How to Use Hashtags on Facebook for Business

Hashtags are widely used on popular social media networks and make it easier to search for specific word and phrases. People use hashtags to talk about topics, issues, and events as well as for searches. The hash mark, or the pound sign, comes before a word or a phrase.

The History of the Hashtag

The hashtag has had many uses and a history that dates back to the 12th century. Chris Messina first tweeted about using the hashtag on Twitter on August 23, 2007. June 1, 2009 is the official birthday of the #Hashtag, according to an infographic by Kevin Basset on SocialMediaToday.com. Google+ added the hashtag capability in September 2012, and Facebook added the hashtag feature last month. Hashtags are also used on popular social media networks like Pinterest and Instagram.

Hashtags on Facebook for Business

Hashtags are great features on Facebook for business. The hashtags are used to create links within your posts that are located on your Facebook timeline or Facebook Page. These hashtags are created with the #, and then the word or phrase follows it. Spaces are not included within the phrase. Once you click on the link that is created, there will be many posts that also feature that hashtag. This is how you can search for related information. Hashtags are also searchable through the search bar. The posts that you see are only the ones that have been shared with you.
Major brands are using Facebook hashtags. Two weeks after this feature was first available on Facebook, 56 percent of the Interbrand Top 100 brands made at least one post with a hashtag, according to SimplyMeasured.com.
Hashtags on Facebook allow you to search for information easily. Once you create a new hashtag on Facebook for business, you should list it on the social network. Hashtags that are on Facebook have specific URLs. While searching for these hashtags on Facebook for business, users can gain fans and connections as well. Even if Facebook users have not “liked” your Facebook for business page, they can search for topics and find your hashtag with the information you have provided.

How to Develop Hashtags on Facebook for Business

Hashtags on Facebook provide a great opportunity for marketing. Companies can create a game, sweepstakes, and other types of contests to increase their audience. You can analyze which words and phrases work well and which do not. While testing some of these words, develop a hashtag strategy. Once you develop a strategy, start campaigns and promote these hashtags to increase your reach on your Facebook business page.
When you are creating and testing hashtags, you must remember that they should be simple and unique words or phrases. Hashtags should be something Facebook users would potentially be searching for to gain information on a topic. Your hashtags should be unique to your company and very easy for users to remember. If used correctly, hashtags are ways to increase your reach on Facebook.

The Hashtag Feed on Facebook for Business

When a new hashtag is created and Facebook users start developing posts about the topic, a hashtag feed is the result. The hashtag feed is an important tool on Facebook for business. These feeds are conversations among Facebook users. You can search for the hashtags your brand has created and learn about how people in your audience are interacting. However, you will only see the conversations that are associated with public hashtags. Hashtag conversations provide the opportunity to understand what many people within your audience are saying about your company’s products and services.

Hashtag Tips

There are various tips on how to use hashtags. For example, do not use too many hashtags in one post on Facebook for business, just one or two hashtags. Use hashtags that are related to your industry and your company on Facebook for business. In addition, send your traffic to the URL that has been created for the hashtag.
Hashtags are important for marketing your business on Facebook. With a successful and effective hashtag strategy on Facebook for business, you can increase traffic to your Facebook business page—and your website.
Paveya is your full-service inbound marketing agency. We are specialized in social media management and SEO strategies. Call Paveya at 855-372-8392 for more information. 
We look forward to helping our customers CREATE leads, CONNECT with customers, and GROW their business.

The Importance of Real Estate Websites

The Internet is the source of 90 percent of the information used in home searches, according to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). Creative and professional designs for real estate websites can be effective for real estate marketing because these sites help agents and brokers promote their services, inform buyers about properties that are for sale, distinguish their services from others, and create leads.

Design and Layout

Real estate websites must have a professional design and layout. Seventy-two percent of agents and broker associates have their own real estate websites, according to Placester. Within real estate websites, brokers can include featured listings, a MLS search, pictures and detailed information about houses that are available, and explanations about neighborhoods in which the houses are located. There should also be sections for contact information, links to media, videos that display tours of houses, and information about a broker's background and experience. A schedule that informs visitors about open houses is also important for real estate websites. It is important for brokers to have control over their real estate websites to distinguish themselves from others. Real estate websites inform potential customers about who you are as a real estate broker and can help them make important decisions about the home buying process. Real estate websites for brokers should represent brokers and what they offer.

Blogs

Blogs are also important for real estate websites. Blogs on real estate websites provide the opportunity to provide educational and informative content that can benefit potential buyers. They gain the attention of interested readers and are a form of inbound marketing. Information can include home improvement tips, trends in the industry, market information, property locator features, and community events and activities. Social media is also important to incorporate into real estate websites. Eighty-nine percent of REALTORS® use social media to an extent, according to the NAR. On a broker’s real estate website, there should be links to networks like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. This educational media content can help show the reliability and expertise of a broker.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is a good way to inform potential buyers about new listings and the latest real estate news. Within a real estate website, there should be an option for visitors to sign up for news alerts. Newsletters, notifications about new blog posts, press releases, and articles can also be sent through email marketing to educate others about the industry and a broker’s services. Keeping potential customers informed about the latest information will lead to real estate success.

Create the Right First Impression

The Internet is now where people begin to research houses for sale. A future home owner will search to learn more about houses, brokers, real estate companies, neighborhoods, and locations. After searching for a home on the Internet, 62 percent of searchers walk through a home that they saw online, according to the NAR.
Your website must create a good first impression for your potential buyers. Real estate websites can provide the essential information that can attract potential home buyers. While searching for a home, 32 percent of searchers find an agent to search or buy a home, according to the NAR. Brokers and realtors have the ability to create personal connections with potential customers, and real estate websites are effective in initiating this process. Your website can portray your interest in the industry and dedication to helping potential customers with the process of purchasing a home. If you provide the right impression through your website, additional potential customers will want to contact you and learn more about your services.

Paveya is your full-service website design and development agency, and our team is specialized in real estate and property management. Call Paveya at 855-372-8392 to learn more.

We look forward to helping our customers CREATE leads, CONNECT with customers, and GROW their business.  

http://blog.paveya.com/bid/317165/The-Importance-of-Real-Estate-Websites

How to Respond to Negative Facebook Comments

Social media is an effective method of interaction with your current and potential customers. Communicating on Facebook helps customers learn about your company and what your company can do for them. While this interaction occurs on Facebook for business, it is possible to have a user comment negatively about your company. Here are some ways to handle this feedback.

Do Respond to Comments

It is essential to respond to all comments on Facebook for business, including the negative ones. Do not ignore any complaints or concerns. Respond quickly and show that you care. If you do not respond, more negative feedback might follow.

Every customer deserves proper customer service, even on Facebook so keep a conversation flowing and show customers you want to help. It is important to respond to every comment and show your dedication to your company and your customers.

It might be necessary to follow up with a customer through a phone call or through email. As you respond, either on your Facebook for business page or through personal conversations, always make sure you stay patient and try to understand the problem from a customer’s point of view.

Do Not Delete Complaints

Do not delete complaints. Deleting complaints can cause more frustration and more negativity on your Facebook for business page. People will likely see the original post, as well as the additional negative posts that can result if you delete a comment. Do not avoid the problem. Instead, offer a solution. Apologize if your company has made a mistake. By apologizing to customers and giving them a solution to the problem, you will show your dedication to them and that you do care about their experiences. Explain how you will solve the problem and make sure they understand. Helping to solve customers’ problems and showing that you care has the potential to fix issues and make the experience positive.

Do Follow Your Social Media Strategies

Do not let the negative comments that could be on your Facebook for business page prevent you from posting normal updates. You must continue to provide relevant and educational content to your customers on Facebook for business. Many of the comments on your Facebook for business page will include positive feedback. Stay dedicated to your online community and provide the customers with the informative content they are looking for on your page.

