Archive for the ‘marketing’ Category

Do You Need a Website Redesign or Better Online Marketing?

Monday, April 5th, 2010

Are you getting the results you want from your current website? If you are like many small business owners, the answer is a resounding “No.” Often, in an attempt to keep the process affordable, small business website design companies try a one-size-fits-all approach to design, and then leave the small business owner on his or her own, trying to figure out what to do next.

More than once, a frustrated small business owner has scrapped their existing website, hired a new website designer, launched a new redesigned website, and ended up with the same lackluster business results. They blame the website designer, but really, it’s not their fault. The business owner simply did not take the time to identify the real problem.

Before embarking on a total website redesign, ask yourself these questions:
- What are my competitors doing with their websites that I am not?
- Is my brand identity represented effectively in my current website?
- Does my current website look professional?

If you are unhappy with the answers to these three questions, then you definitely should consider a complete website redesign. However, if you are satisfied with the answers, you may not need a complete redesign, maybe just a tweak or two. But don’t stop there. Now, ask yourself these questions:

- Is my current website appearing on the first page of search results for targeted keywords?
- Am I reaching my potential customers effectively and are they interacting with the site the way I intended?
- And finally, am I using today’s social media strategies to my best advantage?

If the answers to these questions are “no,” then you may need assistance in creating a search engine optimization strategy, which may involve some website redesign, but not always, and also seek assistance from someone in the areas of online marketing.

The answers to these questions will form the basis of your goals for any website redesign and/or online marketing initiative you undertake and will help you narrow your choices of affordable small business website designers or marketers. Not every website design firm is qualified or equipped to also address your marketing needs, and not every online marketing consultant is able to assist you with search engine optimization or website redesign.

Luckily, mywebWOW!com can do it all. We pride ourselves on being a one-stop shop, and we mean it. We love to design from scratch, but we are equally capable at taking your existing website and making it more search-engine friendly. We can also offer you a wide range of social media management programs and online marketing strategies that will have you saying “WOW!” in no time.

To get started with a website redesign, click here and request a quote. One of our friendly representatives will assess your needs and get you on the path to the website results you deserve.  If you are looking for ways to improve your online marketing, click here.  We’re here to help.

Tags: affordable small business web design, Columbus Ohio website design company, marketing, small business, social media
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What is new at Columbus Ohio SEO Service?

Thursday, January 21st, 2010

We have updated our SEO package and if I do say so myself, I am very excited about the affordable SEO services that we are offering businesses in the Columbus and central Ohio areas!   This is a good way to insure exposure on all the major search engines and at the same time effectively manage your advertising budget.  Tired of the big Columbus SEO firms snubbing you because you aren’t bringing a million dollars to the table.  Look no more, we are open for your search engine optimization business!

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SEO Services: Google Mapping

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

Need an edge in people finding your business within search engines such as Google?  Why not try our Search Engine Optimization of getting you listed on Google Maps?

Google Maps is a function that is often activated when you type in a gepgrapgical information when conduction an online search?  An example of some our clients would be one of our Tan Envy Spray Tanning service provider.  Type in “Tan Envy Spray Tanning Louisville Kentucky” and you will find our client!

Other clients include “OVI Lawyer Columbus Ohio” (Columbus Ohio DUI Lawyer) and STNA classes in Ohio (STNA Training Provider)

Tags: SEO
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5 Marketing and Branding Trends for 2010

Sunday, December 27th, 2009

Once upon a time, we did not have the tools needed to predict loyalty metrics, though we do now. Thankfully, we can now measure the direction and velocity of consumer values 12 to 18 months in advance of the marketplace and consumer articulations of category needs and expectations.

Here is a list of five trends for marketers for 2010 that will have direct consequences to the success – or failure – of the new year’s branding and marketing efforts.

1.) Forget content being king. Value is “where it’s at.”

Even on sale items, consumer spending will continue to be replaced by a reason-to-buy at all. Brands without authentic meaning will suffer.

2.) “Because I Said So” is no longer good enough.

Brand values can be established as a brand identity, but they must believably exist in the mind of the consumer. A brand can’t just say it stands for something and make it so.

3.) Old tricks don’t work/won’t work anymore

Consumers are smarter than you think they are – they’re on to brands trying to play their emotions for profit and they don’t appreciate it. The same is true for insincere celebrity pairings.

4.) They won’t need to know you to love you

As the buying space becomes even more online-driven and international, front-end awareness will become less important. A brand with the right street cred can go viral in days, with awareness following, not leading, the conversation.

