“It’s like getting a free full-page listing in the largest yellow pages directory in the universe–for free.”

(Actually, it’s better.)

If you haven’t listed your dance business in Google Places, it’s time.

Google Places used to be called “Google Business Center”…it’s also known as “Google Local” and “Google Local Maps” and a whole host of other things. But what is it exactly?

local search results for "belly dance" "houston"

When you do an online search for, say, “dance class” and “Houston”, you’re going to get the usual paid and organic search results. But you’ll also get the local search results. Businesses Google knows are near the location you entered. You’ll also get a map with little lollipops showing you exactly where the business is located. That’s nothing new. Local search results have been around for a long time.

But what is new is all the things you can do with local search marketing to make sure your business shows up at the top of those results. And how you can encourage the searcher to give you a call or come in for a visit.

Why does it matter if you show up for local search?

Because this is quickly becoming the most important place to be seen online for “real world” businesses like yours. Why? Because this is where the eye goes first online. But more importantly, it’s the result that shows up first on a mobile phone search.  Smart phone usage is on the rise, and soon most online searches will begin on a mobile device (phone, iPad, Ereader, etc.)

What does it cost?

Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Just go to Google Places and follow the steps to get listed.

Once I’m listed, am I done?

Not quite, you want to make the most of your listing. Google places gives you the opportunity to add photos, videos, coupons, social media links and most importantly–reviews! All of these help the viewer evaluate your business. It’s not enough to just show up on a particular search. You have to stand out and be the obvious choice to the viewer. And the more complete your listing, the more likely you will be chosen over your competitor. So, make sure you fill out every possible option for your listing–especially the reviews.

Why do I need reviews?

A recent Nielsen study showed that online reviews from total strangers were trusted more than any other form of advertising. ANY form. People trust online reviews more than TV commercials, radio ads, billboards, magazine ads, you name it. The only thing that beat out reviews for trust factor was “recommendations from a personal friend or relative.”

Google will pull reviews from all over the Internet for you. But you can’t place them yourself. You need to encourage your students and clients to go online and post their thoughts on your business. They can do it right on your listing, or they can go to different websites and write reviews. Just be sure they use the exact same business name every time, or the search engine will get confused.

Here’s how to get your listing:

  1. Register online at  Google.com/places
  2. Verify you are the owner of your business
  3. Add photos, videos, coupon offers, etc. to complete your listing
  4. Add reviews as often as you can. The more, the better.
  5. Periodically check your listing for any negative reviews and handle them appropriately.

Finally, be sure to keep your listing fresh and up-to-date. If it looks like your info is old, a viewer will skip over you (even if you’re the better choice.)

Don’t wait. The sooner you get listed, the sooner new students and clients will line up outside your door.

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One of the most common questions I get from my belly dance students is about the music. “Where can I get that?” they ask with hunger in their eyes. They want the latest bands, the cool music we’re playing in class, the choreography tune.  Until now, my response has been that I don’t copy music for them because I want the musicians to get paid. After all, they’re in business, too. So, I would send them to buy a CD. Or maybe you could find it online. But all that has changed now.

Solve the belly dance music dilema

Now you can send your students straight to iTunes or eMusic.com and they can download it directly. Okay, that’s not news. The new part is that you can become an affiliate of both those websites and make a commission on every sale. It’s the best of both worlds: your student gets the music cheap and easy, and you make a little money on the backend.

It all works through affiliate marketing. Basically, that’s an arrangement between two websites–the company selling the product (called the Advertiser) and the website recommending the product (called the Publisher–that’s you). All you have to do is put up a page on your website or blog entitled “belly dance music” or “class music” or something like that. Then your students go there and you have links set up that go straight to the song on iTunes or eMusic. Those links have a special code embedded in them that tell the Advertiser where that sale came from. At a certain point, you get a check as a commission for all those sales you made for the company.

It’s a win-win-win situation. Your student gets the music. The advertiser gets a sale. And you get a percentage. Sweet!

How do you become a belly dance music affiliate?

If you already know all about affiliate marketing, here’s the short answer:

The iTunes program is on the LinkShare network. And the eMusic program is on Commission Junction.

If you don’t know what the heck I’m talking about, you can learn all about making extra money online with your business or hobby on my affiliate marketing blog.

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Belly Dance Flyer Tips

February 9, 2010

Psychology 101 here…
No one likes to think they’re the only one to do/be interested in anything. So, if you use flyers with those little tear-off tabs on the end (and you should. It’s a great way to get people to call you.)…if you use those kinds of flyers, tear off one or two of the [...]

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All they left out was “it’s great exposure!”

May 28, 2009

This is for every client who tried to “negotiate” or bring us down on prices. And for every business owner who has a hard time charging what she’s worth.  Enjoy!
the real vendor client relationship

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Fun and useful new marketing tool: Google SMS

April 9, 2009

I could have used this when I was looking for restaurants with dancers last weekend. You can send a text to Google requesting info on just about anything/anywhere and they’ll text you back with relevant businesses.  Try it–text the words “belly dance” restaurant NYC  to 466453 (Google’s short code) and see what happens.
You can use [...]

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How does your web site look on my phone?

April 7, 2009

I was in Chicago last weekend attending a marketing seminar, and I found myself with some spare time on Friday night.  I didn’t have a whole lot of extra energy, but I thought I’d try to find some restaurants in the city that featured dancers. I did a quick web search on my Blackberry and [...]

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Providing links without losing traffic

April 3, 2009

Last time we talked about why having a massive list of interesting links is a bad idea when you’re selling on your site. People are going to click them, and then they go away and likely never come back. But you still want to promote your friends’ shows and classes around the country and other [...]

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SEO? SCHMESEO–why are you collecting all those links?

April 2, 2009

The trouble with the internet is the old information is out there floating around with the new information and sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference.  I’ve noticed a lot of people putting up lovely websites for their businesses and then going out searching for massive link trades. Belly dance sites in particular seem filled [...]

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How to write and use flyers effectively

April 1, 2009

Most everyone uses flyers to advertise classes and performances in the local area, and with good reason. They’re cheap, easy to produce, and most local businesses will post them without a fuss. But just like any marketing vehicle, you can make mistakes with flyers and fail to get as much business as you could [...]

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Old Word…New Meaning

March 12, 2009

I was talking with a friend the other day about dancing as an art form and the words “marketing” and “business” came up. She shook her head a little and told me whenever she hears those terms, things go fuzzy and she just tunes out. This was the second time in a month I’ve [...]

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