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 If you're going to hire someone to help with your marketing, make sure they not only care about your business but also understand what is happening within your market. Josh Cobb specialises in real estate agent marketing, helping real estate agents and property managers with their digital marketing needs. Today we pick his brain and explore how a specialist marketer can really help avoid disruption within your industry. We also discuss some clever ways to utilise industry specific data to give your business the edge in location based digital marketing campaigns. With the dynamic nature of all things digital, it is becoming more and more crucial for your marketing team to really understand what your customer wants. 5 Questions You Can Answer After Listening To This Episode: 1. What are the advantages of working with a marketer that understands your industry? 2. How can hiring specialist marketer or agency help you avoid disruption? 3. What are some clever ways you can use industry-specific data for awesome location-based marketing campaigns? 4. How can you tailor your content to be hyperlocal? 5. Why is Josh so passionate about working with real estate agents and property managers in this digital age? INTERLUDE! If you've just discovered Vicinity Marketing, below is a short video about who we are and what we do. If you just came for the article, you can simply skip past the video and keep reading :) .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Video production by our friends at Thirty3South Films in Newcastle Did you enjoy this conversation with Josh Cobb? If you did, we’d love for you to let the entire universe know about it! Please: Review us on iTunes, Stitcher or Google Play Share this post using the sharing buttons below Tell 3 business owners or marketers about our show in the next 24 hours. Go on, we dare ya! :)   What is the Location Station Local Marketing Podcast about? If you’ve just discovered us, be sure to check out episode #1 to learn more about the show, our focus topics, who we serve and what we’re about. To keep up with all the most effective location marketing tactics and technologies...and to keep updated with all our best episodes, giveaways and other fun stuff...   Ready to Listen, Subscribe & Review us?    

Do you really know what you're getting out of your marketing and advertising spend? Phone call tracking is nothing new, but there are definitely some exciting and innovative things happening in this area. Our guests today, Nancy and Madelyn from CallRail, share a bunch of valuable insights and features to help your business determine what marketing strategies are actually working. If your business receives enquiries and/or bookings via phone, then this episode is for you. 5 Questions You Can Answer After Listening To This Episode: 1. How does call tracking work for marketing? 2. What are the latest technologies to help businesses track calls and ROI from almost any source? 3. How to use call data to drive real business decisions and do marketing more cost-effectively? 4. What are some examples of businesses using phone call tracking technology like CallRail? 5. How can leading call tracking platforms integrate with your existing business systems? INTERLUDE! If you've just discovered Vicinity Marketing, below is a short video about who we are and what we do. If you just came for the article, you can simply skip past the video and keep reading :) .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Video production by our friends at Thirty3South Films in Newcastle Did you enjoy this conversation with Nancy and Madelyn? If you did, we’d love for you to let the entire universe know about it! Please: Review us on iTunes, Stitcher or Google Play Share this post using the sharing buttons below Tell 3 business owners or marketers about our show in the next 24 hours. Go on, we dare ya! :)   What is the Location Station Local Marketing Podcast about? If you’ve just discovered us, be sure to check out episode #1 to learn more about the show, our focus topics, who we serve and what we’re about. To keep up with all the most effective location marketing tactics and technologies...and to keep updated with all our best episodes, giveaways and other fun stuff...   Ready to Listen, Subscribe & Review us?    

Listen up because this next conversation is important! This episode is a must for any business owner who sells products online and needs to be across what's current in the e-commerce industry. For our Australian listeners who sell online, this conversation is particularly vital as Amazon is about to enter our market.  Our guest today is Jonathan Reeve, an expert in e-commerce. Jonathan fills us in on what effects Amazon has had on other businesses so far around the world, where retail businesses can start in preparing for the arrival of Amazon, and what opportunities are coming out of the e-commerce push. 5 Questions You Can Answer After Listening To This Episode: 1. What effects Amazon has had on businesses around the World? 2. Where do retail businesses start in preparing for Amazon? 3. How can traditional local businesses adapt / compete? 4. What are the opportunities that arise from an Amazon arrival into a market? 5. What are some of the other trends in E-commerce / online shopping technology that people may not be aware of?   INTERLUDE! If you've just discovered Vicinity Marketing, below is a short video about who we are and what we do. If you just came for the article, you can simply skip past the video and keep reading :) .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Video production by our friends at Thirty3South Films in Newcastle Did you enjoy this conversation with Jonathan? If you did, we’d love for you to let the entire universe know about it! Please: Review us on iTunes, Stitcher or Google Play Share this post using the sharing buttons below Tell 3 business owners or marketers about our show in the next 24 hours. Go on, we dare ya! :)   What is the Location Station Local Marketing Podcast about? If you’ve just discovered us, be sure to check out episode #1 to learn more about the show, our focus topics, who we serve and what we’re about. To keep up with all the most effective location marketing tactics and technologies...and to keep updated with all our best episodes, giveaways and other fun stuff...   Ready to Listen, Subscribe & Review us?    

