Marketing, Promotion and Advertising Articles

Maintaining Your Website Using a Content Management System (CMS)

ksekelsky — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 13:33:12 +0000

Your organization’s website can be the hardest-working, most versatile tool in your marketing kit. But to realize its true potential, you need to actively maintain the information published. While some rely on their development firm to perform all updates, the most efficient and cost-effective approach to content management is using a Content Management System (CMS).

A CMS-based website (sometimes referred to as a “dynamic” or “database-driven” site) uses a scripting language and a database to publish content. These packages include an administrative area that enables you to conveniently update the website without any knowledge of HTML or other coding language. If you can complete an online form, you can maintain the entire website.

Some core CMS features enable you to:

Add, edit or delete text site-wide
Upload and insert images
Publish (and catalog) news items, press releases and blog posts
Make documents available for download (.PDF, .DOC, etc.)
Maintain an events calendar
Create links to pages anywhere on the web (including your own site)

In the early days of commercial websites, Content Management Systems were cost prohibitive. Each package required custom development, quickly leading to a steep price tag that required a long period of time to realize a return on the investment. These days, there is a wide selection of off-the-shelf CMS packages available—many of which are low-cost or even free to use, due to being released under the Creative Commons License. The folks at SpryeStudios put together a nice list of what they consider to be the “Top 12 Free Content Management Systems” available (with additional packages listed in the “Comments” area).

What this means to you is that you can easily add a CMS to your site, giving you the immediate and complete control over the content you publish. Any competent web development company will be able to help you select a CMS best suited for your business and then customize that package to function according to your specific needs.

10 Steps to Increase Traffic to Your Website

blaw — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:29:06 +0000

A website sits so prominently in the hierarchy of marketing initiatives that there is little wonder business owners can frequently be heard asking, “how can I attract more visitors to our site?” The answer lies in understanding what people are looking for and how you appear to the Internet at large.

These ten ideas can help you increase the number of visitors to your website and, in many cases, improve the quality of their visit.

Create a Google Webmaster Tools account

Google Webmaster Tools is a free service that shows you how your website appears to Google’s search engine crawlers. It also provides you with the means of making it easier for Google to index your website through the use of a file known as an XML sitemap. This file identifies the name and location of every page on your site and can even be set to designate the frequency at which each page is updated.

No level of technical knowledge is needed to create the sitemap.xml file thanks to the many free online services that will generate one for you, including XML-Sitemaps.com.

Submit to Industry Directories

When a website is launched it is often standard procedure to submit the URL to search engine directories, such as Google, Yahoo, Bing and DMOZ. What is frequently overlooked, however, is the ample supply of smaller, more specific directories available online.

Finding directories specific to your industry can be as simple as entering “[industry name] directory” in your favorite search engine. Having your business listed in as many of these directories as is feasible can result in increased visits from a less generalized demographic.

Add a Blog

Blogs are a convenient way for businesses to publish the single most valuable element on the Internet—new, unique content. By posting compelling, relevant articles businesses can:

Demonstrate a superior level of expertise in an industry sector
Open a new line of communication with potential customers via integrated “Comments” areas
Increase search engine ranking by regularly publishing new content and through the use of keyword-rich categories and tags

Thanks to the prevalence of top-tier blogging engines, such as WordPress, Moveable Type and Expression Engine, incorporating a blog in your company’s online marketing scheme has never been more accessible.

Promote Your Content

Make the effort to craft a well-written, timely article pay greater dividends by promoting your new posts in blog-specific search engines. Blog-Search is a search engine focused only on content published through blogs. Users of this type of search engine are looking specifically for insider-style content, the exact type of information you are using to add value to your website. Traditional search engines recognize the value of the links posted to this site as well. By including your site’s blog area to this directory you can increase the visibility of the information you are posting.

Become a Guest Author

Again, recognizing that the main thing people are searching for is original content, we can easily understand the need for popular blogs and online publishers to employ guest authors. Your business can benefit from you becoming a guest author by giving you and your company exposure to a larger audience.

Finding a site willing to publish the work of a guest author can be as simple as emailing the publisher of your favorite industry-related blog. Other places that are always in search of contributing authors include:

Create a Professional Twitter Account and Facebook Page

A key to getting increased traffic is to distribute your information in a variety of formats. This leaves it to the recipient (your potential customer) to determine which way they prefer to receive periodic updates.

