Entries from Category Local Marketing

Last Tuesday, Three Deep had the honor of hosting a Google Engage Connect Event. Three Deep was one of just a small selection of agencies asked to host this event for small businesses to improve their online marketing initiatives. We were fortunate to have a few of our friends join us despite the snowy weather, both in the office, and online.

Couldn’t make the event? Check out our Storify story, or take a look at our summary below.

Lisa Gevelber – Keeping Up With the Evolving Digital Landscape

Up first was Lisa Gevelber, Director of Marketing for Google. Lisa referenced research that suggests that users of the web can often be using up to four devices at any moment (their computer, television, tablet, smartphone, etc.). As a business, how can you make sure that your message is the one that stands out? She then showed an initiative with Google AdMob that paired traditional ads from leading brands such as Coca-Cola and Volvo and asked the creatives behind them how they’d adapt the tactics to online. The Coca-Cola campaign was featured, based on the 70s ad “Give the World a Coke”.

Featuring both mobile and desktop advertising, users could send a Coca-Cola to an unsuspecting person across the globe and could send translated messages. The recipient’s reaction was captured via video cam and was sent to the sender, along with any messages they sent back.

Emotional Connections

Lisa stressed the importance of how a brand should strive to establish an emotional connection with their consumers. Google does this in the following three ways:

Focus on one user

With the example of Daniel Lee, a father who chronicled his daughter’s childhood through touching messages on Gmail, Google Chrome demonstrated how it can “be there” for all the major milestones. Whether it be integrating Google Maps into an email, or attaching the latest YouTube video, Google Chrome ensures that these all work flawlessly together.

Champion Customers

Google also demonstrated how it helps customers achieve their goals by giving businesses a free website via the GXBO initiative. They used Vermont staple, King Arthur Flour to show how a small business can make the most of online with the right website and advertising.

Take Risks, Say YES!

Finally up, was Frank’s Restaurant, a story of a married couple that struggled to get their business moving, and how pairing with Google Reviews helped catapult their business to profits, and popularity.

Lisa stressed that if you’ve ever wanted to get your marketing initiatives off the ground, to start today. You know your customers, try something new that you haven’t done before!

John Nicoletti – The Zero Moment of Truth

After Lisa’s presentation, John Nicoletti spoke about Google’s research on the Zero Moment of Truth, which addresses how the internet has changed traditional decision-making. Whether it’s checking a smartphone for the latest coupon to buy a mascara, or discovering a review about a new restaurant, being aware of the Zero Moment of Truth is helpful for businesses of all sizes.

John informed the viewers that 83% of people consult reviews, and 58% of these people say that reviews do affect their purchase decision significantly. Additionally, 84% of smartphone users perform in-store research while shopping. The need for businesses to be accessible via reviews and mobile experiences has never been greater.

How to win the ZMOT

John says the best way to win the Zero Moment of Truth is to do the following:

• Put Someone in Charge
• Find your Moments
• Answer the Questions People are Asking
• Optimize for Mobile
• Win with Video
• and be Fast!

John encouraged viewers to map their moments of truth for their business and then to download the ZMOT Handbook.

Bickey Russell – Working with a Winning Agency

After John’s presentation, Bickey Russell helped to close things by addressing the importance of working with an agency, and how Google is equipping agencies to help small businesses succeed.

At the end of the presentation, our Vice President, Jeff Sauer told attendees that no matter the business, the principles that Google shared can be applied to any industry, and Three Deep is excited to help businesses discover how to better reach their audience. If you are curious how we can assist your business in leveraging these tactics or want a copy of the full recording, we encourage you to contact us today!

When it comes to marketing in the home improvement industry, it can be hard to understand the importance of getting your business online. The value of an online presence for a home improvement contractor is invaluable and research proves it. To highlight this, Three Deep has been hard at work visualizing data about how internet users search for home improvement services online by creating this home improvement infographic. Take a look!