Do Not Become Negative

The comments on your Facebook page are directed toward your business, so do not take the negative comments personally. Do not cause more negativity by being rude to the customer. This can only cause more harm to other customers and to your company. Respond to all of your customers nicely and provide the essential customer service that helps your company grow on Facebook for business.

Do Focus on Developing Relationships with Customers

Using Facebook for business is a good way to communicate with your customers. If a customer does post something negative about your company, responding to the customer and providing a solution shows that you can be trusted. Create relationships with customers and be honest.

Do Not Keep Irrelevant Content

The time it is appropriate to remove a comment is when someone posts irrelevant comments and only wants to upset the people who are visiting your page. It is not okay if someone is consistently causing arguments on your business page. You should remove these unnecessary and irrelevant comments.

Paveya is your full-service inbound marketing and social media marketing agency. Call Paveya at 855-372-8392 and receive assistance on your social media marketing strategies, including your Facebook for business strategies.

We look forward to helping our customers CREATE leads, CONNECT with customers, and GROW their businesses.

 http://blog.paveya.com/bid/317092/How-to-Respond-to-Negative-Facebook-Comments

How to Create a Social Media Content Strategy

The marketing content you publish and share in social media networks is another key to successful inbound marketing. Social media marketing on networks like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn is an important way to increase your audience. Social media marketing helps a company increase its presence online and allows the company to share content with a large audience. Social media marketing has many benefits, including increasing traffic, revenue, and interaction.

Create Content Ideas

Informative content is important in social media marketing and inbound marketing. Post educational content and write about a variety of topics in your industry. Ask employees from different fields within your company to provide ideas for new social media marketing content. This will allow you to provide content that is beneficial to a large audience.
Other posts include questions. Ask your audience questions that can lead to conversations. Their feedback is essential for your company to improve. Questions are an excellent way to understand your audience and their needs through social media marketing.
Pay attention to the latest news and the interests of your audience. Social media marketing content also includes photos, videos, and infographics. Keep your audience engaged and wanting to learn more about your brand.
In addition, the tone of your updates and content is important. It must match your brand and sound like your company, and this must be true for all your social media networks. A conversational tone that is based on your company’s identity will be effective. All of your social media marketing posts should be educational and helpful to your audience.

Engagement and Updates

One of the most important practices of a social media marketing strategy is to post frequently. It would be helpful to create a schedule so you are aware of when to post your updates on a regular basis. A social media marketing content calendar can be created with a spreadsheet, and you can easily track how frequently you post and what topics you will be writing about. Consistently posting to social media networks, like Facebook and Twitter, will increase your presence online.
In addition, if you publish a new blog post on your website, you should also share it on social media. This will indicate that your company is reliable. Your company and social networks will gain value if have engaging and informative conversations with members of your audience. They are interested in your brand, and you should provide them with the feedback they need. An increase in interaction and engagement is necessary for a successful social media marketing plan.

Hashtags

To make your content easier to find, you can use hashtags. Hashtags help people become engaged in conversations and find the conversations throughout the main social media networks. Hashtags can also help you find a target audience for your content. Hashtags are very powerful within social media marketing because they initiate conversations and can have a large following.

Social Media and Your Brand

Social media is not separate from your website and your company. Your social media networks, along with the content that you post, should remain associated with your company and your brand’s goals. Social media is a part of your company’s inbound marketing plan to teach others about your company and industry and to increase traffic and engagement for your company. Your social media content and campaigns should be representative of your business.

Paveya is your full-service inbound marketing and social media marketing agency. Call Paveya at 855-372-8392 and we can assist your company with social media marketing, content, and campaigns.

We look forward to helping our customers CREATE leads, CONNECT with customers, and GROW their businesses.

How to Use Facebook for Business

Facebook, the largest social media network in the world, is an important marketing tool for all businesses. Any type of company, from a small business to a large corporation, can benefit from using Facebook for business with the proper marketing strategies.

Create a Fanbase

Building a fanbase is an important first step while using Facebook for business. There are various ways to create a fanbase on Facebook for business. Your company can purchase advertisements and Sponsored Stories to increase its reach. If you develop an advertisement on Facebook for business, Facebook users can like your company within the ad. Your ad can be customized to connect to the right audience, and you can test a variety of ads to see which ads work well on Facebook for business. If your company has a blog within its website, as well as Twitter and Pinterest accounts, connect your Facebook account to them and share it to others. For example, you can share your Facebook posts on Twitter and insert your Facebook link on Twitter. If you have an email mailing list for purposes such as a newsletter, you can also share your company’s Facebook page within the emails and newsletters. These methods will allow you to connect with your audience and grow your fanbase while using Facebook for business.

Connect with your Fans and their Friends

The next step in using Facebook for business is to consistently post educational and relevant content to keep your fans informed. You should also interact with your fans. It is important to develop relationships with your audience members. Facebook for business posts can also include company news, photos, videos, and information about contests. Have conversations with your audience on Facebook for business by asking questions and responding to their posts. While using Facebook for business, connect with fans and personalize your company. Your company and your audience will see the benefits. To further expand your reach and to connect with your fans’ friends, you can create offers that your fans will share with others, create events for people to join, and develop Sponsored Stories. According to Facebook, 80 percent of consumers say they are more likely to try something new that is based on a friend’s suggestion within social media. Click here to read about Sponsored Stories on Facebook for business, which can be used to reach the friends of your fans and expand your company’s audience.

Campaigns

Facebook allows you to manage ads and Sponsored Stories through ad campaigns. Campaigns allow you to track the social reach, campaign reach, and click-through rates for ads you create on Facebook for business. Facebook's social media ad campaigns can also help your company organize ads, receive more likes, and increase engagement. You can create a budget and duration for each campaign that you create and develop on Facebook for business.

Page Insights

Checking analytics is an important part of using Facebook for business. Page Insights will allow you to understand your audience and know which content is relevant to them. In other words, they are the analytics for your company’s page. Through the Insights tab, you can see how many people have liked your page, the number of friends your fans have, the number of people who are telling friends about your company, and the total number of people who have seen content that is related to your company’s Facebook page. You can divide information up into demographics, such as age, gender, and location, to have a specific understanding of your audience. Page Insights and analytics are great ways to learn how your company’s page is doing and who the content is reaching as you use Facebook for business.

Paveya’s inbound marketing specialists are ready to help your company with social media and inbound marketing. Call Paveya at 855-372-8392.

We look forward to helping our customers CREATE leads, CONNECT with customers, and GROW their businesses.

How to Create a Successful LinkedIn Company Page

LinkedIn is the largest professional network company in the world and has more than 225 million members.

Business-to-business companies and business-to-consumer companies can find many benefits from using LinkedIn, including the LinkedIn Company Page. A LinkedIn Company Page can help businesses inform customers about the brand and the company’s product and services. LinkedIn and a LinkedIn Company Page are essential parts of a company’s social media strategies.

LinkedIn Company Page

Home & Overview

When you create a LinkedIn Company Page, you can create the profile to introduce others to you company. Within your profile, you can explain your company’s background. This includes adding an image to the profile that can help explain your brand. You should also provide contact information and other general information. In this section of the LinkedIn Company Page, you can post updates on industry and company news. You can also post links to products, links to blog posts, and links to careers.
To keep your other members engaged and interested in your company, post consistently and share relevant content, including your company’s educational blog posts. As you create content, it is essential to follow search engine optimization strategies. Use keywords and keyword phrases that you use on your company’s website to stay consistent. Post educational information, photos, and videos to keep followers engaged and informed.

Products & Services

LinkedIn gives you the option to add a Products & Services tab to your company’s LinkedIn Company Page. Provide current and potential customers with information on what your company offers. Talk about your products and services and share pictures, videos, and specials. As you add content, you must make sure it is educational and relevant to your audience. In the Products & Services section of your LinkedIn Company Page, you can also display customer recommendations and links to purchase your products and services.

Careers

Within the Careers section of the LinkedIn Company Page, you can share job postings, testimonials that feature employees, and additional content related to employment. LinkedIn members who visit your page can apply for jobs, search your listings, and learn information about your company. You can find experienced employees and reach a large audience through the Careers page. There is a paid subscription that is required for this section of the LinkedIn Company Page.