Two easy data streams to tap into are Twitter and Facebook. You can use these networks to post links to related industry articles both on your website and elsewhere on the Internet. These feeds also provide you with a vital link to your follows and fans where you can announce new products, specials and website updates.

Focusing on growing your subscription base in these two networks can result in significant traffic increases.

Leverage Social Bookmarking

Social bookmarking site provide individuals with the means of managing important references found on the web. An added benefit of social bookmarking sites is that you can view links that others have found to be of interest. By building a collection of valuable links related to your industry you can increase exposure to your own site as well.

Of course, getting others to bookmark your site is even better. If you are regularly publishing valuable content, encourage them to add your posts to their bookmarks. What’s the easiest way to do that? Add links to your pages that, when clicked, will automatically add the page to that visitor’s account.

A key is knowing which social bookmarking site has the appropriate audience for the information you are publishing. If your information is related to health and wellness then it is unlikely to be added to Slashdot, which is geared specifically towards a computer-savvy audience.

Popular social bookmarking sites include:

Post to Related News Groups

As a knowledgeable professional within your industry you have a lot to offer the general public. Exposing people to that knowledge can not only benefit them, but can result in additional qualified visits to your website.

Sometimes you need to search out those that can benefit from your expertise, and that’s where news groups come into play. Visiting a news group and browsing to your specialized field can provide an abundance of opportunities to demonstrate your knowledge and direct traffic back to your website.

Using Google Analytics to Measure the Success of Your Website

alaw — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:54:03 +0000

A truism is that all marketing efforts are measurable. If you cannot quantify the results of your campaign, then the campaign is more likely classified as public relations, not marketing. And effective marketing is what truly affects your bottom-line.

For many businesses, their website is the prime marketing tool that not only generates leads and sales on its own, but also supports all other promotion efforts. So what is the best way to measure the results of your web-based initiatives?

In our experience, Google Analytics has proven to be the premier website statistical package. Google Analytics has all the tools you need to measure the performance of your website, including unique and repeat visits, page views, pages per visit, bounce rate, average time on site, and percentage of new visits.

By monitoring these numbers on a daily (or at the very least, weekly) basis you can see what your customers are interested in, which types of content generate the most activity and which areas within your site are “sticky” (holding visitors’ attention the longest). Armed with this information you can help your website evolve into a more focused tool by giving your visitors (read: customers) the type of information they desire. This knowledge is also valuable when making day-to-day business decisions, such as product focus or how to adjust sales initiatives.

Integrating Google Analytics into your site is a simple task. It is as easy as signing up for an account and pasting the generated javascript code into each page of your site. That’s it–Google does the rest of the work for you. In fact, you can even choose to have select reports emailed to you eliminating the need to even log in to your account.

If you use AdWords or Adsense, these too can be tracked and reported upon so that you can determine your ROI for your ongoing marketing campaigns.

With up to 85 reports available at your fingertips, you are sure to find the information you need in order to make informative decisions regarding your website’s future offerings. What makes it even better is that this tool is available absolutely free of charge.

The Competitive Advantage of Consistent Marketing

alaw — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:44:19 +0000

The goal of most professional organizations is to be the first name that comes to mind when a need for your product or service arises. To achieve this lofty goal you must work diligently to be constantly and consistently in your prospective customer’s ear. Most businesses understand the “constant” part of that equation, but what is often overlooked is the “consistent” factor.

When your company employs a consistent approach to all marketing and promotional efforts, each piece is strengthened by the others. Consider the customer that is the recipient of a mailer that is part of a direct mail campaign. This is an opportunity to introduce your company’s look and visual approach. If the goal of this campaign is to drive traffic to a specific area of your website, the pages of the site should immerse the visitor in your colors, voice, and presentation style. When, finally, the customer meets face-to-face with an associate from your company, that employee’s business card, using familiar colors and type treatments, identifies him as an extension of the company, adding immediate credibility.

A trusted company has a huge competitive advantage. One way to gain initial trust is for your company to be consistently identified by its brand. A professional brand is generally considered to be the mark of a company that is well-established and experienced. This also demonstrates a commitment to quality and professionalism. By employing a carefully planned corporate ID, even a start-up business can show its customers that it is serious, committed, and ready to get down to business.

