Create Value on Your Website

Create value for your website visitors by offering them fantastic content they can actually use!  If you want your website visitors to stick around and come back (…and of course you do, right?!  Because even though they may not be a client or customer right now, you want to stay at the top of their mind when they do need or want what you have to offer.), create a reason for them to do so.

This means finding out what they need and want and giving it to them.  Find ways to solve problems and address their pain points.  Allow them to interact and be heard on your blog or social media platform and respond to them when they do.  Always be thinking about what you can do for them and you will not be able to help but create a loyal community around your brand that will eventually turn into clients, customers, and friends who share your content with others!

***Web Tips & Tricks from the Desk Of Norma****

Like these tips? Sign up for the newsletter & POOF they will appear in your inbox each week!

Brought to you each week via the blog, Facebook & our newsletter!

Let’s face it. Numbers can be boring; especially the way they are often presented in black and white, in columns or tables, or worst of all…verbally, as in TALKING about them.  Ugh.  I hear this a lot from business women, even successful business women.   What would it feel like if there was another way, a more creative way to view your numbers? 

NUMBERS DO NOT HAVE TO INTIMIDATE YOU!

You learned all the math skills you need in business by the time you graduate from 6^th Grade.  Amazing isn’t it? Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division is all you need to run your company.  And you can look at reports as charts or graphs instead of intimidating columns of words and numbers. Studies have shown that communicating with visuals is up to SIX TIMES more effective than using spreadsheets and financial reports.

One of my clients, an expert esthetician, was paralyzed with fear when it came to the numbers side of her business.  She was afraid that they would show she was not very bright, overdrawn, and unsuccessful.   She let that fear become her reality, but it doesn’t have to be yours.  The truth is, you can get your financial information in the way that makes sense to you.

IN BUSINESS, NUMBERS ARE EVERYTHING.

Numbers total your sales and expenses, and reveal what is left over at the end of the day.  I used these colorful post-it notes to show a client how cash flow works.  With this simple info graphic the light bulb went on.

EMBRACE YOUR NUMBERS.

They tell the story of what is really going on in your business.  And that’s a VERY GOOD thing.

Post written by small business financial expert, Denise Marinacci, owner of Flaunt Financial, Inc. Denise is one of our regular ASK THE EXPERT contributors and will be answering all your most pressing business financial questions here on our blog AND our Facebook page. Bring all of your burning small business financial questions and have FUN learning how to embrace your numbers! Don’t forget to share, tweet, and link to this post, so anyone that needs help with their business finances can tap into Denise’s well of knowledge too!

Ask The Expert Wednesday is back and better than ever!

We will be kicking things off Wednesday May 23rd 2012 with our Featured expert Denise Marinacci

Denise Marinacci, owner of Flaunt Financial, creates Radical Revenue Results for women business owners. With over 30 years experience working in small business, she understands the challenges entrepreneurs face. Denise’s innovative strategies get big results – profit increased by 45% with two new and diverse revenue streams.

As the rock star CFO on the Go, Denise is revolutionizing the way women view money and business. With her past personal and professional experiences she knows that to expand your cash you must expand your consciousness and courage. She brings empathy,understanding, and results to any business.

Denise will be answering all your business finance questions here on the blog as well as on our Facebook Page  so make sure to tune in and be thinking of your best business finance questions. Can’t wait to see you Wednesday!

The Importance of Good Navigation on Your Website is impossible to overstate.  If people can not easily find what they are looking for on your website they leave.  A few things to keep in mind to make sure your Website Navigation is NOT losing your company money by driving potential customers away include:

Make sure your navigation is in a conventional location…people are used to looking at the top of a website to find your main links–don’t make them spend time trying to figure out where you’ve put them.  Top is best, left is second best.

People also expect to find navigation in the footer, so you can put less important links there and even put the main navigation there again…just to make double sure it is easily found and readily available.

Don’t have too many choices–keep you main navigation between 5-7 items…any more than that is overwhelming.  You can always add some sub-navigation in the sidebar, use drop-down menus, or drill down from the top-level pages with on-page sub-navigation.

Keep the items in your navigation simple…it might seem cute to call a page “Fancy Pants” that is really a page About You…but honestly, if someone doesn’t know what it is, they are much less likely to click…or worse they click and end up on a page that is different from what they really want.  Generally, confused visitors do not convert into customers.

