GoHuman Blog

Remember the insane difficulty of dropping checkbooks for credit cards and online banking? Still not fully there yet? Have you ever tried selling on eBay?

Introducing new technologies to your beloved business is just plain hard work. There are some big hills to climb, and from the bottom they often appear bigger than Denali (Look it up — it’s taller than Everest).

In tackling these challenges, big, resource-rich companies have all the advantages — right?  Not really. Introducing new technology is difficult for all businesses, regardless of size. But it is far easier for a small business.  You don’t have thousands of staff to retrain, millions of dollars tied up in antiquated machinery, or terabytes of data stored in dusty databases designed decades ago.

But how should you do it?  The answer is surprisingly simple.

Introduce the smallest, simplest change that will produce greater benefit to your business more than it costs.  Positive ROI.

Just keep the changes small, with definable goals and benefits; and never stop moving forward. That simple approach means that your business is constantly strengthened with a more stable platform created for your next advance.

Here at GoHuman our aim is to leverage internet technologies to assist the small business owner. You may not be ready to launch your own website and manage the hardware, software and security issues, nor undertake the investment and potentially harmful distractions that go with it. That’s why we have designed our services so you can take it forward in small steps – and of course, we’ve made the first step free.

You can post your services with GoHuman with up to five separate initial postings, at no cost. Each posting can promote a different distinctive service – or be aimed at a different zipcode area. Perhaps concentrate most of your postings around your home location, and experiment with a mail-order service aimed at a zipcode in another state. Maybe test with different graphics, text and colours to see which attract the most attention. Best of all, have your customers recommend your personal local service – giving you a real edge over big nation-wide companies where the customers are just a number. If you are already marketing elsewhere, then add GoHuman as another string to your bow. Marketing your business with GoHuman is a small step, with easily definable goals and benefits.

We have big plans to introduce new features and functions to GoHuman, and by taking the first simple steps now, the next steps will be simple too.

Invest a few minutes and give us a try. Could we possibly make it easier?  If so, please let us know!

We’ll start with a couple more relevant definitions. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process whereby a website or web page is made more visible via the organic (free) listing. Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is the process of promoting and marketing a website through paid listings (advertisements) on search engines. SEM can include elements of SEO, but not vice versa.

In the realm of search engine marketing (SEM/paid listings), a wealth of options exist and if you’re not careful, you can throw your hard-earned money away on a “little of this” and a “little of that” and not get a great return on your investment (ROI).

Ads on most search engines operate on a PPC (pay-per-click) model, meaning that you pay only when a user clicks your ad, and not for the ad impression (the instance in which the ad appears on the page in response to a query). Another common and useful pricing model in online advertising is cost-per-thousand impressions (CPM), in which you pay per impression, not for any clicks on your ad. How and when to use CPM will be covered in more detail in a future blog.

Let’s explore the top search engine options currently available to you. The three most notable paid advertising search engines are Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft/Bing. Google continues to dominate the scene with nearly 65% of the market share, while Yahoo and Microsoft/Bing are battling it out for second place, at 15.1% and 15% of the market share, respectively.

All three search engines utilize the “bidding” option, whereby you determine a monthly spend (this is your budget) and then figure out how much you are willing to pay for each click. You set your maximum bid (i.e. $0.45/click) and depending on a variety of factors such as the keyword competition, geography, and relevant content, your ad will appear.

Now let’s throw another tool into the mix: social media advertising. There’s been a lot of talk about social media and quite frankly, who isn’t familiar with Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube? But Facebook is more than just a way to reconnect with high school friends or to share pictures. Facebook, like LinkedIn and YouTube, now offers paid advertising. The difference between search engine marketing and social media marketing is that the former is primarily based on keyword queries and the latter on relevant content.

Getting the most out of SEM requires selecting the option that’s right for you. If you’re trying to appeal to a bigger audience and you want people who are searching for your product (whether it’s coffee or cameras), Google is probably your best choice. If you can afford it, also advertise on Yahoo and Microsoft/Bing. Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube are better suited for those trying to brand their product and not necessarily complete an action (ie. sale or sign-up). Social media marketing does not allow you to do a search for a product; rather, display ads will appear based on relevant content.

Rather than take a “one size fits all” approach to advertising, consider the following points in choosing the “right fit” for your small business:

• Compare the ad pricing of all three search engine options – can you afford to advertise on all three or should you choose the one that will give you the most bang for your buck?
• Consider your market – are you trying to achieve a measureable result (sale, sign up, newsletter, etc.) or are you trying to create a brand?
• Constantly re-evaluate your return on investment (ROI) goals
• Is social media relevant to your business or are you succumbing to the hype?

