Consideration Marketing. Are You In The Game?

Think of the last time you made a purchase. How did you come to the conclusion you wanted to purchase from a certain company? Was it their website? Social Media? Google Reviews?

Consideration Marketing

It probably was a combination of all of these things right? Now think about your business... Would you choose yourself against the competition? When customers are looking to buy, they usually choose from 2-3 businesses. All of these factors mentioned greatly impact a buying decision.

When we meet with potential clients, we like to talk about what we call "consideration marketing". When it comes to social media, it is much more than throwing a few hundred bucks and boosting an ad, or looking at vanity metrics (Facebook likes). These are short-sighted goals. Let's think long-term. What puts your company in consideration when a purchasing decision is made?

Social Media Marketing Services

In today's world, most customers have done their research before contacting a company. It usually begins with a google search (80% of the time on their mobile phone) and checks out 3 major areas to make a decision:

  1. *Your Google listing (Reviews, Pictures, Location, etc.),
  2. *Your Website (how current and up-to-date compared to your competitors)
  3. *Your Social Media feeds (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Youtube, TikTok, Twitter, etc.).

Humans are visual. We believe what we perceive, and the eyeball test is where "Consideration Marketing" comes in. Yes, we can track stats, (clicks, Likes, Engagement, etc) but think of your entire body of work.

Customers will go down the rabbit hole and look at your posts, your videos, your portfolio, and more. This is the long game we are talking about; a steady dose of consistent, relevant content. That's what wins new customers over time.

There is an old saying... "Nobody got rich sitting still!" This is true with social media. You have to consistently produce content that builds trust with your customers and creates awareness about your brand that you are the "expert" in your field.

So how do you do it? How do you create that awareness of your brand when trying to run a successful business? You have 3 options. (We recommend #3!)

Consideration Marketing with Digital Curve Marketing

  1. *Do it Yourself! (If you have time to do this and run your company full time.)
  2. *Hire a full-time Marketing Manager (50k-60k Annual Salary with paid vacation, sick days, etc?)
  3. *Outsource it to a Marketing Agency for a fraction of the above costs.

If you aren't sure where to start, do a Google search in your industry and see where you rank amongst the competition. If your business is stagnant, it could very well be your lack of a social media presence, or simply... the competition is doing it better! This is where we step in!

Digital Curve Marketing specializes in Social Media Management and more! Stay ahead of the curve and make sure your business is the obvious choice when potential customers are ready to make a buying decision.

Social Media Management with Digital Curve Marketing

Ask us how we can help your business with Social Media, Video Production, Online Reviews, and Web Design. Visit us at digitalcurvemarketing.com today!


Chad Alvarez is the Founder and CEO of Digital Curve Marketing. To learn more about Social Media Marketing Solutions, please contact chad@digitalcurvemarketing.com or call direct 301-798-7904.

Chad Alvarez of Digital Curve Marketing

Nic Gills Mortgage Team

Nic Gills Mortgage Team hosted a Realtor Appreciation Party at Bridges and asked us to document the evening. With no preconceived ideas, we just rolled film and captured the genuine interactions with the relationships Nic has built with local realtors.

"This video truly shows how much people like Nic," says Chad Alvarez of Digital Curve Marketing, "In a very competitive market, Nic has the ability to form long-lasting relationships which is why he is voted best Mortgage Lender on Kent Island."

Check out nicgills.com for all your home mortage needs!

Mallard Homes

Mallard Homes is currently developing 2 major communities on the eastern shore. The Enclave at Prospect Bay and The Gardens in Denton, MD.

Digital Curve Marketing has been documenting the progress of both projects while producing social media promo videos to help sell the homesites. With our drone videography services, we can give a "birds eye view" of the beautiful locations that surround these areas.

Here are the promo videos for The Enclave at Prospect Bay:

To learn more about these communities and Mallard Homes, visit www.mallardhomes.com for more info.

