Q: With the slow economy, how can I afford to spend money on marketing?
A: Actually, there isn’t a better time to market. A slow economy is the BEST time to increase marketing and advertising. When the economy is booming, almost any business can be successful in spite of their lack of focused marketing. In a slow economy, you really need to set yourself apart from the competition to gain market share. Plus, your competition is probably thinking the same thing that you are…times are tough, so let’s cut back on our marketing and advertising. That is a wide open door for you to gain some of their potential customers. Consequently, your continued marketing efforts stand out and are more likely to be heard with less chatter in the marketplace.The best aspect of Your Marketing Corner is that you don’t have to hire your own marketing staff. You can use our talented team for a fraction of the cost of traditional employees. Whether you want to do a new logo or web site, or you would like to do a full advertising and PR campaign, Your Marketing Corner has the team to take your business to the next level.

Q: What is online local search?
A: Online local search is becoming the most popular way for people to search for businesses in their local area. Rather than picking up the phone book, more and more people are searching for businesses online or on their mobile devices. Only two years ago, only 1/3 of Americans used online local search, but now more than 2/3 do so. If your business is not listed in local search engines, you are missing out on 2/3 of your potential customer base.

Q: What is organic placement of my web site?
A: There are two ways to have your web site show up in a search engine (Google, Yahoo, etc.). One way is to pay to have it listed in the “Sponsored Links” which are usually the first three listings that appear. The second way is to optimize your site so that search engines will recognize that it should naturally (organically) appear in the top search results. These search results are used much more often by your potential customers. Your Marketing Corner has proprietary processes to ensure your web site’s organic placement will be in these top search results over time. 80% of internet users have a preference for organic, non-paid results. Businesses in organic search results have a consistently higher conversion rate than paid placement advertisers.

Q: What is a blog?
A: A blog is a web site with regularly published content, commentary, specialized or educational information. The name comes from an abridgment of the term “web-log”. Blogs are the next generation of web sites. They are interactive, regularly updated and more personal than a traditional web site. The online trend is toward interactivity and business blogging is the best way to interact online with your potential customers, as well as capture the search engine traffic searching online for a product or service that you offer. Blogs do exceptionally well on search engines such as Google, Yahoo! and MSN. One reason people do business with a small company is to get personal service, and blogs really allow your personality to shine through and allow your customers and potential customers to feel like they know you.

Q: How do I track the effectiveness of my advertising?
A: One thing we hear from customers all the time is “I have an ad in the Yellow Pages, but I don’t know if its doing me any good.” One of the useful tools YMC can provide is detailed tracking of your online advertising. That way, you can see how people are finding your business, and how those translate into leads for your company.

Q: I already have a logo, business card, brochure and Web site, so why would I need YMC?
A: Our team at Your Marketing Corner can evaluate your brand and what sort of results you are getting from your current marketing efforts. From there, we can show you how we would be able to improve the return on investment of your marketing dollars, and get more leads coming into your business.

Q: What is more effective: online or offline marketing?
A: Depending on your business, one may get you more results, but they are both important to your overall success. Online marketing is becoming very important, due to the increase in Americans searching for local businesses online, rather than picking up the phone book. You can have the best looking web site in the world, but if no one can find it, it does you no good. Conversely, if you have a terrible web site that is easily found, potential customers will not be inclined to click or call. Additionally, building brand awareness online AND offline greatly accelerates the momentum it takes to become known in a positive and memorable way. Having an integrated branding strategy so that all your marketing activities speak with one voice leverages every marketing dollar spent. So offline and online marketing are intertwined and help support your overall business goals.

Q: I only sell products locally, not online, so why do I need a web presence?
A: If you do not have a web presence, you could be missing out on a large portion of potential customers. A majority of Americans today are searching for local businesses online, and their mobile devices. If you are not present in those search results, your company becomes invisible to these potential customers. More than 109 million people conduct local searches monthly. More than 85% of those people visit or contact the merchant offline. Search engines are rating the number one resource for finding local business information.