In the last decade, tracking website analytics has rapidly evolved from simply data crunching to a very powerful decision making platform. Web analytics is an important tool for Internet marketers and web designers alike to make choices about how to improve traffic flow, design calls to action, update search engine optimization and enhance the overall strategy of a website.

Paying close attention to visitor behavior on a website through analytics, is very similar to paying attention to the consumer behavior for a store, brand or product.  Think of it this way… a store manager arranges their shop with the most marketable items in places that grab the shopper’s attention and are easily accessible and highly visible. Just as the store manager is looking to make the shopper’s experience more satisfying by arranging their store based on the habits of his consumers, so that it is easy and enjoyable to navigate through, a website creator should take into account what information is most sought after on their website and the habits and pathways visitors are taking to get there.�

Without web analytics it is next to impossible to measure and analyze website visitor behavior. Analyzing visitor behavior allows you to determine activity as it affects profit, sales and areas (pages) of interest. Page views, navigation, entry and exit pages, time spent, languages, geographic locations, visits, and keywords used in searches are a few of the features that are able to be determined using web analytics. By simply tracking items that are most often viewed you can learn what items or products on your site, receive the most attention. In this way you can adapt your offerings to attract more traffic and while doing so monitor what sparks and keeps visitor’s attention.

The Net Impact team places special emphasis on the importance of clickstream tracking, or the following of a visitor’s clickstream as they move throughout a website, down to every microscopic detail. This analysis offered by Google under th name Event Tracking Tool,  allows you to track every movement your visitor makes as a unique event. Analyzing every small movement, or micro-conversion, your visitor makes provides you with useful feedback used to make changes to your website to improve your visitor’s experience, which will in turn enhance the overall value of your website. Every micro-conversion a visitor makes is important because, no matter how small the movement is, it is still conversion, you are still getting the visitor to do what you want them to dig deeper and deeper into your website.
An excellent example of this is The Net Impact’s findings with the website www.vangoghgallery.com. VanGoghGallery.com is an online collection of Van Gogh’s works. The website received thousands of visitors each day. The Net Impact helped Van Gogh gallery setup event tracking methods to gain greater insight into the navigation patterns of its main landing pages.  Through event tracking, Van Gogh Gallery was able to determine that the large image links on the page received 98.5% of the click-throughs compared 1.5%  for the side navigation links, going to the same page. This was helpful for determining the elements necessary on each page to get visitors to take the next step.

In conclusion, if you ever wondered how to analyze website user behavior, determine which search terms they come from, which pages are most visited, which pages are of least interest  and how to maximize your ROI , look into implementing  a Web Analytics Solution. Analytics will help you conduct a behavioral analysis of your website visitors, and with that information you can make the required changes to your website that will improve your overall conversation rate and make your visitor’s website experience one that is enjoyable.

To find out how The Net Impact can help you with your Google Analytics needs, contact us today for a free assessment and consultation!

Until recently,  companies and PR Firms wrote press releases in a very uniform fashion designed for the eyes of the traditional journalist. But the evolution of online public relations has created an entirely new approach to the writing and distributing process of press releases.

The purpose behind most online public relations efforts is to increase overall online exposure, which will in turn direct more people to visit your targeted website.  Increased online exposure can lead to greater brand development, a stronger relationship with your public, increased interest from the media, more connections with potential partners and increased lead generation causing greater revenue.

Any topic that will be of interest to prospects, the media and potential partners (such as a new product launch, industry news, events, community activities, etc…) can be used to construct a press release that is search engine optimized and distributed online. Then, distributing optimized press release via newswires has the power to directly reach millions of Internet users, generate inbound links to your website and raise search engine visibility of your website. The Net Impact’s most often used press release distributor is PRWeb, an excellent proven third party partner for publication of your online press releases, with an average charge of $200 per release.

Most newswire services offer you an exact report on how many people accessed your optimized release. This is an essential tool in gauging your reads and impressions.  In addition, through other analytical tools, such as Google Analytics, you can determine when someone follows a link to your targeted website through your optimized press release.

Now that online news sites such as Yahoo News and Google News contain such an abundance of press release content and RSS feeds, it is easy to syndicate news. An optimized press release can get you a page one SERP result for your relevant keywords in the search engines, news engines and news websites. So we see that press releases are not only an effective tool for distributing content to the media and consumers, they are easily syndicated creating an excellent opportunity to attract organic traffic and incoming links.

 A well written online press release has the ability to:

1.) Capture the attention of editors, journalists and bloggers looking for compelling topics for news stories

2.) Live on the web indefinitely. Press Releases are  published to various websites and blogs, giving your content a long shelf life as the content is never deleted creating enduring links.

3.) Create conversation on social networks.The press release link will be shared indefinitely through social networks, such as Twitter and Facebook

4.) Be viewed by new prospects – your target audience.

*As a result of all of these activities, hyperlinks will generate that will point back to the release creator’s targeted web site.

How to re-purpose a press release.

Once the press release has been released, there are still opportunities for increased exposure. The Net Impact Recommends:

-Writing a company blog post with the press release content

-Sharing the announcement using Twitter                                                                                        

-Posting an update on the press release on your Facebook page                                         

-Adding the press release to the news page on your company website

-Posting any media collateral on other social sites

-Sharing the press release on your company newsletter

-Distributing the press release internally so associates can share it with their friends and business partners

Lastly, creating a calendar for PR that plans a regular expectation for your potential publishers is important.  Frequent and consistent news will generate more interest in your pieces as publishers begin to rely upon them. 