 In this episode, we will be discussing how to optimise your Facebook page if you're a business with a local presence. Our guest will share with us insights into why Facebook business page optimisation is going to become more important in the future as Facebook is predicted to become a powerful search engine. This episode is especially important for anyone who wants to be found in Facebook as a location based business or brand.  Our guest is Marie Page from The Digiterati, she is a Facebook marketing specialist and Author of the book, Facebook Marketing with Zero Budget. 5 Questions You Can Answer After Listening To This Episode on Local Facebook Optimisation & Facebook "SEO" with Marie Page: 1. What does Facebook Page localised optimisation mean? 2. How can I optimise my Facebook business page? 3. Do I need to choose a category for my Facebook page? 4. What is a preferred page audience? 5. Is my phone spying on me? INTERLUDE! If you've just discovered Vicinity Marketing, below is a short video about who we are and what we do. If you just came for the article, you can simply skip past the video and keep reading :) .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Video production by our friends at Thirty3South Films in Newcastle Did you enjoy this conversation with Marie? If you did, we’d love for you to let the entire universe know about it! Please: Review us on iTunes, Stitcher or Google Play Share this post using the sharing buttons below Tell 3 business owners or marketers about our show in the next 24 hours. Go on, we dare ya! :)   What is the Location Station Local Marketing Podcast about? If you’ve just discovered us, be sure to check out episode #1 to learn more about the show, our focus topics, who we serve and what we’re about. To keep up with all the most effective location marketing tactics and technologies...and to keep updated with all our best episodes, giveaways and other fun stuff...   Ready to Listen, Subscribe & Review us?    

In this episode, we talk about the Facebook news feed algorithm and why it matters. We will look at the broad 5 factors of the Facebook news feed and why they display certain content to Facebook users. We will dive into how to craft your Facebook posts in a way that will get your content more visibility in the news feed. Our guest is Marie Page from The Digiterati, she is a Facebook marketing specialist and Author of the book, Facebook Marketing with Zero Budget. 5 Questions You Can Answer After Listening To This Episode on Facebook Algorithms & Getting Seen in the News Feed with Marie Page: 1. How does Facebook know what to show users in the News Feed? 2. Why won't all my Facebook fans see my content? 3. What is the Friends and Family First policy? 4. As a business owner, which behaviors should I avoided on Facebook? 5. Will Facebook become a search engine in the future? INTERLUDE! If you've just discovered Vicinity Marketing, below is a short video about who we are and what we do. If you just came for the article, you can simply skip past the video and keep reading :) .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Video production by our friends at Thirty3South Films in Newcastle Did you enjoy this conversation with Marie? If you did, we’d love for you to let the entire universe know about it! Please: Review us on iTunes, Stitcher or Google Play Share this post using the sharing buttons below Tell 3 business owners or marketers about our show in the next 24 hours. Go on, we dare ya! :)   What is the Location Station Local Marketing Podcast about? If you’ve just discovered us, be sure to check out episode #1 to learn more about the show, our focus topics, who we serve and what we’re about. To keep up with all the most effective location marketing tactics and technologies...and to keep updated with all our best episodes, giveaways and other fun stuff...   Ready to Listen, Subscribe & Review us?    

 Today's podcast guest shares his story about how he founded a localised tech startup that was born out of a need for ride sharing alternatives when Uber left Austin, Texas overnight and left hundreds of Uber drivers jobless. Andy Tryba from RideAustin will share some valuable insights about how to start a localised tech marketplace. Andy touches on how to build awareness and a brand to obtain users while managing legalities and logistics. This is a great listen for traditional business owners out there who are wondering how they can be innovative in their marketing and business growth in order to compete in a global market. 5 Questions You Can Answer After Listening To This Episode: 1. What are some of the challenges involved with developing a sharing economy app? 2. How can you convince people to try a newly developed app? 3. Is a localized marketplace approach replicable in other industries?? 4. How to get a 2-sided marketplace off the ground 5. Where is the ridesharing market headed in the future? INTERLUDE! If you've just discovered Vicinity Marketing, below is a short video about who we are and what we do. If you just came for the article, you can simply skip past the video and keep reading :) .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Video production by our friends at Thirty3South Films in Newcastle Did you enjoy this conversation with Andy? If you did, we’d love for you to let the entire universe know about it! Please: Review us on iTunes, Stitcher or Google Play Share this post using the sharing buttons below Tell 3 business owners or marketers about our show in the next 24 hours. Go on, we dare ya! :)   What is the Location Station Local Marketing Podcast about? If you’ve just discovered us, be sure to check out episode #1 to learn more about the show, our focus topics, who we serve and what we’re about. To keep up with all the most effective location marketing tactics and technologies...and to keep updated with all our best episodes, giveaways and other fun stuff...   Ready to Listen, Subscribe & Review us?    

 Our guest on today's podcast shares how she's grown a very different accounting firm by focusing on technology and community. Steph Hinds will share with us her fantastic insights on how traditional business owners can be innovative with their brand positioning and find a balance between being different and being effective. What we were doing for marketing 5 - 10 years ago is just not enough in this day and age so we will discuss some new marketing and branding methods with the lovely Steph Hinds from Growthwise. 5 Questions You Can Answer After Listening To This Episode: 1. How can I brand a traditional business in a fun and innovative way? 2. How can I build my personality into my brand? 3. How is automation software valuable for a functioning business? 4. When to build a local community as a marketing tactic 5. What is Shiny Toy Syndrome and how do marketers get it? INTERLUDE! If you've just discovered Vicinity Marketing, below is a short video about who we are and what we do. If you just came for the article, you can simply skip past the video and keep reading :) .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Video production by our friends at Thirty3South Films in Newcastle Did you enjoy this conversation with Steph? If you did, we’d love for you to let the entire universe know about it! Please: Review us on iTunes, Stitcher or Google Play Share this post using the sharing buttons below Tell 3 business owners or marketers about our show in the next 24 hours. Go on, we dare ya! :)   What is the Location Station Local Marketing Podcast about? If you’ve just discovered us, be sure to check out episode #1 to learn more about the show, our focus topics, who we serve and what we’re about. To keep up with all the most effective location marketing tactics and technologies...and to keep updated with all our best episodes, giveaways and other fun stuff...   Ready to Listen, Subscribe & Review us?    

