Aaron Weiche

Matt McGee at Small Business Search Marketing recently featured a HubSpot post on business blogging and it's impact on traffic.  Not a big surprise to me that business's that blog regularly see as much as 6 times the organic search traffic. Did you catch that, 6 times more?

Matt closed his recap this powerful statement:  A good company blog is an exceptionally powerful SEO weapon.

I agree 110%, probably even more.

A key word in that statement though is "good".  As the HubSpot article points out:

"A follow-up study shows that the mere act of blogging does not guarantee more site traffic. Anyone can set up a blog and leave it idle as initial excitements fade. Businesses that actively manage their blogs, however, fare much better than those without blogs."

Great info to consider for any business wanting to improve online. Maybe it's time you considered a business blog to contribute to your business efforts ... not just setting it up, but managing a good one.

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Those of us with an iPhone know that the device will try to locate WiFi connections for use when possible.  If you're like me, you find yourself laughing at some of the strange and odd names that homes and businesses give their WiFi connections. A few weeks ago, when in Maple Grove, I think I stumbled on to a restaurant using their WiFi connection name for marketing.

Now this could be just an accident and with my marketing mind I'm reading too far into it.  But it's the first I've ever seen someone use their main service/product and phone number in their network name.  Sawatdee in Maple Grove is the owner of this example and their food is pretty solid.  They also have a current coupon online for 50% off a second entree.

If it is on purpose, I like it.  An easy and small approach that can't hurt and can only help. I grab my iPhone to check email or use the web while shopping in downtown Maple Grove ... and there is Sawatdee letting me know their is Asian food nearby. This would also apply to any nearby laptop users attempting to connect to a network at an office or coffee shop.

What do you think?  Accident or Advertising?

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Dan Gustafson of The Social Media Weekly show on KRWC AM 1360 in Buffalo, MN interviewed me last week for a segment.

• Link to the show file

We talked about social media in general, my Punch Pizza post on their social media promotion, Facebook's new design and the Local University seminar I attended last week.  I always enjoy talking anything web and look forward to chatting with Dan again on his Social Media Weekly show.

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Nothing comforts a broken heart like food. Punch Pizza, with seven Twin Cities locations reached out to passionate Vikings fans on Sunday on various social media sites offering a free pizza the next night to help them deal with the devastating NFC Championship loss to the Saints.

The result was nearly 10,000 pizzas given away (number from Punch Pizza), customers lined-up out the door, local TV news coverage and thousands of mentions on the web. Genius.

Few restaurants in the Minneapolis / St Paul area have been as savvy or active with social media as Punch Pizza and their latest interaction produced some incredible results. 

Let’s look at a few of the ingredients to Punch’s most recent online success (they’ve had a few).

The Method:  Punch has been socially active on the web for some time now. They use Twitter, Facebook, Blogging, Flick and their website. With over 5,000 Twitter followers of @punchpizza and 7,000 Facebook fans, Punch has plenty of customers to interact with. 

Timing: I loved the fact that they were prepared and jumped into the mix at a time when social sites were busting with chatter from the game.  Overtime has just ended, fans were crushed and Punch offered a small bit of light. Timing matters, Punch knew this.

The Offer:  Punch was ready to roll with 2 offer options, one to celebrate a Vikings win, the other to comfort the masses with a Vikings loss.  The Vikes lost and so Punch sent out a tweet and posted the offer to their Facebook page, free pizza was the cure.

The offer/coupon was posted to their Flickr page. All you had to do was print or show it on your phone to get a free pizza for dinner on Monday night.  Punch has carried out multiple marketing campaigns that integrate all of their social tools together, which is always a great move.

Conversation Effect:  Punch leveraged their community, network and customer base to turn a ripple into a wave.  One offer, one tweet and one Facebook update created well over 3,000 clicks to their coupon.

This Twitter mention graph from Squawq shows how they generated over 370 tweets in 2 days, a massive spike form their normal mentions and activity.

Their Facebook status update gathered interaction from a few hundred in the form of “Likes” and comments. See a few of them below, wouldn’t you love this conversation about your business?

You can also factor in they gathered new followers and fans on these accounts thanks to the mentions and interaction.

Traditional Coverage:  I haven’t been able to pin down from Punch Pizza if the local media was contacted or they picked up on the buzz from the social networks themselves, but Punch was featured on the 10pm news on KARE11.  30 seconds of air time showed sad Vikings fans getting cheered up waiting in line at Punch Pizza locations. (photo below from Kare11)

As one Vikings and Punch fan shared on camera: "I am really sad about yesterday because I thought this was the year and the pizza will definitely help because there is no better pizza. So, I'll get over it real quick and we'll put on our purple for next year," says Tere Haas as she waited in line in the cold.

Outcome: I don’t know how you could ask for anything more out of a promotion like this.  Social interaction, branding, traditional media coverage and 10,000 pizzas in the hands of your faithful and newly found customers is a huge win.  I think you can measure this social media marketing and I'd bet they are pouring over the data generated past what I've outlined. ;)

Punch Pizza and their marketing minds (agency and/or internal) are commended for putting together a great social promotion. My only issue was that I wasn’t able to get to the Wayzata location last night and get my free pizza.

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I just finished reading You've Been Yelped, a great article on Yelp.com put out by Inc Magazine writer Max Chafkin. Two weeks ago David Mihm outlined Yelp's Coming of Age in a detailed post. If you're into local Internet marketing at all, read them both.

Max illustrated both the good and the bad for small business owners affected by the website.  The customer reviews posted on Yelp can make or break a small business and as the article details, it can drive an owner downright crazy.

