Today a chiropractor in my home state forwarded me an email he got from a well-known yellow pages -style site.
The ad rep sent him a proposal – the details of what they wanted to do to get his phone to ring:
There are many options and I believe that getting your [sic] started with one of our online packages that includes a bundle of online solutions would be a [sic] the way to go.
The elements include:
Google + Local. We would assist in claiming your Google places page and populate content and any additional information for you (photos, videos etc)
A local focused click package.
Facebook Page. We would co-manage and update Facebook for you. I [sic] social media expert would contact you once a month for updates.
Reputation Monitoring: One consolidated report of your online reviews.
YEXT power listing: Your business information claimed across 40+ internet sites including Yahoo, Yelp to name a few.
Call Tracking and Reporting
Cost: $225 per month.
I told the good chiropractor that was a bad deal – and that his practice would be getting the assembly-line treatment. If he was picking out a place to dine, it would be the McDonald’s inside Wal-Mart.
Why does that deal suck? Let’s put on our elbow-length gloves and take a real close look:
Ad rep: Google + Local. We would assist in claiming your Google places page and populate content and any additional information for you (photos, videos etc).
Me: That takes 10 minutes. And it’s probably the part you’ve done already. If there’s a part you need help with or advice on, it’s cleaning up duplicate listings in Google – many of which are automatically created by misinformation on online directories, like this one. But your monthly budget won’t get you that.
Ad rep: A local focused click package.
Me: Every business owner I’ve spoken with has said these leads are garbage. But hey, you get your 50 clicks per month (see where it says that in the fine-print contract?).
Ad rep: Facebook Page. We would co-manage and update Facebook for you. A social media expert would contact you once a month for updates.
Me: Their social-media “expert” might just edge out the expert Domino’s hired.
Ad rep: Reputation Monitoring: One consolidated report of your online reviews.
Me: Or you can check the one in your Google Places dashboard.
Ad rep: YEXT power listing: Your business information claimed across 40+ internet sites including Yahoo, Yelp to name a few.
Me: Online directories get a steep discount on Yext, so for them it’s just like throwing another kid onto a school bus. Yext is an OK service – it has its uses – but it’s no substitute for correcting your listings manually (as my buddy Nyagoslav Zhekov has written).
Ad rep: Call Tracking and Reporting.
Me: Because local SEO is just too easy and boring without having to clean up call-tracking numbers in your citations.
Ad rep: Cost: $225 per month.
Me: Your ad rep turned down a job at a gas station – just to help YOU with your online marketing! (And he must be good at it, too, because you’re paying him $225 for probably 30 minutes of his time.)
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Notice what’s missing from the offerings: help with your website, helping you put together a strategy for getting more reviews, and personal guidance and attention.
What are your experiences with these sorts of “packages”?