you can expand your reach, narrow your reach if that’s your prerogative, and lower your cost per click rates. What you might not have realized is that it is possible to get too many clicks in Google AdWords if the clicks are lower in quality.

The broader your industry is, the better your chances are of racking up low conversion rates and higher advertising costs. When you get into a more specific niche, you are competing for less clicks but ultimately are looking at higher conversion rates. This is what your business is after.

Pay-per-click is a marketing technique that needs consistent, almost constant optimizing. When you use something like Bing Ads, for example, you can unlock a huge network of users that don’t have much in the way of Google crossover. This means that the only way to attract them is through the Bing Ads network. Likewise, the aforementioned social media platforms make as excellent ad networks that can reach areas of customers despite not having a Google influence play its part.

There are many things that you can do to help your marketing grow even without Google on your side. It just takes a little work and creativity.

Get Started With a Trusted Digital Marketing Company

Aug '19

Search Marketing: Fusing SEO & PPC Campaigns

Our search marketing experts at Nolen Walker field a lot of interesting questions throughout the year. One of the most frequently asked ones we hear is “Should I focus on SEO or PPC?” While different industries may benefit more from one category or the other, both offer incredible opportunities for your business.

Search marketing provides the best results however, when these two elements work hand in hand. Today, we’re going to dive into how to best blend your search engine marketing (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns. If your business has struggled to make headway online, be sure to read along closely!

A quick note: PPC and SEO aren’t limited to what we see in a Google search engine results page (SERP). Activities in social media outlets and other non-search activities can have huge impact on search results.

Examples of Organic and Paid Search Marketing Results

SEO and PPC Work Hand in Hand for Search Marketing.

Step #1: Lay the SEO Foundation

As we tell many of our clients, the foundation for roofing, plumbing, or HVAC SEO (or whatever your industry may be) is your company website. Before you can create a sophisticated search marketing campaign, you’ll need to make sure that your site is ready to greet customers with easy navigation and well-crafted writing. Since we’ve talked about graphic design and content writing pretty heavily in the past, we’ll stick with some of the introductory basics here.

First, create a list of your core service categories. Ideally, a website should have two to four categories. Otherwise, menus can get crowded very quickly and your customers will have a harder time of finding their desired services. Beneath each category, write down your most popular and valuable solutions. Below are examples of a top level categories and related services.

For Plumbing

Plumbing Repair – Toilet Repair & Replacement; Burst Pipe Repair
Drain Cleaning – Clog Removal; Odor Removal
Commercial Plumbing – Grease Trap Installation; Water Line Repair

For Arborists

Tree Health Services – Root Rot Treatment; Oak Wilt Treatment
Pruning and Trimming – Tree Removal; Yearly Tree Maintenance

Use your list as a guideline for your page hierarchy. If you can easily group your services in related categories, you’ll make your customers’ search much easier when the site gets published. Make sure you do your research when it comes to picking out recognizable words and phrases for your page keywords! You may know about the different types of bagworms and lace bugs if you’re an arborist, but most consumers won’t make it past “tree bugs”.

Step #2: Post-Launch PPC Pursuit

A Retargeting Ad From One of Our Sites

Most people view pay-per-click ads as a lure. The vast majority of your plumbing contractors, heating and cooling technicians, and pro roofers utilize PPC campaigns to try to draw people in. In reality, there’s all kinds of paid ads that go beyond the typical listings you’ll see from Google Ads these days.

That’s where retargeted ads come into play. For those types of services that require multiple visits to your website to generate a lead, these ads offer the perfect way to say “Hey! You looked at our website. Why don’t you take a look at this targeted pitch for a related service?” Maybe you have numerous potential clients leaving your metal roofing installation page. Try creating a campaign that delivers a relevant ad while they shop for groceries or browse through Facebook videos (more on this subject later).

Retargeted ads can also be used to poach potential clients away from your local competitors! Is a particular contractor taking the lion’s share of premium jobs in your community? Try using a PPC ad campaign that addresses visitors leaving their site.

