OK, I am fired up.  I got a call this morning from a Seattle, WA phone number [206-496-0928] that claimed I was getting a message from Google Places because my listing had not been verified.  Knowing that I had years ago, - red flag #1 - I still accepted the call as my curiosity was peaked. - red flag #2 -  was the fact that I know Google Places had been replaced by GoogIe + Local on May 30th this year. I was then forwarded to a woman who told me the same thing, but when she told me because my listing wasn't verified I could not be found on Google, I knew immediately what this was.  She pretended to give me the wrong name for my business; I said "no that's not it." The rest of the conversation went like this:

"This is Rebecca LeClaire, right?"
me - "Yup!" I said, feeling the blood boiling for all my clients that have been scammed.
"Is your business MC Design & Services, LLC?"
me - "Yup."
"Is your phone number 616-881-3753?"
me - "Yup."
"You are very hard to find."
- is there something about that that sounds funny to you?  If I was hard to find how did she know all the information about my business with just my name? red flag #3 - 
me (ready to have a little fun) - "You're not Google are you?"
"No, Google wouldn't call you, we didn't say that, but you are very hard to find and..."
me - "you said you were Google when you called me, your being dishonest, something about how I know a thing or two about SEO, rant rant rant"


still going on....."you can't be found"...that's all that's in my script
me - hung up

I checked how my google rankings were doing while on the phone by making sure I was logged off of Google and picking random cities around the United States and Canada to set my location as.
Guess, what?  I can be found. :)
Why would I log off and change my location on Google?   Because Google tracks all your searches and tries to bring up what you are most likely interested in and also brings the results for products and services that are closest to your location.  That is why you should never trust the ranking results over the phone or in an email that an "SEO expert" tells you.  They could be in California and you could be in New York.

When I hung up I looked over at my four daughters, who are home from summer vacation and were all sitting on the couch, their mouths hung open with that 'deer in the headlights' look at the realization that their mom who expects them always to be polite and respectful just yelled at someone on the phone. Making me feel a little guilty they asked me if it was the poor lady's fault that she was making that phone call for her boss.  I told them about all the people that have called me that have lost a lot of money to companies like that, that I was being told lies over and over again, and that the lady I was talking to needed to know she was working for a dishonest company if she didn't know she was lying.
OK, so maybe I still feel a little bad...so scammers I will try not to raise my voice next time, I will just hang up...and I advise you do too!

At MC Design & Services, LLC we will be honest with you about your search engine ranking.  We will even tell you when you have reached a point that you may want to lower your monthly budget on SEO.
Contact Us for a truthful consultation.

With an estimated 900 million users on facebook world-wide as of May 2012 and over 140 million active users on twitter, you know you need to be generating some social media posts for your small business.
Combined with the fact that it is free to use, how can you ignore this opportunity?

But, running a small business is time consuming enough, how do you come up with content for this new source of marketing?  Here are a few tips:

Is there a link in that?
Throughout your day, with everything that you do, be asking yourself, "is there a link in that?"

• Did the person you just meet have a website of their own that you can include in a shout out to them?

1. Ex: It was such a pleasure meeting [John Doe], you made me think about [some aspect about John's business]. http://www.johnswebsite.com
2. Be sure to like John's facebook page, and follow him on twitter - hopefully he will do the same, and now you are visible to all of John's customers.

• Did the article related to your industry you just read have a link online that you can post and make a comment on your thoughts about it?  No?  does the magazine or newspaper it was in have a website?  Use that one.

1. linking to higher exposure brands, helps your exposure
2. Like and Follow

• Does the segment on TV with the expert related to your field have a link?...or the TV show?

1. Post that link and share your thoughts on the segment on your social media pages.
2. Like and follow the expert, but try not to blatantly advertise your business on their facebook page, tell them what it is you liked about what they said and then include your website link with discretion.

• Is there a page on your website describing a service or product that corresponds to a quirky thought, and idea, tips or fun facts?
• Do you have a blog?  Post the individual link that your website platform generates for each blog post with a catchy description of what the blog is about.  How do you come up with blog posts?  Use many of the tips I shared above.

      See also other articles i have written about blogging content HERE.  

Ask For Feedback
Is there some aspect of your business that you wonder about how the customer experiences it?  Ask.  Don't forget to use #hashtags on twitter.

Plan Ahead
If the prospect of posting social media content every day still seems daunting, you can make it easier by setting aside a time to come up with messages you want posted in one sitting for the whole month.  Services like Hootsuite allow you to link to and schedule future posts for all of your social media.

You may also be relieved to hear according to Chris Luo, the Head of Global SMB Marketing at Facebook, in a webinar I recently attended, it is not necessary to post every day, "at minimum around twice a week is enough."  If you post too much you may start to be ignored or appear impersonal.

Get Help
If this still sounds something you know you need to do for your small business, but you just can't find your way out of what you need to do and do well, then I am here to help!  MC Design & Services, LLC can manage your social media marketing for you, while at the same time working intimately with your business.  Ask about our affordable rates and how you can choose the budget that is right for you.

"It's a great feeling knowing you are taking care of things for us.
You give us peace of mind so we can keep on doing what we do best."

“Rebecca has provided a valuable service to our business by filling the need
for marketing and website development. Her skills are efficient, accurate, timely,
and very worthwhile for any small business. She manages our various priorities with great flexibility.” 

"Rebecca has handled our online presence perfectly!"