Marketing Your Business Through Social Media

It is very important for a business to choose proper marketing strategies to invest in their company to be successful. One of the most useful and cost-effective marketing tools inside of digital marketing a small business can use to reach their target audience is through social media. What makes social media so powerful for marketing? It has been studied that over 97% of businesses are using it to reach their audiences, below are several reasons why.

Your Customers and Competition Are on Social Media

One main reason for small businesses to be utilizing social media for their marketing strategies is the fact that many of your customers are spending their time on these channels already. Studies have shown that 70% of the U.S population has at least 1 form of social media accounts created. With the great mass amount of people accessing these platforms, sometimes even multiple times each day, it creates a great opportunity for businesses that are wanting to reach online audiences.  Not only are your potential customers using social media but so are many competitors. No matter what style of industry, or who the targeted audience is, social media can impact your business marketing. To remain competitive is important to build a presence online in social media to present your brand in a unique way to show your industry expertise and knowledge.

Social Media Marketing Is Cost-Effective

Choosing to use social media for your marketing needs will help you cut costs for advertisement without sacrificing results. Social media will cost you time that you invest in creating and posting content more than the actual dollar amount associated. Even just a simple few hours a week focused on your account can see great results. If your company decides to use social media advertising as part of your marketing strategy, depending on the goals of the campaign it can still be inexpensive to run paid ads on media such as Facebook and Twitter.

Improve Search Engine Rankings

When increasing your online appearance through social media, there is a good chance you are also, in turn, improving your search engine optimization at the same time. Search engines such as Google may use social media presence as a factor in website ranking. Brands that tend to be successful have healthy interactive social media accounts that can flag their accounts as valuable and trusting. Search engines also pay attention to behavior on social media that has content with links and social signals, such as likes, and shares associated with the posts as well. Ranking factors are in a constant change but having an updated and well-maintained social media account will typically always bring positive effects.

Creative Programs and Systems is an all-inclusive tech company that specializes in Custom DevelopmentManaged IT Services, and Digital Marketing.  All work is done in-house, we never outsource services from custom server builds and workstations, custom software programming and phone app development, to search engine optimization and paid advertising, our professionals provide results.  For more information on CPS check out our website at https://www.cpsmi.com.



Is It Time To Replace Your PC

We get asked all the time if clients should replace their personal computers or if it is worth repairing.  Many of us get used to the quirks of our own computers.  Over time we know what works and what doesn’t. We know when to wiggle the connections and when a simple reboot will reset the system.  This is one reason it is so difficult to diagnosis when it’s time for a person’s PC to be upgraded.  Below are some of the signs we look for to know it is time to transfer that data to a new computer.

One sign that it is time to upgrade your PC is when you can no longer install the latest upgrades to the computers operating system.  New versions in operating systems weren’t always a priority for users however with the latest update to Windows 10 everything has changed.  Most of us stick with operating system our computers come with when we purchase them.  We ignore upgrades and continue functioning under the status quo of the system that is familiar to us.  Computer users with Windows XP are finding that computers still using this operating system are now obsolete.

We also know it is time to upgrade when users can no longer use the computer to run the latest apps and games.  Gaming on personal computers is costly.  All PC users try to “future-proof” their computers but there will always be something to upgrade when you own a personal computer.

Another reason to replace your PC is because it has become slow.  A slow computer means something different to every user.  You will know when your PC becomes too slow for you.  Does the computer boot up only after you have brewed an entire pot of coffee?  Can you type an entire sentence before even one word appears on the computer screen?  Is the computer grinding to a complete halt when you open more than a single screen?  If things used to work faster than they do and they are no longer functioning as you know them to it is time to upgrade your PC.

If you find yourself spending more time repairing your computer than enjoying it that is a clear sign you need to upgrade.  When it becomes a nuisance to own your personal computer then it is time to buy a new one.   Your computer should not crash without an explanation, the wi-fi should stay connected, systems should not freeze these are all signs, as is the blue screen of death, that your computer should be replaced.