Employers

According to LinkedIn, your followers are the first people who can advocate for your company. Your current employees can advocate for your brand by being followers. Your employees should develop professional LinkedIn profiles and follow your LinkedIn Company Page. They can be displayed as employees on the LinkedIn Company Page, and, on their personal profiles, they can display your company as their employer. You can also add employees as administrators of the LinkedIn Company Page.

Promote

Members of LinkedIn can find your LinkedIn Company Page by searching for it, but you can promote and share the page as well. Methods of promotion include ad campaigns and sharing your account on your company’s other social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Follow Ads and Follow buttons with links can help promote your company and increase engagement. You can also use Targeted Updates and select which part of your audience sees certain posts. You should gain a large audience and promote your information effectively through a LinkedIn Company Page.

Insights

The Insights section of a LinkedIn Company Page is where your company can check analytics. Analytics allow you to understand who is seeing your content and which content is relevant to the visitors. Analytics allow you to understand your followers and how effective your content is for them. The page administrator can check your LinkedIn Company Page’s analytics. This section can help you measure your LinkedIn Company Page’s traffic, engagement, and success.

Paveya is prepared to help your company with social media marketing. Our professionals have experience with LinkedIn and are ready to help you with your social media goals. Call Paveya at 855-372-8392.

We look forward to helping our customers CREATE leads, CONNECT with customers, and GROW their business.

Inbound Marketing Content for Small Businesses

Inbound marketing, a content-driven marketing approach, is essential for small businesses. Relevant blog articles, social media posts, newsletters, and press releases will funnel prospective leads to your website.

Outbound marketing can no longer compare to inbound marketing and its benefits. Small businesses must create focused content to let potential customers find them. Through inbound marketing for small businesses, you are no longer looking for clients; they find you through your high-quality content.
Studies show that small businesses are the main users of inbound marketing. According to HubSpot, the pioneer of inbound marketing, 43 percent of businesses who have five employees or fewer are using content-driven marketing.

Customers want to see content that will help them make decisions and solve their needs. They do not want to hear sales calls or see commercials right away. Instead, customers want to see the content you can provide them.

Website Content

What type of information is your target audience searching for? Begin your inbound marketing for small businesses strategy by developing content that will help your website’s visitors solve a problem or answer a question. The inbound marketing content on your website might include case studies, infographics, eBooks, whitepapers, and webinars. Web visitors will consider the quality of your content before they decide to hire you or buy your product.
As the prospects of your small business become interested in your content, you can ask for their contact information, including the name and email address. You must continue to provide more informative content after this, and you can convert them into customers of your small business.

Blog Articles

Your blog content can help you differentiate yourself from competitors in the same industry. Explain the benefits your small business can provide and show how you are unique compared to your competitors and their small business products and services. Showing how your small business is different from others is important in inbound marketing for small businesses.
A blog is an example of how to showcase your knowledge and expertise. Create keyword phrases for your company to follow, and include a phrase in each post, depending on the topic of each post. A business blog provides informative content for your prospects and customers. In addition to the text, add photos and videos to make your content more engaging. The average company that has a blog has 55 percent more website visitors, according to HubSpot.

Newsletters

Inbound marketing for small businesses includes tools such as newsletters. Newsletters are sent via email to clients who have chosen to be included in your mailing list. These emails provide informational content, which includes industry updates and company news.

Press Releases

Press releases can also update your clients with the latest news. Press releases, like blogs, can include search engine optimization so that your company will be easily found on the Internet. These tools are effective in inbound marketing for small businesses.

Paveya is your full-service inbound marketing agency. Call us at 855-372-8392 and find out how we can help you develop an internet marketing strategy for your small businesses.

We look forward to helping our customers CREATE leads, CONNECT with customers, and GROW their businesses.

How to Use Videos on Instagram for Businesses

Facebook recently released a video feature on Instagram, which has become a popular photo-sharing application.

Instagram lets you share videos that are three to 15 seconds long. You can share your videos just like you are using Instagram for business with photos. It’s important to remember that Instagram content can be shared to Facebook, which means you can reach more people. More than one billion people are on Facebook, which is the world’s largest social network, and more than 100 million people are active members of Instagram. Instagram, a Facebook-owned application, is a great way for businesses to use social media. With photos, and now with videos, you can share content with millions of people who are on Instagram.
A great way to use Instagram for business is by providing previews and behind-the-scenes pictures and videos of your products and services. You can also take videos of the process of creating a product as well as a short video of employees working in the office. If your company is having a sale or starting a new contest, use Instagram for business and post a video of the announcement. Share creative videos and small commercials by adding one of 13 new custom filters that Instagram offers. Show updates to products and services so customers are informed. There are many ways to use videos on Instagram for business.
Relating to customers is an important part of social media marketing and using Instagram for business. Show your company’s personality and share your company’s story by using Instagram for business. For example, share interviews of employees or an important part of the company’s history. By posting videos of your background, you can personalize your company and create relationships. A customer testimonial is a great video to post on Instagram for business. If customers tell you how your product or service has helped them, ask for a video to share it with others. Customer testimonials will produce benefits in Instagram for business.
Instagram’s video service allows you to edit videos, select a cover frame, and improve the quality of videos by using stabilization features. The cover frame is a custom frame that will give a proper first impression of the video. The stabilization feature will improve the quality of recordings. Sharing videos is a great way to use Instagram for business and to use video marketing.
Video marketing has proven to be effective. Short videos that display your company’s products and services can produce benefits on Instagram for business. Product videos can help customers, and they can help your company be easily found on Google as well. By the end of 2012, mobile video traffic equaled 51 percent of total traffic, according to Cisco. Out of the marketers in the United States, 65 percent plan to increase their mobile ad budgets because of video, according to eMarketer and Insivia. Posting videos on Instagram for business can help with video marketing strategies.
As you post videos, you should continue to interact with your followers. Use common and interesting hashtags to start campaigns, create informative captions, respond to comments, and share company-related photos that are posted by followers. Visual content and interaction with current and potential customers are essential components of social media strategies. Using Instagram for business can be effective with both photos and videos.

Paveya is your full-service inbound marketing agency. We are prepared to help your company form leads, communicate with customers, and create success. Call us at 855-372-8392, and we can help you with your Instagram for business campaigns.

We look forward to helping our customers CREATE leads, CONNECT with customers, and GROW their businesses.

Inbound Marketing - Where to Get Real Estate Leads

Does your real estate company have a large sales team that is contacting leads through phone calls and emails to convert them into customers?

While this can be a beneficial approach, inbound marketing practices effectively engage leads and convert them into customers.
Inbound marketing means advertising a company through blogs, podcasts, videos, eBooks, email newsletters, whitepapers, social media marketing, and other forms of content marketing. This content attracts people to your website, and your sales team can learn how to turn these visitors into real estate leads. Your company must then follow management practices to convert these leads into customers.