   We wanted to check in with our much-loved listeners and see what you think about our podcast! How are you enjoying the content so far and what do you think of the guests we've had on the show? Feel free to let us know your thoughts! We're enjoying creating podcast episodes for you so watch this space for more great content for all things small business and digital marketing, coming your way soon! INTERLUDE! If you've just discovered Vicinity Marketing, below is a short video about who we are and what we do. If you just came for the article, you can simply skip past the video and keep reading :) .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Video production by our friends at Thirty3South Films in Newcastle   What is the Location Station Local Marketing Podcast about? If you’ve just discovered us, be sure to check out episode #1 to learn more about the show, our focus topics, who we serve and what we’re about. To keep up with all the most effective location marketing tactics and technologies...and to keep updated with all our best episodes, giveaways and other fun stuff...   Ready to Listen, Subscribe & Review us?    

  This episode is a must listen for any business or brand who needs to communicate with their customers. We learn about why Facebook Messenger and chat apps are an essential part of any business's marketing strategy. We get into ways to practically use Facebook Messenger for direct response lead generation and ad campaigns. We discuss important insights into why new technology like chatbots are complimentary to other digital marketing tactics. Molly Pittman is our guest in this episode talking all about new ways to reach your customers and keep open communication with them. Molly Pittman is the VP of Marketing at Digital Marketer, an online hub for up-to-date digital marketing tactics and strategies. Molly is also a host of her podcast Perpetual Traffic. Facebook Messenger, chatbots and messenger ads are all up for discussion in this episode. 5 Questions You Can Answer After Listening To This Episode: 1. Why should we approach Messenger ads differently to Adwords or Facebook ads? 2. How does / could Messenger use Facebook’s location technology to improve marketing? 3. What on Earth is a chatbot and how can we use them? 4. What other popular software platforms and tools can integrate with Messenger? 5. Is messaging taking over email? INTERLUDE! If you've just discovered Vicinity Marketing, below is a short video about who we are and what we do. If you just came for the article, you can simply skip past the video and keep reading :) .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Video production by our friends at Thirty3South Films in Newcastle Did you enjoy this conversation with Molly? If you did, we’d love for you to let the entire universe know about it! Please: Review us on iTunes, Stitcher or Google Play Share this post using the sharing buttons below Tell 3 business owners or marketers about our show in the next 24 hours. Go on, we dare ya! :)   What is the Location Station Local Marketing Podcast about? If you’ve just discovered us, be sure to check out episode #1 to learn more about the show, our focus topics, who we serve and what we’re about. To keep up with all the most effective location marketing tactics and technologies...and to keep updated with all our best episodes, giveaways and other fun stuff...   Ready to Listen, Subscribe & Review us?    

   For this episode, Dave got the crazy idea that it would be fun to interview our guest about podcast marketing via Facebook Live. Turns out, recording an episode this way may not have been the best idea due to audio troubles, but how do you know an idea won't be great if you don't try right? Trial and error will be inevitable when it comes to creating a podcast! Speaking of audio! In this episode, we talk with audio marketing expert, Ronsley Vaz, who is the CEO and Founder of Amplify. Amplify is an award winning digital marketing agency and Australia’s first audio marketing agency. Ronsley and his team from Amplify also host and run the first podcasting conference in the Southern Hemisphere called We Are Podcast. This episode is all about turning conversation into effective marketing strategies and will help you answer the question, should I start a podcast? 5 Questions You Can Answer After Listening To This Episode: 1. Should I start a podcast? 2. Why are audio conversations so important to marketing? 3. What makes a good podcast? 4. Is a podcast en effective marketing strategy? 5. Why you shouldn’t try doing a podcast episode via Facebook Live when you haven’t tested out your audio and internet speed INTERLUDE! If you've just discovered Vicinity Marketing, below is a short video about who we are and what we do. If you just came for the article, you can simply skip past the video and keep reading :) .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Video production by our friends at Thirty3South Films in Newcastle Did you enjoy this conversation with Ronsley? If you did, we’d love for you to let the entire universe know about it! Please: Review us on iTunes, Stitcher or Google Play Share this post using the sharing buttons below Tell 3 business owners or marketers about our show in the next 24 hours. Go on, we dare ya! :)   What is the Location Station Local Marketing Podcast about? If you’ve just discovered us, be sure to check out episode #1 to learn more about the show, our focus topics, who we serve and what we’re about. To keep up with all the most effective location marketing tactics and technologies...and to keep updated with all our best episodes, giveaways and other fun stuff...   Ready to Listen, Subscribe & Review us?    