5.) Engagement is not a fad – It’s the way today’s consumers do business

Brand engagement is new goal for marketers, regardless of how they choose to spread their message.

Tags: branding, customer service, marketing strategy
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Is your Business Ready for Social Media?

Sunday, December 20th, 2009

Social Media has evolved into a powerful online tool in today’s world – companies now specifically employ people to handle various aspects of their social media campaigns, yet other companies still have yet to leverage this powerful tool.

Companies that are successful in this regard know who they want to target, how to react to online conversation, and how they can measure their online presence. These initiatives have helped them further strengthen their total brand presence, both online and offline.

However, if your company is still contemplating entering social media, you need to take your current online reputation into account. Your customers could be using different forums to talk about your product and these conversations could be positive or negative. Ask yourself:

•    Do you know where on the web they are talking about your brand?
•    Are these conversations affecting your brand?
•    Do you have a plan to defend your brand in case their opinions are negative?

If your answer is “NO” to any of these questions, then you need to take immediate steps to protect and enhance your brand online. Moreover, your action now can pave the way for your future growth, as social media is here to stay. Twitter, Facebook and MySpace are going to be your new playground – your customers are already there, and they are waiting for you to talk to them.

Companies that have taken steps in this regard are already way ahead of you, and are reaping the fruit of their labor.  They know what their customers want and can change their products accordingly.  Their products are sure to be successful as they provide what their customers want and empower their customers to evangelize for them.

By entering this arena, you will lay the foundation for your social media activities.

Tags: marketing, Ohio small business, social media
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Is Social Media Actually Free?

Saturday, October 31st, 2009

One of the biggest untruths in social media, and attempting to use social media for marketing, is that it’s entirely free. Of course, this comes from the “free” price that goes along with signing up for accounts on sites like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. It doesn’t cost you one cent from your bank account to open a basic account on these sites, but there are costs involved when you are considering entering into the social media space – since these costs are not immediate, the illusion that marketing efforts in social media cost less becomes even greater for companies looking for cheaper solutions to reaching their audiences.

Your Employees’ Time is Money. Many companies seem to forget to figure into the larger picture is how much it costs them in time and resources of employees, tools and equipment. While it may be free to sign up for the account, the real cost comes with your employees maintaining those accounts and keeping them active in the social communities. Just creating the profiles and leaving them there doesn’t mean you are automatically going to gain a foothold in a social media community.

The tools are free, but they could end up costing you in the end. As every marketer knows, you still have to measure efficacy. While tools such as Google Analytics and Google Alerts, there still is a cost of your employees’ time. Also, the free tools do have a limit of scope, and you may have to upgrade to more expensive tools.

When you hear all the hype about Twitter, Facebook and YouTube and how these wonderful “free” tools are helping companies reach new people every day, step back away from the hype and ask yourself how many man hours it took for that team to attain that success with the social media site. How much time really went into research and planning? How are they measuring success?

Tags: ROI
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How to Use Twitter for Your Business

Friday, October 2nd, 2009

Remember how twitter used to be merely a toy for techies and nerds? In the past year, the microblogging site has evolved into a mainstream tool, embraced by businesses and celebrities to communicate with their fans and customers. Of course, like every other marketing tool, twitter has to be used strategically.

Identify your objectives for using twitter. Will you use it for branding, customer service, or marketing? These are the three most common ways businesses use twitter, and may use a hybrid of all three.

Put some thought into your content. Twitter is a great place to ask questions, ask for feedback, give news about your company, or share links with your readers.

Define guidelines for tweeting. For example, will you have one corporate account, or multiple personal accounts? Many companies use both a corporate account and then individual ones. Regardless, you will want to establish brand standards for tweeting so that all involved are putting out a consistent message.

Use twitter to monitor brand impressions. Twilert is a great tool for this because it allows you to set keywords you wish to be alerted to and will then send you an email listing of who has used the keyword in their tweets. Twitter Search can also be used to do real time searches for keywords or you can set up an RSS feed to manage the process.

Follow users carefully. Identify and follow the users that you would like to target. Make sure to maintain a balance between the number of people you are following and the number of followers you have, so that you are not accused of spamming users.

Shorten URL’s whenever possible. Remember, you’re limited to just 140 characters, so URL shortening tools like tinyurl are essential.

Guard your brand at all costs. If you have unique brand, be sure to set up a Twitter account in that name to protect your brand, even if you never use it.

Tags: twitter
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