The Inbound Marketing Sales Funnel

The top of the funnel includes unknown visitors to your website. To attract visitors and turn them into leads, you must produce quality content. This includes posting relevant articles in a blog. Your sales team should know that a blog is one place to get leads. Within your blog, you can provide helpful information, best practices in your industry, news, and descriptions and pictures of your houses.
Use social media networking to drive traffic to your website. Facebook and Twitter are effective lead-generating avenues for real estate companies. You can provide information about your company and industry news.
In the middle of the sales funnel, you can provide additional helpful information. These leads are knowledgeable about your company, but they are not prepared to purchase anything. They need to be converted into customers, and with effective middle-of-the-funnel marketing, this can happen.
Your sales team can provide real estate content that helps leads who are in the middle-of-the-funnel stage. Content is a reason the sales funnel is where to get real estate leads. You can provide eBooks, information about real estate listings, data about the real estate market, video tours of houses, and other informative content. Within this stage, you create a connection when you provide leads with informative content. Leads in this stage need to develop a stronger interest in your company and your houses.
Call-to-action links, which target visitors based on their interests, send visitors to a landing page on your website. This landing page explains the value of the article or service provided by your company. For example, a landing page might contain an offer such as a free eBook or home valuation. This page contains a contact form that the person must fill in to get the free offer. As potential customers research your company and your houses, you should move them to the next stage. While your sales team knows where to get real estate leads, the team should also understand how call-to-action links can help convert unknown visitors into sales leads.
Your company now knows that the sales funnel is where to get real estate leads and that the leads in the bottom of the funnel would like to buy from your company. They are interested in your houses and services. Your sales team must know information about your leads to continue marketing, and this is a reason the sales funnel is where to get real estate leads.With effective landing pages you can offer your visitors relevant content and can give you an opportunity to convert your web visitor into a real estate lead. The middle of the funnel helps you market to leads and is a reason why the sales funnel is where to get real estate leads. You gain information about them based on their activity on your website.
Your sales team should know what your leads are interested in, what they have studied on your website, and the ways in which they have communicated with your company. By being knowledgeable about your real estate company’s leads, your sales team can convert leads to customers.
The sales funnel and inbound marketing are where to get real estate leads for your company. Your sales team can manage leads for a longer period of time by following lead engagement practices. Knowing where to get real estate leads is an important component of the sales funnel and the inbound marketing process. By being knowledgeable about your visitors and leads, providing visitors with informative content, and developing a relationship with leads, your real estate company can have success in the inbound marketing process.

Paveya is your full-service inbound marketing agency. We are committed to helping you create leads, connect with customers, and develop your real estate business. Call us at 855-372-8392. 

We look forward to helping our customers CREATE leads, CONNECT with customers, and GROW their business.

How Sponsored Stories on Facebook Can Promote Business

Sponsored Stories on Facebook provide businesses and individuals with the opportunity to engage more people and to increase the number of people in their audiences.

Advertisements become more social, and word-of-mouth recommendations are spread in a more effective manner with these stories. These recommendations can attract a wider audience and create more leads for your company.
Sponsored Stories come from the actions of Facebook friends. Facebook friends can endorse businesses and companies. These stories are messages that involve friends’ interactions with a Facebook Page, application, or event. The messages are available on the News Feed, but they may not be seen by most of the user’s friends. To increase the chance that friends will see the action, an advertiser pays Facebook to have these messages highlighted.
Various actions can become Sponsored Stories on Facebook. If a friend likes a Page or engages with features on a Page, such as by commenting on a Facebook post, the user could see these stories about his or her friend’s actions. Other types of actions include a friend joining an event, interacting with an application, or liking a website. If a friend joins an event and this is then sent to your News Feed, you could have an increased chance of seeing this story on Facebook if the company or individual has chosen to promote it.
Businesses and individuals can create Sponsored Stories on Facebook. Within Facebook’s ad creation tool, you will be given an option to promote a Page, application, or domain. You will also choose which kind of Sponsored Story you would like to be promoting to your audience.

Types of Sponsored Stories

• Domain Story: These stories help send traffic from Facebook to your company’s website.
• Page Like Story: This story helps send people to your Facebook Page.
• Page Post Story: This one is associated with the positive comments on your Page. When a user visits your page and leaves positive reviews regarding your company, this can lead to an advertisement.
• Check-In Story: When users check in to a location by using their mobile phones, this check-in can be shared.
• App Share Story: This allows users to share the story from your application. Advertisers can highlight these stories.

Other types of Sponsored Stories are available also. You have the option to select which type of Sponsored Story will be the most effective and beneficial for your business.
Business and individuals must pay for Sponsored Stories. They will be charged based on the number of clicks that the Sponsored Story receives. The amount a company has to pay for the Sponsored Stories on Facebook will not go over the daily budget or the lifetime budget of the business, and no additional fees will be present.
Sponsored Stories are different from advertisements on Facebook. Sponsored Stories are more relevant to Facebook users. These stories can relate to information about Facebook users’ friends. Since the Sponsored Stories are more relevant to Facebook users and their friends, there is a higher chance that Facebook users will click on the stories compared to the advertisements. Regarding advertisements, the advertiser develops a message that will be shared with an audience.
Sponsored Stories on Facebook are a form of word-of-mouth marketing. By receiving information about friends’ recommendations, the stories are effective and provide relevant information. Companies and individuals who use Facebook to advertise can receive benefits from Sponsored Stories on Facebook.

We are here to help you get the most out of your social media accounts. Fill in our contact form or call us at 855.372-8392.

We look forward to helping our customers CREATE leads, CONNECT with customers, and GROW their business.

Social Media 101 for Small Businesses

Social media is beginning to become the number one marketing tool for small businesses today. Not only is it inexpensive but it is easy to use and doesn’t take much time to spread the word about your products and services.

There are multiple benefits of using social media for your small business such as being able to connect with customers, becoming more visible, and promoting your company for little or no cost.
Don’t think for one second that using social media for online marketing is a field of daisies, it can also cause social media suicide! But have no fear Paveya’s here! So get ready to take some notes because we are reviewing Social Media 101 for small businesses.

Don’t Get a Failing Grade

First things first, do you remember that saying “there is no such as bad publicity?” Well, this does not apply to those of us in the business world. Bad publicity does exist!

When it comes to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. you are constantly representing your company. Posting with poor grammar, misspelled words and even using “u” instead of taking the time to write out “you” can make your business look careless and unprofessional.

As for the saying “guilty by association,” this does apply to the business world. Be aware of the friends and likes that you have on your social media page. If you have friends who constantly post bad or inappropriate pictures or comments, know that you are guilty by association. Most of time people learn about a company and/or the people behind the company before doing business with them through their social media accounts. They will read the comments on your wall, look up your likes and start to create a mental image of you and your business based on that information.
Social media is called social media because… well… you need to be social! It is sad to say but there are so many businesses (even large businesses) on social media platforms that don’t interact with people who show an interest in their companies. This is supposed to be a place where you can gain and maintain the interest of people. If you don’t respond to people, you are basically giving them the impression that your employees are rude and don’t care about your customers.

Work Towards an A+

Conduct yourself on social media sites like you would if someone would come into your office at work. Let's say a person comes to your work place and needs your help. You would immediately assist them in a friendly manner, right? You would not wait days to get back to them, you would provide them with good customer service and help them as soon as possible. So work towards implementing that mindset into social media skills. When people post questions or comments then do your best to reply as soon as you can. Make sure that you are not "pushing" your company on people. Here at Paveya we strongly agree with the 80/20 rule: This is when 80% of your posts will be geared towards your audience and encourage replies and 20% of your posts are related to your business or promotions.
Remember that social media is supposed to be social! Remember to keep in touch with the friends and followers that you have. Responding to their tweets, comments, and replies shows them that you promote good services and demonstrate your approachability. There is a lot on the line when you decide to use social media to market your business and your reputation can either benefit from it or suffer. Use our guidelines above to ensure that you reap all the benefits of having a social media account.

Paveya is a full-service inbound marketing agency that helps their customers create leads, connect with customers and grow their business using cutting edge internet marketing.

Let’s grow! Contact us or call 855.372.8392 to discuss you social media marketing strategy.

We look forward to helping our customers CREATE leads, CONNECT with customers, and GROW their business.

Inbound Marketing for Professionals

Inbound marketing is a strategy in which your company attracts and nurtures customers with relevant information through blogs, podcasts, video, eBooks, email campaigns, whitepapers, and social media.

Inbound marketing can help a variety of businesses and industries, which includes professional services. If someone has a problem and needs advice to fix the issue, those potential clients might search the Internet for help. As they look for a solution, they search for helpful and recent content. Through successful inbound marketing for professionals, you can provide this content and gain clients.
As a professional, you are experienced in your field and, with inbound marketing, you can communicate your knowledge and attract new clients. Whether you are a CPA, a doctor, or an attorney, you can provide helpful information to customers through inbound marketing for professionals. You should be able to understand what they need help with and develop a solution to their problem.