Don’t be pressured into parting with your hard earned money. Knowledge is your best tool when utilizing search engines or social media to market your business. And, of course, don’t forget another powerful advertising tool at your disposal, and a free one at that: posting your business on GoHuman!

 

When we eat, shop and work in establishments who don’t invest locally, it creates a downward spiral in local economies. We enable those large corporations to wring success and profit out of our communities until they become identical strip-malls of interchangeable shops and restaurants.

The problem of competing with the “big boys” is nothing new. Back in the Wild West (as opposed to the Wild Web), many felt powerless to stand up for themselves, which is why “The Great Equalizer,” aka the Colt 45 handgun, was so successful. To quote the manufacturer, Samuel Colt, “God made them all, Colt made them equal.”

Fast forward to today, where debates still rage on as to the handgun’s place in American society. Wisconsin governor Scott Walker recently signed into law the right of Wisconsin residents to carry concealed firearms, leaving Illinois as the only U.S. State which does not allow this. We are not extolling the virtues of violence; remember that the Colt .45 was also called “The Peacemaker.” In the right hands, it was a defense against violence, greed and murder.

What set this trusty six-shooter apart from other guns wasn’t actually the gun – it was the bullets. Or better said, cartridges. With a .45 in reach anyone could load and shoot quickly, in all kinds of weather. A man on his own could be armed and defending himself in seconds, giving rise to the slogan: “Fear no man regardless of his size . . . pull me, and I will equalize.”

So, what can be your Great Equalizer, helping you to compete against your big competitors with even bigger marketing budgets?

One answer is staring you in the face right now (hint, it’s not the gun).

David can have the edge on Goliath. The small local business can offer something people are hungering for – a reliable service, from someone they can trust, because other local customers recommend them and use them again and again. A service from someone who cares about reputation in the local community, and who doesn’t have to charge more just to throw untold amounts of money at huge advertising costs.

GoHuman provides you with a showcase to post the abilities of your business, and the recommendations of your customers. That lets you get on with doing what you do best. Looking after your business, looking after your customers, looking after your community.

Even just the free subscription level offered by GoHuman goes a long way towards levelling the playing field. You can post 5 free postings, each one targeted at a specific zip code, or perhaps focusing on a specific area of your offerings.

Which brings me to one more piece of trivia about the Colt 45. Most users never loaded it with its full complement of 6 bullets. Just 5, and for safety sake, one empty chamber to rest the hammer on. 5 shots.

Get your free 5 shots now – and get your friends and neighbours to recommend your services. Get the new Great Equalizer — and help GoHuman to build your local community, and your business.

Starting a business may be a necessary path for a lot more people going forward, as the economy is not consistently creating enough jobs to keep up with population growth. Those who have lost jobs in the recent economic turmoil may be faced with the cold, hard reality that when unemployment benefits run out they will have to take matters into their own hands.

This does not have to be a daunting task requiring herculean efforts. Simply put, a business satisfies a need for which a fellow human is willing to pay money. Look around. If you don’t see something in your community that people need done and are willing to pay good money for, you are not in touch with reality.

In my case, I started with the simple idea that people who start businesses will always need access to money. If I could find sources of money and connect those sources with the many business owners that needed capital, I would have a steady stream of business. Little did I know at the time that the whole banking system would seize up and make applying for a simple business loan a pain-staking process… one in which people would gladly pay a guide handsomely in order to get them to the other side. It’s been a 12 year journey, but today I have a thriving business that supports my family of six with one currently in college and two having completed college recently!

At GoHuman, we understand what it is like because we are in the trenches every day, fighting the fight of the entrepreneur. It’s our business to help you succeed. Here’s how we can help you on your path to success, at no cost to you. Start out by posting your business, for free, on GoHuman. Then build your reputation and online presence by directing friends, customers, or prospects to your online presence. And follow our blog to learning the basics of how to market your new business. These simple steps will continue to pay dividends long into the future.

At this early stage, determining your target market, finding the most economical solution for your particular niche, and getting a return on your investment (ROI) through branding or paid search marketing all are important issues that must be addressed. Learning the terminology and lingo surrounding those issues will enable you to make the best decisions for your business. 

ic and paid listings appear in response to the same user query (in this case “organic coffee”), the results are independent of each other. This allows for websites that do not rank highly in the organic listing to rank at or near the top through paid searches. We’ll go into greater depth on this topic in future blog posts.

As a small business owner or entrepreneur, it pays to know what your choices are and if you’re reading this blog…CONGRATULATIONS! Because chances are, you’ve already taken advantage of GoHuman’s free search directory as a first step in marketing your business. And if you haven’t signed up yet, go to www.GoHuman.com and choose the level of service that you feel will benefit your business the most. We’re changing the way your world works!