Google and the small business
BuzzFeed just spilled the secret that Google plans to announce a new product that helps in-home service businesses connect with customers better. They didn’t reveal just how the product would do this, so we will have to sit tight until the announcement later this Spring.
This is no surprise, as Google has been making many efforts to help businesses connect with customers better.
Since 2011, Google’s Get Your Business Online Team has provided workshops in every U.S. state to equip thousands of business owners with a one website, an updated Google Maps and an updated Google Search listing.
One small business owner saw significant increase in sales after updating her business information in a Google workshop. According to Google, only 37% of businesses claim a local listing on a search engine, and 4 out of 5 people use search engines to get information about businesses.
Two weeks ago, Google launched the ‘Let’s Put Our Cities on the Map,’ which is a new program to help 30,000 cities get their local businesses online.Its goal is to not just reach thousands of business owners, but every business owner, which, in turn, helps states generate even more revenue.
Each city gets a custom website with helpful resources and a diagnostic tool to see how your business appears on Google Search and Google Maps. Each also has a step-by-step guide for creating and updating your Google My Business listing, and businesses can get a free website and domain name for one year with Startlogic, who is a Google partner.
On top of the custom website, Google is partnering with local business and community organizations and providing tools to run workshops to help its initiative. You can visit gybo.com to check out your city and help your favorite local business get on the map.
To get in touch with MJR Visuals for your next video project, send us a message in our contact form today!
Struggling in search? info from a media solutions company.
Struggling in search? Gone are the times when search results didn’t affect your business. If you’re still thinking this way, it’s time to redirect your focus. Search results have an impact on your bottom line.
Luckily, search engine optimization tactics are available to improve your presence in search results. Google even gives out a great starter guide for anyone wanting to learn.
There are two main areas you will want to start with when optimizing for search engines - your business listings and your website. These are the typically the areas with the most problems and also have a big impact on your search presence. Here are a few tips to help improve your search presence in these areas.
Check your business listings. Have you listed or claimed and verified your business on Google? Do you have a business listing on Bing Places, Yelp, Yahoo! or YP? Do you have social media profiles? If you don’t have all of these, you have some work to do. Not only that, you need to make sure your business’ name, address, phone number and URL are all consistent. Fill out each listing to 100% complete, name your files with your business’ name, location and services, and make sure to select the right categories. Many of these sites are interconnected, so you are sending information to more than one business listing directory. Make sure it’s right.
Tip: Don’t spend any money with any business listings. You can find a plethora of business listing directories that don’t charge you anything. Excluding social media profiles, Bing and Google, I don’t recommend advertising with any of these business listing directories, either.
Next, check your website. Do you have any broken links? Do you have an XML Sitemap? Have you filled out and optimized the meta information on all of your site’s pages? Are you pages filled with content? Ask your web developer to check and fix any broken links on your website. If you use a Wordpress website, remember, when you change a URL on an already published page, you have to create a 301 redirect, or it will be a broken link, which search engines don’t like. Follow Google’s guidelines for creating an XML Sitemap and submit it in Webmaster Tools. Fill out and optimize your meta information on your website. Use Google’s Keyword Planner Tool to guide which keyword you should optimize for and include the location in which your business operates and services. Lastly, content on your site should be flowing at all times. Through a blog, updates, social feeds, etc. Get used to being a publisher, because the best brands are becoming so. Make sure your pages have lots of content, provide great direction for your visitors, and speak customer service.
Before sending users to your site, search engines want to know that your website will provide an optimal experience for the searcher. Tactics such as building an XML sitemap, filling out meta information, and having a presence on major business listing sites and social media, help by providing a trustworthy and consistent data and information for Google to store in its database to remember about your business the next time someone is searching for a business like yours.
Once you get the basics down, the next key is to get social, on social media, and always keep your website, social media profiles, business listings and everything else fresh and updated. If you are actively taking care of your search presence, your search results will improve and so will your profits. Investing time in your organic search presence will last longer and reap many rewards. The key is to stay patient.
To partner with MJR Visuals for your next video project, send us a message through our contact form.
Video production company talks on a live event for the Embassy.
Video production company talks on a live event for the Embassy. The most nerve racking thing are live events. The reason for the stress level is that you only have one chance to capture everything you need to make a good compelling video. If your lucky you can go to the rehearsal to get an understand of what will happen on the day, if your lucky.