  In this episode, we get to talk to a leading editor for one of the world's biggest social media news sites. Andrew Hutchinson is from Social Media Today and his job is to always be across everything in the world of social media and technology trends. We will discuss what new and exciting social media trends are coming, what's popular now, and how more traditional media is trying to keep up by becoming more digitized. We will give you tips on how you can keep up with all the changes that happen constantly on the most popular social media platforms. 5 Questions You Can Answer After Listening To This Episode: 1. How did Andrew end up in his role at Social Media Today? 2. What does Andrew see as the biggest shifts in social media over the years? 3. What are Andrew's top technology predictions and trends for 2017? 4. What can marketers do to take advantage of these new technologies / tactics / platforms? 5. What big social media trend would Andrew bet his house on? INTERLUDE! If you've just discovered Vicinity Marketing, below is a short video about who we are and what we do. If you just came for the article, you can simply skip past the video and keep reading :) .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Video production by our friends at Thirty3South Films in Newcastle Did you enjoy this conversation with Andrew? If you did, we’d love for you to let the entire universe know about it! Please: Review us on iTunes, Stitcher or Google Play Share this post using the sharing buttons below Tell 3 business owners or marketers about our show in the next 24 hours. Go on, we dare ya! :)   What is the Location Station Local Marketing Podcast about? If you’ve just discovered us, be sure to check out episode #1 to learn more about the show, our focus topics, who we serve and what we’re about. To keep up with all the most effective location marketing tactics and technologies...and to keep updated with all our best episodes, giveaways and other fun stuff...   Ready to Listen, Subscribe & Review us?    

Tim Reid has interviewed over 300 successful small business owners on his podcast, The Small Business Big Marketing Show. Tim is a public speaker, author of The Boomerang Effect, and has accumulated a ton of valuable marketing knowledge from expert business owners he's interviewed for his podcast over the past 8 years. In this episode, we talk about how to build your personality into your business brand, offshoring to ensure efficient marketing, and expanding your reach through creativity. 5 Questions You Can Answer After Listening To This Episode on Small Business, Big Marketing, HUGE Personality with Tim Reid: 1. What marketing lessons has Tim learned from interviewing over 300 successful small business owners? 2. How can I build my personality into my brand? 3. Should I use offshoring to help my business grow? 4. How can local businesses adapt to all the change that technology / the internet brings about? 5. How important is brand / personality for small businesses these days? INTERLUDE! If you've just discovered Vicinity Marketing, below is a short video about who we are and what we do. If you just came for the article, you can simply skip past the video and keep reading :) .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Video production by our friends at Thirty3South Films in Newcastle Did you enjoy this conversation with Tim? If you did, we’d love for you to let the entire universe know about it! Please: Review us on iTunes, Stitcher or Google Play Share this post using the sharing buttons below Tell 3 business owners or marketers about our show in the next 24 hours. Go on, we dare ya! :)   What is the Location Station Local Marketing Podcast about? If you’ve just discovered us, be sure to check out episode #1 to learn more about the show, our focus topics, who we serve and what we’re about. To keep up with all the most effective location marketing tactics and technologies...and to keep updated with all our best episodes, giveaways and other fun stuff...   Ready to Listen, Subscribe & Review us?    

 Programmatic is the the future of digital marketing! Simon Penson from Zazzle Media gives us a clear explanation of programmatic marketing, advertising & media buying.   5 Questions You Can Answer After Listening To This Episode On The Future Of Marketing & Advertising With Simon Penson: 1. What is programmatic marketing and how does it work? 2. What’s the difference between programmatic advertising and programmatic content marketing? 3. Back in the MySpace days, which rapper’s songs would you find on Simon Penson’s profile? 4. How can local businesses cash in on programmatic? 5. Where does programmatic fit into the marketing landscape of the today and the future? Don’t tell your competitors, but programmatic is the the next big thing in digital marketing! Simon is the Founder and Managing Director of Zazzle Media—the UK digital content marketing agency, not the ecommerce gift shop) which is now part of the IPG network. At Zazzle, Simon specialises in building audiences of value for his clients, from search, social and influencer channels. He’s also somewhat of an authority on all things programmatic. After reading his really thorough article on programmatic delivery, we were super keen to have this little chat. Simon does a great job of explaining programmatic content marketing and programmatic advertising/media buying in layman’s terms, which is especially helpful for those of us who are a bit lost on the subject ??   INTERLUDE! If you've just discovered Vicinity Marketing, below is a short video about who we are and what we do. If you just came for the article, you can simply skip past the video and keep reading :) .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Video production by our friends at Thirty3South Films in Newcastle What Does Programmatic Marketing Mean? Programmatic marketing refers to the automated bidding on advertising space in real time, for the opportunity to show an ad to a specific customer, in a specific context. Think of programmatic as a way to advertise and share content in a similar way to social platforms like Facebook. That is to say, marketers are targeting audiences based not on keywords or the website they’re visiting, but on a more comprehensive stack of data that includes their wants, needs & actions.   How Does Programmatic Work? Programmatic bidding takes place via algorithms. These bidding algorithms operate during millisecond-long auctions as a webpage is loading. To best describe the process of programmatic marketing, here’s an example: Dave is looking for doughnut shops online. He comes across an article about The Best Doughnuts in Australia and clicks on it. The article’s publisher GoodFood probably has some information stored on Dave in its Data Management Platform. GoodFood will send Dave’s relevant info to an ad server, to see if they have a campaign that wants to target him. If a campaign is found that fits, then the ad is shown to Dave. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. If no campaign on this server is directly targeting Dave, it then turns to programmatic marketing. The server takes Dave’s browser info, the website URL and the ad type to selected bidders including traders and ad networks. Each bidder has its own algorithm, evaluating the request based on Dave’s data, their own targeting criteria and budget. Once evaluated, the bidder’s algorithm selects the optimal creative (which may be a simple ad or a bit of relevant content) and places a bid. The Demand-Side Platforms (DSPs) are where advertisers lurk, searching for specific types of people and spruiking what they’re willing to pay for each one. On the other hand, the Supply-Side Platforms (SSPs) are where the publishers and media ow...