Finally, if your site is large, include a search box on it so people can find content they are looking for by searching for it.

In a nutshell–keep it as simple and straightforward as possible and you’ll avoid driving away your website visitors (and potential customers)!  Let me know if you have any questions–jot them down below or ask them on our Facebook page and we’ll be happy to answer them!

It’s pretty safe to say it’s been a while since we’ve blogged regularly. What can be said? We’ve been a busy crew. No excuses here; just keeping it real. The good news is we are equally busy creating and planning away so we can bring you super high quality content that is useful, informative, (um) consistent, and FUN!  If you take time out of your busy day to visit, we want to make sure you have good stuff to read!

So what’s brewing, you ask? A nice strong pot of coffee–of course!–along with a fresh batch of exciting new content, as well as the revival of some features you already know and love (like Ask the Expert Wednesday), both here, and on our Facebook page.

We invite you to check back soon to see for yourself–in fact, why not just subscribe right now, so you will be sure not to miss a single golden nugget from our experts as they share their wisdom with you in the coming months–you won’t want to miss out, we promise. You’ll also find tips, tricks, and FUN things like our What’s on YOUR Desk? feature–along with a warm invitation to share your own desk with us. We will keep you in the loop on the latest with us, our experts, and our AWESOME clients, and invite you to do the same. Finally, we’ll mix in some funny posts, get-to-know-us posts, and super informative grow-your-biz-online posts. That should keep you busy!

Our main goal? We want you to find pure VALUE when you visit our blog. So much value, that you can’t help but come back time and again, and share with your own community to boot! So BUCKLE UP! It’s game on for the Connect Interactive Blog and we are so thrilled we get to share the ride with you!

Speaking of which–what would YOU like to see here? Take a second and jot it down below so we can be sure we are dishing out goodies that match YOUR needs and wants. After all, we are here to help YOU grow YOUR business (and make you smile), so your ideas and suggestions are important to us!

Successful Calls-to-Action (CTA) cause your website visitors to take desired action (sign up for a newsletter, call for an appointment, make a reservation, donate to a cause, become a member, join your organization, etc.). Here is how to make sure they are effective:

What are some calls-to-actions that have worked well for you? We would love to hear about them! Hey, while you’re at it, let us know if you have questions! Cheers ~N

Today’s expert is Tami Smith of Targeted Traffic Strategies. Tami is one of THE most knowledgeable people you will find on the planet when it comes to being found online–for what you really do and by those who are really searching for YOU, YOUR PRODUCTS, and YOUR SERVICES. If you want to know about keywords, link building, getting quality traffic to your website, and content strategy (understanding your audience needs), Tami is the one to ask–so ask away on the Connect Interactive Facebook Page (or you can ask here via comments and I’ll let Tami know to answer you here ! Have a ball!!! xoxo ~N

Happist Ever Holidays! to you from all of us here at Connect Interactive. We hope you will have time to relax and enjoy your friends and family during this otherwise hectic time of year. Our wish for you includes snowball fights, sledding, songs and laughter, hot chocolate by the fire, and warm cuddles from your loved ones. May the new year bring you a deep sense of well being and a renewed energy and inspiration to make all of your dreams a reality!

P.S. if you are looking for the prefect holiday gift for the entrepreneur on your list, we love and highly recommend The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur by Mike Michalowiz and Outsmarting Google by Evan Bailyn. Awesomeness!

Welcome to Connect Interactive! This blog will be used to provide you with information and inspiration you can use to help get your business on the online map, or take it the next level and connect with your audience like never before.

I have been helping people design their online success for over twelve years, and couldn’t be more excited about offering this service under my new brand, Connect Interactive. Connect Interactive is about helping you really CONNECT with your clients and customers online. We want to help you use the web in thoughtful and intentional ways that make sense for your unique business, and generate the most impact through your website, social media platforms, e-newsletters and the other touch-points you use to communicate who you are and what you have to offer to the world.

If you are a small business entrepreneur who wants to make a big splash online, be sure to review our newest offering, comprehensive WordPress Packages. Created especially for *SMART* Entrepreneurs, you get a customized design/layout + installation/setup for a fraction of the cost you would normally have to pay for this type of service. Big value. Small investment.

I’ll be writing more soon. In the meantime, if you want to chat or just say hi, be sure to join us on my Facebook Page, or get in touch another way. I look forward to hearing from you! Cheers! ~Norma