A strategy to follow as you develop useful content is to consider a buyer persona.

A buyer persona is a possible prospect. As you follow methods of inbound marketing for professionals and write your content, you can write to the buyer persona, or the ideal customer. By doing so, you can write for their needs and situations.

Inbound marketing is content-driven marketing.

While practicing inbound marketing for professionals, provide the best information about your field. Explain a variety of concepts you are knowledgeable about and provide useful and relevant data. You are supplying your website’s visitors with informative content, including blogs, articles, infographics, and images. It is important to provide educational and engaging information to your potential customers. By helping your website’s visitors and following strategies of inbound marketing for professionals, you can turn leads into customers.

You can provide information to consumers through blogs, social media networks like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, articles, videos, and images.

This stage is associated with top-of-the-funnel marketing in the sales funnel. You should provide the best content in your industry. Share information that is valuable and engaging for consumers. Follow strategies of inbound marketing for professionals to inform customers that your content is available to help them. Other forms of content include e-books and webinars, which are forms of middle-of-the-funnel marketing. Gain leads by providing content, and convert them into customers by helping them find solutions. Also in this stage of the sales funnel, you should create a relationship with consumers. They should show a stronger interest in your services. Through social media and search engine optimization that are associated with inbound marketing for professionals, you can share your content, engage with consumers, and gain clients.

As you provide information to consumers, you should also interact with them.

This is an important step in the process of inbound marketing for professionals. For example, if you are posting your ideas to social media networks, respond to consumer feedback. If they ask questions for more information, provide them information from your knowledge and expertise. This is a step toward successful inbound marketing for professionals. Respond to messages and comments as you actively engage in communication. There are various opportunities to respond to consumers and communicate with them. It is essential to share your valuable information with current and potential customers. As you engage in inbound marketing for professionals, you can become a well-known and respected professional.
Inbound marketing for professionals is a way to share your knowledge as a professional in your industry. Providing content to current and potential customers is a way to engage in inbound marketing for professionals. To convert your website’s visitors, leads, and ultimately clients, you should follow strategies based on inbound marketing for professionals.

Paveya is your full-service inbound marketing agency. Our experts have experience with inbound marketing for professionals in a variety of industries. Our team of professionals is prepared to help you develop leads, communicate with your customers, and excel as a professional in your field.

Call Paveya at 855-372-8392, and we can assist you with your inbound marketing for professionals strategies. 
We look forward to helping our customers CREATE leads, CONNECT with customers, and GROW their business.

Promote your Vacation Rental Company with Social Media

While traditional marketing worked in the past, we are now moving towards a more technological era that predominately relies on online marketing.

People like to shop around online and become more educated before making a choice. Being able to research a product or service before purchasing allows consumers to feel more confident in their purchase. Being able to post information online for people to research is beneficial for vacation rental companies. But how do we guarantee that the information about our rentals is going to spark the interest of new customers? Two words: social media.
Social media is the interaction of people through online sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and the list could go on and on. Facebook alone has over 1 billion active users. The article below contains tips from Paveya on how to fully take advantage of social media for vacation rentals agencies.

Pictures! Pictures! Pictures!

Studies show that pictures of products are able to grab a customer’s attention in less than one second. When you post pictures on your social media sites, they will show up in your followers’ or friends’ news feed which will spark an interest.
We suggest posting a picture of your rental or a view that your rental has with a brief comment that will lead back to your website for more information. Sites like Facebook allows you to make photo albums so you could make an album of each rental which would include pictures of the inside and outside of the houses you have.

Engagement is Essential

Having followers and friends on social media sites is great but in order to keep them interested in what you are trying to sell entails maintenance. If they ask questions, always answer in a timely manner. A study performed by Cone Business in Social Media showed that 56% of consumers feel that when companies interact with them through social media sites, that they are receiving better service.
Be aware of the tone that you are using when you reply to people making comments or asking questions. Your tone should always be courteous and sincere. Try to post on a regular basis to keep people interested.

Asking questions is a good practice to start integrating into your posts. Say something like “our perfect activity to do while on vacation is fishing, what is yours?” This will attract replies from people and you can use it to have a conversation with them. Say someone writes back and says that they like to go to the beach you could reply something like “oh yeah, beach time is great too. The best beach near us is *blank* have you ever been there?” Get people interested through suggestions.

Know What You Post

When you get into the swing of posting on a regular basis, start observing your posts and taking notes on what images and comments get the most “likes,” “shares,” and responses. This way when you make future posts you will know what captures attention the most. Not only is this going to get more feedback from your followers and friends but it will show them that your company is also being responsive to them.
Being involved with social media is becoming essential to achieving a successful business. But just making an account on social media sites isn’t enough. You need to make sure that you are regularly making contributions and constantly interacting with existing customers and potential customers.

Paveya is a full-service inbound marketing agency that helps their customers create leads, connect with customers and grow their business using cutting edge internet marketing.

Let’s grow! Contact us or call 855.372.8392 to discuss you social media marketing strategy.

We look forward to helping our customers CREATE leads, CONNECT with customers and GROW their business.

Vacation Rental Internet Marketing - Email Campaigns

The goal of your email marketing campaign is to turn your new leads into bookings and nurture existing customers.

To keep ahead of your competition, your vacation rental internet marketing must include email campaigns. This content should include relevant information that matters to perspective customers and repeat bookers.

Email Content

Identify your Subscribers

Take time to develop a buyer persona—a fictional representation of your ideal customer, based on analyzed data. This will help you understand what a day in the life of a potential client might be like and how to address their needs.
To learn more, read Paveya’s blog article, “Vacation Rental Website Design - Identify your Customer”.

Deliver Content that Matters

Vacation rental companies might want to promote upcoming events and make announcements that matter to your customers. For example, your email newsletter might include

• a list of discounted home rentals for a particular week;
• a schedule of events in your area for the month of July;
• a promotion of pet-friendly homes in your rental program;
• a press release about the completion of a new tourist attraction;
• an announcement of road or bridge construction that might impede travel in your area;
• an update from your town about leash laws; or
• an article about what your vacationers can do with recyclable materials.

Social Media

People frequently share emails, and that means that you can contact someone that is not yet on your email list. Include forward and social sharing buttons in your email messages.

Include Call-to-Action Links

Call-to-action buttons ask your new lead to take action on an offer such as booking a rental special or downloading an article, whitepaper, or eBook.
Create a simple graphic or sentence in your email that links to an offer on a page of your website—a landing page. There you might ask your email subscriber to fill in a form to

• request an article that lists everything that they might need to bring on vacation;
• download a calendar of events; or
• sign up for updates on discounted rental homes.

Call-to-action links can help you create new leads and montior the effectiveness of your email campaign.

Email Design: Keep it Simple

Here are a couple important reasons to make a simple design:

• A plain text email is what your subscribers receive from friends or colleagues, without graphics or videos. You're free to just say what you want to say, and the reader can just ... read it. 
• It's easier for the email message to render. Emails with several design elements—large images or videos, for example, might load slowly or display incorrectly. Some of your recipients' email accounts might have images turned off by default, so your email might look unorganized or lacking content. Don’t rely on images to deliver your message.
• Sometimes your recipients are reading your message on their mobile devices—will your customer wait for that huge email to load? If they do, will it still look as good as when you designed it on your desktop computer? Unlikely.

Insert a concise signature and footer. Include your name, title, social media links (one or two), a link to your website, and maybe even a postscript. For example, "PS: Check out our exciting photos from our special event." Studies show that people usually scroll to the bottom of an email to make sure that they didn’t miss anything.