   A really fun chat with Clarissa Rayward the Happy Family Lawyer about being different in a very traditional industry. We also find out how she managed to expand her market by narrowing her focus and going niche. 5 Questions You Can Answer After Listening To This Episode On Being Different& Niche-ing to Expand Your Market With Clarissa Rayward: 1. How can my business stand out from the crowd, even in a more “traditional” industry? 2. How can I narrow my focus to expand my market? 3. Why did Facebook ban one of Clarissa’s ads? 4. How can I tell if “niche-ing” will work for my business? 5. What’s Dave Eddy’s definition of a fashionista?   Clarissa, a.k.a. The Happy Family Lawyer is (as we’ve established) a lawyer, who runs a family law firm and a mediation firm in QLD. To ensure there’s never a dull moment, Clarissa is also an author, blogger, podcaster and a mum! In today’s episode we have a really fun chat with Clarissa about the benefits of being different in quite a traditional industry. We also discuss how by narrowing her focus and becoming more niche, she actually managed to expand her market.   INTERLUDE! If you've just discovered Vicinity Marketing, below is a short video about who we are and what we do. If you just came for the article, you can simply skip past the video and keep reading :) .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Video production by our friends at Thirty3South Films in Newcastle Standing Out in a Traditional Industry  A creative person at heart, Clarissa really enjoys the marketing and brand-growing side of her business, more than the couples-fighting-over-who-gets-the-cat side. The idea of branching out and defining her brand a bit differently came to Clarissa as all epiphanies come: in the aftermath of a really wild party. To celebrate her brand new business, Clarissa threw a fancy-dress party where all of her lawyer friends came dressed as famous divorced couples. What she found most interesting was the amount of follow-up attention her business received as a result of this PR stunt/excuse for lawyers to let their wigs down. This made Clarissa realise that perhaps there actually was room in her “stale” industry for a splash of hot pink. Of course, there was more to creating a successful niche brand than slapping florals on a website and calling yourself The Happy Family Lawyer.   “In an industry where there’ll be 50 thousand versions of you, it’s very helpful if you can at least be known as the person who does ‘this thing’ that’s a bit different to everyone else.”   Clarissa isn’t what you’d call a typical lawyer type and doesn’t enjoy fighting with people—especially in court. So she decided to turn her aversion to court proceedings into a positive, creating a niche practice and distinctive brand marketing to go along with it. The Brisbane Family Law Centre and Brisbane Family Mediation Centre both focus on helping separating couples who want to stay out of the family courts, by finding respectful ways to solve the challenges of a divorce. The Happy Family Lawyer part of Clarissa’s brand also includes coaching other lawyers on becoming as happy as she is in her career. On that note: listen to the podcast for the full story on how Facebook rejected Clarissa’s request to boost an ad for her Happy Family Lawyer podcast, on the grounds that it was “unrealistic and unlikely” — apparently the idea of a lawyer being really happy is just too unbelievable to fathom! Regardless of the industry you’re in, it simply comes down to thinking outside the box; to creating a unique, authentic brand personality, which can be expressed and shared through content marketing. Think about your business’s website, your social media pages,

   We chat with hyperlocal content marketing expert Megan Hannay about how multi-site and national brands can compete with local businesses by creating and scaling authentic local content, local marketing and smashing local SEO.   5 Questions You Can Answer After Listening To This Episode On Hyperlocal Content Marketing With Megan Hannay: 1. Why is hyperlocal content marketing and SEO so important? 2. Where can a multi-site business source hyperlocal content? 3. What would Megan Hannay do if she was left alone in a room with nothing but her imagination? 4. Is it possible to scale hyperlocal content? 5. Who has the upper hand at a local level: big brands or stand-alone stores?   Dave first connected with Megan Hannay after reading a blog article she wrote that featured some great ideas on hyperlocal content marketing and SEO at scale. Being a hyperlocal content marketing and SEO junkie, Dave was keen to get her on the show and talk all things local. Megan is the co-founder and CEO of ZipSprout, a hyperlocal marketing matchmaker service in the US that helps brands connect with their audience through local SEO opportunities and marketing campaigns. She also has a tonne of experience in the realms of social media marketing, local SEO and content marketing and hosts her own local marketing podcast The Zip. INTERLUDE! If you've just discovered Vicinity Marketing, below is a short video about who we are and what we do. If you just came for the article, you can simply skip past the video and keep reading :) .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Video production by our friends at Thirty3South Films in Newcastle   3 Reasons why Hyperlocal Content Marketing and SEO are so Important 1. The “I-want-to-go” moment Creating local content is like creating an online dating profile. You describe in detail your many attractive qualities, explain why you’d make the perfect other half (trying hard not to sound arrogant) then send it out into world. The tricky part is making sure you’re there, in the right place at the right time, when your ideal partner is ready to settle down with someone just like you. Due the the explosive growth of mobile search, businesses are having to adapt their marketing to cater to consumers who are making purchase decisions based on a quick flick through their phone. These “I-want-to-go” moments are a perfect opportunity for marketers to reach customers who are searching for something in their local area. 2. Hyperlocal SEO = winning on SERPs For many local businesses, ranking well on the right SERP (Search Engine Results Page) is a crucial element for lead generation. Although sometimes Google’s algorithms might seem more like enigmas, there are a few basic things that every business can do to please the beast: Optimise every inch of your Google My Business page Create localised content for the areas your business serves Create unique individual landing pages Include as much relevant information as possible through structured data markup 3. Giving national brands a local voice Forgetting SEO, SERPs and structured data for a moment, let’s remember that our consumers are just like us—they’re human. And as humans, consumers respond much better to content they can relate with; content that is personalised and localised, as opposed to the same generic messages being spouted across the country or the globe.   Where to find Authentic, Hyperlocal Content at Scale So how is it possible to find or create great content that connects with local audiences, to speak the local language, when you’re not a local? This has always been a challenge for businesses who have multiple locations, stores, offices, clinics or service areas to look after.

