However, Google Places provides an area for a detailed description of your business.  And, they may be features specific to your industry to help make your listing more helpful.  This might include a link directly to a menu on your website.  You can also upload photos and show visitors your hours of operation.  In many ways its like having a mini-website for free that only helps to bring in more  customers by casting a bigger net .

Claiming your Google Place listing is remarkably easy to do:

1. Go to http://maps.google.com
2. Search for business name. Ex. Summit Media Concepts, State College, PA
3. When you find your business, click the “more info” link next to business name
4. Click the “Business owner?” link near the top right of your profile
5. Create a Google account
6. Follow the instructions they provide

What are you waiting for?  The process is remarkably easy, and the benefits are worth your time.  With a completed Google Places listing, your business is more likely to show up in map results and on smart phones when people are searching their area for goods and services you provide.  You can’t beat free.

If you have questions or would like me to help you maximize your Google Places profile, please feel free to call or use my contact form.

What webmasters don’t always tell you is that building a website is just the first step in leveraging the Internet for your business. Internet Marketers know this and they’re providing services that help local businesses get their website back on it’s feet. These services may include setting up opt-in forms for your email list, optimizing your site for local search, giving your website a facelift, or making it mobile phone compatible.

There is one other reason for this local Internet Marketing trend and that’s related to the recent changes in the popular search engines like Google and Bing. These search engines are increasingly delivering search suggestions and results based on your location. For example, go to Google.com and start typing the word “hotel”. As you type, the suggestions you’ll begin to see are most likely going to include cities and towns near you.

What does this mean for local businesses? You’d be surprised how many local businesses have very little on their website that suggests to the search engines their location or the region they serve. That means these business websites barely show up in the search results or not at all. These are relatively easy things to fix on the website. And, there are other websites that can be leveraged to help make your website more locally relevant and ultimately more trafficked.

I would like to offer some caution. Many of these people are new to Internet Marketing and may not have the experience necessary to provide these services correctly. Or, they’re only familiar with a small subset of services. And, they’d like to convince you their narrow service selection is a perfect fit for your business. That’s not to say all these providers are bad. My recommendation, find out how long they’ve been in business doing exactly these types of services.

I’ve been an Internet developer and consultant since 1995. If you think your business website could use a set of fresh eyes, please feel free to contact me. I’d be happy to evaluate your website and make some suggestions that will put you on the right path. I will not hard sell you something you don’t need or want.

Nearly 97% of people read text messages sent to the on their mobile phones. That’s an incredible opportunity for businesses. And, in particular, I’m excited about mobile text messages because its a perfect fit for restaurants, pizza shops, cafés, deli’s, bars, and any business in the food service industry.

Maybe you’ve seen text message subscriptions before? All your patrons have to do is use their cell phone to text your special code word to a specific five digit number. Something like “burger” to 41242. Its that simple.

Its not uncommon that food establishments have slow times of the day and week. When I used to work in food service, Tuesday lunches were mind-numbingly slow. At the time, we didn’t have the Internet or even the kind of cell phones we have today. The kitchen was stocked and the dinning room was clean. Our wait staff and cooks stood around doing virtually nothing. In some cases we didn’t call in as much staff because we knew what Tuesdays were like. We even got stung every once in a while on that rare day that brought in a whole bunch of customers.

Imagine being able to turn those times from slow to busy in a matter of minutes. Do you have one or more slow days of the week or periods of the day? What if you could attract your customers before they make lunch plans with your special offer of the day. Just send a text message to your subscribed patrons and watch business walk through the door.

I’m sure you can think of a great offer to pull customer in every week. I recommend changing up the offer each week. Keep it fresh. It will have your subscribers actually looking forward to your next great deal. And, they might even tell friends about it too. You could even get two special code words. Use one for surprise discounts and use the other for a reminder of the coming week’s specials.

Like any type of marketing, it does take a little work. But, what could be simpler than putting a tent on every table with your special code word and five digit code. Add the information to your next radio or television advertisement. Or, slip and extra piece of paper in every menu. Before you know it, you’ll have a growing and responsive list, and those slow times will disappear.

What makes mobile text message marketing so powerful is it’s low cost and very high response rate. For as little as $14 per month, you can start growing your list of loyal patrons hungry for a great deal or discount.

Take 30% off your first month with the
PROMO CODE: “SUMMIT”

Give it a try! I’m willing to bet you’ll be surprised by the results.