Kentmorr Marina

Kentmorr Marina is one of the latest projects from Digital Curve Marketing. Owner Peter McArdle is launching a "Kentmorr Cares" initiative that is community-driven offering 50% discounts on boat slips to Teachers, Police Officers, Firefighters and First Responders.

Also, stay tuned for more information with Kentmorr Marina's involvement with "Fish For The Cure" sponsored by Anne Arundel Medical Center.

The Kentmorr Cares initiative will also sponsor team uniforms so please reach out to them for your youth sports teams!

Promo Video for Kentmorr Marina:

Be on the lookout for more info coming from Kentmorr Marina!

Visit their website at www.kentmorrmarina.net

Shepherd Plumbing

Shephed Plumbing is 3 Generations of Plumbers since 1972. A unique story how we met Shepherd Plumbing.

Chad Alvarez of Digital Curve Marketing had his water heater go up. That same day, R&D Electric was at his house working on a circuit breaker and referred Shepherd Plumbing to do the water heater installation.

Josh Shepherd came out to do the quote but after a short conversation about their google listing and their old website, they quickly became a customer.

"Shepherd Plumbing happened by accident and have allowed us to take over their social media feeds, build a new website, and manage their reviews, stated Chad Alvarez."

Shepherd Plumbing is more than your average company. They do groundworks on new construction for commercial and residential, as well as your customer service house calls. They really do it all! Check out their website at www.shepherdplumbing.com

Check out their videos HERE:

The Enclave at Prospect Bay

The Oxford Marina - Oxford, MD

The Enclave at Prospect Bay - Early Startup Phase

Ginter's Full Service Auto

Ginter's Full Service Auto offers a multitude of services out of out of Camp Hill, PA. From Auto Sales, Body Work, Custom Upgrades, Paint jobs, Custom Graphics, and more. Ginter's is really your one-stop shop for all things auto related.

Owner Brian Ginter has built his business on top-notch customer service and superior craftsmanship. His work really speaks for itself as you will see in his promo video produced by Digital Curve Marketing.

This commercial produced over 55k views, 2100 Engagements and over 200 likes! Today, Digital Curve Marketing manages its Facebook page and keeps producing engaging, daily content that keeps Ginter's Full-Service Auto top of mind in the Harrisburg PA area.

Check out their website at www.gintersautobody.com for more info.

ATO Autosports

Located in Whitemarsh, MD. ATO Autosports has been providing custom auto services for over 25 years. Looking to boost their social media presence, Digital Curve Marketing was called upon to bring more visualization to their brand through social media and video.

"ATO Autosports cranks out 20-30 spray-on bed liners a week, and we wanted to showcase that in their initial brand video."

"They have a huge selection of wheels and tires to choose from and very knowledgeable sales team to help customers build upgrades for your truck or jeep."

We also provide Reputation Management services to drive more reviews to their Google Listing.

Check out ATO Autosports at www.atoautosports.com if you live in the Whitemarch/Middle River, MD area.

What is Reputation Management? What You Don't Know May Be Hurting Your Business & How to Easily Improve Yours.

What is Reputation Management?

As a business owner, you may have heard the term "Reputation Management" and even know it pertains to online reviews of your business, but do you really KNOW what is being said about you in the online world?

Put yourself in the shoes of a consumer and think of the last time you made a purchasing decision for a restaurant, HVAC contractor, laptop, television etc.. What made you decide to choose one product or service over the other?  If the answer is "online reviews" then the same can be said about your business.  If you had to take off your "Owner Hat" and objectively pick a company in your industry, would you choose yourself?  It seems ridiculous to ask as you sit and read this and say, "Of course I would choose myself!  I have the best services around!" Lets dive into that scenario further.

How Do Your Potential Customers Use Online Reviews?

According to a recent Bright Local survey:

Most surveyed said they look at 2+ review sites before making a buying decision.  That is strong influential data when you think people will trust online views from total strangers to influence a buying decision.

Think about the long-term ramifications.  The lifetime value of a customer lost or gained can significantly impact your business by a simple review process that you may be overlooking.

Now do I have your attention?

