Hi Everyone,
And welcome to my first Blog! I purchased the rights to ShopKamloops.com little over 2 months ago and celebrated my first official month in Business on November 2nd. Many of you are following my Instagram account (thank-you!) and are wondering, ``How the heck does this chick make money?``
ShopKamloops.com is a Digital Marketing platform that is geared to help local businesses only. When I bought ShopKamloops, I made a commitment to not only follow through with my new career choice, but to fully support local businesses – even if that means just showing them how to use our Free Tools! During my visits to these local stores, I really try to take some pictures and promote them on my social accounts and do little reminder video’s as to why it is soooo important to Shop Local. If you haven’t seen my Local Lesson’s yet, check them out on my YouTube Channel.
Did someone say FREE? Yes, like other ShopCities around Canada and the states, we are fully committed to helping your local business succeed online. Ex: Check out ShopKelowna.com (this is my goal!), its a “Locals Only” community. It’s an easy place to visit and make sure that the business your are buying from or hiring are local – so that the money stays in our community. With time, people will actually start to look for you on ShopKamloops.com, but the real goal is to get your business found on Search Engines. So, in our Free Package you can claim your business profile (no credit card required), link your Facebook and Twitter, and use this platform to post to your social accounts instead of posting directly into Facebook or Twitter. The advantage here is that with time and consistent post, you can start ranking for Key Words you used. Facebook and Twitter don’t usually feed Google the information it wants, because Google doesn’t like them (they are competition), so by using our free tools you can start working on your Search Engine presence Today. Always use key words like your business name and a detailed description of your products/services. Claim your free profile here!
So, still wondering how I make money? Great question. We also provide Websites that are fully optimized for local search engines, PLUS we duplicate all that information on to ShopKamloops to give you twice the exposure. Still don’t believe me? See for your self. Here is an example of a website we created in Kelowna. http://www.teaberrys.ca
Wow, I know – that’s a nice website. Best part... It’s only a $599 one-fee and hosting fee’s as little as $30/m that includes e-commerce and SEO. I have met a lot of people who say “ Well I can make my own website online for free.” and the truth is, yes you can. But are you getting found on search engines with it? I don’t mean when you type in your business name into Google, because if you don’t rank for your own business name (and trust me this happens), please call me right away. What I really mean is: do you rank on the first page of Google when you type “Home Made Cookies Kamloops” or “Electricians Kamloops”? Our websites are fully optimized for local search and as mentioned above, we duplicate it over to ShopKamloops to give you twice the exposure. And don't worry, people in Kelowna or Ontario can still go to your website, it’s just you won’t rank in other cities. Here is an example of TeaBerry’s SEO. Under Shop, they sell a “Radiant Tea Pot”, so I am going to search “Radiant Tea Pot Kelowna”
Woah... Four times on the first page of Google. Even if you type “Tea Pot Kelowna” into Google, they are on the first page with their big box competitors and others are even paying Google Adwords to be on the first page with them. Way to go ShopKelowna!
I have the same goals for our local businesses, I want it to be easier for the consumer to find you when they look for your products or services on Search Engines. Most business owners I visit don’t think it’s possible to rank on the first page with the big box stores like Amazon, Chapters, Sports Check... But I am here to show you that it can be ^^^. SEO is not always guaranteed, but with consistent post and a good website, you can really increase your chances. SEO can also take up to 6 months, so if you are wanted to rank for something like Spring Fashion, Home Construction... It’s best to get them out now.
But some people don’t want to sell their products online, or simple can’t, but no worries – you don’t have to. Owners who don’t want to sell their products online or people who offer services, and not products, can simply put “Inquire Now”.
Other things we offer: Newsletters, Coupons, Press Releases, SEO, Event Calendars, Blog Pages, Web Pages, Integrate into your existing website, Menu Pages, Gift Certificates and much much more.
If you would like to meet up please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d love to sit down, even if it is just to go over the free tools!
Sarah Mathieu
sarah@shopkamloops.com
