Is a website enough?

Posted on February 23, 2012 by admin

Kellee Gabel, President

When we started out in the Fall of 2000, websites were the main staple of a good online presence.  The commercial nature of the web had already gotten its groove, in fact the dot com bubble had already burst.  A business lacking a website was not quite cause for shocked exclamations.

In fact, today I still run across businesscards without a web or e-mail address.  And, some are still using Yahoo and Gmail accounts to conduct “professional” business.

So, is a website enough?  It could be, if your budget is very, very restricted.  However, there’s such a wide selection of affordable options available to create the optimum online presence.  Many of which fall under the umbrella of social media.

Let’s review social media by definition.  According to Wikipedia:  Social media includes web-based and mobile technologies used to turn communication into interactive dialogue. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as “a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content.” Social media is media for social interaction as a super-set beyond social communication. Enabled by ubiquitously accessible and scalable communication techniques, social media has substantially changed the way organizations, communities, and individuals communicate.

Two key phrases resonate for me:  “interactive dialogue” and “user-generated content.”

There are numerous social media options.  Let’s take a look at the three most prominent at this point in time:

  1. Facebook Fan Page.  You can get a facebook page for your business without paying someone else.  Generally, people familiar with the Facebook interface and who are comfortable experimenting will be able to manage this themselves.  That said, don’t get me wrong.  Not all Facebook Fan Pages are created equal!   There are many wonderful ways of optimizing your fans’ experience, so naturally you’ll want to make this a sleek marketing tool.  If you’re busy doing your business, hire someone to explain your options and then have them make it happen for you.
  2. Linkedin Profile.  Yes, it’s true that your company can have a Linkedin Profile and it’s free.  Do you need to pay someone to do this for you?  Not necessarily, but it’s nice to know what information you should have in hand before you begin.  Click here to get our free Linkedin whitepaper>> A professional online marketing company can help you with this, and there are plugins that make it an even better marketing opportunity for you.
  3. Twitter.  Yes, Twitter is free, and while there’s a learning curve, if you can figure out how to write a message of 140 characters or less, you’ve got at least one part licked.  One thing about Twitter that is often an issue for small businesses is the amount of dialoguing involved.  And, make no mistake, it is a dialogue.  Is it right for your business?  It should be considered along with other initiatives already in place, along with the staff resources required.

Other social media options: Google+, FourSquare, Pinterest, Yelp, blogging, to name a few.

Which one is right for you and how do you manage this task?  If yours is a large corporation, undoubtably you have a marketing department to effectively tackle these initiatives.  However, if you are a small business, just the idea of adding social media to your already staggering list of duties is probably daunting.

The first approach to social media is reviewing how it fits (or doesn’t) with your company’s marketing strategy.  We recommend an overall review of both traditional and online marketing to ensure your message has continuity, and your brand uncompromised.  To effectively use social media, setting up an editorial calendar is critical, because:

  • Social media begs to be tended with the right stuff – content and timing.
  • People who like or follow you will want a reason to keep doing so.
  • Measuring results in sales and the creation of real business relationships is critical.

Seek out marketing advice from professionals to maximize social media as an online marketing opportunity and you will go far.  The pie just keeps getting bigger each day.

Posted in Online Marketing, Social Media | Leave a comment

QR Codes revisited

Posted on January 10, 2012 by admin

What is a QR Code you may find yourself asking?  Have you been seeing those funny black and white cubes on billboards, businesscards and the like?

QR = Quick Response

Simply stated, it’s a block of patterns containing data that when scanned delivers a link or information to a scanning device.

A little background…

QR was originally formulated to track parts in automotive manufacturing.

From a commercial marketing standpoint, today QR Codes have gained popularity as a way for advertisers and retailers to post a great amount of information in a small amount of space, such as ads and price tags.

Consider this…  The space allotted to a business card or printed advertisement may significantly restrict the amount of information shared.  However, with the addition of a QR Code, the person beholding that business card or ad can instantly access more information through their smartphone or other digital scanning device using a code reader to open it through an application (APP) that will scan the barcode for you.

How does the consumer use QR codes?

To learn more about a product or service or business or anything of the advertiser’s choosing.  The ultimate destination is a mobile compatible web page (preferably geared as a landing page) delivering very specific information that relates back to how the QR code was initially found.

How do you, as a business owner, use a QR Code?

It depends.  The final destination for your visitor is a web page containing the desired information in a mobile compatible format, so brainstorming about how you would apply this to achieve your own ends sounds pretty exciting!

Philip Davis has posted a great article on the topic:  “How to Reach Your Mobile Customer Using QR Codes“

Posted in Online Marketing | 1 Comment

Smartphones encourage mobile shopping

Posted on January 10, 2012 by admin

I wish the title of this article were my original headline.  However, I am happy to credit it to the latest eNewsletter I received from eMarketer.com.  The full article is here>>.

