Local Business Marketing: Simply Connected

Vivial

Welcome to Simply Connected, a Vivial podcast series designed to help local business owners learn digital marketing tips, tricks, and insights from industry experts that will help you find and engage with customers online.

Vivial, a digital marketing agency, has partnered with hundreds of thousands of local businesses, big and small, across thousands of industries to ensure they are found online using digital marketing.

Your host for this series is Laura Cole, Vivial's V.P. of Marketing. Laura has worked with local businesses over the last 20 years to plan, develop, and implement strategies to grow their business. From the height of traditional media to the introduction of digital marketing and the evolution of mobile, she has seen it all. To learn more about Laura Cole, find her on LinkedIn.

In each episode, Laura will invite experts to join her as she dives into different aspects of digital marketing. From text messaging and social media best practices to content marketing and SEO hacks, this series will give you actionable insights that will help you drive sales, engage with your customers and stay "Simply Connected." read less

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Ep. 18 | Making Your Google Business Profile Holiday-Ready

Join Laura Cole and Vivial's VP of Product, Todd Renard to discuss what you need to know about Google's rebranding of Google My Business to the Google Business Profile. Then listen in as they go into what every local business owner should do to get their Google Business Profile ready for the holiday and the upcoming new year.

Episodes

Ep. 18 | Making Your Google Business Profile Holiday-Ready

Join Laura Cole and Vivial's VP of Product, Todd Renard to discuss what you need to know about Google's rebranding of Google My Business to the Google Business Profile. Then listen in as they go into what every local business owner should do to get their Google Business Profile ready for the holiday and the upcoming new year.

Ep. 17 | 7.5 Fundamental SEO Tactics

Ep. 17 | 7.5 Fundamental SEO Tactics

In this podcast, Laura Cole discusses and expands on Vivial's recently published infographic, "7.5 Fundamental SEO Tactics."Joined by Vivial's VP of Product, Todd Renard, they break down what Search Engine Optimization is at the highest level and then dive into 7.5 tactics they feel are the most foundational to creating the best chance for Google to find you.

Ep. 16 | Unleashing the Potential of Paid Online Advertising for Your Local Business

Ep. 16 | Unleashing the Potential of Paid Online Advertising for Your Local Business

Paid advertising, specifically search engine marketing (SEM) and display advertising, is a powerful tool that can provide local business owners tremendous value. However, it is often underutilized or underperforming due to its complexity when local businesses take it on internally. In this episode, Laura invites Dan Malloy, Vivial's SEM Product Manager, and Steve Trujillo, Vivial's Senior SEM Strategist to join here in a discussion starting with the basics of paid advertising and their experiences running paid ad campaigns for local businesses across the country in a variety of verticals from home services to retail to B2B. Learn how they believe local businesses can get the most value from paid ads and how they determine in the end what success looks like.

Ep. 15 | The Anatomy of a Google Search Results Page

Ep. 15 | The Anatomy of a Google Search Results Page

Join Laura and Todd Renard, Vivial's VP of Digital Product, as they dissect the anatomy of a Google search page. They break down the various components that local business owners need to be aware of on a search engine results page (SERP) and how to utilize them to their advantage.

Ep. 14 | How to Convert Digital Leads Into Revenue

Ep. 14 | How to Convert Digital Leads Into Revenue

Converting potential customers into paying customers is a common struggle business owners face, especially in today's digital era where your competition is one just click or search away. In this episode, Laura Cole invites Vivial's Senior Director of Training and Channel Sales to join her in a discussion about the challenges they often see as local businesses try to convert leads into dollars and give their recommendations on how to combat them.

Ep. 13 | What is Better for Local Businesses—DIY Marketing, Full-Service Digital Marketing Agency, or Somewhere In-Between?

Ep. 13 | What is Better for Local Businesses—DIY Marketing, Full-Service Digital Marketing Agency, or Somewhere In-Between?

In this podcast, Laura Cole tackles a topic that she feels really resonates with a lot of local business owners. How to select a platform to use to market your business? With a sea of options out there from do-it-yourself (DIY) to full management or somewhere in between with a digital marketing agency like Vivial. Joining her is Steve Jecker, Vivial's Senior Director of Client Services to give his perspective. As someone whose team works directly with thousands of business owners, he has seen it all and talks about the benefits and advantages of each.

Ep. 12 | Special Guest: Scott Knese, Owner of SRK General Construction Explains How He Uses Digital Marketing to Grow His Local Business

Ep. 12 | Special Guest: Scott Knese, Owner of SRK General Construction Explains How He Uses Digital Marketing to Grow His Local Business

In this episode, Laura Cole invites long-time Vivial Customer and owner of SRK General Construction, Scott Knese, to join her for a conversation about how he has used digital marketing over the years to grow his business. Based out of St. Louis, MO, Scott started his business in 2011, and right off the bat, he knew that if he wanted to bring in more business he would need to invest an effort into marketing. After trying to do it on his own for a while, he determined he needed to partner with people that know the ins and outs of marketing. That is when he found Vivial.

