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Loebig Ink is a small business consulting firm
fueled by coffee, creativity and music to provide
SEO, web design and social media solutions.

A Testimonial: Troubleshooting Google Ads and a BNI Connection

Loebig Ink Testimonial: Troublshooting Google Ads and a BNI ConnectionWe recently received an unexpected testimonial addressed to the leadership team of Loebig Ink’s professional networking group, Business Networking International (BNI). Kevin Hu of Spa65 Thai Massage & Bodywork sent this heartfelt email expressing his gratitude for the support provided by Brian and the Loebig Ink team in resolving major online issues that were affecting the visibility and bottom line of his new start-up, a high-end Thai massage business based in Potomac, Maryland.

Hi Daniel and Ann [BNI chapter president and vice president],

I would like to express my deepest appreciation and gratitude toward Brian Loebig. I was inducted to BNI yesterday because of him. My Google Ads account suspension issue was fixed yesterday because of him!

For a new business of only 3 months old, having our Google Ads account suspended by Google was devastating because everyone uses Google to search for services. After the suspension, I had a lot of doubts and fears that my business could even survive because there was noticeable foot traffic dropped. After several weeks of frustration interacting with Google Ads support, my realtor introduced me to Brian. I know he is busy. I know he has his life and business. However, he set aside a time very late that same night and troubleshot the issue with me on Zoom. I felt I had hope because someone cared. I felt I had hope because he had many resources, experience and connections. I felt I had hope because I was not alone in this.  

After many days of troubleshooting, we made many changes and updates to my website.  However, my account was still suspended. He then introduced me to BNI. I realized that I cannot put all my eggs in one basket. I had to get out of my comfort zone and tried different marketing strategies. I truly enjoyed the one to one meetings with BNI members. Our BNI core values really resonated with me – building Meaningful Relationships: Build strong relationships with others.

For three months, pretty much since the beginning, my business runs without Google Ads advertisement. The business is actually running pretty well and I saw revenue growth each month. More and more people from around the DMV area notice our business.  

Three weeks ago, while troubleshooting my website performance issue, I found out that my website was hosted in Thailand! I contacted my Thai web designer to move the content to the US based servers but didn’t hear back for many weeks. Once again, I reached out to Brian for help.  He did his magic and voilà, my website’s slowness issue was fixed! At that instant, I appealed my Google account suspension to Google Ads support and voilà, my Google Ads account was restored! I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the news. My wife and I hugged each other and cried for 5 minutes. These three months of struggling and hard working with Google Ads were finally over all thanks to Brian’s support and members from BNI.

As a new BNI member, I want to share this testimony with you the leadership team and hopefully you can share my story to other members and visitors.

Thank you.

Kevin Hu
Spa65 Thai Massage & Bodywork

 

Thank YOU, Kevin Wu! We appreciate the positive feedback.

If you would like to share about your experience with our team and services at Loebig Ink, feel free to leave us a Google review or leave a review on your favorite review site

 

Why Invite Visitors to BNI?

Why Invite Visitors to BNI?Business Network International (BNI) has some excellent statistics to boast about. It is the world’s leading business referral organization. According to bni.com, BNI passed over 11.2 million referrals last year, which resulted in more than 15 billion dollars in business. And as the president of the Capital Business Alliance Chapter, Brian Loebig is always happy to share about the effectiveness of making connections through BNI.

Are you a member? If so, you know about the benefits of going to meetings, networking with fellow business owners, and at times, being the one to make a featured presentation. But do you know the benefits of inviting visitors to your BNI presentation? Here are nine good reasons why you should take that opportunity.

