So if you are emailing me, I won’t be available. It’s back to the bare essentials in life to get life in perspective.

Internet classes will resume as normal on Tuesday night at 7 pm central.

The link to the Most Often Asked Questions cleaners have about Internet Marketing…

www.Hitmanadvertising.com/FAQ

Here’s some questions I’ve received in the last few days.  If you have a question or comment, click the comment link below.

Can I fire my optimization company after the class?
It’s possible. You will be shown many of tricks they use.  But if you choose to hire one, at least you’ll be educated on how to hire a good optimization company.

Does the info only apply to carpet cleaners? 
No.  It applies to all local businesses.

What night do the classes take place?
Every Tuesday at 7pm central time.  When you register, you’ll be able to take ALL the modules plus come back again and agan to take the class every time it runs.

What if I miss a class?
Don’t worry. They are all recorded and will be available on the member page.

How long is the class?
It’s for 9 weeks. There will be one week we don’t meet in July while I’m on vacation.

How long are the calls?
Webinar last 60-120 minutes. It depends on how many questions we have.

Will I get to ask questions I have about internet marketing?
Absolutely! You can email me privately or ask your questions on the webinar.

Where will the class meet?
On the internet via webinar. You’ll get the sign in link upon sign-up.

Can I really take the class over and over?
Yes. Every time the class runs, you’ll be let in FREE.

To register right now for classes starting Tuesday, June 9th, click below…

www.Hitmanadvertising.com/internetclass
 

“Do you have a list of components needed to make my website sell?”

Consumers searching the internet for a local business are looking for two things:

1) Are you REALLY local?

2) Can you be trusted?

You’ve only got a few seconds. Make sure your site clearly answers YES to these questions quickly.

Here are 9 important things your website needs to sell:

1. Your city name at the top of your webpage
2. Your city name embedded in the title tag and meta-tags
3. Pictures of you, your shop, your trucks, your employees, and your clients
4. Videos of your cleaning system, testimonials, and message from the owner
5. Testimonials from clients who love you
6. Your written guarantee with all the details
7. Opt in box for your e-mail newsletter
8. Estimate inquiry form. Let them get an estimate while on your site
9. Call to action. Make sure you tell your prospect what you want them to do

To see the entire replay of the Internet Marketing Q & A call, go to

www.Hitmanadvertising.com/FAQ

I answered the most frequently asked questions cleaners have about internet marketing.

Click the link below to go to the webinar replay page:

www.Hitmanadvertising.com/FAQ

Get your internet marketing questions answered on this special Internet Marketing Q & A webinar. You’ll also get some ideas on how to make your website book more cleaning jobs.

Register FREE at https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/222171811

Here’s what the telemarketer told me:

You know how I feel about making an advertising decision based on a sales call.

JUST SAY NO.

When someone calls you to sell advertising, they want you to make a split decision. Basically, they want you to re-do your advertising plan to include them.

Have you ever purchased advertising based on a sales call that turned out to be profitable? It’s VERY rare.

Here’s what I want you to do…make your advertising plan based on a well thought out decision. Then, contact the appropriate media to make an educated decision.

Don’t let someone else plan your advertising for you.

Here’s what an ELocal salesperson said when they called me the other day.

This may help shed a little light on what search engine optimization means.

The salesperson announced she was selling “Top Placement in Google.” Wow, this sounds great.

She had me pull up the search for “carpet cleaning in aurora oh” as her example. Then she pointed me to the local business results at the top for Google maps.

She called it the top ten of Google. “This isn’t the top ten of Google”, I said. “It’s the local map business search results.”

I can see how easy it is to confuse this subject when the person calling me from ELocal wasn’t quite sure herself. After all, the section she was speaking about is fairly new.

But the truth is, while the local business results listed get clicks, they don’t get as many clicks as normal Google searches.

And the other really bad mistake was the keywords were NOT the best choice. Most SEO professionals have no idea which keywords to use for carpet cleaning.

First, the word “in” should NOT be included. Second, any time you include a state abbreviation, the number of people searching is reduced. And finally, Aurora, Ohio is has a population of 13k people.

It’s actually really easy to get ranked for a keyword term like “carpet cleaning in aurora oh”. But it isn’t the most beneficial keyword for the carpet cleaner in Aurora.

But many SEO professionals aren’t interested in finding the correct keywords because it’s easier for them to rank their clients for the lesser effective keywords. And the bad part is, their clients don’t know they’re getting ranked for the wrong keyword phrases.

Their client thinks since they are ranking #1 in a keyword, it’ll get them traffic. But ranking #1 in the wrong keyword won’t bring you as much traffic.

So remember kids, JUST SAY NO to sales calls for advertising.

And make sure you hire a qualified SEO professional.