Best Practices

Adapted from Paveya’s eBook, "The Complete Guide to Optimizing Email Marketing for Conversions"

1. Do you have permission to email the people on your list? Use contacts that signed up on your website. Never purchase or rent contact lists.
2. Include an unsubscribe link. If you don’t, you might be marked as a spammer. Spam complaints will hurt your reputation and even hinder future email deliveries.
3. Segment your list. Make sure you send the right message to the right customer. Create at least 2 campaigns: one for potential bookers and one for existing customers.
4. Personalize the email whenever possible.
5. Write in the second person: "Here is what you should bring on vacation".
6. Create consistency with “from” name and email. Email from an individual person, not a team. No-reply emails not acceptable with marketing emails.
7. Create clear and compelling subject lines that are less than 50 characters.
8. Use actionable language in your call-to-action links. For example, "Download now" or "Request a brochure".
9. It is better to focus on benefits instead of features. Write to the pain point of the reader or answer a frequently asked question.
10. Be brief, less than 200 words.
11. Send test emails to different types of email accounts such as Google, Yahoo, and Gmail.
12. Make sure you use an email delivery system that provides analytics.
13. Analyze your email statics. For example, study how many emails were opened, which links were clicked, and how many emails were forwarded.
14. Send email campaigns every 3 to 6 weeks, depending on the season.

Although many people who fill in the form on your website to receive your email newsletter are still in the research stage, you can use this opportunity to establish brand awareness and offer specials for the upcoming vacation season.

Paveya looks forward to helping our customers CREATE leads, CONNECT with customers and GROW their business.

Instagram for Business - Social Media Marketing

Instagram is growing in popularity, and it is a beneficial way for businesses to market to consumers.

An increasing number of brands are joining Instagram for business and gaining a large audience of followers. There are many best practices to follow to use Instagram for business effectively. The following are tips on how to use Instagram for business and examples of how popular brands use Instagram:
Create a strategy that you will follow consistently with your posts to Instagram for business. You should be aware of what content you plan to provide to your followers, and you should have a goal for the process. Follow the strategy while posting on a regular basis. Methods to follow include informing your customers about your history and background, providing behind-the-scenes pictures, and promoting your products and services.

GAP uses Instagram for business by sharing pictures such as pictures of its products and company events. Each picture is unique and creative to engage followers.

Be aware of how to use hashtags. Hashtags allow Instagram users to gather content with a shared hashtag in one place, and they help create a community of Instagram users. Use relevant hashtags and popular hashtags. Create a hashtag for your business. Hashtags can help you find more followers and allow you to share your pictures with a larger audience. Check consistently for the latest popular hashtags.

Dunkin' Donuts frequently uses Instagram for business and uses hashtags, such as #ddlove, that relate to the company.
 
Tell a story about your business by using your pictures and captions.
Disney Channel uses Instagram for business through a variety of methods to engage and update followers. For example, the company posts pictures of Disney Channel stars at events. The company also informs followers about its channel and its history by sharing scenes from shows.

Have contests to promote your company. Create campaigns and engage your followers. Provide a clear explanation of your contest. Common hashtags can help promote your contest. The hashtag should be short and should have a connection to your brand. The reward for the contest winner should also relate to your company.

General Electric launched a GE Instagrapher campaign. The campaign was launched to inform followers about the company and how it operates. GE wanted followers to take pictures and use the hashtag #GEInspiredME to explain how they are inspired by the ways in which GE operates. The prize was to become a GE Instagrapher for one day and to travel to the United Kingdom to take pictures of GE's jet engine plants. To share the pictures with a larger audience, the company posted pictures on Pinterest.

Share pictures with other social networks as you post. Instagram can connect to other social networks like Facebook. You can increase your following by posting to multiple social networks. For example, J.Crew posts similar pictures to Facebook and Instagram.

Engage with your followers. Like their pictures, respond to their comments, ask them questions, share their pictures of your products and services, and encourage them to join contests and campaigns by your company.

Ben & Jerry's posts pictures from their Instagram followers. For example, Ben & Jerry's uses the hashtag #FanFotoFridayto post pictures by fans.
Instagram is a popular social network and is a way to engage your current and potential customers. Using Instagram for business is an opportunity to reach a large audience and to promote your company.
By using Instagram for business effectively, you can inform your followers about your company, company events, the latest updates, and more through creative photography, captions, and social media marketing strategies.


Need help? Contact Paveya

Vacation Rental Website Design - How to Optimize Blog Posts

The purpose of your vacation rental website design is to attract new customers. Your blog can help if you publish relevant information and use your content management website to optimize the content for search engines.

Every vacation rental company has a website. So, to keep up with your competition, your website must include a blog that contains fresh, relevant content. Daily—or at least bi-weekly—blog posts are essential.
This article will teach you the basics of how to improve the quality of your web traffic and how to optimize each post for search engines.

Optimize Blog Posts for Vacationers

Subject Matter

So what information is your potential customer searching for?
Answer frequently asked questions. It is also important to write about area entertainment, kids' activities, historical landmarks, sporting competitions, fairs, exhibitions, and businesses that offer services that will appeal to your target audience. Highlight a business such as a restaurant that features local musical talent; a golf course hosting a tournament; a boutique planning a sale; a spa offering wedding packages; a theatre promoting a new play; or a professional sports instructor offering a discount for large groups.
Remember to post unique content. Do not rob text from another source and call it your own—this might damage your reputation and credibilty. Site your sources when it is necessary.

Image Selection

Post relevant, high-quality imagery with each post. Whether it's a photograph or a graphic, use original images that help the reader relate to the general message of the blog post. Throw out blurry, out-of-focus images. These will likely compromise the impression that you are hoping to convey to your web reader.

Optimize Blog Posts for Search Engines (SEO)

Content Management Websites

Your WordPress website is the perfect tool to optimize your blog posts for search engines. However, it requires an understanding of how search engines "crawl" and rank your content; how to use your WordPress on-page editor; and how to name image files.

Content Crawlers

After a user types in their search terms (keywords), the search engine sorts through thousands upon thousands of web pages to find relevent content. The stronger the keyword placement is in your blog, the better your ranking will be.

Keywords

Choose keywords that an information-seeking user might type to find your blog post. For example, "Laguna Beach Vacation Rentals" are keywords that you could use within different, focused topics.
Use these keywords in your post's

• blog title;
• blog URL (web page address); and
• topic sentence.

The screenshot above shows you where to edit the blog post URL, if necessary. Use keywords and always separate the terms with dashes. Keep in mind that if your post has already been published and shared on social media networks, it is best not to change this address, even for SEO purposes.

Put your On-page Text Editor to Use

Your WordPress site has been set up with pre-defined text styles. Use them! These tags are important for visual consistency and, more importantly, for search engine ranking.
Inside the drop-down menu under "paragraph" (or it might be labeled "format", depending on your site's theme) you will see a list of headings 1 through 6. Search engines place more importance or relevancy on text that uses heading tags.

1. Highlight your topic sentence and change it from a "paragraph" to a "Heading 2". This topic sentence should include your keywords.
2. Use headings 3 and 4 for subsections of your main topic.
3. Use bulleted or numbered lists, blockquotes, and bolded text as search engines give more SEO credence to text within these tags.

Text formatting improves SEO and breaks up long pages of text with subtle visual accents.

Name Image Files with Keywords

Title your graphics and photos with relevant keywords and phrases, not your company name. For example, name your image "laguna-beach-vacation-rental.jpg". Do not post images with the default title that your camera creates. Search engines cannot give you SEO credit for a photo named "CMI234566.jpg". It also is important to use dashes to separate your keywords—never spaces—and limit the file name to about 24 characters.

Supply an Alternate (alt) Image Tag

Alternate tags on images "tell" blind web visitors what the image is about, plus these tags improve SEO.
Your WordPress editor includes an image uploader that will instantly give you an opportunity to assign alt text to the image. Use your keywords if they are relevant to the imagery.