A consistent business presence helps your company achieve instant recognition. In marketing, every second counts. If the medium is a billboard you may only have two-to-three seconds to communicate with a passing car. As someone is sorting email, you may only get one quick glance to identify yourself and announce the value of your message. Using a consistent visual approach you can optimize these precious seconds by providing immediate recognition as associated with your company’s style.

So take a look at the items you are currently using to market your company. Do your advertisements tell the same story as your website? When you look at your business card, does it make you recall your last billboard promotion? If not, then this needs to be a key requirement when planning your ongoing marketing strategy. Focusing on a consistent look and message can begin reaping rewards almost immediately.

Set Your Marketing Goals and Plans For The Year

alaw — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:42:32 +0000

The beginning of the year is the ideal time to look ahead and set up a plan for the entire year’s marketing efforts. This plan will do more than help you estimate your budget for various promotional campaigns. Creating an annual marketing plan helps you see how you can schedule your initiatives to keep a constant and consistent message in front of your customers.

An annual marketing plan is similar to, but separate from, your company’s business plan. While your business plan may identify niche markets you plan to target, your marketing plan will define the means in which you will reach that business sector or customer type. Creating this document helps you define the way your company’s message is delivered throughout the year. By committing your plan to paper you are forcing yourself to thoroughly analyze your promotional efforts as a whole, making it much more likely that you will maximize the results of your advertising campaigns.

Your annual plan should contain the following information:

A schedule of campaigns, including dates for launch, follow up and estimated action by the recipient
Definition of targeted campaign audience
Quantifiable campaign goals
Selection of distribution method (direct mail, online, broadcast, etc.)
Keys to project success
Estimated project costs in both time and money
Projected return on investment

When planning your year, fight the urge to simply select various mediums to which you can then assign a date and a dollar figure. Instead, focus on creating clear objectives for your efforts which can then define the avenue you will use to reach your goal.

Making Small Companies Look Big

alaw — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:38:29 +0000

Being a small business has many advantages that carry over to your customers, such as an increased dedication to customer service and a lean, efficient approach to projects, services and pricing. These advantages can not only increase your competitiveness in today’s market, but can also maximize the benefits your customers receive for their money. Everyone wins, but only if your customer is confident that your organization can deliver on the promised goods.

Gaining customer confidence is easy for big companies. It is assumed that they wouldn’t be big without a successful track record in their industry. Small companies, without the power of a long-established brand, need to work hard to convince new customers that they are a qualified vendor and are committed to fostering new long-term business relationships. By looking, acting and responding like a big company, small companies can attract new business and begin demonstrating the benefits of working with a smaller company.

Communication

The key to happy business relationships is delivering a high level of customer service, the foundation of which is solid communication. Nothing can compare to keeping customers in touch and up to date. Large companies have a deep staff that can address customers’ concerns from many different angles. Thanks to today’s technologies, small companies have the ability to provide customers with premium connectivity at an affordable price. Voice over IP (VoIP) telephone systems offer small business packages full of “big business” style features. Some of these features can be leveraged by the small business to do more with a small staff. Calls can be forwarded to a mobile phone or voicemail messages delivered via email, ensuring that your customers messages are reaching you, regardless of how your day’s schedule is. Never underestimate the effectiveness of a prompt response to an inquiry.

Branding

Professionally developed promotional materials maximize the impact of a company’s message, while delivering the highest return for the marketing dollars invested. But quality branding goes even further towards demonstrating a company’s commitment to details in all areas of business. A well-designed business card delivered during a meeting will make a good initial impression. Signage, advertisements and brochures function as your front door to the workaday public. A thoughtfully crafted website can be a small company’s best salesman.

In fact, if you are a small business you will be hard pressed to get as much bang for your marketing dollar as you will out of a well-built site. Previous work, pricing structures, delivery details, service offerings—whatever your strength in your market, your website is the tool to communicate your message to a receptive audience.

Conclusion

Small companies are great at recognizing the ways to be highly effective. Controlling the way your company is viewed by and communicates with potential customers can increase the impact you have in your market and will help you attract new, loyal customers.