As a digital marketing consultant, I meet with many business owners.  The first question I ask, "Is your business registered with Google?"  My follow-up questions are, "How many directories is your business registered with where potential customers can, A) find you, and B) leave a positive or negative review? "How are you managing or responding to positive and negative reviews?"

Here is where it gets uncomfortable, and that's ok, as most business owners never really think much about what directories they are listed or what obscure review was left on a 2nd tier yellowpage directory.

Reputation Management is very much like Social Media Marketing.  We strive for engagement with our audience on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin, so why not focus the same dedicated attention on Google Reviews, Facebook Reviews, Yellowpages, Yelp etc.?

Bad Reviews are GOOD Reviews!

Yes, you read that correctly!  If people are not talking about your business, then you need to worry.  The old saying is true... bad publicity is better than no publicity at all!

As a business owner, bad reviews are the golden ticket to prove you are engaged with your customers.  It is still very important to have 4 and 5-star reviews, but an occasional disgruntled customer shows you are willing to try and make things right, and potential customers see that.

Too many 5-star reviews without any negative feedback also raises concern as we all know that just isn't realistic to think everyone loves you.

Engaging in dialogue on a Google or Facebook review can go a long way to instill trust in a customer/business owner relationship. It also allows a business owner to call out a bad reviewer who may be hiding behind a keyboard.  Let's face it, some people like to be jerks and slam businesses for petty reasons, so stay on top of your reviews. Don't let years of hard work be ruined by a select few!

If I know a restaurant is going to comp my soup because it was ice cold does not mean the restaurant was bad, it just means a customer is warning the business, "Hey, I need you to do better!"  It also allows honest feedback to make future experiences better.

Do you remember the toothpaste commercials where 4 out of 5 dentists approve?  Did you ever want to ask the 1 dentist why he didnt?  Thats an 80% approval rate and we still use Crest and Colgate toothpaste with an 80% approval rate.  (We never got to interview that 1 doctor, wouldnt you like to know what his beef was?)

Who Would You Call First and Why?

Now that the majority of society has smartphones in their hands, the first thing we do when searching for a business is do a Google search.  In minutes, we can find out a ton of information on where to eat, where to shop, what hotels to stay in, and how much things cost.  Then, we make a decision based on a few factors:

In the example above, if you are looking for an auto shop, TWP Motorsports edges out Platinum Motorsports by a small margin, but has DOUBLE the reviews and very frequent reviews across the board.  As a business owner, you do not know how much business is lost by customers going through this process to choose you or your competitor, but rest assured, if you are sitting still and not managing your online reputation, you will be passed by.

How Do I fix My Online Reputation?

As a business owner you need to ask yourself, "How much time do I have to monitor online reviews and search the internet for a negative review buried on a yellowpages website or search engine?"  If the answer is "not enough time", then hiring a reputation management agency is the answer.

Do not allow your business to sit still hoping for something to change.  Capturing online reviews from fresh customers is the best form of advertising. The benefits are endless because the impact of improving your online reputation can be immediate.

In closing, do an online search for your own business.  Notice who appears in the Google 3-pack.  Are you the obvious choice? If not, now you know what to do to improve your online reputation.

If you wish to learn more about how Online Reputation Management can make a difference in your business, contact Digital Curve Marketing today for a Free Consultation at: info@digitalcurvemarketing.com

Chad Alvarez is the Founder and CEO of Digital Curve Marketing and has operated in the digital space since 2006.  To learn more about Digital Curve Marketing and their services, go to: www.digitalcurvemarketing.com

The Best Networking Channel Is Right In Your Back Yard - Why You Should Join Your Local Chamber of Commerce Today!

My name is Chad Alvarez, and I am the founder and CEO of Digital Curve Marketing, LLC in Grasonville, MD.  I want to share my story about the best decision I made early in my career with my start-up business.  I didn't have to look that far because this valuable resource is right in my back yard on Kent Island - The Queen Anne's County Chamber of Commerce.