As a business owner myself I see both sides of Yelp.com's offering and effect on small business.  I think the collection of opinions of others experiences is great for the consumer to crowdsource to find great services or products, but I also question if the right filters can control the inmates running the asylum.

Running a small business is tough enough, you'll never please everyone and now anyone can shout it out to the masses ... permanently.  That said, an owner can learn a lot from customer insight and feedback.

Maybe the best thing to hope for is reviews being held to a responsibility code, where constructive criticism is allowed (and welcomed), but childish savaging or outlandish claims are left off.  I think we all know that some only look for ways to whine, rip or rant whenever possible.

So is Yelp the answer to running a better business?  Is it the answer to helping consumers?  I don't have a clear answer on those 2 questions, but I do know that it's not going away.

As one owner quoted in the story stated: "Ignoring Yelp gets you nothing. You can't hate the future."

My hope is that Yelp's future brings a better balance to small business and consumer interaction.

One last time, it's a great article so go and read it: You've Been Yelped - Inc.

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Headed into a meeting in Minneapolis I decided to check in on Foursquare as I walked into the Fifth Street Towers. Foursquare is a social game and mobile application that lets users "check-in" from where they are eating, shopping or visiting. Based on your check-in frequency you can earn points, badges, alert your friends and more. It's gaining popularity and hitting new areas like Des Moines.

Upon checking in I quickly noticed the "special nearby" alert on my iPhone.

The nearby offer feature is a great way for a business to introduce itself to a new customer and motivate them to stop in.  Bars, restaurants or stores that are near other attractions could easily sway a few more wallets into their business by using this and at the very least increase their exposure.

As with many offers though, the Restaurant Max offer was weak. I hadn't eaten lunch yet so a decent lunch special might have swayed me into their place.

Only offering a Birthday Special isn't going to appeal to very many customers.  This offer limits their opportunity to engage with someone to one week out of the year.  The offer does seem to have a big dollar value with a free bottle of wine, but they could really benefit from something more general or even by changing their offer during lunch times and dinner times (if possible).

As others have noted, there is marketing potential in Foursquare.  With social, game, mobile and loyalty marketing elements mixed together, it's one more way a business can create an opportunity with a consumer already in their area. 

In the end though, it still hinges on how strong the motivation is with your offer. Have you ran across a great Foursquare offer?

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It's no secret that marketing is most often about creating an emotion within your target.  Get them to feel the urgency, the value, the elite status ... and get them to buy.

In doing some research tonight on various mobile marketing services, I really liked the simple examples given by Opt It as what types of offers can offer value.  They were:

• Information itself may be valuable - a particular artist is appearing at a club this evening. "I'm glad I know this."  
• Dollar discounts may provide value - this weekend a particular item is 2 for 1 at a clothing store. "You showed me the money!"  
• Exclusivity is an upscale value - today only individuals on our text list receive 25% off. "I'm special."  
• Social benefits like belonging or close association are highly valued - our rooftop deck is reserved this evening only for you and your friends who receive this message. "I belong here."  
• The benefit of NOW, or immediacy, is valuable - this thing is taking place now, and only you know about it. "Let's go, it's happening!" 

Simple, but great rule of thumb examples for mobile marketing messages. My only disappointment was that I can't find Opt It on Twitter or Facebook to interact with more of their mobile marketing knowledge. What's up with that?

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As a Minnesotan, I'm well used to the "snow hype" we seem to put into rumored snow storms.  Each one starts with initial forecasts of 2 to 4 inches, then somehow through TV news, gossip and other ingredients, it ends up being a forecast of at least a foot of snow.

What if you can grab onto that hype and join the spin?
I was surprised to get an email from a local hotel where I live in Buffalo, advertising a "snow rate" of $69 for the night.

I applaud them for jumping into the topic of the day and using it to put their name into the mix.  It's a great and clever marketing strategy that offers both branding and a call to action.

Here is another example of snow storm marketing, Green Mill Restaurants via Twitter.

Now I'm wondering why the ski and snowboard hill near me doesn't send me an email telling me what I should do with my day tomororw?

Video from me out in Snowmass, 2009

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Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey launched a new payment system today for mobile phones called Square.  This solution looks to give anyone with a smart phone or laptop computer the ability to process credit card payments, without a merchant account even.

With a small dongle attachment to your device, you can swipe away, process and even provide verification and receipt. From what I can see and read, this is a huge win for small business, especially very small business.

Here are a few photos from the Square website:

A tool/technology that enables payment, turning your mobile device or laptop into a cash register is a valuable utility.  I like the fact I could take a signed contract and run their down payment for the web design project right on the spot.

I will be eagerly awaiting the initial feedback from users of Square. You?

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A Search Engine Land article takes a great look at do-it-yourself search engine marketing in this article.

You can do your own electrical wiring in your house, but most of us don't. The risk of getting shocked or even starting your home on fire in the future is enough deterrent for me.  I go with the professionals on this task.

For small business owners, Internet marketing and search engine marketing (SEM) is often a task they are willing to take on themselves. Creating an account with Google AdWords or the misconception of adding keyword meta tags to their site seems easy enough.  They don't see a risk like getting physically shocked or starting a fire so they give it a whirl.

Two things usually happen:

1. They waste money with incorrect set-up, management, analysis and think SEM is a waste.

2. They waste their own valuable time on a task they are maybe average at, instead of doing what they do best.

So why waste your valuable time when you can hire a professional and have it done right?  Easy and free doesn't equal the best option in search engine marketing. That shouldn't be that shocking either.

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