Is Your Website Outdated?

alaw — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:35:09 +0000

In our article, “Does Your Business Really Need a Website?” we addressed companies that have neglected online technologies and have now reached the point where getting an online presence is essential. But what about the companies that have invested in websites for years? Is there anything that can be done to improve the results from their web-based initiatives?

If you’ve had your company website up and running for some time, but have paid it only minimal attention, you likely are not utilizing the full potential of this powerful communication tool. In recent years we have seen a revolution in online technology, from the way websites are coded to the delivery methods and types of content. Taking a closer look at your website could uncover ways for you to leverage online promotion while lowering related overhead.

The first step in the analysis of your website is to review the layout and design. Does your site appear dated? There will always be design trends and employing trendy elements is perfectly acceptable. After all, trends come into existence because they convey a particular message. The blocky type and futuristic styling of the early 2000s were used to highlight a company’s focus on advanced technology and cutting-edge staff. These days, however, that look is likely to be seen as dusty and largely ignored. A fresh look is a visual statement to your customers that your company is exciting and keeping with the times.

Advancing technology also affects the presentation of a website. Monitor resolutions continue to trend upward, and each passing milestone leaves websites optimized for the previous acceptable size a little less practical. Adapting to the current minimum standards gives you greater room for presenting your information to an interested audience.

The growing permeation of broadband Internet access throughout communities world-wide has led to greater acceptance of alternate content. Not limited to just text and images, today’s websites feature streaming video, podcasts, and downloads of all varieties. Granting your customers access to the content they desire in a means convenient to their specific situation can be the element that separates you from your competition.

Technological advances go beyond the presentation of content. A website built to today’s standards has a smaller file size (lowering download times and hosting costs), is easier to maintain (lowering daily maintenance costs), and is much easier for search engines to index (resulting in better search engine rankings). These are factors that influence your company’s bottom line and should not be ignored. An investment in revitalizing your website is one that can result in immediate economic returns.

Five Things You Can Do to Increase Your Visibility

alaw — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:31:16 +0000

In your ongoing quest to keep ahead of your competitors you need to be constantly conscious of your visibility to your customers. In this case “visibility” refers to your customers’ awareness of your strengths and capabilities. Most likely there are customers that are in need of your service, but are unaware of how well you can meet their needs in areas of quality, cost and responsiveness. It is your challenge to provide them with reminders and incentives to contact you.

In this article you’ll find five ways to immediately increase your visibility. Implementing one or all of these strategies could be the key to your ongoing success.

Use a Targeted Direct Mail Campaign

Instead of blanketing an area with postcards or brochures, define a specific need for a targeted customer type and develop a short campaign aimed at that solution. Utilizing a smaller scale campaign allows you to be more specific in your mailer. This also makes it easier to contact recipients of the mailer, initiating your sales effort. This is especially valuable because follow up calls can increase the success of a campaign by 10 times or more.

Start a Newsletter

Email newsletters are an efficient means of promoting your offerings using the most accepted medium in the business world today. It allows you to provide unique and informative articles and offers to existing and potential customers in a manner and time convenient to them.

Today’s email marketing systems make the tasks associated with this type of campaign easy and affordable, while providing valuable data through campaign reports. Analysis of which articles are generating the most interest can help you focus on the solutions most needed by your customers.

Contact Existing Customers

Everyone is focused on finding new customers, for obvious reasons. But what can be easier than selling to someone that already knows the level of service they can expect from your company? Even better is the fact that you already know them: their specific needs; their unique way of doing business; what they like and why. If only you had that much of a head start with all customers.

Connecting with those you’ve worked with in the past is an easy way to learn about new challenges in their business, initiate discussions on your new service offerings, and reinforce the message that their business is important to you.

Upgrade Your Online Presence

You’ve got a website and it provides the buying public with information on your services, pertinent contact information, maybe even employment opportunities, but you still may not be utilizing this medium to its full potential. Enhancing your website to establish your company as a specialized resource in your industry can be as simple as installing blog software and committing to building an archive of posts. Comment functionality makes it convenient to carry on a dialog with website visitors (also known as potential customers).

As more and more people turn to the Internet as their initial source for information, you can become part of the answer by participating in relevant discussions on forums. Taking time to research the available venues and establish a reputation can provide unlimited gains to you and your company.