Here’s an article I recently wrote for ICS Magazine.  To find more artcicles on internet marketing and advertising, search here or go to www.ICSmag.com and search for “John Braun.”

Who was that carpet cleaner we hired last year? What was his company’s name?

This may come as a shock to you, but most of your clients don’t remember who you are. It doesn’t matter how thrilled they were with the job you did. They just can’t remember you.

A small percentage of your clients may keep your business card or brochure. If you leave a nifty fridge magnet or bottle of spot remover, it aides in helping them remember. But out of the few who remember, many will lose the keepsakes you left.

Sending your clients something in their physical mailbox is the BEST way to keep your clients. Brochures, leave-behind spotters, magnets-they all work. But NOTHING replaces a good old fashioned piece of mail in the mailbox.

But what about email newsletters?

They work great. I’m one of the biggest advocates in the cleaning industry for internet marketing. But I gotta let you know email does NOT replace a physical mailing. You should be doing both. Many of your clients don’t have access to email or don’t check their email regularly.

How often do you receive something in your mailbox from a local company you do business with? Not too often. Personally, I get something in the mail only a few times a year. So just the fact that you take the time to mail your clients something helps you stand out from your competition.

How often should you mail? Mail to your clients at least every other month. But every month would be ideal. Consider mailing clients who haven’t used you in over a year a special mail-out stating you miss cleaning for them.

Personalization of your newsletter is the key.

Even if you use an already done for you newsletter, make sure you add personalization. Your clients want to do business with a real person.

They want to know who you are. They want to know what is going on in your business. Adding personalization in your newsletter will give you customers for life.

Below is a list of things you can include to help your clients get to know you.

• Stories of your employees (certifications, new babies, etc)
• Stories of recent jobs (extraordinary commercial or water damage job)
• Stories of you (vacations, hobbies, etc)
• Stories of your family, kids, dog, etc
• Spot removal tips you personally have found effective
• Spotlight one of your services (tile, grout sealing, fabric protection, etc)
• Spotlight one of the key benefits of your service (fast drying, health, etc)

Your first thought may be that your clients don’t want to read about you. However, the biggest responses I’ve ever received from my newsletter have been when I’ve mentioned personal stuff going on in my life or in my company.

What should you send?

A healthy variation is good. It would be a good idea to send postcards of various sizes. On occasion, mail a tri-folded self mailer. But know the US Postal Service has recently required tabbing on bulk mailed self mailers. The problem with tabbing is it makes it more difficult for your mailer to get opened. Oversized postcards with newsletter content may be a new wise choice.

Whatever you decide, mail something! Include at least a tidbit of personalization in every newsletter you do. You’ll see an increase in customer loyalty and money in your bank account.

To get your newsletter postcards and TONS of advertising ideas go to www.HitmanAdvertising.com/coaching  

You might want to take note of this…

The US postal service is no longer allowing self mailers to be bulk mailed without tabs as of May 11, 2009 (first class mail is still okay but you gotta pay $.44 a pop versus about $.24 for bulk mail).

This actually poses a bit of a problem.

As many of you know, I used to recommend mailing self mailed newsletters. It’s simply an 8 ½ x 11 inch page that is tri-folded. If you fold it where the page opens at the top, the postal service did NOT require tabbing. But now they do.

Tabs make your newsletter more difficult to open. Plus, they add cost to the preparation. So I always recommend you avoid using them.

So now I decided to one-up the old newsletter style and do something a little different.

Here’s what I’m doing…

Instead of the old, tri-fold self mailers, I’m starting to send oversized postcard newsletters. That’s right. They’ll be full color. They have articles, pictures, offers, and everything my old newsletters had.

And what’s more, these newsletters will include a spin of personality. Our clients will know our company brand. Plus they’ll personally be drawn closer to our company.

I highly recommend you mail to your current clients and high-end neighborhoods in which you want to be top-of-mind.

Mail to these people every month. A newsletter postcard makes this simple and cost effective.

Why didn’t I think of this sooner?

You can either create your newsletter yourself or if you’re a member of my Ad of the Month Club, you get them already done for you.

To get these newsletters made for you every month, go to www.Hitmanadvertising.com/coaching

NEW BONUS:  Plus, Ad of the Month members also get exclusive internet marketing training not taught ANYWHERE else.  You’ll learn how to get #1 in Google, how to use Google Adwords, easy email marketing, and more.  The internet is hands down the best return on your advertising dollar. 

Visit www.Hitmanadvertising.com/coaching for details.

But the internet can be tricky. Where do you spend your money?

• Is it good to advertise on Yellowpages.com?
• Should you spend $1,500 per month on an SEO company?
• How do I get #1 in Google?

These are questions I get asked every day.

But now I want to answer your specific questions.

What do YOU want to know about how to get more jobs from the internet? 

Ask me anything by Clicking Here

Find out the newest program I revealed at Roundtable…..click here