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Building A Strong Social Media Presence While Increasing Search Engine Ranking
Building A Strong Social Media Presence While Increasing Search Engine Ranking
So – you have a website – GREAT – now how to you get people to find it?
Unless someone types in your website address (URL), they are most likely to find your business online by using a search engine. Getting your website recognized on these search engines and thus be found by your prospects and customers is not rocket science – but neither is replacing a quarter panel. Both however require unique tools, some forethought (strategy), ingenuity (innovation), and a person with the right skills to get the job done.
Replacing a quarter panel isn’t a job for the inexperienced; similarly marketing your business online isn’t kids play.
These steps are sure to get you headed in the right direction – this isn’t article fluff, this is the same tactic I use for my clients.
- Start with your website! A website that scores high in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Compliance – yes, there is a tool for that – is the foundation for social media because all your online and social media profiles should point here.
- Content and Compliance are king when it comes to ranking on search engines. What you say; and how you say it – makes all the difference between ranking #1 or #101 on the search engines. The art of crafting word-content that increases your search engine ranking (and thus more people see your site) is referred to as Search Engine Optimization – SEO for short.
- Constantly source and link-to online networks like LinkedIn, profile pages such as Yahoo!, maps including Google, and directories – MerchantCircle and YP to name a couple. This is referred to as link-building. The more online connections you have, the greater visibility your business will have to search engines. There is a direct and well-published correlation between social media activity, and link-building that will improve your ranking on the big three search engines – Google, Bing, Yahoo! (listed in order of influence) and thus elevate your website exposure to more prospects and customers.
- Engage with people who engage with you – simply stated; if someone comments, likes, or shares your post; at the very least send them a thank you.
- Inter-link all of your online activity. FaceBook allows you to link to Twitter and several other communication sites – take advantage of this, it will make it easier for your viewers to connect with you and hear your message. Many social media channels have this inter-connectivity – look for it. Also, don’t forget to add your social media badges to your website home page (also called a landing page).
- Be consistent – schedule time to commit to social media and stick to it! If you post two posts each week, stay resilient.
- Reaching Business-2-Business (B2B) through your vendor partners is a great way of extending your social media audience. Combine this with your Customer-2-Business (B2C) activities to increase your chance of your social media affecting your search engine ranking.
- Lastly – share other people’s stories if it is in-line with your strategy and make sure to give them ample credit, as you would expect to receive. (try it out with this story)
Sometimes having all the answers still isn’t enough – applying the theory is often more difficult and complicated than it seems on paper. If this sounds like your situation, or if the article above might as well have been written in Navajo, consider hiring a pro – it’s an investment that could be a game-changer for your business.
By: Chris Sheehy – Auto Body Consultant at Autobody Consulting Group LLC www.AutobodyConsultingGroup.com
Autobody Consulting Group, a business operations, administrative, production, estimating, management, marketing, and social media consultancy serving auto body collision repair businesses and vendors to the autobody industry.Twitter | FaceBook | LinkedIn
Living my dream
For me there is nothing cooler in this world than the world of cars and car people. I’ve been obsessively one-minded about them since I was young girl but I still feel like such a newbie to the whole thing because there is always so much to learn. After 2 years earning my collision repair certification at Butler CC, I was ready to find a niche in the industry and dive in. Even through the many different aspects of the industry no one was hiring at entry level. After over a year of on and off searching and asking around when my old instructor messaged me about a Parts Manager position at Collision Center of Andover. A week later I got the job and am now 2 weeks down and learning and loving it. I get to see the process of the tech school shop actually translated to a business environment. It has greater volume of projects than in the school shop so there is greater organization and faster pace. Everyone is detail orientated; every little thing matters. My job entails looking at an estimate that’s been written and figuring parts needed; finding, ordering parts or even driving out to get them. Then when the parts come in and I receive them I work with the techs to ensure that they get the right parts so that the vehicle gets done. The majority of my job is desk work with programs and files to coordinate the project from estimate to the car finally leaving a shop. An eye for recognition of cars and general knowledge of their inner workings of a car has helped and I have developed a healthy respect for the technicians who work on 20 different makes, 3+ cars at a time. During slow times I help wash the cars or visit the techs in the shop to learn from their experience. And even though my journey is just begining it has been an exciting start in an exciting field and I hope my passion eventually lends to enrich this industry.
Service King Collision Repair Centers donate their time, and a Chrysler Pacifica to a local DFW family.
