Mountwell Marketing

We meet a lot of great small businesses who have barely any reviews on Google. Then you look at very similar businesses that have hundreds of reviews, and not surprisingly rank No. 1 in searches. The difference? Some businesses ask for reviews, others don't. This is one of the most fundamental parts of local marketing that so many business owners simply don't understand. As we've written about before on the Well Said blog, Google reviews can make or break a small business. Not only do they influence other potential customers, but Google also uses reviews to determine how prominent a business is in their area, which influences search rankings. In a recent live Q&A from Local University, Brad Wetherall, who formerly led the Google Business Profile team and is now a private consultant, was asked what businesses can do to boost their review counts. This quote below was his answer, and we couldn't agree more. It might feel a little desperate when you start soliciting reviews, but you get over it as you make it an ongoing process. It's too important to not do, and for many businesses you simply won't get reviews if you don't ask. Fortunately, most customers are more than happy to support small businesses in this way, and you just have to remind them. #localmarketing #smallbusinessmarketing #smallbusinessmarketingtips #marketing #smallbusiness #localseo #google

One of the best investments a small business can make, as well as one of the first investments they should make, is professional photography. I didn't always think this way. Earlier in my career, I might’ve told a client they could get away fine with stock images and iPhone photos. But I’ve since seen again and again that high-quality photos of your business and your people truly make all the rest of your marketing both easier and more effective. Having a great set of images is simply a game-changer. Click the link below for the evidence. #localmarketing #photography #smallbusiness #marketing #webdesign #advertising #socialmedia #contentmarketing

One of the best investments a small business can make, as well as one of the first investments they should make, is professional photography. I didn't always think this way. Earlier in my career, I might’ve told a client they could get away fine with stock images and iPhone photos. But I’ve since seen again and again that high-quality photos of your business and your people truly make all the rest of your marketing both easier and more effective. Having a great set of images is simply a game-changer. Click the link below for the evidence. #localmarketing #photography #smallbusiness #marketing #webdesign #advertising #socialmedia #contentmarketing

Proud to be launching a new website today for E&3 Apothecary, a small-batch, handmade candle company here in Haddonfield. 🥳🎉 E&3 was initially a quirky hobby that took root in the early pandemic but turned into a lot more. They wanted to grow, and needed some help with their website. They were using Square/Weebly, but the checkout functionality for local delivery was so awkward they were losing sales. On top of that, the design functionality was super basic. We looked at moving them to Shopify or Squarespace, and landed on Squarespace because it has seamless local delivery checkout and much better design capabilities. We also found a decent integration that connects their existing Square account to Squarespace so they could continue to use their Square hardware for in-person sales and keep inventory organized. Honestly, web design is so much easier when there's amazing photography to work with, and our photo partner Karin Emily Photographer did a fantastic job capturing the founder and their products. Anyway, enough about the behind-the-scenes, check out their site to see what they're all about, and take advantage of the sale they have this weekend!

Proud to be launching a new website today for E&3 Apothecary, a small-batch, handmade candle company here in Haddonfield. 🥳🎉 E&3 was initially a quirky hobby that took root in the early pandemic but turned into a lot more. They wanted to grow, and needed some help with their website. They were using Square/Weebly, but the checkout functionality for local delivery was so awkward they were losing sales. On top of that, the design functionality was super basic. We looked at moving them to Shopify or Squarespace, and landed on Squarespace because it has seamless local delivery checkout and much better design capabilities. We also found a decent integration that connects their existing Square account to Squarespace so they could continue to use their Square hardware for in-person sales and keep inventory organized. Honestly, web design is so much easier when there's amazing photography to work with, and our photo partner Karin Emily Photographer did a fantastic job capturing the founder and their products. Anyway, enough about the behind-the-scenes, check out their site to see what they're all about, and take advantage of the sale they have this weekend!

If you need a reliable floor plan fast, give Jon Hitchner at Roominders a call. Jon's been creating as-built CAD drawings for 30 years, traveling from Maryland to Connecticut to get his clients the documentation they need to market their properties and make layout decisions. We had the pleasure of working with Jon to quickly spruce up his website and make some updates to his other digital platforms. Many small businesses simply need a clean, up-to-date site that looks professional and answers all the questions a visitor will have, and that's what we did here. If your business needs floor plans for its buildings, and you want a service that's easy to work and delivers a great product, check out their new site to learn more about what makes Roominders special.