The current numbers and projections about mobile retail shopping are staggering.  You may be asking yourself, if I am NOT a retailer, is this an area of Internet marketing I can ignore?  We think not.

While you may not plan to sell directly to consumers through mobile platforms, the ability for your message to reach them through their smartphones or tablet PCs is a growing need for any business that wants to stay in front of their target audience.

Beyond regular content updates, and a myriad of other activities your relevant online presence needs to be attending to, urgent adjustments may be called for to make your website accessible and interesting (and interactive) with mobile visitors.

Options for creating mobile accessibility and presence are available, and we’re here to help.

888-614-7776

 

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Is your message engaging?

Posted on October 13, 2011 by admin

Kellee Gabel

Fickle … /fikel/
Adjective:  Changing frequently, esp. as regards one’s loyalties, interests, or affection.

Internet surfers.  Fickle!  Yes, it’s true.  It’s always been true.

We get a mere second – or two – to grab the attention of our visitor.  Whether it’s a website’s home page, a landing page or a Pay Per Click advertisement – the message is read in an instant.  And then, a decision is made.

I’ve seen a lot of websites lately that have made me ponder, if this were a company’s printed brochure, would they proudly hand it to a potential client?  Often I do not have to give it much thought.  The answer IMHO is, no!

Fortunately, when handing a printed brochure to someone, the transaction is in person, and the recipient doesn’t have a graceful way of pushing it back into our hand.  Business etiquette dictates they must be gracious receivers and smile in gratitude.

However, on the Internet, this is not the case!  One click, and that prospect is gone.

No matter what changes have come along, the one-to-one nature of the relationship between visitor and web page remains the same.  The visitor is in the driver’s seat, and still revering that control.

Are you minding your message?  It’s so very important.  Don’t miss your chance.

Kellee Gabel is founder and president of The Web Professional, Inc.
888-614-7776 x1
www.thewebprofessional.com

Posted in Online Marketing | 1 Comment

A bird in the hand can sometimes fly away

Posted on September 27, 2011 by admin

by Kellee Gabel, The Web Professional, Inc.

Have you ever heard the expression “a bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush?” This philosophy has served me well throughout many areas of my life.

My reason for asking you is this: We all know that business we already have is a great source for more business and for gaining referrals, right? In my humble opinion, however, this can also be seen as taking the business and loyalty of our customers for granted.

In business, are you doing all that you can to be on par with your competitors? I’m not talking about competitive pricing. Only you know how much you must charge to compete and profit in your market. What I am talking about is, are you out there making sure your customers remember it’s you they’ve relied upon in the past and that you’re still ready for and desirous of their business.

At the moment, I have before me a list of prospects, and it occurred to me that many of these businesses that don’t have websites or Facebook pages or LinkedIn profiles or blogs are those who’ve been around for a long time and have relied on recurring business from past customers.

In many instances, they’re the standard go-to place for things like trophies, athletic shoes, senior pictures, boutineers and corsages, pizza joints, you know… the types of businesses just around the corner… the ones we rely upon pretty regularly in our daily lives.

But what happens when Bright and Shiny Company B arrives on the scene? One might think, there’s no way Bright and Shiny Company B is going to steal Mr. Trophy Man’s business of 40 years. Mr. Trophy Man’s been fulfilling the local sports team trophy orders, and coach has Mr. Trophy Man’s number in his play book.

In reality, new businesses usually come out of the gate loaded for bear. Starting from scratch, means spreading a sales and marketing budget as far as possible. Online is affordable and goes far. Bright and Shiny Company B knows they need to make the most of their dollars. So, first they get a website and post pages on social media sites, and then they start listing themselves in directories like Google Places and Merchant Circle, and start advertising on the radio, “visit our website, www.brightandshinycob…”

Wait, Mr. Trophy Man doesn’t need to do all these things? He’s been on the same corner and has been serving the same groups for years. There’s no way Bright and Shiny Company B is going to get any of Mr. Trophy’s business.

Oh, sure they will. When the individual tasked with fulfilling the trophy order this year forgets his notes, the first thing he’s going to do is pick up his smart phone and look up trophies. Guess whose listing is going to come up in Google Places or in the search engines? That’s right, Bright and Shiny Company B.

So the moral of the story is, a bird in the hand can fly away. Get out there, and keep old customers in the know about your business, and maybe give new ones an easy way to find you too.

All business names and web addresses mentioned above are fictitious and are not meant to depict real people or business entities.

If you need help with marketing your business online, The Web Professional, Inc. is available to assist you.  In fact, we’ve been helping businesses achieve online marketing success for over 11 years.  888-614-7776

Posted in Business Development | 1 Comment