These are the questions I hear from local clients: I have a local catering business so how will a web presence help me? We’re a dental practice and what does pumping up our web presence have to do with getting more patients?

Local businesses aren’t always aware of how well a website can market a business. Some are realizing it and others are already there and reaping the rewards of a well-targeted website. So I’m going to put up a brief list regarding how local businesses can get in on the google action. With the right meta tags, called geo tags, local businesses can get found by locals. Then there is the obvious Google listing where you find your listing and enter your website, photos and other detail.

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Have you noticed those Google map listings lately? The ones that come up with a map to the left when you type in a category like appliance stores, city, state? If you are listed as a business and listed in the phone book, you have a page. And you can edit your page, add photos, a coupon a picture and even a video. Example is here. Click on more results near Richmond, Virginia and you see a listing. Look at the top, fill in a category and city and find your business.

If people add reviews, it seems to bump you to the top. I don’t know if that will last forever but a pretty great way to get to be number one on Google. If you have a website, that listing will link to your site as well. Pretty sweet.

If you have not updated your listing, go find yours now! If you do not have a listing, you can create one by going to Google Business Center.

Whether you don’t have an internet presence at all or your present blog or website makes you look like a kindergartner on crack, this free tutorial will help guide you to establishing a professional image for your product, portfolio or service.

How do you get it? Sign up for the newsletter (upper left hand corner) and get the Free pdf on how to install a Wordpress blog on your own domain url. This is a step by step guide with pictures.

It includes:

• Setting up a host account that will allow you to install in 30 seconds or less.
• Setting it up with a host BlueHost.com, that allows you one button updates. (I’d rather set my hair on fire than update this software again. One button SAVES hours of time and frustration. Not to mention your hair.)
• Free domain url, $50 in Google Adwords, $50 in Yahoo ppc, Site promotion pkg and easy wordpress install and updates with a new account.
• Your final cost? $6.95 per month with BlueHost or other WordPress host. If you add up all the freebies, you actually come out richer in the deal over the entire year.
• This free eTutorial takes you from step one to the uploading of a theme.
• You get links to legit theme sites that DO NOT download malicious software.

Pump your internet presence with the power of WordPress and it’s rss feeds, widgets, keyword cloud, free plugins. You can get plugins for slideshows and lots of other functions.

Want to know more about my eNewsletter and what you’re getting into? See the Newsletter signup Page.

Don’t just take a product or service and list the features. You’re making the target do the work. And I have a newsflash for you. The target is lazy and will click away. So you have to lay it out for them. Take a brickbat and whop your target over the head with that emotional benefit. Not literally, of course.

For instance, you sell protein powder.

It builds big muscle.

So what?

A nice muscular physique attracts the attention of hot babes.

So what?

When you have the bod, the babes “reward” you more often in the way you like to be rewarded. And often.

There, emotional trigger.

So take your features and benefits and make sure you phrase it so that your target knows how this benefit or feature BENEFITS him/her. This is why you need to know and define your target market. So you know when you discover that emotional trigger.

For the next few posts, I’m going to share some tips on how to take a product or service and find the sweet spot to help you sell. There are many methods of doing this, so hopefully, you’ll find what works for you.

The key to copywriting is the research. The key to selling is KNOWING your target audience.

It’s really getting into the mind of your market. You just keep researching and finding out about the market until you feel like they do. Then when it comes time to write, you have the mindset and ideas write themselves.

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STEP ONE- Intro
STEP TWO- Defining a Target Market.
STEP THREE- Nailing a position strategy, playing with headlines.
STEP FOUR- Narrowing the position strategy and finalizing headlines.You are at Step Four.

Position Strategy: Position the product as a fun dance DVD that nurtures positive child development qualities like building confidence.

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Possible Headlines:

Nurture potential, foster self esteem, provide opportunities for self expression. And enjoy the heck out of watching your child in the process.

Confident and accomplished young women start as confident little girls. You can foster that development with rip roaring fun dance DVD.It may look like a mild-mannered dance DVD. But it’s a rip roaring fun way to build a child’s confidence and foster self esteem.

It is a rip roaring fun dance DVD. It’s also an investment in your child’s positive emotional development.

This fun dance DVD causes serious side effects including but not limited to building confidence and a sense of accomplishment.

Don’t let the fun and frivolous nature of this rip roaring fun dance DVD fool you. It causes serious side effects such as increased sense of accomplishment.

This rip-roaring fun dance DVD is a confidence booster in disguise.

It may look like a fun dance DVD. But it’s a confidence booster in disguise.

It is a head bobbing, heart-pumping, rip-roaring fun dance DVD. Building confidence in your young child has never been so much fun to watch.

Nurture your child’s potential; foster her self esteem with a rip-roaring fun dance DVD.

From a child’s point of view it’s a rip roaring fun dance dvd. From your perspective it’s a rip roaring fun self esteem builder.

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I’m going to let these marinate in my brain. Meanwhile, if you have an opinion, suggestion or alternates….

We’ll focus on the concept combo of fun and development.

From the prior list, here’s what we have. We need to flesh out some more headlines with this strategy in mind.

It may look like a dance DVD. But it’s a confidence booster in disguise.

It is a fun dance DVD. It’s also an investment in your child’s emotional development.

Your child thinks it’s a great dvd.

This is a good position but needs some finessing.

Foster your child’s self esteem by nurturing her potential and desires in a fun way

STEP ONE- Intro
STEP TWO- Defining a Target Market.
STEP THREE- Strategies and Headlines- You are at Step Three

I’ve drawn from ideas you guys have posted and my own to develop what you see here.

Strategy Positioning Statement:

This dvd nurtures emotional growth in children by inspiring self expression which is the key to fostering self confidence and success.

Target Market- There’s a lot more to the target of course. See Step Two for an idea of defining the target:

Women with daughters who want toys or DVDs that nurture something or offer some developmental or educational benefit. They are the segment of the market who will value this the most and are most likely to see the benefit of this DVD. While there are many potential target markets, we want the target who will value what it has to offer the most and aim communications at that market. Headline Ideas:

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