I joined the Queen Anne’s County Chamber of Commerce in March of 2018.  As a new digital marketing company, creating a networking plan to meet other business owners in the area was crucial to the growth of my business.  With brick and mortar stores depending more and more on online exposure, I have a great opportunity to work with every customer from A to Z with the Chamber of Commerce since I work in digital marketing.

The big question people may ask is, "What does the Queen Anne's County Chamber of Commerce do?"  How can they help my business and why should I care?

First off, Linda Friday and Tracy Wilson from Day 1 made me feel right at home with helping me establish my business to the community and learning about my niche in the marketplace.  This is a very important process, because the more they understand about your business, the easier it is for them to refer you when people come into their office asking for local business solutions.  The resources are there.  As a business owner, it is a matter of utilizing their resources and network to become a part of a unique business community.

How to use the Chamber of Commerce Website:  https://www.qacchamber.com

The chamber of commerce website provides you with a directory of businesses that are chamber members with all of their contact information.  As shown below, I have access to almost 700 local businesses at my fingertips to reach out to via email or by phone.  When you login to your account, here are some of the key features you will see:

Directory: A to Z Listing of over 700 local business at your fingertips with contact information.

Don't be afraid to reach out and introduce yourself as a fellow chamber member.  We want you to contact us as we all can benefit from our services we offer each other. The term "BUY CHAMBER" is a real thing!  We want to keep our budget spends with local businesses and maintain a healthy business community.

Keyword Search:  Not sure of a business name?  No problem.  Just search by an industry keyword and you're all set!

Also, the chamber will allow you to post monthly press releases about events you may have, or even discounts you want to run on your services! Just ask about their press releases they can help you with.

My Experience as a New Member

Within my first week of joining the QAC chamber, I received 7 direct leads from local business owners who needed my services, and the referrals just keep coming.  BONUS!

The human element that you get from your local Chamber of Commerce is an added value to any business in Queen Anne's County. They offer monthly social events where you can meet fellow business owners face to face and exchange information while learning more about the business community we live in.  They offer email blasts where you can have them send out email messages to over 700 businesses.  Monthly "Lunch and Learns" where you can present or attend to learn more about the services and industries that surround us.

There are so many added benefits in joining the chamber of commerce and it really is a no-brainer to become a member for an annual fee of around $200.00.

If you are a local business, and still on the fence about joining the Queen Anne's County Chamber of Commerce, I highly recommend you stop in and introduce yourself to Linda and Tracy.  They are a valuable resource and one that any local business would benefit from.

For more information on the Queen Anne's County Chamber of Commerce and how to join, feel free to contact them:

Location:

1561 Postal Rd
Chester, MD  21619

Mailing Address:
PO Box 511
Chester, MD   21619

Hours:
Monday- Friday
9:00a.m.-4:00p.m.

Phone Number:

410-643-8530

Chad Alvarez is the Founder and CEO of Digital Curve Marketing, LLC.  If you would like to learn more about Digital Marketing Solutions for your business, visit us at: www.digitalcurvemarketing.com

3 SEO Killers Sinking Your Website, Plus 3 FREE Tools You Must Use to Fix NOW!

Sinkging Ship Representing your Website Dropping in rank online

It’s a new year, and that means a fresh start, but are you still struggling with the same lead generation issues from a stagnant website?  If this is you, then you already know a change is needed to generate leads, but the question is… How?

THE TRUTH:

You may have a good website with great content, but is google penalizing you for things you cannot see?  Even veteran web developers often miss these details.  I would like to show you how you can diagnose your own issues immediately.  A few tweaks may be the secret to your future success!

Let’s get started with what is killing your website ranking and costing you free leads.

Improper Meta Tags – (Title Tags & Descriptive Tags)

These snippets of information are one of the first things Google scans when determining what content is relevant to a SERP (Search Engine Results Page). It is important to have the Title Tags and Descriptive Tags properly match the content on your web pages.  For example, if someone is searching for “Auto Body Repair” it is important to have that keyword, and/or family of keywords within your Title Tag (See example below).