   Yelp is accused of extorting local businesses and manipulating reviews in an explosive new documentary by Prost Films. We talk with director Kaylie Milliken about Yelp’s aggressive paid advertising sales tactics and claims of small business bullying.   5 Questions You Can Answer After Listening to this Episode on Yelp and the Ethics of Online Review Sites With Kaylie Milliken: 1. Why are online reviews so important for local businesses? 2. Could Yelp be a small business bully? 3. What are the biggest issues with online reviews? 4. True or false: Kaylie Milliken is Weird Al Yankovic’s niece. 5. Should my business pay to advertise on review sites like Yelp?   When our host Dave Eddy isn’t fanboying over SEO, he occupies his time with all things local business. He knows just how important online review hubs like Google My Business and Yelp can be for small brands. He’s also seen first hand the huge impact that positive and negative reviews can make to a business’ bottom line. So when Dave came across a documentary investigating online directory Yelp on claims of extortion, review manipulation and even review fabrication, needless to say he wanted to dig deeper. In this episode, we chat with CEO of Prost Films and director of Billion Dollar Bully Kaylie Milliken about ethics in the online review industry and just how much value these big marketing companies can give (or take away) from your local business.   INTERLUDE! If you've just discovered Vicinity Marketing, below is a short video about who we are and what we do. If you just came for the article, you can simply skip past the video and keep reading :) .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Video production by our friends at Thirty3South Films in Newcastle Why Are Online Reviews So Important for Local Businesses? Whether visiting your website, searching on Google or using online directories like True Local, TripAdvisor or Yelp, online reviews have immense pulling (or pushing) power for consumers. Over the last decade, online research has become a normal part of the buying process, so much so that 40% of Australians read reviews 1-3 times a week. Our favourite mantra here at Vicinity Marketing (aside from “I ❤️ SEO”) is: “People buy from people, not faceless corporations”. A whopping 90% of customers make buying decisions based on positive reviews. This is why they hold so much influence—because word of mouth matters. Building up a decent stash of online reviews is also critical to any local business’s good SEO strategy. According to MOZ’s Local Search Ranking Factors Survey, It’s estimated that online reviews make up 10% of how search engines like Google rank results.   The 3 Biggest Issues with Online Reviews 1. The voice of the minority Unless you’re a serial reviewer (and there are plenty of those out there) you are more likely to post an online review when you’re super-duper angry, or slightly less often when you’re super-duper happy. So unless your business provides consistently terrible or consistently outstanding service to each customer, the majority of them won’t bother to leave a review. These extreme experiences can negatively affect your business’s online reputation, when in reality, most of your customers would rate you 3–4/5. What happens when you’ve got no reviews? This is probably the most dangerous situation to be in. All it takes is one misinformed person to be furious that you don’t open on Sundays, leave you 1 star and a tirade on Yelp and BAM! Now the only opinion of your business that potential customers will see is a negative one. This is why it’s so important for local businesses to encourage their happy customers to leave a great review and reduce the likelihood of an unfair...