Continue Reading Home Improvement Infographic →

When I first started working in the home improvement business as a sales representative, my sales manager began my training by saying:  “All the leads you will ever run while you work here suck.  Now that we’ve established that, we don’t have to talk about it ever again.”  The point he was trying to make was that, even though the leads “suck” —  if you handle them the right way, a sales representative can make a decent living selling to them.  The same thing can be said about internet leads and lead generation services.  Contractors that have used these services unsuccessfully, tend to paint “Internet leads” with a broad brush by saying they are poor quality — yet the most successful companies are able to generate a good ROI from them.  Why?

Continue Reading Why All Online Home Improvement Lead Generation Services Suck →

Yesterday I tried to call a potential Client in the home services industry.  As a plumbing contractor, this company is in the business of providing emergency service to customers with plumbing problems. I had misplaced his direct phone number so I went to their company website and dialed the number on the home page.  I got a busy signal.  I figured I must have misdialed so I tried the number again — busy!  What if I had been an actual customer?

Continue Reading The Most Expensive Leads Are Those You Never Get To See →

Search Engine Optimization on Google Maps for Small Businesses with retail locations is a passion of mine that I don’t always get to indulge in on a day to day basis.  Many of my clients are manufacturers or national service providers who do not have retail locations, so I only get to apply my knowledge in select situations.

That’s why I was very excited when I received the following distress call last week from a pizza place that had some problems with their listing on Google Maps; it allowed me to put my knowledge of the subject into action.  I was probably over exhaustive with my response, but I thought it would make a good blog post.

Pizza Hut Hijacked my Google Maps Listing

Definition of the problem:

“My favorite pizza shop has a complaint with a Google search.  When you search pizza in Culver City, LaRocco’s name comes up but the number below their name is for Pizza Hut.  It also says Pizza Hut but consumers don’t notice that.  They end up thinking they called LaRocco’s and show up asking for their pizza and get angry when LaRocco’s doesn’t have the order.  I was witness to this a few weeks ago.

Apparently Google said there’s nothing they can do.  Does that sound right?”

Continue Reading Help: Pizza Hut Hijacked my Google Maps Listing! →

Three Deep Marketing has a large home improvement client base.   We work with a variety of home improvement companies that are truly a cross section of the industry, helping them with their internet marketing and lead generation needs.  These home improvement companies include some of the largest  companies in the country, as well as companies that are strong regional players in their local markets.

While paid search management (PPC) is usually the first service we engage with a client, we actually offer a full compliment of services, including:

• Website Development
• Landing Pages
• Blogs
• Social Media Campaigns,
• Call Center services (we operate a call center for many of our clients)

  Continue Reading 6 Reasons Why Internet Marketing Isn’t Working For Your Home Improvement Business →

We are Google’s favorite place! You read it correctly!  After years of hoping, prodding, sweat and tears, I can finally announce to that Three Deep Marketing is Google’s favorite place in the United States, and presumably the world.

I would like to thank my family, friends, acquaintances, complete strangers and people who I might meet in the future; we couldn’t have done it without you!

In the mail today, Three Deep received a package from Google containing a large window sticker with a bar code, like the image shown to the right.  I have been anticipating this package for the past 10 days; ever since reading this announcement from Google.  I knew it was only a matter of time before Google would send us an affirmation of how much they truly like our organization.

What does it take to be Google’s favorite place?  A strong presence for your local business listing.  Those fortunate enough to receive this designation and a package in the mail (about 100,000 exclusive businesses)  have worked hard to optimize their local business listing on Google so that they often show up in local business oriented search results.

Continue Reading Three Deep is Google’s Favorite Place →

Author’s note: I started writing this article in reaction to a recent study published, and I ended up writing so much that I needed to break it into two posts!  You are currently viewing part 1, and part 2 will be released first thing Monday morning.

The other day, a report came out from Borrell and Associates saying that most small businesses (SMB) that try local online search advertising almost universally give it up after 6 months.  More specifically:

• 50% give up within the first 90 days

• 90% quit within 6 months.

  Continue Reading Why Most Local Search Resellers Fail Their SMB Clients →