The top organic listings in a SERP have relevant keywords, and related keywords spread all over their Title Tags, Descriptive Tags, and ultimately their web pages.

See the trend here?  From top to bottom, you must do what you say you do, and Google looks for that consistency.  You cannot say in a Title Tag that you provide Auto Body work and then chat about oil changes on the same page.  It must be focused, relevant content to rank well in organic search.

In December of 2017, Google recently doubled the Meta description length from 160 to 320 characters. This allows you to provide more descriptive detail about your business message in the SERP.  Now is the perfect time to take advantage of this expansion and revisit your Meta Tags while doing so.

Also, when creating new Title Tags, make sure they are unique for each of your pages to avoid duplication penalties. You should practice doing organic searches in your category to make sure your Title Tags do not look like your competitors.  You want to avoid “sameness” even if it means using dashes instead of bars to distinguish yourself from the rest.

The goal here is for your Title Tags and Descriptive Tags to stand out and generate a click.  Google does look at Click-Through Rate (CTR) as they want the best user experience possible.  Meta Tags that get clicks, move up in organic search.

Duplicate Content

Without a doubt, if you want your website to sink like a stone, having duplicate content is a one-way ticket to the bottom. This happens when similar content shows up in different URLS.  I am sure you are thinking, “I don’t have duplicate content because I haven’t copied anything or have no reason to reproduce pages.”  Well, most of the time it’s a technical issue.  You can create duplicate content without realizing it, so checking regularly for duplicate content is recommended.

Often, if you have several products that are very similar, and only differ by color or size, the pages may be flagged as duplicate content.

You must designate which URL you want people to see in search results. Placing canonical tags on a main page will help search engines understand which page should gain the authority and all other pages not compete for organic rank.  More information about canonicalization.

Think of it this way.  Too many “cooks in the kitchen” will confuse search engines, and will not be able to distinguish authority if all pages are optimized for the same keywords.  Canonical tags will make that decision easier for search engines.  One chef per kitchen please!

I am sure you are wondering how to check if you have duplicate content.  One of the Free tools we discuss later (Google Search Console) will show you how.  This is my #2 SEO killer that can’t be ignored.  Here is an informative link from Google Search Console giving insight on duplicate content issues and how to fix them.

No Mobile-Friendly Website

With Google's search results now over 60% on mobile, the company has implemented a "mobile first indexing plan that could see the light of day by the end of this year" per Google's Webmaster Trends Analyst, Gary Illyes, while addressing the SMX West Conference in March of 2017.  Now in 2018, Google has started to roll out the mobile first algorithm. 

What does this mean for you?  Well, no longer can you ignore the importance of a mobile-friendly website.  The time to act is now.

FACT: Mobile devices have less real estate to work with and have fewer tokens than desktop.

Mobile sites don't have a lot of the metadata that desktop sites have. The goal is to condense and optimize your mobile site in smaller chunks.

Here are 3 KEY POINTS to ensure you create a mobile-friendly website:

FOCUS ON YOUR CORE PRODUCTS - Prioritize which products are most important and rank accordingly. Think less copy and create content that is quick and easy to digest on a mobile phone. Smaller paragraphs prevent a “wall of text” issue for easier readability.

It's crucial to make navigation as easy as possible. Also, don't forget to test the mobile experience yourself to see how your customers will interact with your mobile site.

Structured Data is a standardized format Google bots read to understand what is on a web page.  It then can break out numbers, dates, and groups of words and numbers called strings.  A great example would be ingredients to a recipe.  Structured data can allow someone to search by ingredient, calories, cooking time etc. and pick up your recipe in a search query through structured data.

Websites with structured data can also appear in a graphical search snippet.  If your website does not currently have structured data, it is highly recommended that you learn more about it as Google prefers this method of organized data lists.  Here is an intro guide on structured data to learn more.

A rel-annotation helps Google's algorithm understand the difference between your mobile page and desktop page. Your web developer would need to add a rel="alternate" tag on your desktop to point to the mobile URL and vice versa.

