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Archive for February, 2009

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Internet marketing tools and business websites

Sunday, February 22nd, 2009

Ten indicators your website isn’t performing the way it should.

 

Change the way you think about internet marketing and how your website can generate new business in any location. Websites can be developed in many different ways, but do they work? Some websites are brochure-ware sites or all flash websites.  Both types may mean that you have to market your website instead of your website marketing your business.  It depends on how they are designed.  

 

Ten areas to evaluate:

1. Do you have to buy Google sponsored links because your website can’t be found? Say it isn’t so! You should never have to buy online placement. If you search for industry-like keywords and the page results are under 2.5 million, but your website cannot be found, then you need to seriously check the page programming and design. Find an expert in website design that really understands search engine placement.

 

How do you know if the website designer is an expert? Have the expert show you examples of websites they designed that are on page one, two, or three. See where they measure up in their own industry like searcing the term “website design Fargo” or the location they do business in.

 

2. Do you have errors in the code, script, or programming of the site? Errors on your website could hinder search engine placement. It’s common to find an extra space or character out of place and some search engines will penalize you for the smallest of errors which may effect search engine placement.

 

3. Are you embarrassed to send potential clients to your website? This is common, but can be fixed by updating your branding or identity.

 

4. Are you able to edit your website without paying a fortune? This kind of depends on what your definition of a fortune is. Do you want to pay someone to change copy or a link for over $75 per hour or can the same task be performed in half the time for under $35. Are you being charged one hour to change a few links and a few copy changes? Some website design businesses offer discounts for minor edits and web maintenance.  

 

5. Do you have to type in your business name to find your website? Unfortunately your business name doesn’t count because not everyone knows your business name. Put yourself in your potential client’s shoes. Example: Search for possible industry specific terms like “website design” and the location like Fargo. What service do you provide? Use these terms or keywords first, and then a location.  

 

6. Do your website pages have proper page titles, keywords, headers, and meta tags for your target market? This is important, but also depends on how the site is developed, or programmed.

 

7. Do you get contacts from potential clients or leads from your website? If you spend the time and money to market your business don’t you think it should be visible also? You can still have a great looking site and still be on page one. Do you have lead capture forms? Can people contact you easily? A lead capture form can be a quick name, e-mail, and phone number, and there you have it, a potential lead. At the very least, have your business name, phone, and location on every page. Then decide if you want a catch all e-mail or  put your business e-mail address on the pages.

 

8. Is your business website on page four or past page four in search engines? Think about this one. Do you look past page four? How many pages do you look at? Make it easy for people to find you. Location, location, location does apply online!

 

9. Do you have minimal copy explaining what it is that you offer or what your business is about? People do look and shop online before making a decision to buy. At a very minimal you should have information explaining the who, what, when, where, why, and how of your business.  

 

10. Is your copy or text is embedded in the images and not on the page? This might be ok for menu items, a call to action or catch phrases, but get the full value of all your copy or content. Don’t put all your copy in images it does nothing for search engine placement.

Is your business website a work horse or a show horse? A website can be one of the least expensive marketing vehicles you have, and can reach more potential clients if it’s designed for performance. Some businesses get 8 to 10 leads per day or per week from their website; do you? If not, maybe finding an expert website designer to maximize your web visibility and minimize your cost will help.

What does a working website cost? You can get a really good search engine friendly website for about $65 per month it just depends on where you go, and what you need. 

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Print marketing and social media sites

Tuesday, February 17th, 2009

Print Ad Marketing and Communications.

Are conventional marketing methods, loosing their luster? We are constantly learning about closing newspapers, bankrupt or troubled publications like The Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Times, and The Baltimore Sun.

In the last few months, two thirds of the twenty five national publications we work with are slashing prices because diminishing requests for ad placement. In fact, The Rocky Mountain News (Denver) was added to the list and from the looks of things it must be sold or else… Will cutbacks and low advertising sales affect local newspapers or communication companies in Fargo? Can newspapers and magazines survive the online trends of modern marketing? This is a question that remains to be seen.

Is Fargo behind the times when it comes to modern marketing techniques, as compared to national trends, and new marketing models? Our geographical location and general demographics limit our exposure to viral, buzz or social media marketing like YouTube™, free advertising sites like Craigslist, and social media network sites like LinkedIn. The uses of these websites are on the rise, but do we understand the full potential? Some businesses are taking advantage of new marketing ideas, and with a little education even revamping old brochure ware websites to modern marketing vehicles that get results.

How is it possible to get new business form a website or email marketing?

In our experience, we redesigned a business website for national placement. In one month the new website’s exposure was increased ten-fold, and the leads increased from two per day to an average of eight. With the new design and search engine placement the website went from page fifty to page one in all major search engines for the keyword areas and locations targeted.

E-mail blasts are similar to mailing a flyer; it’s just a different technique, and costs less. The differences between a flyer and an e-mail blast is that in an email blast you can track who viewed it, the number of responses, how many people viewed it, when, where, and how often.

Example: Just this last week, we sent an email for one client out at about 4:30 PM and the next morning they had about twenty people inquiring about their products. In fact, I was on the phone with this client at about 10:00 AM that next morning, and they were closing a sale for over $10,000.

How do we know if any marketing campaign works? We can evaluate any marketing campaign or website by answering a few questions.

- Were you able to track the results from your efforts and did it perform according to your goals and standards?

- Did you get calls or new leads, how many and how often?

- What was your return on investment?

- Bottom line – did you get results?

Sometimes it’s difficult to explain old methods vs. new marketing methods but there are two things every business owner understands, and that’s money, and return on investment (ROI). The best advice we can give is don’t just throw money at a problem and expect a solution or results. Here are some important factors before you start any marketing campaign.

1. What does it cost to develop, design, and deploy? This includes concept to delivery i.e. creative work, media buying, and placement.

2. How will you know if it works? What methods are in place to track the performance of your campaign?

3. What is your return on investment (ROI)?

It’s not all doom and gloom for the future of marketing and advertising. The answer may not lie in traditional methods but in reaching more people on the internet.

This website is one example of how content primarily published by users (user generated content) can reach more people. It’s also a tool for people to communicate and share video, commercials or almost anything. Invite people to read, interact, and contribute. Social media website… Send us an article or video.

Give it a try.

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