CBD is actually what we call the ‘healthy’ version of cannabis, it has a whole lot of good properties without any mind altering side effects.

Check it out at https://myinsomniafix.com

Peggy and the Schatzlein family needed to update an old broken website.  They had heard about wordpress but didn’t know what to do next.  We helped them figure out a plan to move forward and they couldn’t be happier with the results!

Cravings Wine Bar in Woodbury MN

Cravings Wine Bar desperately needed a facelift!

The old site was very dated and the new owner wanted to have a new site that showed the direction he wants to take the business.  Doing away with the old blah tan colors and bringing out a classy nightlife feel was the goal of this project.

Check it out -> www.cravingswinebar.com

Duluth’s Best Christmas Tree Wreaths!

Balsam wreath is making everybody’s christmas season a little merrier. We helped them develop an online store with the ability to gift wreaths and other items so their customers can send the christmas cheer around the country all from one website.

M5Media also helped them with SEO visibility and it has led to a huge increase to their bulk orders for corporate customers. If you are interested in learning what your online visibility looks like then click here. You can also checkout the northland’s best christmas wreath supplier at Northland’s Best Christmas Tree Wreath Suppliers

We crafted a logo and business stationary for her as well as a website with a clean design that showcases her work.

Check it out at www.lynnpetersondesign.com

Ryan’s Cafe Site.

Check it out: www.corpeats.com

Did you catch that?  If you don’t cater to mobile and tablets than you are alienating over 50% of your audience.  That’s like having a front door that randomly locks for half the people coming into the store, I don’t think anybody in business would call that a good idea. :-)

Check out this site in a browser: www.oaklakeconstruction.com then in a smart phone.  See how it changes?  The page collapses to fit the narrow screen of a mobile phone and some elements are removed to make it simpler.  This could be the difference between a mobile phone user getting frustrated and going to the competition vs. going with your company.

M5Media can tell you more, contact us for a free consultation.

That sounds great, but how do I do that?

The right marketing plan for every business is different, but it often consists of a combination of the points below.  M5Media can set you on the right track to help you capture business from the web, call today to get your questions answered – 651-212-9430 or continue reading below…

The Online Marketing Landscape

Monetizing your website can be done in many ways…

1. Organic Search – Strategies to influence the search engines, also known as Search Engine Optimization or SEO
2. Local Search – Citations and getting your business listings out there on well trafficked portals on the web (google +, manta, superpages.com, foursquare, etc. )
3. Social Media – Facebook, Twitter, Pinnterest, Yelp, and others.
4. Youtube – using video to get your message across and capture customers
5. Email Marketing – If you have a customer list – you need to keep in contact with them

You can choose any or all of these, M5Media will consult with you and put you on track for success in all of these areas depending on your needs.

Here’s a heat map of what people look at when they are viewing search results – the ‘hot’ area is (you guessed it) local search results:

Local Business and Business Profile Management

With Google’s latest penguin update upon us, Local Search is of more and more interest to the big search engines.  Google knows that the majority of people are looking for goods and services in their area, in other words – local traffic.  The fact of the matter is that most businesses have a local customer base, not a national one.  Consider this:

• 73% of consumers search for local businesses FIRST via the internet
• 82% use search engines like google.

Think about that… think about what that means to a business.  It means that if you do not have an up-to-date and attractive business website, and you are not reaching out through local search – you are missing out on a huge chunk of business that is going to your competitors.

• Setting up a special offer to reach out to customers on computer and mobile phones is crucial here. With the rise of groupon and similar sites, customers want to feel they are getting a deal.
• M5Media can get your business into the databases that mobile phones and car GPS systems use as part of our local SEO package, can you imagine the possibilities?

The Local Search Ecosystem

This is a graphic representing the main spheres of Local Search.  There are many more, but the most influential of them are shown above.  This is where we step in to get your business profile out to these places and get more local business.

This is done in two ways:

1. Directly – consumers come upon your business listings in local search portals (shown above) and call or email you to develop a business relationship (or buy directly if you are an ecommerce provider)
2. Indirectly – These listings on other major portals or ‘citations ‘count as ‘votes’ for Google’s algorithm and help boost your rankings in the organic listings on Google’s Search Portal.

This also influences the effectiveness of Search Engine Optimization efforts.  You’ve probably heard of the saying ‘the whole is greater than the sum of it’s parts’ this is a good example of that.  By getting your business profile out on the ecosystem, you create what are called ‘citations’ which direct traffic to your site, enhance your efforts in SEO, and push more people to your website’s landing page.

The Youtube Influence

Youtube.com has become a huge part of the web.  Businesses need to learn to capture this market with video ads (above).  Google now owns Youtube.com, so the search giant is also referencing video content in their search results which is where you want to be represented.  Here is an example of a web video that was created for an HVAC company.  M5Media also created their website.  This video is on their site, as well as youtube.com which helps capture both markets and drive home the message – www.sunburstheating.com

The combination of everything we have done for this company results in a #1 Google Organic Ranking for many keywords, and a #1 Local Listing ranking for keywords that trigger local search results.

Why all this matters…

You may saying to yourself, wow – this is all interesting but how can it help me?  The answer to that is that getting business through the internet requires a multi-faceted approach that includes some or all of these avenues.  M5Media is your partner in figuring out a web marketing plan that works, is cost effective for your business, and provides great ROI.

The problem with most traditional marketing is it’s cost, lack of targeting, and ROI.  By harnessing the power of the web, you can put your marketing dollars to better use.  As opposed to ‘spray and pray’ marketing, online marketing is focused on only marketing your products and services to those who are actively looking for them, resulting in much more effective, targeted advertising.

If this is still slightly mysterious to you, click here to see a video on different aspects of internet marketing.  This video is a little older so it does not include the search engines latest push for local, but the video still contains good information.  Click here to View.

But we don’t stop there!!

We also will follow up with you each quarter to keep information about your business current and review your statistics and overall marketing strategy.  We can make recommendations and changes for your website, and get any special offers you have out on the web to distance you from your competitors.  We also partner with some social media companies and will work with you on pushing content out to social media channels like facebook, twitter, and pinterest.

I hope this has developed for you a foundation of how the web works for businesses.

For more information, or to schedule a website analysis and marketing meeting – contact me at mark@m5media.net

For those of you who picked up our card, feel free to have a look around and contact us if you are in need of web development services.  We are working on a new CMS based on CodeIgnitor which is interesting – never a dull day in the IT field!  We can develop a website from start to finish and help with marketing it too.  For advanced tactics, we have a network of experts for fields such as advanced systems administration, python development, and social media campaigns.