  1. The Power of One: An important principle of BNI is that measuring your performance and progress matters. Taking just one action makes a difference, and you can expand that concept to several activities each week. As a BNI member, it’s important to attend the chapter meeting once per week. Then study one education unit per week. Have a sit-down one-on-one conversation with another member once per week and give a business referral to someone in your chapter each week as well. Keep at it and the benefits multiply. Add this to the list: Bring one visitor to a meeting each month. They will make connections, tell their friends about their experience, and the business possibilities increase for everyone. Let the Power of One do its magic!
  2. Increase Membership: The more often you can bring someone out to experience a meeting, the more likely you will find someone who will want to join the chapter. BNI accepts only one member for each business category so members are not in competition with one another. As membership grows, the more likely it is that members’ businesses will complement one another. If your group includes the owner of a wedding venue, the event photographer you bring as a guest could be a perfect new addition.
  3. Personal Credibility: Paid promotions are often a significant part of raising the profile of a business. Word of mouth, however, can be priceless. By bringing a friend to the BNI meeting who knows you and your business well, that person is likely to promote your work naturally by way of personal testimonials. If it is your turn to make a featured presentation on your work, you will give your guest a lot of immediate material to work with. Why not bring someone around who’ll help others see how you shine?
  4. Rack Up the Referrals: You never know who will connect with whom for business opportunities. That’s all the more reason to bring people together for conversations on what they offer and what they may need. If one of your visitors happens to hire a chapter member for a service, that’s one more referral on your list of accomplishments.
  5. Increase Revenue: The average BNI visitor bring $1000 in closed business to a chapter, even if they don’t, or can’t, join. You never know what services or products someone may need from a member of your chapter. I have invited close friends and family members to chapter meetings in the past only to discover, after the meeting, that they needed painting done on a porch or a will drawn up for a loved one!
  6. Points of Contact: It is always great when someone you’ve invited is interested and available to accompany you to a BNI meeting. But what if they can’t make it? It’s still good that you asked. Networking isn’t only achieved when the initial goal is met; just making a contact is important, as you never know what will manifest in the future. Extending an invitation kindles your relationships to all the people you’ve invited, even if they weren’t able to attend.
  7. Residual Visitors: Most of the people who you invite will not be able to attend on the day of your presentation. Though your invitee couldn’t make it when you first asked, they may keep it in mind. You may ask again. However it happens, that person might eventually make it to a BNI meeting. They may tell others about it, too, who in turn express interest in checking out BNI. One initial invitation could lead to visitors for weeks after the initial invitation was made.
  8. Inspiration: When your chapter members notice that you extend invitations consistently, it may inspire them to do the same. Your simple act can multiply positive action.
  9. LinkedIn Value: Inviting visitors on LinkedIn provides you with an invitation history right in the message thread. This is a great bonus value on the LinkedIn platform. The next time you want to reach back out to your invitee, you will see when and how you invited them in the past along with their responses. You will also have their current professional information and recent posts at the ready to help you engage them with relevant conversation.
  10. Getting Social: Inviting someone through social media increases your personal engagement. Every time you send a shout out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or another social platform, others have the chance to see your post and take an interest. It’s an easy way to keep in contact, spark conversation, and increase your online visibility.

Would you like to learn more about BNI? Contact Brian about attending an upcoming meeting.

Brian Loebig: Keynote Speaker

Brian Loebig - Internet Marketing Strategist and Keynote SpeakerSince the beginnings of Loebig Ink in 2010, Brian Loebig has been sharing his knowledge and skill and developing loyal clients. As the business has grown, so has Brian’s work as an Internet Marketing Strategist for individuals as well as for groups. Most people familiar with Loebig Ink know that Brian and his team tackle issues covered by small business coaching, web design services, search engine optimization, social media marketing, and online advertising on an individual or project basis. Brian is now proud to announce that he is formally inviting inquiries about his availability as a keynote speaker.

So far in 2018, speaking engagements for Brian Loebig have included delivering a speech for the Clarvit Design Lecture Series at the University of Maryland Art Department, offering a workshop at the BOOM Conference held at the Silver Spring Civic Center, and delivering a keynote address at the C4 Explosive Networking Experience. He has traveled to Pompano Beach, FL to keynote for BNI of Broward County with a talk entitled “Leveraging LinkedIn to Build Your BNI Chapter and Business” and he serves as president of his local business networking chapter, BNI Capital Business Alliance. A sampling of other topics Brian has taken on this year include Personal Branding SEO, Personal Branding SEO for Creatives, Entrepreneurship, and Internet and Social Media Marketing. Brian has made podcast appearances on DC Tech Stories at the Washington Post, the Creative Marketing Zone podcast, the Business Insight Lab podcast with Adam Lowe, and he has also appeared on a talk show panel for Mavericks on the Move, hosted by digital marketing maverick, Jamilah Corbitt.

