We'd LOVE to meet you and help bring your business online! Visit us online at www.webrocketpro.com ...read more

“Frustration” – that’s a word frequently by those in companies new to social media and those who have been involved in social media but have yet to enjoy a return.There are several problems. First, establishing a social media presence takes time and continued effort. You have to be consistent in your involvement with the social media medium and remember that returns will not be overnight. Second, you have to make sure that you are using social media in a way that makes sense for your business.If you are not sure, ask yourself these simple questions:- Are you using the right platform?First, remember that there are a variety of social media platforms for you to consider – most notably Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Further, within these platforms, there exist variations on the theme. For example, in Facebook, you can have a “Page,” a “Group,” or a “Community.” Each variation has its own set of tools, purposes, and capabilities. In addition, you may decide to participate in several social media platforms at the same time. For example, if you have a fitness center, you may want to use your YouTube channel to publish videos on how to perform exercises or tapings of classes you offer. Use Facebook to build a sense of community through candid photos, listings of hours, available classes, and upcoming events.-Have you scrapped past attempts?You also need to remember that whatever you take on has to be maintained and updated regularly. This can take up valuable time and people resources. While it can certainly be worth it in the long run, remember that consistency is key. If you do not think you will be able to maintain various platforms (or you have already started and stopped using a platform) be sure to erase or delete those accounts. Otherwise, you stand the risk of eroding your brand value when a customer (current or potential) stumbles across your forgotten Bebo account. Instead, make sure that what you have is the best it can be and do away with anything that you are not actively using.- Are you providing the type of information and interaction that your audience wants?Ask yourself what it is that your audience would want to read, not what you want to tell them. Providing discounts or having giveaways can be useful, but you have to have more substance than that. Consider posting facts about your company, the brand, or its products. Think of the tidbits of information you encounter everyday that make you stop and say, “Really?” Examples include fun facts about how long you have been in business, what happens “behind the scenes”, why your business operates as it does (e.g. why Yoga class was cancelled on Tuesdays, why you do not serve poppyseed bagels, why you buy local, why legal documents are presented in blue card stock), etc.- Are you listening to your audience?Likewise, are you listening to your audience? When they make a post, do you respond? Do you stay on top of when your company is mentioned on other sites, blogs, social media, etc., and make relevant comments to that affect (on that site and yours)? Remember that social media has developed because of the continued interaction it affords. Its purpose is not to simply broadcast, but rather give people a voice in things they would otherwise not be privy to.- Do you allow them a voice?Similarly, make sure that you give your audience a voice. Ask open-ended questions, run surveys and polls, include them in new product decisions, etc. – the more things like this you do, the more valued your audience will feel. Remember that interaction is a large part of a successful social media campaign. If miss out on this, you may already be out of the game.Local Internet Marketing is a key part of growing your business and brand, to attract local consumers.Local Internet Marketing isn’t just about having a website, it includes being findable in multiple places when local consumers are looking for your product or service. A Local Internet Marketing Consultant can help you determine the best route for your online marketing plan. ...read more

Here is a strategy that uses the viral nature of the web to bring bring you quality links with high relevancy to your site. The idea is to provide valuable ‘link bait' to your site with a tool that's cool to use. This tool plays on the emotions of pressing issues in 2010. Fuel a near to record highs with predictions to spike again! The economy is hurting. Foreclosures are at all time high. People are downsizing and moving further away to live a similar lifestyle. Global warming is all the rage on the news. Ours cars spew too much carbon gas. The following tool plays on the emotions of your visitors with the above pressing issues and provides a solution.Read Full Article onLong Island MarketingBlog ...read more

Certification Awarded by Inbound Marketing University Training Program(Nesconset, N.Y.) – Inbound Marketing University awards the Inbound Marketing Certification to Brian Grant as part of its comprehensive Internet marketing training program. This certification acknowledges Grant's proficiency in inbound marketing principles and best practices. These principles include: blogging, search engine optimization, social media, lead conversion, lead nurturing and closed-loop analysis.Grant currently runs Long Island Marketing House in Nesconset, NY, a Local Internet Marketing agency that specializes in Businesses on Long Island. He joins an elite group of Inbound Marketing Certified Professionals. In total, 1,300 individuals have successfully passed the IMU program.To complete the Inbound Marketing Certification, Grant completed 16 in-depth classes covering each facet of inbound marketing and passed a comprehensive certification exam. ( View the full list of classes:http://inboundmarketing.com/university/classes)The courses are taught by a knowledgeable faculty of professors, including New York Times' best-selling author Chris Brogan, Google's Analytics Evangelist Avinash Kaushik, Internet celebrity Gary Vaynerchuk, best-selling author and international speaker David Meerman Scott, and more.This certification is administered by HubSpot.About Long Island Marketing HouseLong Island Marketing House was founded in 2009 to fill a need for local businesses to get found on the internet. It was created to provide marketing tools to Long Island Businesses that want and need more customers. A Full Service Internet Marketing Agency that provides Search Engine Optimization, Email Marketing, Website Development and Multimedia Marketing to get its clients more customers. Visitwww.LongIslandMarketingHouse.comfor more information.About InboundMarketing.comInboundMarketing.com is an online community and certification program for marketers. The site's content teaches a new style of marketing that emphasizes business uses of social media, content creation and search engine optimization for marketing. InboundMarketing.com is hosted and moderated by HubSpot, Inc ...read more

As more and more people are online and moving their daily lives online, we see an increasing use of digital coupons.  A recent report from coupons.com shows that online coupon growth is outpacing print by 10 to 1.  In 2009, coupon use actually increased for the first time in over two decades. Yahoo! reported that searches for coupons was it's top economic related query in 2009 surpassing stimulus plan, unemployment and cash for clunkers. Local businesses should consider using  coupons – both digital and printed – as part of their marketing strategy. A few Examples of ways businesses can leverage coupons in their marketing plan: Add a promotion to a coupon site such as coupons.com Offer their coupons exclusive to fans of their Facebook or Twitter profiles. Include coupons in direct mail campaigns Put on the back of business cards or menus Offer coupons with google Partnering with other local merchants is even a possibility.  Combining coupon offers if the products or services complement each other also know as horizontal marketing.  For example, a  chiropractic office promoting with a local gym. The opportunities are endless, the most important thing is offering a coupon.  Recession-minded customers will appreciate them and will often return the favor with repeat business. Long Island Marketing ...read more

The beginning to all good marketing is knowing your market.  Essentially, that means your customers. A business that does a good job marketing is focused totally on customers  The have identified what the customer wants or needs are and are prepared to supply it are a price customers will pay. The customer is always right. It's an old saying that is not as well received these days but it sill holds true. The customer is always right, provided that they are the right customer.  Putting the customer number one does not always mean have great customer service.  It really means knowing what your market places the most value on and making that your priority.  The tough part is actually figuring out who your customers are before you even make them a customer.  Big businesses have the resources to carry out extensive market research to find the best balance of the four essentials of marketing before they go to market. So, you're not a big company and can't afford a six month market research budget and numerous focus groups.  What ways can the small business, even the Sole-Owner business, can do market research. In fact, you have probably done some of this already. You ask people you know. "What do you think of this?", "Would you pay $100 for that?", etc. So, you do what market research you can, maybe even carrying your own clipboard in the streets. Maybe trying to find people in your target market to interview. Every bit of information you discover will help you later on. It's the data you get from knowing your customers plus your knowledge gained from studying your competition in the market, that will help you find the mix needed to go to market.   <more to follow> ...read more