Computers Plus Service, in Brighton Michigan, provides a wide range of valuable services for residential computer repair as well as a variety of commercial computer services to the entire Livingston County area including Howell, Brighton and the surrounding areas.  You can find out more about the services offered by CPS at http://www.cpsmi.com.

The Difference Between Paid and Organic Online Marketing

Online marketing remains one of life’s little mysteries for business owners looking to expand upon their online presence.  Confusion basically stems from two general differences: paid advertising and organic search rankings.

Let’s start out by talking about paid advertising.  Paid search engine marketing refers to advertising in which a business pays for ad placement based upon a targeted search.

Google Adwords is the term most business owners are familiar with when discussing paid advertising.  However it is important to note that Google is the most widely used search engine other options are available when it comes to paid ads.  Both Bing and Yahoo offer paid ad services.  Google is the most used search engine and therefore paid ads places within the search and display networks associated with Google will cost more than those places within Yahoo or Bing.  You are paying more because more advertisers are using the service and more traffic is essentially viewing your ads.

Many companies with smaller advertising budgets choose to place their paid advertising dollars on smaller search engines such as Bing largely because the costs per person reached are much lower than with Google.  The main disadvantage is the decrease in users associated with the less known search engines.

When you company is looking into paid ads it is important to be realistic.  If your paid operating budget for a month is five hundred dollars and you are in a highly competitive market, for instance home improvement, law, pest management etc… then it may be best for you to use your paid advertising on search engines with lower ad costs such as Bing, Yahoo, Microsoft etc…  The competition will be lower, the ad costs will be less and the amount paid per click will be less expensive which goes along with the theory that fewer people are using these search engines;  less ad competition results in less expensive per click fees, while reaching targeted consumers.

If your operating budget is unlimited and you are seeking to reach the largest number of people without expense being a concern paid advertising with Google Adwords is ideal.  The number of people using Google as a search engine is higher than Yahoo, Bing, and Microsoft etc….  The competition within Google is greater because of the number of advertisers seeking to reach targeted consumers because of the popularity that Google offers as a search engine therefore the competition for higher ad space is greater leading to a more expensive per click cost.

In both scenarios companies are paying for their ad to be placed in front of potential consumers based on results from targeted search terms.  No matter what search engine is used a user searching for Pest Control will find ads at the top and down the right hand side of business that have bid on the keyword Pest Control.   Higher ad placement goes to those advertisers willing to spend more per click.  Paid advertising is a key element when looking for consumers who are actively seeking targeted business services.

Another service that is offered to clients that is crucial to online marketing success is SEO, otherwise known as search engine optimization.  SEO refers to the method in which a company reaches higher organic search rankings.  This service involves a variety of activities that work with your website to increase your site rankings on search engines when your services are being targeted through a consumers search.

The process of SEO is complicated and constantly evolving.  Search engines are constantly changing algorithms and their methods of placement to avoid companies looking for higher rankings through unsavory online activities.

A combination of methods to achieve the highest possible organic search results for clients possible without the risk of being blacklisted.  We use a combination of blog creation and management, social media integration including the creation and management of Facebook, Google Plus, Instagram, Twitter, press releases, video marketing, article marketing and more.  Most importantly we focus on the content of your website to ensure it is evolving as the company continues to.  Our web team also places a high value on the backend of your site ensuring that is search engine friendly meaning that search engines will understand exactly what it is that is being offered based on title tags, site descriptions and tags used in programming your site.

Online presence is more important now than ever before.  Out are the days of reaching for a phone book and looking up a certain key phrase in the yellow pages to find a business to meet your need. In are the days at having information at the touch of a button.  Your business must be present online to draw in and retain customers.  Consumers are looking for information on your business right then and there while they are ready to take action.  Your website, social media presence, blog updates, reviews and testimonials will all say a lot about your business.  SEO companies are here to help ensure the message they are receiving is the one that you want to be presenting.

Computers Plus Service, in Brighton Michigan, provides a wide range of valuable services for residential computer repair as well as a variety of commercial computer services to the entire Livingston County area including Howell, Brighton and the surrounding areas.  You can find out more about the services offered by CPS at http://www.cpsmi.com.