To set up your ads for success, you’ll need to produce a strong list of high-performance keywords and pitches that potential clients will respond to. The good news is that you’re targeting consumers that have already shown an interest in the services you provide. For many, the cost of creating these retargeted ads is actually cheaper than using Google Ads (formerly Adwords), and they provide better results.

The concept of retargeting may seem complicated. In reality, practically anyone can purchase these ads. And if you can get more bang for your buck in the form of better leads, why not?

Step #3: Content Marketing SEO

Just the term “content marketing” is enough to cause many to drag their hands down their face in frustration. So many digital marketing professionals push the method too Aggressively, it leaves a bad taste in everyone’s mouths. Content marketing at its essence however, offers profound value for both consumers and contractors. In exchange for information that the contractor likely already possesses, consumers provide deeper levels of engagement and enhanced site performance. And leads, of course. Don’t forget leads! It demands consistent preparation and writing each month, but content marketing offers plenty of ways to draw in more traffic to your website.

How can contractors and other business owners take full advantage of content? There are three key facets to all content marketing:

Topical research,
Keyword enrichment, and
Format optimization.

If you can nail all three of these elements, your content should naturally pull visitors to your site. Let’s break down each facet and what it looks like for your business.

Topics

How to Pick Engaging Topics

Choosing topics that potential customers will actually read is easier than you might think. Consider three essential resources for your topical research:

Google Search – “People also ask” and “Featured Snippets”
Answer the Public – Query lists for topics
Your Clients / Customers – Frequently asked questions

While you may be tempted to jump straight into a guide on why people should call your business (and only your business) as soon as humanly possible, that’s usually not the sort of material that consumers look for in a blog. Since content marketing revolves around providing high quality information for your readers, it makes sense to chase the hot topic questions that people are searching. You can even use them as headers in your blog posts and social media releases.

FAQ’s from your clients offer a wonderful starting guide for your research. Try to keep a running list of these questions if possible, because they make blogging so much easier! Try Google-ing them and see what sort of results come up. If you strike on a hot topic, there should be a list of related questions in the SERP’s “People also ask” feature. (SERP stands for search engine results page). You can also take advantage of Answer the Public, an incredibly useful tool for generating hot topic questions.

Keywords

How to Rank Up Through Keywords

Just because you’re talking about consumer-generated topics doesn’t mean you can’t utilize some kick-butt keywords in your content! Blog posts offer great opportunities to target those primary keywords all your competitors crave, while simultaneously taking advantage of high-quality secondaries and long tail keywords. This is the same type of strategy that our SEO professionals utilize at Nolen Walker!

Keyword Examples

Primary Keywords: plumbing repair; emergency roofing service
Secondary Keywords: metal panel roofing; furnace part replacement
Long Tail Keywords: Trane AC unit installation; toilet repair in Dallas, TX

You may be wondering “Why not just fill up the entire article with primary keywords I want to rank for?” That may seem like a great idea, but this thinking causes hundreds of professionals to sit in the back pages of Google, earning little to no traffic for their efforts. Everyone competes for primary keywords, for their premium search volume. But few people take full advantage of secondaries, which still earn decent traffic without the heavy competition.

Secondaries and long-tail keywords earn high-quality clicks while your site progressively ranks higher for primary phrases. You’ll notice a steady influx of traffic in the meantime. Incidentally, you can use this same strategy for your service page content writing!

Formats

How to Optimize Your Content

We’ve already talked about keyword optimization, but let’s discuss how to make your content more appealing to Google. The greatest position any piece of content can receive in Google Search is the Featured Snippet. The search engine awards this prestigious listing to organic (non-paid) results that provide particularly insightful content on a particular topic.

To give your content the best chance of securing the featured snippet position (and make it easier for readers to consume), there are four rules you’ll need to follow.

Keep your content at a 9th grade reading level.
Provide step by step bullet list that summarizes your most important points.
Use your primary keywords and questions in your headers.
Space out content into palletable blocks (no content “walls”).

