The Customer Factory

Although I started using and recommending Constant Contact from just about the time they opened their doors in 1995, I know why many people avoid marketing with email – or don’t do as much with it as they should.

And even though email marketing has the highest ROI of virtually any marketing channel (20x higher than direct mail), and is the best way to communicate with up to 500 of your closest friends for the impossibly low price of $15 per month, I understand your hesitation.

I know because I have gotten scores of clients up and running with email marketing over the years.

And Constant Contact knows because they’ve helped their customers face and overcome the same 3 hurdles tens of thousands of times.

The Three Biggest Obstacles Slowing You Down Are:

1. Gathering Your Contacts

2. Creating Your Email Template

3. Deciding What To Write & Finding The Time To Write It

But never fear. Because we have all these problems solved  and will show you what to do at a special educational seminar  at The Microsoft Store in Arlington next Monday morning February 18, 2013 from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m.

Getting Started with Email Marketing

In this fast-paced one-hour seminar you’ll learn how to quickly get up to speed with email marketing and begin making the most of this powerful marketing channel.

We’ll talk about seeding, growing and managing your list. You’ll learn how often to mail, what to say, how to get the most people to open, read and share your message, and how to read the reports when you’re done.

If you’ve been meaning to do a better job with email marketing (for years?) now is the time to learn how.

Is Your Business Invisible Online?

After we spend an hour learning how to grow your organization with email marketing, we’ll take a deep breath and then spend 60 minutes talking about how to get your information on the front page of Google – pronto!

Few things confuse entrepreneurs and non-profits more than the topic of Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

Everyone has an opinion on what the most important factors are to ensure a good placement on Google search results. But no one would argue that this is not a critical factor in local business marketing today.

By the end of this seminar you will understand more about the topic than you may have thought possible.

And you’ll walk away with my DIY SEO handbook:

Three Weeks To Local Search Domination

So, join me, won’t you?

Getting Started with Email Marketing

PLUS

Is Your Business Invisible Online?

Monday February 18, 2013

8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

The Microsoft Store

The Fashion Centre at Pentagon City

1100 South Hayes Street | Arlington, VA 22202

Admission is Free but Seating Is Limited!

Click This Link to Register Now

Is Your Business Invisible Online? Secrets of Local Internet Marketing That Can Put Your Company on Page One of Google This Week

Wondering how to start getting phone calls from new prospects via the Internet? In this 52-minute webinar Frank Felker explains it all.

Let’s face it, unless they already know your company’s name, local buyers of your product or service can’t possibly find you when they are searching for what you do online. Even if you have a web site.

This is a big problem because thousands of local buyers are searching for immediate solutions to their needs everyday on their computers, smartphones and tablet devices.

They’re not finding you so they’re buying from your competitors, costing you thousands in sales every month.

Learn how to stop being invisible and start becoming famous online in this informative video from Frank Felker, Founder and President of The Customer Factory.

Here’s what you will learn:

How search engines work.

What you’re actually seeing when looking at search results.

And how Google decides whether your site or your competitor’s site is going to appear on the first page.

Then Frank shows you the difference between what you see on a web page versus what Google sees and how that determines who ends up on page one.

Frank talks about the powerful opportunities available when you focus your search optimization efforts on local buyers.

And he does a number of live search demonstrations which prove his techniques work.

Frank Felker of The Customer Factory Named Authorized Local Expert in Washington, DC area by Leading Online Marketing Company

Click Graphic to Download Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Frank Felker Selected as Constant Contact Authorized Local Expert

Old Town Alexandria marketing expert to help small businesses and non-profits apply the power of online marketing to grow their organizations.

ALEXANDRIA, VA December 11, 2012

Frank Felker, Founder and President of The Customer Factory, has been selected as an Authorized Local Expert by Constant Contact®, Inc., the trusted marketing advisor to more than half a million small organizations worldwide.

As an Authorized Local Expert, Felker will offer training seminars on best practices in online marketing in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

“We are thrilled to have Frank Felker as part of the Authorized Local Experts program,” said Catherine Kniker, Vice President of Local Success at Constant Contact.

“We believe education and training on marketing best practices leads to more success for small organizations. Our Authorized Local Experts are in a fantastic position to serve their local community by sharing their expertise and our successful, educational KnowHow.”

Frank Felker will be hosting free small business seminars and training workshops throughout the greater Washington, DC area focused on using email marketing and social media marketing to engage key audiences, drive dialogues, and build relationships.

Click this link to download entire press release as PDF.

Frank Felker Selected As Panelist For Alexandria Online Marketing Summit

Click Graphic to Register | Promo Code VIP2012

I’m very pleased to announce that Patch.com has asked me to be a panelist discussing online marketing success for small businesses at their inaugural Main Street U Summit, here in Old Town Alexandria, next Thursday November 7, 2012 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – and that I can get you into the event at no charge!

Patch.com is a nationwide company with a hyper-local focus. They are basically the online equivalent of the old neighborhood newspaper. From an advertising standpoint, their sole purpose is to connect local consumers with local businesses, which means their business model is directly in alignment with mine.

I have written previously about my positive feelings regarding Patch.com and how I believe every local business should consider adding them to their marketing mix.