As Brian Loebig brings his expertise to greater numbers, he recognizes the importance of every individual who he hopes will come away with new insight. “The best thing about speaking with groups is the opportunity to dialogue and answer questions about specific situations,” Brian says about his enthusiasm for public speaking. His topics are fully customized to each audience. To personalize the experience even more, he often uses participants’ social media profiles or websites as examples within a presentation.

Brian Loebig strives to make speaking engagements fun as well as informative. He is an avid musician, so he is always up for breaking the ice with a song. When you contact him about his availability, feel free to ask him to bring along his mandolin or guitar! He will be happy to discuss potential lecture topics, workshops, classes, and other presentation ideas to fine tune the experience for your group. Find out more about inviting Brian Loebig to speak at your organization’s next event.

Personal Branding SEO

How to Increase Your Visibility on the Internet

If you own a business or are an entrepreneur, you know how important it is to be visible online. But are you making the most of your efforts? It is easy to allow some simple actions to get past you that can really help your personal brand. Let’s take a look at some ways you can avoid leaving opportunity on the table.

Key Points to Maximizing Your Personal Branding Power

  • Create your own personal brand website.
  • Fill out your social media profiles completely and consistently.
  • Get listed in the niche directories that cover your field.
  • Boost your visibility with listings in local directories and review sites.
  • Join business networks like BNI and chambers of commerce.
  • Begin blogging on your own site or as a guest contributor.
  • Create fresh content with online engagement.

 

Mavericks on the Move Live Talk Show, Baltimore, MD – 2018

Waller Executive Institute for Personal Branding Workshop, Washington, DC – 2017

 Your Website

Creating your own website might seem like a no-brainer for someone who wants to get seen on the internet. However, it could be a daunting prospect for someone who is not tech savvy or is just getting started. Thankfully, there are ways to start out with an easy-to-manage, low cost website. Wix is a great example of a platform that makes your website easy to build. A basic Wix site is free. You will pay a small fee when you connect to your domain name. The option of choosing more bells and whistles is always there when you wish to expand the site.

About.me is a useful, free one-page website that you can make your own. It is an excellent way to get your name and information out to people who want to find you. About.me brings together the professional and the personal. Think of it as your postcard to the world on the web.

Social Media

One of the most, if not the most important thing to remember about social media for personal branding SEO is to fill out your profile completely and consistently. Decide on a primary location, phone number, and how you will present your address. On each social media site, link to as many other social media sites of yours that you are able. Here are a few that are particularly useful for personal branding:

LinkedIn has one of the highest visibilities for a personal name search. It not only gives you the chance to connect with others who are also on the business platform, but may be one of the first links to come up when someone Googles you.

Twitter is also very highly ranked in Google. When completing your profile, add hashtags that someone looking for you would be likely to use in their search. Make sure to include the specific location of your business, even though you may be, or aspire to be national or international. Make sure to provide the link to your website, and when you have a message you want to highlight, pin the tweet to the top of your page to give it more views.

Meetup.com is another very good, but often missed chance to get the word out about who you are and what you do. Post a nice photo of yourself. Meetup allows you to link to three other social media platforms, so make sure you do.

Have you explored NextDoor.com? This is a site with a very local focus. You will need to be invited onto the site, and then you will be able to join a group that includes your immediate neighborhood. NextDoor is good for helping neighbors find a lost dog, report on a crime concern, or get the word out on the weekend yard sales, but it can also do more. Simply knowing those who live nearby is good for word-of-mouth business. You can also have a business page on NextDoor, which makes it easy for others to refer you when asked for a recommendation.