Step #4: Social Ads – Spreading Your Content

Paid ads effortlessly extend into the world of social media. In fact, many consider social media platforms Facebook and Instagram to be better platforms for ads than traditional PPC campaigns in Google SERPs. With Facebook’s enormous user base of 2 billion active accounts, plus its customization capabilities, it’s easier to target qualified leads than ever before!

There multiple ways to harness these social media ads for your brand:

Content Promotion
Service Advertising
Event Publicity

Facebook Offers Helpful Courses on How to Create Your Ads for Search Marketing.

Perhaps the easiest way to draw in potential customers is to utilize your best content marketing material as paid ads. By design, content marketing is designed to be extremely shareable and social media platforms are certainly the place to showcase your genius! Cut through the competition with a little ad spend, and your brand will certainly enjoy the publicity.

Remember those retargeted ads we talked about in step #2? Companies can also utilize the retargeting function available through Facebook Pixel. Simply embed code from the social media platform in your website, and you can create Facebook ads that follow people leaving your site. Whether you wish to promote your best content or you want to advertise an ongoing sale event, there’s plenty of uses for these ads.

The ads are relatively cheap and the advertising customization fantastic, so why not pursue your audience into Facebook and other hot social networks?

Step #5: Landing Page SEO – Upping Conversion

You’ve placed a lot of faith (and money) in your SEO and PPC plans. How can you make sure that your search marketing enjoys a solid conversion rate? After all, all this work should eventually produce new leads for your business!

Your website is the foundation of your search marketing. It’s also the final stopping point for all your campaigns, as consumers naturally drip down to the bottom of your online sales funnel. If a potential client clicks on an ad and willingly comes back to your website, that means they are either hungry for more information or ready to make the jump to contacting your business.

Your most important goal at this junction is to not screw it up.

H Bloom Provides a Great Example of a Search Marketing Landing Page

Notice the Immediate Request for Contact Information. The Numbers Also Encourage Scrolling. Source: H. Bloom

Ad landing pages need to be extremely focused and direct. No beating around the bush with extra descriptive information about your services or when a consumer might want to contact you. Simply follow this short strategy to convert your readers:

Your Landing Page Conversion Plan

#1. Confirm the Problem.
#2. Confirm Your Solution.
#3. Remove Obstacles to “Yes”.
#4. Call to Action.

You know the audience has a problem, especially if they’ve clicked on an ad for one of your services. Simply restate the issue and qualify readers as potential benefactors. You know that your business has the solution. Show them in brief terms how you have the solution and how it’s better than other options.

There may be a handful of objections to your service pitch that you can help people overcome. Add in a customer testimonial or two, your 5 star rating, an A+ from the Better Business Bureau, and pictures of your best work. Finally, close with a direct, unapologetic call to action. Invite people to call, email, or text your team.

Find Your Search Marketing Team!

SEO and PPC both play essential roles in a healthy search marketing strategy. Together, they produce results that most businesses couldn’t realize with just one or the other. That’s why our team at Nolen Walker provides professional services for both!

Our clients, hardworking business owners from all over the country, earn fantastic lead generation with our helpful services. They rank higher, earn better traffic, and create deeper relationships with their clients. If you’d like to take your business’ online search marketing to the next level, we’d love to team up with you too.

Call us today at (866) 356-8198 for a free consultation with an SEO and PPC professional!

Nov '18

14 Reasons Towing Companies Should Invest in Digital Marketing

As a towing company you might think; what’s the point of marketing? Nolen Walker is here to list 15 reasons why investing in digital marketing services is a good idea for tow truckers. If by the end of the list, you’re not convinced, exit the website and permanently block it using Website Blocker for Chrome. This way, you’ll never have to stand the sight of this website for as long as you live. You can continue to live your life on your own terms, and not have to think about us. But before you make that decision, make sure you read through the following 15 reasons you should invest in digital marketing:

1) Lead Generation

Let’s not fool ourselves, the entire digital marketing process shares a universal goal; lead generation. As a tow trucker we know one thing, you need leads. For your business to thrive in 2019 and beyond, it’s difficult to ignore the number of leads that could come from digital channels such as Google, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. We can’t stress this enough.