 Start seeing measurable results from your Instagram marketing! We chat with Jessica Koncz: Insta-foodie to instant success with her own social media agency at just 23. Hear Jess’ practical tips on how to grow any business by marketing on Instagram.   5 Questions You Can Answer After Listening To This Episode On Instagram Marketing With Jessica Koncz: 1. How is Instagram different from other social media? 2. Is Instagram right for my brand? 3. Should I manage my own Instagram marketing? 4. What would a “Tinder for Food” look like? 5. How can Instagram bring measurable results to my business?   Jessica Koncz was once just a dedicated foodie, who enjoyed snapping pics of delish dishes and ‘gramming them. Today at the ripe old age of 23, She’s the owner and director of Newcastle-based social media agency Crave New Media and is about to launch her very own dining out app that’s been dubbed the “Tinder for food”. In this episode we’ll be picking Jess’ brain on all things Insta. Hear how she built a local foodie Instagram account to 45k+ followers and used her social media skills to start her own agency. Jess also has some great practical tips for business owners who want to start marketing on Instagram or are looking to improve their strategy for better engagement.   INTERLUDE! If you've just discovered Vicinity Marketing, below is a short video about who we are and what we do. If you just came for the article, you can simply skip past the video and keep reading :) .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Video production by our friends at Thirty3South Films in Newcastle   What’s So Special About Instagram? Instagram originally became popular because of it’s filters, which allowed users to easily make any photo look beautiful. Today, there are 5 million monthly active Instagram users in Australia.   “I love the simplicity of Instagram, I love that it’s such a visual platform.”   One of the most enticing things about Instagram is its simplicity. Facebook has its myriad features, fake news & advertisers virtually shouting out for attention. By comparison, Insta can be a quite tranquil platform for users to scroll through and visually consume the things they love.   This is a milkshake! ? #blacktapdubai #milkshake A post shared by Katy Edwards (@mrskedwards) on Mar 17, 2017 at 1:18am PDT While it has transformed in the past few years with the introduction of videos, algorithms, paid advertising and Stories, Instagram remains a network which rewards creativity. It is a platform for businesses to emphasise more on branding as opposed to traditional advertising.   Does Instagram Marketing Work for Every Business? Instagram is a notoriously successful platform for industries such as fashion, travel and food. So while some brands might be more naturally powerful on Facebook, pretty much any business can market successfully on Instagram — as long as they understand the platform. For most users, Instagram is a sanctuary from all the marketing noise. Ironically, it’s also the platform where people follow the most brands, making for high engagement levels. Remember that Instagram is a very creative platform, where users don’t respond very well to blatant advertising. To be safe, stick to the 80/20 rule: 80% interesting, relative content and 20% advertising. While Instagram is a huge platform with 500k monthly users and 300k daily users, it’s no Facebook. Before considering Instagram for your business, make sure your potential customers are on it!   How to Track ROI on Instagram? When purchasing Instagram ads, just like on any other social media, it’s easy to keep track of your metrics. But how can you track return on investment from organic posts?

 A successful niche business owner with 30 years’ experience in a competitive industry, Ian Jones shares his amazing story of how he adapted his business to better serve his customers’ needs and become an authority in his particular market. 5 Questions You Can Answer After Listening To This Episode On Expanding Your Business by “Niche-ing” With Ian Jones: 1. How can focusing on niche markets produce better results? 2. How has local business marketing changed (and stayed the same) in the past 30 years? 3. Who is Jonesy’s mysterious business associate? 4. What are some tactics for making my business more niche? 5. What risqué advertisement of Jonesy's is still getting attention over a decade later?   A traditional business owner, Ian Jones has 30 years’ experience in the extremely competitive insurance industry. In this episode, Jonesy shares the amazing story of how he transformed his business to cater to niche markets and successfully adapted over the years to the transforming marketing landscape. After working in the insurance industry for several years, Jonesy ventured out on his own, founding Ian Jones Insurance Brokers. While the business grew to be quite successful, it arrived at a point where the market seemed to have plateaued. It was at that point that Jonesy put a microscope over certain parts of the market and found specialist niches to cater to. Thus his sub-businesses, FloorInsure and NewsSure were born. This episode isn’t about discussing one specific digital marketing or offline tactic, instead we find ourselves captivated and inspired by a story of innovation and untapped opportunities, with a few really helpful tips along the way. INTERLUDE! If you've just discovered Vicinity Marketing, below is a short video about who we are and what we do. If you just came for the article, you can simply skip past the video and keep reading :) .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Video production by our friends at Thirty3South Films in Newcastle How Marketing Has Changed (and Stayed the Same) in the past 30 Years When Jonesy first got into the insurance business, the only real marketing opportunities available to him were knocking on doors, cold calling, letterbox drops and the Yellow Pages. Apart from being time consuming and relatively expensive, these methods were often blind stabs in the dark, with no guarantee of finding your target audience. Times were tough and it could be really disheartening, having doors slammed in your face or getting hung up on constantly. Thankfully, Ian Jones had an associate who would do the hard work and take the rejection for him — listen to the podcast to find out who! With the arrival of the internet in all its glory, Jonesy embraced the new and improved marketing opportunities and reaped all the benefits. He was still knocking on doors so to speak, but now it was thousands of doors at a time through email and far less deflating on the old ego!   “Rather than knocking on doors, you’re sending out emails and instead of the Yellow Pages, you’ve got a website that brings in leads.”   Jonesy has and will continue to change his tactics as customer and industry needs change. Over the last decade or so, more competition everywhere means customers have more freedom of choice and their needs have become more precise. These days more and more businesses like Jonesy’s are profiting from this market fragmentation by breaking off or subdividing into very personalised niches, where they specialise in a very acute field and become an authority in their space.   “Niche-ing” Your Business for Better Results Transforming your business to cater to a niche market doesn’t have to be as drastic as it sounds!

