Struggling business owner finds key to success in recession
Struggling business owner finds key to success in recession.
I was having trouble attracting new clients for my company, decoVan Window Fashions, in Mission Viejo, Ca. Then one day I found a book on using You Tube to get customers. So I decided to give You Tube a try. I first needed to learn how to film and edit video and use You Tube. So, in order to promote my window covering business, I purchased a collection of courses, books and DVD's on how to best possibly use all that You Tube has to offer.
Then I learned something that turned my world upside down. When I heard that 87% of all major purchases start on the internet I knew I had to dive in and find a way to switch from traditional "off line" advertising to the internet. We've always have had a website but that wasn't enough to get new clients.
I had to redesign my website to educate and inform my customers. This simple concept changed everything for me. I added over 240 photos, Free reports on how to buy blinds and shutters for wholesale, and I added a video blog, complete with 10 different videos on how to buy shutters and not get ripped off. Getting your web site to "Rank "High" in the search engines is very difficult and considerable amount of work. So I decided to develop a systematic approach to use videos, articles, blogs , social media, local directories and status sites all at one time. The more I learned the more excited I became.
I soon became consumed with video marketing and SEO (Search Engine Optimization). I even purchased video marketing software designed for professional SEO companies. I had to purchase new cameras, editing software, and learn how to use them. I started to work 12-14 hours a day learning Video and internet marketing. After 3 months of long hours I was on the internet in dozens of local internet search results. Instead of paying the yellow pages and home improvement magazines thousands of dollars a month, we were now getting calls from people who found us on the web. It was amazing. It's a exciting to get a call from a person who saw one of my videos, an article, or a blog I wrote. It happens several times a week and just keeps getting better.
According to Google analytics, in the past 6 months we have had an astounding 500% increase in traffic.
What I learned as a rookie internet marketer is that you must have "the knowledge" to first make a plan and then the skills to implement that plan. I made numerous mistakes - some minor and others monumental. Regardless, along the way there were sleepless nights and large amounts of time and money spent in vain. However, I did learn from my blunders and have added this valuable knowledge to my toolkit. It's one thing to think you have a plan, it's another to actually make it work.
It wasn't long before other business owners started asking me if I could help them apply my unique VSEO approach (video search engine optimization) for their small business. When I tried to explain what I was doing, I got blank stares. Marketing concepts that were now second nature to me (like "Local directories," "blogs," "status sites" and "key words," etc.), were foreign to them. They didn't understand what I was doing. They only saw my company on the top of all the search engine results and wanted the same for their own business.
How could I help several friends that all were struggling with their small business? What could I do for my friend the photographer, another friend who repairs computers, and yet another friend who is contractor? How could I help the over 300 people whom I had set up in the blind and shutter business over the past 10 years?
I decided to find a way to demonstrate my plan to them and show them precisely what I was doing. So I made a four minute video. I consolidated my knowledge and then further condensed it to a local web-wheel formula. This consists of three fundamental components: benefits, features and opportunities. I sat in my office for three days straight, testing, writing, and producing over thirty different voiceovers. I loved it - the process was exhilarating!
I then posted my masterpiece on my You Tube channel and invited others to view it.
My new marketing strategy also changed my other business, Blind Brokers Network. We provide a low cost business opportunity to help others start their own blind and shutter business. Now we include our Local Web-Wheel strategy. This gives a huge boost to new business owners. They are now able to see how they dominate their local web presence, and that they can start attracting new clients - quickly.
Is internet marketing something any business owner can accomplish on their own? Sure, it's doable - but it does demand more than just hard work and random knowledge. The task requires acquiring some 22 new skills, spending tens of thousands of dollars on basic equipment (i.e. computers, cameras, video editing software), and years of training, which changes daily and never ends... However, I did it, and if I can, anyone can do it!
Should you have any questions, concerns, or need help along the way, please contact me, Steve Dale: steve@myblindbiz.com
Struggling business owner finds key to success in recession
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