Niche Directories

Find out which directories cover your field and get listed. Because they are well established, in some cases your profile in an industry-specific directory such as Wedding Wire, Avvo, or Houzz may come up in a search above your own website. One good way to discover niche directories is to think of the keywords you would most like to rank for. When you Google those terms, take note of which free directories come up first. You will want to sign up for those. There is something to be said for “Barnacle SEO,” i.e. attaching yourself to something bigger than you are. Take advantage of that ready-made internet trust!

Local Directories

It is also incredibly helpful to boost your visibility with review sites and other local directories. Get listed on sites like Yelp, Google My Business, Angie’s List, and Bing. If your business already appears in a directory, claim the listing and fill out the profile completely. Some shy away from review sites for fear of bad reviews. It is by far better to be a presence and to respond quickly and publicly to any negative feedback rather than to hide your head in the sand. Take the reins and create a positive image.

Bonus tip: In local directories, your business name should be just that – your business name only. Adding extra SEO keywords will earn you a demerit from Google. Save your search terms for the description.

Business Networks

Join one or more of your local or regional chambers of commerce. A single backlink to your website from a chamber of commerce is great for SEO. It may seem expensive, but chambers of commerce are high traffic, high trust websites and your own online trust score will benefit. Even if you have to pay a little extra to include your logo with your listing, go for it. The extra visibility is worth it.

Apply to join a BNI near you. When you fill out your Business Network International profile, include details such as your top product and your ideal referral. Be sure to take advantage of the many connections and benefits available to you as a member of a BNI chapter.

Remember that aside from its social aspect, MeetUp.com is also a great place for business networking. See which meetups relate to your specialty and get involved. If you don’t find any that quite work for you, start your own. If you build it, they will come.

Blogging

Google has over 200 ranking factors to determine what content and web pages rise to the top of user search results. These ranking signals fall into three main categories; website technical factors, fresh quality content and high authority backlinks. From a personal branding SEO perspective, blog writing addresses the quality content piece of that puzzle and can propel ones personal brand to new heights.

A personal blog is what we normally think of when creating content from an SEO perspective, but guest blogging is an even lower hanging piece of fruit. Search for blogs that mirror your personal passions and business interests and discover if the blog owner offers opportunities for guest blog writing. To maximize the impact of guest blogging from a personal branding SEO perspective focus on these elements when researching opportunities:

  1. Ensure the blog has an author attribution profile where users can find out more about the author through “active links” to your personal branding website and/or social media profiles.
  2. Evaluate the “authority score” of the blogs and choose the ones with the highest authority score. The higher the authority score of the website, the more visibility your post will have on the Internet.
  3. Choose a blog that is directly related to the topic you are writing about. It is better to write a blog about social media on SocialMediaExaminer.com than it is to write that same article on PsychCentral.com.

Online Engagement

Google loves fresh content. Repurpose your work: If you make a video, use some of that same material to write an article. If you have a speaking engagement, upload your PowerPoint presentation to SlideShare. Creating a good blog and posting consistently is an excellent way to show up in Google’s ranks. Guest blogging also boosts your profile and can help you reach new audiences. When you don’t have time to tackle original material, make time to follow and comment on others’ related work. Be sure you are logged in via your Gravatar, Twitter, Facebook, or provide your web link so the connection is made. Here are some great ways to increase your online engagement which will exponentially increase your visibility:

  1. Follow EVERYONE you know on Linkedin and take 5min each day to like, comment and/or share content from your connections.
  2. Change your Facebook personal profile header photo once a month. Facebook’s algorithm prioritizes profile photo and banner image changes so that more of your followers will see it! [Keep your profile pic consistent across your online profiles however so that people start noticing your smiling face everywhere] 🙂
  3. Comment on your favorite, most read blogs, podcasts and news stories. The author will appreciate it and your comments can actually drive viewers to your own online profiles.

Get to Work!

Once you get through the task of choosing your focus and the image you want to show the world, many of the steps you need to take toward personal branding SEO begin to reveal themselves. It is almost impossible to overemphasize how important it is to find or create relevant profiles and fill them out consistently and completely. So many people neglect to do so, that simply by including all your information, a photo, and a logo wherever possible, you are already ahead of the pack. Get to work and make it easy for customers, collaborators, and fans to find you!

 

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