Use your On-page SEO Generator

At the bottom of every post, your WordPress website should include a SEO editor that generates a SEO title and a "meta" description, which both display on a search results page. In the screenshot below, the SEO title and meta description are shown in the "Snippet Preview".
This screenshot illustrates where to insert your keywords within this SEO generator:

• SEO Title
• Meta Description

Never use the "Keyword Focus" generator—Google now discourages the use of these "meta" keywords.
To many WordPress users, this is tons of work but if you make a habit of creating blog posts that are optimized for your potential customers and for search engines, you will see results with time.

If you have questions about web content development and search engine rankings, contact us at Paveya and we will give you a free website evaluation.

Generate Real Estate Leads with Your Website

A realtor’s job is never done… between working with buyers and representing homeowners will negotiating with banks and attorneys you are constantly on the go.

So it can seem almost impossible to find the time to continually fill your sales funnel. What if I told you that there was a sure fire way to constantly have leads available to you who have already qualified themselves and are waiting for your call? This is what a well-designed internet marketing strategy can do for you.
Here’s where to find real estate leads:

• Now that we understand that 90% of all customers begin their search for a new home on the internet, the MOST IMPORTANT THING is to have a website. This website should be helpful and have easy to use. Put the MLS search right on your home page, if not at the top of the page, then no lower than a person would be able to see on a regular screen. Make sure that no matter where your potential buyers or sellers land on your site that the MLS Search is available on every page. This is why they’ve come to your page—they are interested in real estate.
• The easiest way to engage your potential buyer or seller is to have educational content on your website. One quick way of providing educational content is by installing widgets on your website that provide listings, market conditions, etc. This keeps the user engaged on your website while they are doing their research. See http://www.trulia.com/tools and http://www.zillow.com/webtools/widgets, for some examples. Make sure that you aren’t installing something that ultimately end up taking leads off of your site. Ask yourself before installing these “Is this something that my buyers and sellers would be looking for”
• Internet marketing may the medium, but what this person is looking for is whether they want to be in a business relationship with you. A great way letting them get to know you is to use a blog. Tell them about the houses you are selling, sure, with great pictures, or better yet video. Write about your specialty as a short sale agent. That’s a given. You can also get more creative here… tell them about the local elementary school from your perspective as a parent. Take the time to write about the Farmers Market that services a community. The great part is that not only will a person get to know your personality and expertise in the area; they may bring new leads to you who are searching for that kind of content. 
• Finally, make sure that you allow folks to subscribe your blog. This is a great way to build your email list of prospective buyers and sellers. In fact, your blog should be a great start for a monthly email newsletter. Use the first several sentences of each blog that you’ve been publishing with a link back to your website to read more. This a great tool to continually engage in dialog with leads and prospects.  Learn more about how to create successful email campaigns by downloading the eBook

So you are going to have to start working differently and spending your marketing dollars differently. With a well-designed, educational website you are actively trying to build relationships. The great part is that you are building relationships with the leads you didn’t even know about and at their convenience. The whole goal is that when your lead that you’ve been nurturing is ready to buy or sell, they already know who they trust and want to work with-- you!

If you want some more ideas and suggestion about where to find real estate leads, rely on an internet marketing agency with an expertise in real estate. Paveya is here to work with you to help you create leads, connect with customer and make sure that you grow. Call us at 855.372.8392 or email us at grow@paveya.com.

Content Development - Use Keywords to Improve Search Engine Ranking

To improve search engine ranking, use keywords to help create relevant information that addresses your customer's questions.

Writing web content and blog material is a challenge for every business owner. However, if you develop relevant writing themes, your job will become easier and you will boost your ranking.

1. Make a list of the words and phrases that a web customer might use to find your services or products.

For example, let’s say you own a toy store in Nags Head, North Carolina named “The Playroom”. Your keyword list will include phrases such as

• Nags Head toy store (include your town name and what you are offering);
• Outer Banks toy store (include regional names);
• Toddler toys Outer Banks;
• Educational toys;
• Video games for children; and
• Board games Nags Head.

Your list can include hundreds of key phrases—add to it whenever you think of a new one. You can also check your ideas for keyword using a Google AdWords Tool. This will show you the number of people searching using that keyword phrase in any given month and the difficulty, which they higher the number the more difficult it will be to achieve ranking.
If Google Analytics™ is installed on your site, take advantage of this tool and study the terms people have used to arrive at your site. These statistics can help you figure out the keywords that your site is missing—and the customers you might be missing due to a lack of that content.
Remember to keep the words simple: unless you want to target a limited audience, change technical terms to common ones.
After you have developed your list, insert these keywords into your main page headings, blog titles, and body text.

2. Name your image files with your keywords to improve search engine ranking.

Title your graphics and photos with relevant keywords and phrases, not your company name. For example, use words such as “nags-head-toy-store.jpg” instead of “theplayroom.jpg”. Don't post images with the default title that your camera creates. Search engines cannot give you SEO credit for a photo named “CMI234566.jpg”. It also is important to use dashes to separate your keywords and limit the file name to about 24 characters.
Be sure to add the keywords to your “alt” image tag. Alternate tags on images “tell” blind web visitors what the image is about, plus these tags improve SEO

3. Add fresh content to your site.

To reach the top pages of an internet search and remain there, you must update your site—daily, if necessary. Even if you hire a web developer to optimize the main content of your site, competitors who regularly post relevant articles, photos, and client feedback will quickly out rank you.
If you make a habit of blogging, your search engine ranking will improve. Here are some basic blogging tips to help drive the right customers to your site.

• Choose a relevant, focused topic that addresses a client’s need or a frequently asked question (remember those phrases you discovered using Google Analytics?).
• Use the keywords in your post title.
• Insert the keywords in two spots (blog posts should contain a total of 500 to 600 words). Use the keywords in your pre-styled headings (heading 1, heading 2, and heading 3) and in the body text.
• Use one relevant photo or graphic and remember to named it for search engines.
• Use keywords in your CMS’s “meta” title, keyword focus, and description. For WordPress™ users, make sure you have a SEO plugin installed such as Yoast™. This editor appears near the bottom of every page and post on your site.

4. Learn how to edit your content management website (CMS) and make a habit of updating the main content and adding new blog posts.

If you have a site that you can update yourself, learn how to use it. Many business owners shy from using their CMS to its fullest potential.
Your website is probably the most important marketing tool that you have so get best practices instructions from a professional internet marketing agency. Paveya offers a great deal of educational material on our website and through our blog.
But your best bet is to dive right in! It can be daunting at first remember the reason why you started in this business in the first place… tell about your passion and why your products are unique. Once you become proficient, your search ranking and the quality of your web traffic will improve.

Outer Banks Relay for Life 2013 - Help Find a Cure for Cancer

In the United States, cancer is considered the second most common cause of death, according to the American Cancer Society. Cancer consists of more than 100 diseases, and it begins when abnormal cells start growing without control. Relay for Life is an event in which communities throughout the word raise awareness and come together to raise money toward finding a cure for cancer.
The Outer Banks community is proud to participate in Relay for Life, which includes an annual event. In 2011, Dare County was the number one participant in the United States per capita. Annually, Dare County continues to be one of the top contributors per capita in the United States for giving for Relay for Life.

This year, Relay for Life of Dare County will take place from May 18-19 at First Flight High School. The event starts at 12 p.m.

Community members honor those who have survived cancer, remember loved ones who have lost their lives to cancer, and fight this disease. The event includes a fundraising walk and live entertainment as well as food, games, and activities. This year will also include a bake sale, raffles, face painting, and cupcake decorating.

The Opening Ceremony is the official start to the event. In the Survivors Lap, music plays while the survivors make the first lap around the track. Other participants help celebrate their victory. In the Team Banner Lap at 3:30 p.m., each participating team can march behind their banners.  During the Luminaria Ceremony, community members remember loved ones who have lost their lives to cancer and honor and support those who have been battling against it. The candles will be lit in personalized bags, and they will be located around the track. The Closing Ceremony remembers the lives that have been lost and honors Relay for Life participants for their contributions to fight the disease.
The Annual Cupcake 5K will take place for the third time, and it will also be at First Flight High School. The race is focused on a world with more birthdays and is focused on fighting cancer. Participants can run in honor or in memory of loved ones by wearing dedication tags with their names. The event starts on May 19 at 8 a.m. Pre-registration for the event is required. If the event is not sold out, on-site registration will be available.