In addition to their advertising and content sharing capabilities, Patch.com is also a powerful Local SEO platform. I frequently come across their listings on the front page of local Google search results for a variety of vertical industries.

This Main Street U Summit is the first produced by Patch.com anywhere in the country. The intent is to give local business owners an introduction to online marketing and social media along with specific tips and tools that will help them leverage the power of these incredible marketing channels.

Best of all, Patch has given me a promotional code which you can use to register for the event at no charge!

Click on the graphic above or on this link to be taken to the registration page. Once you’re there, use the promo code VIP2012 to get your tickets at no charge.

Register as many people as you’d like but please be respectful of the fact that there are a limited number of seats available. Only register people you are confident are going to be able to attend.

The panel discussion I’ll be a part of will run for about 45 minutes starting at 8:30 so be sure to get there early if you want to catch it!

Patch.com’s Inaugural Main Street U Summit

Thursday November 8, 2012
8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Crowne Plaza Old Town
901 North Fairfax Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314

I look forward to seeing you there!

Customer Factory Client Dominates The First Two Pages of Google

Click The Graphic Above to Embiggen

I am often asked what Search Engine Optimization (SEO) really means.

I try to explain that optimizing your web site means making it easy for your local clients and/or prospects to find you when they are running a search for your products or services on Google.

Does that mean anything to you?

If not, please allow me to present the graphic to the left, which shows the search engine results you will see if you type “rocco doors fairfax station” (without the quotes) into Google and hit GO.

In other words, let’s say you are a homeowner living in Fairfax Station, Virgina and you are searching Google for a new Rocco Door for your house.

<– This is what Google would tell you.

Click on the graphic to see it in full size and then follow along with me please.

Or, better yet, please type that search phrase into Google for yourself to see that I am not fudging the results.

What you will see is that, not only is my client Fred’s Best Windows, Doors & Siding #1 out of 310,000 results, they are actually Numbers 1-19!

That’s right, results for Fred’s Best search engine optimized web site created by The Customer Factory cover all of the Page One results and nine out of the first ten Page Two results.

That isn’t just Search Engine Optimization, that is Search Engine Domination!

Naysayers may note that “rocco doors fairfax station” doesn’t sound like a search phrase that is frequently entered into Google. To which I would make three responses:

1. It WAS entered into Google just a couple of days ago. That’s how I found it in Fred’s Best Google Analytics report.
2. Even if the searcher didn’t add “fairfax station” to their search phrase, Google would add it to the mix if the searcher’s computer’s IP address was in Fairfax Station, Virginia. Google knows!
3. When someone DOES enter a very specific search term like that THEY ARE READY TO BUY!

Locally-optimized, long-tail search terms are what The Customer Factory’s Search Engine Optimization services are all about. What your locally-focused company needs are local clients who are looking for a fast solution to their current problem.

If they type in their need instead of your name they are probably not going to find your site, unless you’re one of our clients.

Need more proof? Please type these search terms into Google for further validation:

• “high end fitness centers” (without the quotes) will deliver you to my client Synergy Health & Fitness
• “rides for seniors northern virginia” (without the quotes) will deliver you to my client Independent You
• “shared office space old town” (without the quotes) will deliver you to my client Connect113
• “horse boarding lucketts va” (without the quotes) will deliver you to my client DeVaux Farms
• And “mobile marketing northern virginia” (without the quotes) will deliver you back to this web site

These are the kinds of real, everyday search phrases that purchase-ready local buyers enter into Google.

If you’d like to find out how we can produce the same results for your company, please give us a call at 703-348-7390.

Are Daily Deals a Good Idea for My Business?

Daily Deal sites can be a very powerful marketing medium for some businesses.

They can also be an utter disaster if the merchant hasn’t fully thought through his strategy and tactics for handling the rush and converting the maximum number of one-time customers into long-term clients; sources of ongoing repeat and referral business.

This video gives a fascinating insight into the experiences of three business owners.

Site Built for Fred’s Best by The Customer Factory Includes Mobile Optimized Landing Page

Fred’s Best Windows, Doors & Siding is a Vienna, Virginia-based home improvement company. When the firm commissioned The Customer Factory to build their new web site, they were looking for three things:

1. An attractive online brochure for their company
2. The ability to show their work online
3. A mechanism for generating new leads from the Internet

Well, they got all those things and a great deal more.

The site presents the company as the professional organization that it is and features their three primary lines of work: window replacement; door replacement including front doors, garage doors and French doors, and vinyl siding installation.

There is also a Recent Projects section where Fred can show examples of real projects they are completing every day in the area.

And finally, every page on the site encourages the visitor to ask Fred their most compelling home improvement question to get free advice from an expert.

This lead generation functionality has resulted in many thousands of dollars in sales.

One unexpected benefit Fred received by working with The Customer Factory was the mobile-optimized landing page which is presented to visitors who have come to the web site via their smart phone.

The mobile-optimized page presents the company’s name, tag line, logo and two prominent buttons Call Us and Directions which allow mobile prospective clients to connect with the company instantly from anywhere.