Ep. 11 | Sure-Fire Ways to Increase Traffic to Your Website

Ep. 11 | Sure-Fire Ways to Increase Traffic to Your Website

Laura Cole invites Vivial's VP of Digital Product, Todd Renard, and Senior SEO Strategist, Matt Cioffi, to continue the conversation from Vivial's recent free SEO Masterclass webinar, How to Drive High-Quality Traffic to Your Website. In this episode, they give a quick recap and dive into live questions asked from the webinar, such as: What Google algorithms are focusing on right nowBalancing SEO alongside other digital marketing channelsAuditing your current SEO effortsMetrics and tracking SEOTimeframe to begin seeing resultsLocal search and the impact of Google My BusinessTo check out the full SEO Masterclass webinar, go to Vivial.net/Webinars.Interested in talking with one of our Digital Marketing Experts? Contact us today!

Ep. 10 | How to Leverage PR on Your Social Media Channels

Ep. 10 | How to Leverage PR on Your Social Media Channels

Have you ever wondered whether PR is worth investing time into for your local business? Today you'll have your answer. In this episode, Laura Cole is joined by the owner of Approach Marketing, Megan Shroy to talk about all things public relations. They cover not only how beneficial it is for all-size businesses, but how you can use social media to exponentially increase its value.

Ep. 9 | Apple's iOS 14 Update and How It May Affect Your Online Advertising

Ep. 9 | Apple's iOS 14 Update and How It May Affect Your Online Advertising

Listen in as Vivial's Laura Cole, VP of Marketing & Channel Sales, and Senior Product Manager, Gee-Gee Law, take you step-by-step through what the Apple iOS 14 update is, the impact it may have on online advertising, and what you can do to stay on top of future changes.

Ep. 8 | Finding the Balance Between Fun & Professional Social Content

Ep. 8 | Finding the Balance Between Fun & Professional Social Content

Let's dive into all things social media as Laura Cole, joined by Vivial's Senior Social Media Manager, Abi Williams, and Senior Social Media Strategist, Meaghan Thomas, discuss social posting for local businesses and the art of finding the right mix of fun and professional content.In this episode, they touch on the 80/20 rule, video content, posting for social holidays, and how to use hashtags appropriately. They even weigh in on the much talked about debate of the true pronunciation of the term GIF. Listen in and weigh in yourself!

Ep. 7 | Must-Know Digital Marketing Trends for 2021

Ep. 7 | Must-Know Digital Marketing Trends for 2021

2021 has arrived and with it comes a fresh start to marketing your local business. If 2020 taught us anything, it is that it is important to frequently take a step back and look at what is happening in the digital marketing landscape so that you can adjust your plan accordingly. To help you kick off the year strong, Laura Cole and Vivial's VP of Digital Product, Todd Renard, talk through the trends our experts are seeing that local business owners need to take into account this year.

Ep. 6 | Digital Marketing Insights: Planning a Successful 2021 Strategy for Your Local Business

Ep. 6 | Digital Marketing Insights: Planning a Successful 2021 Strategy for Your Local Business

Ready to kick start a new year? Laura Cole is joined by Erin Knese, Senior Director of Training and Channel Sales at Vivial, to discuss their observations of the current landscape and give their recommendations on what to consider as you plan the 2021 digital marketing strategy for your local business. With each consideration, they will dive into real-customer examples, personal experiences, and provide actionable insights that you can use to adapt your strategy to accommodate the "new normal."

Ep. 5 | Using the Power of Content to Market Your Local Business

Ep. 5 | Using the Power of Content to Market Your Local Business

In this episode of Simply Connected, Laura Cole and Todd Renard discuss the extreme power content has when marketing your local business. They'll dive into different content types and give you an inside look into Vivial's newly launched Connect2Local site - a refresh of NearSay.com.

Ep. 4 | Social Media Tips for Marketing Your Local Business During the Holidays

Ep. 4 | Social Media Tips for Marketing Your Local Business During the Holidays

The pandemic has impacted every aspect of our lives, including how we will be shopping this holiday season. Join Laura Cole and Social Media Strategist Abi Williams as they let you in on their top five tips for leveraging social media to engage with your customers and increase sales during the holidays.

Ep. 3 | 5 Benefits of Facebook Ads for Local Businesses

Ep. 3 | 5 Benefits of Facebook Ads for Local Businesses

In this episode, Laura Cole discusses Facebook advertising with one of Vivial's top Social Media Strategists, Abi Williams. With years of social media marketing for local businesses under her belt, Abi brings real-world experiences and examples as they talk through Laura's top five of the most important benefits of leveraging Facebook advertising.

Ep. 2 | Leveraging Google My Business for Your Local Business

Ep. 2 | Leveraging Google My Business for Your Local Business

From the ins and outs of Google Reviews to the types of content you should be utilizing on the platform, Vivial's V.P. of Marketing, Laura Cole, along with Todd Renard dive into how local businesses should be using Google My Business.

Ep. 1 | Strong Online Presence = Necessity for Local Businesses

Ep. 1 | Strong Online Presence = Necessity for Local Businesses

Hosted by Vivial's V.P. of Marketing, Laura Cole, this episode is an introduction to the Simply Connected podcast series. Each month, Laura will be joined by an expert guest who will dive into areas of digital marketing giving tips, tricks, and valuable advice along the way. As part of this introductory episode, V.P. of Digital Products, Todd Renard, joins Laura to talk about the presence every local business has online. Whether you take control of your online presence or leave it be, how you proceed can be the difference between new and missed opportunities.