Shoutout to Pennco Tech for this creative, well-produced, and refreshingly direct video. Was watching Monday Night Football and getting the normal slew of amateurish local TV commercials. It is honestly still baffling how many small businesses are willing to invest in TV advertising, but not in quality production, especially when it's not difficult to achieve. And then this ad came on. It immediately grabbed my attention, and I was shocked to see it was a local company! This is the level of production quality that all small businesses should be aiming for. Whereas most local ads are grainy and poorly lit, they clearly used experienced shooters and editors with professional equipment. They also clearly planned out their scenes, and had a strong message for a particular audience. There's no mistaking who this ad is for, and what Pennco offers. Now think of the alternative tired formula that so many other businesses use for this type of video. Open with a panning shot of the exterior, then show some boring interior shots, then end with the logo and phone number on a white background. The audio's always either generic royalty-free music, a rambling voiceover, or a few poorly scripted talking heads. All of it utterly forgettable. Pennco's not a client of ours - we just love seeing local businesses do the right things. Bravo to whoever was involved in this!

Nothing makes us happier than an amazing product page 😊 If you want a coffee table that stops visitors in their tracks, look no further than this handmade beauty from our client Timber Forge Woodworks. Carefully crafted of solid black walnut at their workshop in South Jersey, you're not going to find a higher-quality statement piece for your home. (But don't let that stop the big factory brands from charging triple the price for something far less unique 😅) One other thing we really love about this is Squarespace's newer e-commerce capabilities to allow for free local delivery. You can also pick it up straight from their workshop if you live nearby. This is awesome functionality for small businesses to sell their products nearby. If you were looking for a sign to buy yourself an early Christmas present, here it is ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️

Shoutout to Sciarra Restaurant Group in Wildwood, which scored a link in The New York Times today! There's an old saying that when a trend is reported by The New York Times it's already over. I don't think that's entirely true in this case, but the article, linked below, certainly doesn't break any news about how creative small businesses are being with short-form videos. There are lots of great examples of creative accounts in South Jersey alone. I have conflicting feelings about organic social media. As the article details, it is definitely possible to double your business with a viral video. But, I also see so many business owners wasting countless hours on social media posts that get literally no engagement. What I've been recommending lately to small business owners is that if you really like making fun, trendy videos, absolutely go for it. But, if you're not that into it and it feels like a chore, your time and money is better spent elsewhere. Hopefully this article underscores that point. If you want organic social posts to really make a difference for your business, you have to be creative, and the only way to do that consistently is to genuinely enjoy it. What you absolutely, positively, do not want to do is be that business that mindlessly posts things like, "Buy pizza today!" or "Contact us for retirement advice!" I can definitively say that's a total waste of time and you should just be running ads if that's all you want to accomplish. The only thing I think is untrue here is the notion that "these videos feel like a throwback to outdated forms of advertising, like the television spots of decades past." Unfortunately, I watch enough local sports to know there are still so many awful small business TV ads today, albeit they are more embarrassing than funny. I would love a follow-up piece to explain how that's still possible a quarter of the way into the 21st century 😅. #localmarketing #smallbusiness #smallbusinessmarketing #marketingideas #southjersey #marketing #advertising

Truly special event at Inkwood Books last night - a conversation between Julia Hotz, author of the new book “The Connection Cure,” and Benita Cooper RA, LEED AP, founder of The Best Day of My Life So Far, a non-profit focused on curing social isolation. We’ve been supporting Best Day for a few years now and saw in May that this new book was coming out about social prescriptions. It details that instead of just prescribing drugs, more doctors are recommending social activities, based on convincing and growing evidence that connecting with others and the surrounding world can improve both mental and physical health. Best Day Vice President Sandi Adams reached out to Julia and was able to coordinate a stop on her national book tour right here in Haddonfield. What made it even more serendipitous is that Best Day is celebrating its 15th anniversary right down the street, at Haddon Fortnightly, on Nov. 15. As Julia said, “we need to clone the Benita Coopers of the world” to bring more services like Best Day’s to more people. Stop by Inkwood to pick up your copy of the book, and if you’re interested in learning more about Best Day, you can buy tickets for the upcoming celebration and fundraiser here: https://lnkd.in/eFUsVWhV