Award-winning Copywriter Kate Toon shares her best tips on clever SEO copywriting. Learn how to tell if your copy is rubbish or really good, how to choose the best keywords and how to write for humans while optimising for Google. 5 Questions You Can Answer After Listening To This Episode On Copywriting for SEO With Kate Toon: 1. Can I write my own copy or should I hire a professional? 2. How do I choose the best keywords for my website and content? 3. True or false: Kate Toon is an excellent hula hooper. 4. How can I write copy that’s attractive to Google and my audience? 5. According to Google, who is the best copywriter in Australia? What do you get when an SEO specialist / daggy dad joke enthusiast interviews one of Sydney’s best Copywriters? If you guessed “a whole heap of helpful SEO copywriting advice, punctuated by a few hilariously awkward moments,” then you’ve already listened to this podcast episode — great job, thanks! An award-winning copywriter, Kate has written for a tonne of big businesses and small brands. In addition to co-hosting the Hot Copy podcast, Kate has just released her first book: Confessions of a Misfit Entrepreneur: How to Succeed in Business Despite Yourself. Over the past few years, Kate’s begun to focus more on teaching others her tricks of the trade. She’s now the “Head Chef” of Recipe for SEO Success, an SEO eCourse, blog and podcast for small business owners and bloggers looking to improve their SEO copywriting skills and achieve better results from their content marketing. INTERLUDE! If you've just discovered Vicinity Marketing, below is a short video about who we are and what we do. If you just came for the article, you can simply skip past the video and keep reading :)   .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Video production by our friends at Thirty3South Films in Newcastle   Do You Need to Hire a Copywriter?   “Of course you could write your own copy. You could also cut your own hair.”  — Carl Conner, Copywriter.   Writing is a skill we all learn at school. So yes, most people can write. Copywriting and writing for SEO however, are entirely different skills — but they can still be taught! Aside from cutting costs, the benefit of writing your own copy is that you’re the expert on the subject. You’ve got the passion and the knowledge, you just need to find the words to express it. This may come easily for some business owners, while others find it really difficult to turn their thoughts into copy. But how can you tell if your writing is rubbish or not? There are tools like Hemingway and Grammarly to help you with spelling and structure, but otherwise copywriting is so subjective. The only way to really know if copy is good is if it works. Does it sell your products/services well? Are people responding to your calls to action? Are your keywords ranking as they should? Copywriters make it their business to create copy that works. They use their skills and creativity, A.K.A. “magic juju” to turn your knowledge into words that are compelling, entertaining and inspire action. So, can business owners cut their own hair? Yes, but first learn how to hold the scissors. Otherwise just go to the hairdresser, they always make it look nice.   Should we be Writing for Humans or for Google? Copywriting is, and always will be about writing for your (human) audience. Many business owners and copywriters can get sidetracked trying to take short cuts and cater for new algorithms, while sacrificing the quality of their copy. Long story short, Google is getting so smart that if you write for humans, you’re going to impress not only your potential customers, but Google as well.   Keyword Optimisation on your Website: Where to Begin?...

Authenticity is the key to modern marketing! In this slightly unusual episode, we hear from acting coach Mike Drysdale on how improving your presentation and acting skills can benefit your business and help build better customer relationships! 5 Questions You Can Answer After Listening To This Episode On Acting Skills for Marketing With Michael Drysdale: 1. How on earth can acting skills help my business make more money? 2. What are some quick and easy tips for being a great presenter? 3. Is Dave’s acting prowess due to raw talent, or something else? 4. Raw or polished: what kind of content is best for my business? 5. How would you rate Mike’s Colin Farrell impression out of ten? (tell us in the comments!)   Actor and WA Academy of Performing Arts alumni Michael Drysdale is the co-founder of Evoque Communications, which coaches business people in speaking and presentation. In the same vein, his YouTube channel Double Life Mike also focuses on personal and business development. Having already benefitted from Mike’s coaching (see the Oscar-worthy performance below), Dave was really keen to get him on the show and chat about how improving your presentation skills can make a huge difference when it comes to communicating with your customers online. Featuring some simple tips on how to become a better presenter, this episode is packed with useful advice for marketers and business owners who want to communicate better with their audience, whilst remaining authentic and trustworthy. INTERLUDE! If you've just discovered Vicinity Marketing, below is a short video about who we are and what we do. If you just came for the article, you can simply skip past the video and keep reading :) .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } Video production by our friends at Thirty3South Films in Newcastle   Why Presenting is such an Important Skill for Business Owners and Marketers in 2017 Even a good actor (unless you can afford Meryl Streep) can’t fake the knowledge and the level of experience you have concerning your business. It’s that passion coming directly from the horse’s mouth that customers connect with the most.   “As customers, we have a lower tolerance for faceless companies nowadays.”   In today’s digital and social media landscape, it is more important than ever to create and maintain an authentic dialogue between you and your audience. Simply talking at them is not enough anymore — audiences in 2017 want to hear from the experts in your business and buy from people with a great story.   Where Can Acting Skills be Applied in my Business? It’s easier and more affordable than ever for a small local business to keep in contact with their customers and foster genuine relationships. Improved acting skills can not only be applied to your marketing, but also other areas of your business and even your life outside of work. Video Whether it’s an informative YouTube channel or a series of fun Facebook Live posts, video is fast becoming the most effective way to express your brand’s personality and connect with your audience. Video can be used to introduce your business, share your creation story, give insight into your production process, educate, inform, entertain, say thank you — just about anything! Social Media Content styles differ from platform to platform, but your brand’s unique personality should remain a strong constant. Improved communication skills can help you to keep your tone consistent and communicate better with your customers through video, images, blog content, etc. shared on social media. Customer Service Great actors should be able to empathise with just about anyone, putting themselves in someone else’s shoes. This skill can be quite difficult to grasp,