Donated Car Gets Imah Family Going Again
Service King Collision Repair Centers and Interfaith Housing Coalition join forces to donate recycled vehicle to family.
Dallas, TX (Vocus) November 22, 2010
Service King Collision Repair Centers delivered a gleaming blue Chrysler Pacifica to the Imah family in an event at Service King’s North Dallas location today. The donation is part of a nationwide vehicle donation program called Recycled Rides, where a wrecked car is donated to a needy family after being repaired and refurbished by collision repair experts that also donate their time and materials.
Interfaith Housing Coalition identified the Imah family as the recipients of the car donated by Travelers Insurance. Agnes Imah, a single parent supporting two children, hit a hard spot when she lost her job in 2009. She and her children, 18-year-old Crystal and 12 year-old Caleb, also lost the family car when it refused to run any more. In September, after taking a new job at an Irving communications company, the family moved into their own apartment in Richardson, near the children’s schools. With the donation of this recycled automobile, Agnes solves the biggest challenge of her family…her three-hour daily commute between Richardson and Irving on buses.
“Service King has a big heart,” states President, Cathy Bonner. “Our Service King family put their hands and their hearts to the task of helping the Imah family. That’s what the giving season is all about. This is a gift from our family to the Imah family.”
“Recycled Rides makes a definitive difference to a family,” says Sherri Ansley, Executive Director of Interfaith Housing Coalition. “The Imah family is thrilled to have reliable transportation. They are a proud and determined family. The daughter is an academic scholarship student and University of Texas at Dallas and the son is active in his school activities. Now, Agnes can spend more time with her family and less time commuting so everyone benefits.”
Service King staff donated their time to restore the vehicle to safe and dependable condition. Partners and vendors of Service King including Allen Samuels Dodge, AutoZone, O’Riley’s, VMX, LKQ / Keystone, Service King Glass and DentWright supplied parts and materials to completely refurbish the interior and repair the exterior of the six year old car.
About Service King
Collision Repair Centers: Founded 34 years ago by Owner and CEO Eddie Lennox with one Dallas location, Service King is now the largest employee-owned collision repair center in the United States. It provides service with 23 Dallas-Fort Worth locations, and seven Houston locations. For information, visit http://www.serviceking.com
About Interfaith Housing Coalition
The organization provides transitional housing, training, and support for Dallas area homeless families. For information, visit http://www.interfaithhousingcoalition.org
About The National Auto Body Council
The National Auto Body Council is a not-for-profit organization committed to improving the image of all dedicated professionals in the collision repair industry. For more information on the Recycled Rides program, call (804) 427-6982 or visit http://www.autobodycouncil.org.
What Non-Verbal Messages Are You Sending Women?
How can your business improve non-verbal communication skills with women customers and create a better overall experience. Reputation management and creating positive word-of-mouth with women begins and ends with how effectively you communicate with her verbally and non-verbally during her entire experience with your business.
Let’s look at some keys to non-verbal ways to communicate with women more effectively:
- Smile and look women in the eyes when you greet them, keep your gaze above the shoulders.
- Pay attention to her non verbal “cues” , she came to do business with you and wants to feel “in charge”, try not to rush to open doors and be the gentile escort, ask her if she would like you to get the door for her. Being the “gentleman” is appropriate behavior on a date; however these gestures may undermine her confidence and dilute her feeling in control during the sales process.
- Provide a wide variety of women’s magazines in your waiting rooms that reflect the demographic of the lifestyles of the women in your local market.
- Have separate, clean and pleasant restroom facilities that include a changing table for young mothers with small children. Keep it well stocked with supplies. Go the extra mile and stock a few “extra necessities” to show you appreciate their “waiting time”.
- Women want to be respected as savvy consumers, support and educate her during the sales process rather than take the role of the “know-it-all” automotive expert using acronyms and terminology they do not understand, using pictures or showing her in a more visual way goes a long way in making her understand and feel more comfortable making a buying decision.
- When women come in to your business with their husbands, greet, speak and make eye contact with both husband and wife EQUALLY, rather than direct all your questions and comments to the husband, in many cases she will actually be the one to make the final buying decision!
- Go at her pace during negotiations, rushing her to close the deal “today” might backfire, women generally take longer to make a buying decision, however once satisfied with their purchase and experience with your business, women statistically are more loyal then their male counterparts, and more apt to go online and write a positive or negative review.
- Make sure your website, Facebook, Twitter, coupon programs, marketing and advertising and other visual representations of your business resonate with women.
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