We were commissioned to produce a highlight video (yes I know this is 10 minutes and stating it’s a highlight is different but) for the Uzbek Embassy. Now at this event there were at least 15 Ambassadors and dignitaries. The stress level was high, to make it even more of a challenge was that it was extremely dark (in concerns to filming).
Video production is an art and not an exact science, I find it interesting as you can plan for a lot of different occurrences but when you get in the moment creativity takes over and you capturer what your eye sees….I’m happy with the outcome of the video and the event. Take a look and enjoy.
Highlight Video of Celebration Event for the Uzbek embassy from MJRVisuals on Vimeo.
Pinterest and video production for your business
Pinterest and video production for your business ; Pinterest has become a great resource for many women, and has even grown popular to men. It is visual, making it enjoyable to navigate. It has extensive search filters, making it easy to navigate, and it provides a place to save links and ideas for later use and conveniences.
Luckily, there is room for businesses in the action. Pinterest users don’t mind product promotions, enjoy reading blog posts and want to connect with their favorite companies.
Wal-Mart has 38,278 followers. Target has almost 450,000 followers. If these statistics don’t get you excited for opportunities on Pinterest, I don’t know what will!
Pinterest is another way to reach your potential customers and can be a great resource for growing your business.Here are 8 tips to get your business started on Pinterest.
- Add a Pinterest social media icon to your website, so your customers can quickly access your profile.
- Add Pin It buttons to your website, so your visitors can easily pin content and link back to your site. The directions to install are on Pinterest and are very easy to follow.
- Add a Pinterest widget or feed to your website. This way, your visitors can see your latest activity.
- Verify your website on Pinterest Analytics to get the numbers on the performance and popularity of your pins.
- Try to create images with a 2:3 ratio. These are proven to perform better.
- Get a basic understanding of the categories and keywords that Pinterest users will be using when looking for your pins and consistently optimize each of your pins for them.
- Start engaging with others by tagging your followers, following users who like pages like yours, and inviting your other social media followers to join you on Pinterest.
- Don’t just wing it -- have a strategy. Set goals, create a schedule and be interactive.
MJR Visuals is good for not only providing online marketing tips, but engaging your potential customers through video marketing. Click Here to Contact us today!
Mrs. DC America 2015
When you look back on your life, work, career most people can find that moment in those lives when things changed. I’m not talking about that ONE singular moment that made difference because as I get older I realize there are many of those moments where you either go left at the fork or right.
Well when I started MJRvisuals I did it as a hobby and I didn’t know where it would lead. In step Mrs DC America. About 3 months into actually filming anything professionally and not as a “hobby”, the organization contacted me and asked if I could film the Mrs DC America pageant for broadcast TV. I want you to understand that up into this point I was making videos of birthdays and local bands.
This was one of my forks in the road it was also 2011.
To say the video was bad is an understatement, well actually bad to me might be good to you as it did air; a few times on TV. It was a lesson learned, many in fact. It also grew mjrvisuals from being a birthday videographer to what I am today. Now in 2015 the pageant is exponentially larger and I have grown as well. Im still doing their videos. lol. Wow.
Check out two teaser interviews for the ladies of the Mrs. DC America Pageant 2015. Brought to you by MJRvisuals.
Mrs. DC America 2015 contestant - Elaine Keitz from MJRVisuals on Vimeo.
Mrs DC America 2015 contestant - Lindagrace de la cruz from MJRVisuals on Vimeo.
Video Production of a Ballet and Dance
I always talk about videography is about creativity. It’s funny as when you film certain things the videographer is not the creative one but the people whom you are filming. This is the case with West End Dance Company. They are a group of ladies that I had the pleasure of working with for the first time about 2 years ago. We filmed there first commercial “Matters of the Heart”. It was beautiful. Since then i have produced a number of commercials fro them, one used as a commercial when they played on broadway. Amazing. There most recent is Holy Water. They are creative, beautiful and amazing in their dance. They make it hard because I have to be just as creative to bring it out and not mess it up.
Take the time and watch them below. They will keep you mesmerized.
holy water from MJRVisuals on Vimeo.
MARLBORO LIGHTS from MJRVisuals on Vimeo.
"Cut the Rope" a ballet choreographed by Amber DeGaray from MJRVisuals on Vimeo.
West End Dance Company Ballet from MJRVisuals on Vimeo.
Behind the Scenes of a Military Commercial Video Production
We shot a commercial for a Military Training Video. The commercial consisted of a lot of actors, weapons, helicopters, and action. Watch the team go to work and see how we get it done. MJRvisuals is a video production company that offers creative and imagination visual solutions. http://mjrvisuals.com