2) Low Risk, High Reward

When compared with other uses of your resources, investing in digital marketing is one of the lowest risks. This is especially true when you sign up for our Pay Per Lead plan. With this payment agreement, tow truckers pay for leads only. You still receive all the marketing services like SEO, web design, etc., but if no leads are produced as a result of those efforts, no payment is made.

3) Sustainability

Digital marketing investment is both a short and long term play for towing companies. In the short term, you can generate leads quickly but in the long term, you can become a bonafide brand. Google awards trust-based partially on tenure, meaning older websites and online listings have an advantage over new ones. Start now, and become one of those brands.

4) Recognition

You may or may not have heard the term brand recall. When someone sees a logo more than once they begin to perceive its value is greater on a subconscious level. With digital marketing, your logo should appear on Google My Business, Yelp, Facebook, Instagram, along with several other web entities. Consumers could begin to recall your logo when they see it on a tow truck.

5) Delegation

As a tow trucker, there’s many a hard labor you must handle on your own. With digital marketing, you can delegate responsibilities to someone else. Several aspects of marketing can be an annoyance and cut into the time you have reserved for day to day operations. If you invest in a professional marketer to handle your campaign, there’s no added workload.

6) Visibility

Word of mouth used to be the primary source of lead generation for tow truck companies, but it is no longer. Today, for a tow trucker to be capturing leads regularly, they must be visible online. The average consumer spends more time online than they do anywhere else. With 24/7 access to smartphones and WiFi, there’s never been a better time to increase digital visibility online.

7) Measurability

Most ventures work best when accountability is present. Since digital marketing success can be measured, marketers are held accountable. Now you may argue that you’ve heard of marketers that don’t provide reporting. It’s true that companies like this exist, but nobody should stay with them for very long if they can’t track the results of campaigns. The bottom line is that accountability is available and should be exercised.

8) Flexibility

Digital marketing is not just one thing, but instead provides a multitude of different options for your towing company. For example, organic SEO is one great option, but paid advertising on Google Ads is another. The beauty is that every form of marketing can be integrated and work together in a cohesive manner that produces the results you’ve been hoping to achieve.

9) Sales

Leads are aptly named because they lead to sales conversions when closed. If leads never became sales, their value would disappear entirely. But if you know how to sell your services, digital marketing can bring you the highest quality prospects to the table. With calls to action on your website and profiles, you can start taking calls from consumers looking for tow truckers.

10) Materials

Old school marketing materials like business cards and truck wraps can be expanded and highlighted online through digital marketing. Google My Business becomes a digital business card of sorts and when people search for your brand name online, they can see everything you have to offer, from hours of operation, to address, location, and phone #, all consolidated.

11) Scalability

Your internet marketing budget can grow along with your company. If your towing company grows significantly, you can easily spend more money on marketing to keep pace. Conversely, if you are a brand new service without much of a budget, you can spend far less than that. As you start to benefit from your investment, you can increase the funds and parallel your growth.

12) Asset Diversity

The saying goes” don’t put all your eggs in one basket” and when it comes to business assets, it rings true. If you currently get all of your clients from word of mouth or radio advertisements, diversifying your source of leads is most ideal. Let’s say some of your most loyal customers move out of state, all of a sudden those words of mouths decrease. Ask them for a review on Google or Facebook instead.

13) Opportunity

Some industries and markets are very competitive. Roofers for example, often have websites, social media, advertising, and the whole gamut of marketing services. Towing companies seem less invested in marketing going into 2019. That means there’s more opportunity for you than there would be for a roofing contractor in the same position. Your service area also matters when assessing competition.

14) Trajectory

If we project forward past 2019 into 2020 and beyond, it’s safe to assume that technology will continue to evolve and that digital marketing will be a major part of business success. If there were ever a time to get on this upwards trajectory, it is right now. Traditional forms of marketing have been and will continue to be replaced, and towing companies can take advantage of it.