This mobile home page displays correctly on both iPhones and Android devices and is included at no extra charge with every web site The Customer Factory builds.

How Free Can Mean Profitable in the Mobile Marketplace

Have you ever wondered why Google has put so much time, money and promotional effort into Android, the smart phone operating system that they give away for free?

Unlike Apple with its iPhone, Google doesn’t sell smart phone hardware, though they will, once their Motorola purchase closes. There is no way they can profit directly from the sale of Android-powered phones. So what’s all the fuss about?

The fuss has to do with the unique relationship we humans have with our smart phones. We love them. We interact with them constantly, texting, surfing, mailing, playing, paying, watching, listening and, occasionally, calling. When we’re not slobbering all over them we’re sure to always keep them close at hand – even when we’re asleep.

From a marketer’s perspective there has never been a medium like the smart phone to communicate your messages over.

Google wants you to have an Android phone so that you will connect all of your Google contacts, Gmail, Google+ friends and any other Google solution you use regularly. Once all of those connections have been made in your most treasured possession, Google has you right where they want you. They also now know where you are and a little bit about what you’re up to.

Combined with what they know about your search and surfing history, they are better able to deliver just the ads and offers you are most likely to respond to. That means more money for them and their advertisers.

So how does all this relate to you and your business? In short you need to follow Google’s lead and get on the mobile bandwagon.

The Mobile Marketplace
Your target market is on mobile. Some day in the next 3-6 months more Internet traffic will travel over mobile networks than over tethered ones. I could quote stat after stat about the rise of the mobile marketplace but just take my word for it: if you’re not accessible via mobile today you’re falling behind and if you’re still not there tomorrow you will be invisible.

Mobile offers you opportunities to connect and communicate with your target market in ways that have never been available before. You need to start learning all about it and creating promotional messages for your company that can easily be accessed and consumed via mobile.

For starters, there is over a 90% chance that your web site looks like crap on a smart phone. You need to get that fixed. Now.

Beyond that, having a mobile-optimized video brochure for your company is an absolute home run. It’s the equivalent of a 2:00 television commercial delivered directly to the nose of only the people most likely to buy from you, which they can watch whenever and as often as they like – and forward seamlessly to as many friends as they want.

SMS Marketing
Perhaps the stealth missile of the Mobile Marketplace is SMS or Text Message Marketing. Incentivizing prospects to text a keyword (like FREEFOOD) to a shortcode (like 72727) allows you to gather their telephone numbers, segment them into special interest groups, and then send them infrequent, short promotional messages related to that special interest going forward. I will devote an entire article to this concept soon but let me give you a couple of quick stats to support the power of this medium. Average broadcast email open rates are less than 20% over the course of 7-10 days. Average text open rates exceed 90% and generally occur in less than 30 minutes.

Why do you think American Idol has been using this technique for over 10 years?

Let me return to the bottom line: You need to get on the Mobile Marketing bandwagon sooner rather than later. Start learning and getting comfortable with the whole concept now so you’ll be prepared to act as soon as possible.

Give us a call at 703-348-7390 with any questions on how to implement a Mobile Marketing strategy for your company.

The Customer Factory Builds A Search Engine Optimized Web Site for DeVaux Farms in Leesburg.

We recently completed a project for DeVaux Farms in Loudoun County, Virginia that included creating a web site and blog to promote their riding school, boarding and training services and horse shows to the Northern Virginia horse community.

Just like any other Northern Virginia small business, DeVaux Farms is always on the lookout for new customers. And just like all buyers of local goods and services, DeVaux’ prospective clients are searching for riding lessons, stalls for rent, horse and pony training and upcoming horse shows on search engines.

This site has already brought in a number of new clients for DeVaux and consistently ranks very high on Google for all of their targeted key words and phrases. This site is also mobile optimized, meaning that, if you view it on a smart phone, you will not see the full-blown home page above but rather the phone optimized page below with instant buttons for “Call Us” and “Directions.”

The logo, color scheme and background images were all created by Shannon Yard, a very talented 15 year-old photographer and graphic designer who is also a DeVaux student.

If you’re looking for a great place to teach your child to ride, be sure to check out DeVaux Farms web site.

Coworking Facility Uses Web Video To Promote Their Location

I’ve just completed a multi-faceted marketing project for a cool place called Connect113 in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. I’ll let the marketing pieces I’ve created explain what Connect113 is.

This video is on a lead capture page with a list sign-up call-to-action. You can go to the lead capture page and register to receive the mp3 mentioned in the video, or just wait a couple of days for me to post it here.

The Customer Factory worked with Connect113 to identify the target market and write a script that follows the three-step Golden Formula of Web Video Marketing:

1. State The Problem
2. Present The Solution
3. Call To Action

The result is a short, informational program that clearly identifies the prospect’s pain, demonstrates how Connect113 soothes it, and makes it clear what to do next.

Here’s what the video lead capture landing page looks like:

Click on the graphic above to visit the actual Video Lead Capture Landing Page.

Complete Script of the Web Video for Connect113 in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia

You know, it sounded like a good idea at the time:

Running your business from your home.

A 30-second commute and no overhead costs. What’s not to like?

But before you knew it, reality began to set in. (more…)