by Jim Chism | Jul 13, 2014 | Blogging, Blogs, Marketing, Website Traffic
A website is the hub of your online marketing strategies, as it’s where potential customers usually learn about your business, and where most social marketing platforms lead to at some point.
There are almost 1 billion websites on the Internet, and human beings are spending more and more time online. Americans, for example, spend about 23 hours a week in cyberland.
What is becoming absolutely clear from all this is that loud, convoluted websites increasingly frustrate and annoy users.
Websites that Annoy
Marketing gurus know that a useful way to learn how to design a website is to look at some pages that were badly, maybe even horribly, designed. A first-hand experience with a bothersome website fuels a passion that can then be poured into building a simple website that is a pleasure to browse. (more…)
by Jim Chism | Jul 13, 2014 | Blogging, Blogs, Marketing, Website Traffic
It may be that your business has not been ignoring responsive design. If so, kudos to all involved for staying with the times and presenting a professional image!
If not, here’s a quick catcher-upper to fill you in on what responsive design can mean for your website and business:
What is Responsive Design?
Responsive design is the term that is used when talking about creating a website that looks and works well on devices like smart phones, tablets and desktops.
A truly serviceable website looks great no matter what device a user has called it up on, and the use of smart phones is on the rise. Statistical reports show that about 5 billion people are expected to use these intelligent devices by the year 2017! (more…)
by Jim Chism | Jul 13, 2014 | Blogging, Blogs, Marketing, Social Media, Website Traffic
Social media provides a quick way to keep in contact with both potential and existing customers and clients. Simply post to Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or any number of other sites whenever you offer a new product or service, have a special offer, or want to impart important information about your company. Each post is designed to push visitors or subscribers to visit your website and sign up for a newsletter or make a purchase.
Knowing the basic information you want to share is not enough to entice people to follow you and, especially, to share what you post with their friends and family. This type of organic, word of mouth marketing can do more to increase your company’s reach and profit base than anything else.
Once you have this traffic source flowing, long-term business relationships will flourish. This is exactly what you need for increasing profits and improved brand recognition across your industry. (more…)
by Jim Chism | Jul 13, 2014 | Blogging, Blogs, Email Marketing, Marketing
It’s no secret that email marketing offers many exciting advantages over other advertising channels. Still, it’s sometimes useful to take a step back and consider the amount of work that would be required to reach prospective customers if email marketing wasn’t available.
Imagine having to create a direct-to-customer campaign using printed postal mailings or cold calling. To send out a postcard campaign, you’d have to hire a designer and then wait for that designer to get back to you with a design that you like. Then you’ll have to print the cards, stuff them into envelopes and mail them off.
A telesales campaign is no less work. You’ll have to write a script, locate leads, and then wait while your representatives make the calls. Not fun. On the other hand, email marketing allows you to reach your prospects within hours. You’ll need to write or approve the copy, finalize the design, target your list and then hit “Send.” (more…)
by Jim Chism | Jul 13, 2014 | Blogging, Blogs, Marketing
As always, things are changing fast in the online marketing world. 2014 has gotten off with a bang, and there are four major trends that promise to shake things up more than ever. These trends are where it’s at, and you’ll want to get in on the action before your competitors do.
Paid Social Ads
While many consumers view social media as the last safe haven from aggressive marketers, nothing could be further from the truth. Publicly-held social media networks like Facebook exist to gather data on their users and then to monetize that data.
Indeed, Facebook’s ad platform offers a dazzling array of targeting options, and consumers should expect to see an ever-increasing number of ads in 2014. Facebook pulls in around $1 billion in ad revenue per quarter, mostly from big hitters such as Ford, McDonald’s, and Visa. However, the platform is affordable enough for marketers of any size to try out. (more…)
by Jim Chism | Jul 13, 2014 | Blogging, Blogs, Marketing, Social Media
Pinterest is a social media platform that gets picked on now and again, usually for being centered on interests that appeal to imagined beings who sit in their houses without a lot to do, surrounded by way too many cats.
Though Pinterest is continually shrugging off this reputation as being the social media space for others, it is a happening space of creativity that provides undeniable marketing opportunities for business of all sizes.
The Ubiquity of Pinterest’s Pins
Websites have product pages, and these pages invite browsers to respond to offered products: to like them on Facebook, tweet them to Twitter, add them to Google+, pin them to Pinterest and so on. (more…)