This year VBL Technologies and its internet marketing subsidiary Paveya will be participating as the team “Techs for a Cure”. We are pleased to have the following corporate sponsors, including Carolina Designs, Johnson Burgess Mizelle and Straub, BD&A, Villas at Corolla Bay, Resort Realty, Elan Vacations and Artistic Elegance Spa and Salon.  For each of these sponsors the Techs for a Cure team will walk the track with the name of the sponsor prominently featured. Subsequently, for the rest of the year, each of these companies’ websites will be featured on our Paveya website and will receive the benefit of our extensive search engine optimization strategy for their website.

Team members will also be staffing a food tent offering curried chicken and fried rice available for $5 a plate and drinks for $1. All proceeds will be donated to Relay for Life.

We want to thank our corporate sponsors and everyone in the Outer Banks community for their continued support of this important cause. We will look forward to seeing you there.
You may also continue to donate Relay for Life through August 2013.

LinkedIn - Consumer Inbound Marketing with Social Media

Companies realize that the success of their brands largely relies on inbound marketing with social media.

Social media marketing means using websites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and others to promote products, services, and other opportunities that companies want to get into the hands of consumers or businesses.
LinkedIn is the primary social networking site for B2B marketers but somewhat secondary with the B2C arena. Statistics from LinkedIn show that only 51 percent of online marketers use this site for consumer marketing while a whopping 83 percent of those handling the same for B2B rely on LinkedIn.
With over 200 million members, LinkedIn is definitely a force to be reckoned with when planning inbound consumer marketing. In an effort to make it more engaging, following are tips for maximizing your LinkedIn company page.

Tips for Maximizing Your LinkedIn Company Page

Include Pictures on Your Page. As the ultimate advertising genius, David Ogilvy said years ago, perception is reality. With today’s advances in online marketing, the same holds true. Your cover image is the first thing to draw consumers to your brand(s).  Make sure the image has the elements necessary to generate curiosity to want to know more – a photo of products, mentions of promotions, or a quick one-line explanation of the brand. In addition to the cover image, make sure to include pictures of your brands in the products and services section.
Take Advantage of the Services Tab. Doing this is your shot to sell your “wares.” Showcase the benefits of what you have to offer. Posting blogs, featuring brands, and descriptions, or even asking a question to invoke a discussion are excellent platforms to feature your brands and abilities. Ask current users to share their experiences with your brands – nothing is better than testimonials and recommendations from current users who are familiar to other members via their LinkedIn connections.
Post Quality Content Constantly. By “constantly,” we mean at least once a week but if you have important updates, you can do it daily (if it makes sense). As with any form of inbound marketing with social media, updating your company page is crucial to its success. The updated content must be pertinent and provide useful information with an edge to it. LinkedIn research shows that its members are much more likely to want to read quality content from brands on LinkedIn rather than on other social networking sites like Facebook. Because LinkedIn is a professional social networking site, its users have a purpose when perusing it – they will take the time to read worthwhile content from which they believe they can benefit. Interesting content, even with a little humor, generates interest and drives consumers to share your information which ultimately drives them to your brands.
Focus on the Right Target Audience. With LinkedIn, you have the ability to target your brand to the right audience. This is where the fun begins. LinkedIn offers the Insights tab on company pages. The Insights tab provides admins of a company page with the ability to scan statistics like page views, unique visitors, page clicks and more. With page views, they are broken down by tab, visitor demographics by page and so on. Armed with this information, you can post various updates that are geared to specific target audiences. When experimenting with such targeted updates, it is important to remember that this works best with those companies that have a larger number of followers, a nice array of brands and various segments of an audience.
Promote Your LinkedIn Company Page. In order for your users to know about your LinkedIn company page, you have to promote that you have one. LinkedIn provides a widget that can be downloaded onto the home page of your website. When users go to your website, they can click on the LinkedIn logo and go straight to your LinkedIn page. Another way to promote it is to download another widget that allows followers to share content such as posts and blogs on other websites.
Analyze the Results. Because you can test content by updating posts of various topics, it is important to keep up with LinkedIn Analytics. Analytics allows you to review the performance and statistics on your page. You can see impressions, click through rates, and even an engagement rate.

Take Your Consumer Marketing to a New Level

Keep in mind that while LinkedIn is a professional social networking site, its members are people. These people use products and brands in every aspect of their lives. Whether they are interested in business or consumer brands, they bring a huge opportunity to get your brands in front of an audience who wants to be on the forefront being “in the know.”
LinkedIn is a valuable resource for inbound marketing with social media. Be sure to add it to your mix.

Need help? Contact Paveya

Vacation Rental Website Design - Identify your Customer

The goal of your vacation rental website design is to attract prospective travelers and convert their web visit into bookings. Fill your site with content that informs your customers.

Flesh out your Buyer Personas

So who are these customers? Although the answer might seem obvious, you might be surprised about how much you can learn by developing a buyer persona.

Personas are fictional representations of your ideal customers, based on analyzed data. The more data you have about your customers and prospects, the more useful your personas can be.*

Examine your customer’s demographics and online behavior. Invent personal histories, motivations, and concerns and then put the down on paper and maybe even name her.

"Valerie" the Vacation Rental Booker

As a vacation rental company owner or manager, the goal of your website is to increase bookings for your homeowners. Who do you want to attract?
Research your existing customer base to identify the most common booker. For example, let’s say you want to begin by developing a specific persona: a mother planning a family vacation. Here are questions* to help flesh out one of your ideal customers:

1. What is Valerie’s demographic information? Based on your data, decide how old Valerie is, the number of childern in her care, her employment status, and where she lives. In this example, Valerie is 32 years old, has two kids, is employed, and owns a home in New Jersey.
2. What is her job and level of seniority? Does Valerie have a demanding job? If yes, she doesn't have much time to research vacation rental companies. Therefore, your vacation rental company must achieve top search engine ranking to get found. Studies show that most web visitors never go to page two of an internet search.
3. What does a day in her life look like? Valerie might wake up every day and take care of her school-age children, work eight hours, and then return home to feed her family or escort her children to after-school activities. So she needs a rental company whose website contains a large, sharp photos of the homes and a full-service booking system.
4. What are her pain points? What problem will you help her solve? Valerie wants to see every corner of the home and property that she rents. Therefore, your website should include at least twenty clear photographs or a video tour of each property to supplement its list of amenity details, rental availability, and prices for every season.
5. What does she value most? What are her goals? Valerie wants to make a memory that will last a lifetime and that starts with being able to entertain her family in a comfortable home. She wants easy access to activities for her kids. She also wants suggestions for dining and shopping. Make sure that your website contains a page that details your area’s main attractions.
6. Where does she go for information? Valerie goes to the internet for information. She will search for vacation rental companies in your area so the quality and regularity of your content must surpasses that of your competiors. Because she is busy, Valerie also connects with her Facebook™ friends to find out what companies they recommend to book rental homes in your area.
7. What experience is she looking for when seeking out your products or services? Valerie requires one-stop shopping: she wants to search your homes with defined parameters such as the number of bedrooms, pool availability, accessibility to local attractions, and region or town; she wants to ask questions so an immediate response from your company is crucial; and she also wants to book online and make a secure payment.
8. What are her most common objections to your product or service? Valerie wants a pool table but doen't find one when she arrives at her rental home. Make sure all your rental information is current, including the photos.

Explore all your personas. Develop others such as a business manager arranging a company retreat, a couple searching for a reception venue, or an event planner looking for the perfect spot for a reunion. These details can help you discover the strengths and weakens of your internet marketing efforts.

Paveya is the only HubSpot partner who is a member of the Vacation Rental Management Association and specializes in vacation rental website design. Contact us to learn how to increase your web traffic and convert those visitors into bookings!