Become a Guest Speaker/Guest Author

Being an expert in your field has its advantages. One of them is the fact that people want to do business with someone that really knows the ins and out of their industry. By becoming a guest speaker at a conference or business function you can demonstrate your depth of knowledge and introduce your services and skill set to a new and interested audience.

Contact your Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club or public library and volunteer to share your experience and opinions. Many organizations offer seminars on a regular basis and are always on the lookout for a fresh face.

Making yourself available to answer specific questions after your appearance is a golden opportunity to learn about a customer’s wants, issues and needs. It doesn’t get any easier to get your foot in the door with a new account.

Don’t feel that you are limited to personal appearances. Newspapers, industry journals and established blogs are often looking for guest authors to bring a fresh voice to their publication. Prepare a sample of your writing and submit it along with your professional credentials to a publication that matches your area of expertise.

Don’t Rely on Someone Else to Spread the Word

alaw — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:29:29 +0000

It’s no secret that running a business requires a large investment of time and money. It can be tempting, especially when the business is a start-up, to try to manage your marketing efforts on a shoe-string (or smaller) budget. It’s a fact that reputation is a key component to every business’s success. However, relying exclusively on word-of-mouth creates far more business development obstacles than the cost savings warrant.

Without argument, a full-scale marketing campaign can require a notable investment. There is a direct relationship between the investment and results of a well-planned, well-executed campaign (both in terms of rate and volume of return). However, budget-strapped businesses can still achieve satisfactory results. The key is in employing strategic marketing tactics.

Chamber of Commerce

A primary function of a Chamber of Commerce is to support business and industry by aiding communication and awareness among its members. Periodic Chamber publications are an easy way to get your message in front of decision makers that may be a targeted customer for your business. A strategically crafted circular or advertisement could be the key to getting their eyes on you.

Changing Location

A proven strategy for increasing visibility while limiting costs is to enter an agreement with an outdoor (billboard) company that offers multiple positioning for your boards. Using this strategy you can purchase a minimal number of boards (say, two) and have them placed in varying locations over the course of a year. Using this approach a business can minimize design costs by limiting design variations to the number of active boards, and appear to have billboards “all over town” by regularly popping up in someplace new.

A Website is Vital

Pound for pound, the hardest working marketing tool is a website. For many people, this is where they start their search for a product or service. By making your company available from the Internet you are “selling” to customers before your telephone even rings. You are reaching them on their time, in their preferred means of connecting and offering solutions for their needs. This topic is discussed in greater detail in our article “Does Your Business Really Need A Website?”.

Conclusion

Networking and reputation will always be a cornerstone to a company’s growth. However, relying on word-of-mouth exclusively is a mistake. Even a minimized marketing campaign will yield notable dividends. No matter how networked your clients may be, there is still a need to reach beyond this circle to an audience that may otherwise have no way of hearing about your business.

Does Your Business Really Need a Website?

alaw — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:27:49 +0000

In business these days every marketing dollar counts. Competition for customers is tight, and you need to be the first name that comes to mind when the need for your service arises. Unlike the mega-corporations, the rest of us need to be generally frugal with our marketing budget, so selecting just the right pieces for your campaign can be a challenge.

There are several key pieces of collateral that every business needs (logo, business cards, signage), but the single, hardest-working promotional tool is a business’s website. Long gone are the days where a website is a frivolous expense. These days, if you don’t have a website, it is costing you money. Across virtually every demographic, consumers are likely to begin the pre-purchase decision-making process online. And if you’re not in the mix, you are out of the running.

Think about the vacationing family. Most hotels now offer in-room broadband as well as a complementary office area with a community computer. When it comes to deciding where to have dinner, they get a list of local restaurants and begin searching for the related websites. Those that offer online menus (often with associated price) are reaching their customers before they’ve left the hotel. Where is the family most likely to dine, at the restaurant with dishes and prices that they know is right for them, or the restaurant whose offerings are still in the dark?

A more common example is the individual in search of professional services. A website provides more than just an answer to the question “can you do this for me?” It makes a business’s first impression, beginning the selling process. You can demonstrate your expertise in your field. You can cross-sell by bring to light related products or services the site’s visitor may not have thought of. You can educate your customer on their terms, which is a great position for any business to be in.

Your company’s website is your front door to your potential customers. By presenting a professional, well thought out, and easy to use website, your initial impression can be one that results in more customers and more sales.