These tags tie your two site versions together, so search results are better synchronized. This also helps Google pull up the appropriate version based on the device being utilized for the search.

Here are: 3 FREE TOOLS TO IDENTIFY YOUR WEBSITE ISSUES IN A MATTER OF MINUTES!

  1. Google SERP Snippet Optimization Tool & Meta Tag Generator

 These 2 FREE tools go hand in hand as they allow you to customize your Search Engine Results Pages (SERP) and preview how your pages will appear in a Google search query.

The Snippet Optimization tool allows you to format your messaging and prevent any truncation of your content.  It best used when writing unique Meta Titles & Meta Descriptions to prevent duplicate content as we discussed in our SEO killer section above. It is very important to write unique content on each page to prevent any duplicate content penalties.

Here are the quick steps.

This is the second phase to completing your HTML code for your Title Tags and Meta Descriptions.

<title>FREE SEO Tools | Digital Marketing Tools to Use Now!</title>

<meta name="Description" content="Get your FREE SEO Tools to help you optimize your website in a matter of minutes! Learn SEO Strategies, Content Marketing, Blogging, and MORE!">

<meta name="Keywords" content="SEO Tools, Digital Marketing, Content Marketing, Blogging">

Keep in mind, there are several free sites that can help you with your snippets and generate HTML codes for you, but these 2 should be part of your arsenal when it comes to free SEO tools for your META data.

  1. PageSpeed Insights: PageSpeed Insights analyzes the content of a web page, then generates suggestions to make that page faster.  It is a FREE Google tool that will point out deficiencies in your desktop and mobile versions of your website.

PageSpeed Insights gives you a roadmap of exactly what needs to be fixed in detail.

Google takes pride in how fast it produces results in its SERP (Search Engine Results Page).  If two competitive websites have quality content, Google can penalize a site with a slow page load speed.

Google is all about the user experience and providing fast results has been their forte. That is due to the high standards they expect from quick loading pages along with relevant content.

Clicking on the “Show how to fix” arrow will provide detailed information on what is needed to fix problems causing optimization issues.  Sometimes, it could be a simple image that needs to be compressed to speed up loading times, or Minify CSS and Javascript files.  This often overlooked FREE google tool is a “must have” in checking your website health.

  1. Google Search Console (Formerly known as Webmaster Tools): Another FREE web service provided by Google for webmasters. This tool allows you to check the indexing status of your pages and optimize the visibility of your website.

It looks at 4 key areas on your website:

I am surprised at the amount of business owners that either A) are unaware of this free tool’s existence, or B) simply do not have it set up at all.

Think of this tool as a mechanic plugging your car into a diagnostic computer and analyzing the issues under the hood.  The same analogy applies here. Google Search Console provides direct tips and suggestions on what is needed to pave the way for a healthy website.

It will diagnose most issues from duplicate content pages, to search traffic, and how many of your pages are properly indexed.  I will walk you through the steps to set up your own personal Google Search Console.

To get started, you need to add your website and verify you are the owner of the site, webmaster, or authorized user.

How to set up Google Search Console for your business.

If you currently have a Google Analytics Account installed, the process is easy.  All you must do in Google Search Console is click on the “VERIFY” button and you are all set!  You must have a Google account to access Search Console, you can setup your Google account here.

Now that you are all set up in Google Search Console, it usually takes 1-2 weeks to fully analyze your data so keep checking frequently.  (The size of your website can dictate how long this process takes)

With 2018 being the year of mobile first indexing, and a changing of the guard with how we search content with our mobile devices, now is the time to take a serious look at the state of your website.  These Free SEO tools are just the tip of the iceberg and can point you in the right direction to build your website as a serious lead generator.

Chad Alvarez is the Founder and CEO of Digital Curve Marketing, LLC.  To learn more about SEO strategies, social media marketing, mobile-friendly web design, or anything we discussed in this article, please contact him at chad@digitalcurvemarketing.com to get a fresh start in 2018.