 Don’t forget, the best public relations strategy is to find a worthwhile angle to a story and create excellent content that is visible to your target audience. Combining creative ability and optimization skills to create compelling, keyword relevant press releases will only prove to be a rewarding public relations effort for your company.

 If online press releases sound like something your company should be doing but you do not know the right approach,  have the time or the resources, contact The Net Impact Team to help you begin your online public relations effort in an organized manner. The Net Impact’s public relations services include press release copy-writing and press release submission through third party online platforms.. We can help you implement a successful public relations strategy into your overall marketing plan.

Just a little over ten years ago, lawyers saw websites as simply another entry point to their firms, the other entry points being their office phone and of course, their firm’s front doors. But today’s overwhelming increase in the activity on social networks by legal  professionals, has created an exponential number of entry points for law firms. According to the recently released, 2009 American Bar Association Legal Technology Survey Report, one in eight firms uses social networks. The report also stated that tools that use the Internet are significantly increasing the productivity of lawyers and decreasing their wasted time.

When used to a lawyer or law firm’s best advantage, social media has the power to serve as an effective public relations tool that has the power to increase awareness of a lawyer’s expertise, knowledge or experience in their practice area. In addition social media has the ability to create and build on relationships that will make a positive impact not only on a lawyer’s image, but also on their overall career.

Four ways legal professionals can benefit from social media
 

1.) Enables the exchange of valuable information

The consistent exchange of information is the essence of social media. An example of this would be reading or writing a blog post. Blogging is particularly useful for enhancing one’s legal knowledge. An attorney who commits to maintaining a blog, or frequently participating in conversation on social networks,  builds credibility as they  develop and refine substantive expertise in their area of practice through their online content. Discussing developments through writing and online interaction requires a very concentrated effort and is an ideal way for a lawyer to share their expertise and establish themselves as a leader in their area. In addition, most blogs allow readers to leave comments in response to posts, and many bloggers use this feature to carry on dialogue with readers.

Due to the possibility of user-generated content and ongoing communication, a single blog post can function as an excellent learning tool for a number of people. Many lawyers may reference their own blogs or the blogs of others in their field to research daily questions that may arise. Another positive benefit is if someone is looking for a lawyer in your area of expertise and sees that you are committed and are passionate enough about your career to blog regularly on the topic –  you may be placed a step above your competitors in their minds. Apart from gaining substantive insight and sharing valuable information, social media sites, such as  Twitter, can function as a great resource to find people who are talking about a very specific topic.

In the October Issue of Missouri Lawyers Weekly, I recently came across an excellent article that shared an example of how lawyers can use  Twitter as a tool to find out where a  certain conversation is taking place . According to the article by Jane Pribek, entitled “Twitter Tools for Tech-Savvy Attorneys”, Milwaukee lawyer Sean M. Sweeny, of Hailing & Cayo S.C., utilizes the popular twitter application.”You can enter search terms, and it will create categories where there are posts with only those terms. For example, I’ve been interested in the Milwaukee sick leave ordinance lately, so I entered that as a search term and some some interesting posts on the topic,”  said Sweeny. 

2.) Expands your professional network and opens up opportunities

Social media will put you in touch with others who are interested in your subject area, and getting to know these various groups online will provide you with possible collaborators, employees or employers. Through this personalized means of communication, you can connect with other attorneys, students, reporters and of course reconnect with old and new friends, and each new person you connect with has different value and potential.

According to a LinkedIn spokeswoman, there are 90,000 attorneys with LinkedIn profiles, and 212,000 people registered there as being in the law practice industry. With numbers like this, it is becoming increasingly easy for lawyers to utilize social networking tools to effectively network. For example, a partner at a firm may be looking to hire a lawyer and may come across your LinkedIn profile and present you with a job opportunity, that may not have presented itself had you not developed a strong presence on.  Also, since social networking sites are search engine friendly, don’t  be surprised if you get a phone call from a member of the press asking you to provide insight for a story or to publicize a recently won case.

3.) Social media has the power to humanize your firm
People want to hire other people, not businesses. While it is vital for your firm to have a  website to establish credibility and to provide all of the necessary information, it can be advantageous for attorneys to cultivate a uniquely individual online presence through social media. The overlap between social and professional makes lawyers more personable and more approachable. A major asset to social media is the ability to establish rapport online. Potential clients may be less intimidated to pick up the phone and call or email you if they feel like they know you. Sometimes being able to match a name with a face can increase their trust and comfort level, and put you a step above a competing firm that is a not as personable. People want to be able to speak with a specific person, and many times social networks can place a face with a name.

For example, a Facebook profile demonstrates you have a life outside the law office, and reminds clients that you are a person just like them. What’s more, your use of social media can benefit the profession by functioning as a public service. It is a simple fact that people looking for legal information go online. If you have written about or discussed some topic on which someone needs help, you have in a sense, provided a pro-bono service.

4.) And last but not least, social media can attract potential clients.
One thing we have uncovered through our experience in creating legal websites, is that social media is bringing profound change to law firm marketing. Word of mouth marketing, the leading source of work for the best lawyers, now ocurrs on the Internet. Due to social media sites. clients, potential clients and other attorneys alike can post comments on an individual lawyer or firm, and due to the unique characteristics of social networks, these comments are highly visible in search engines.

Building a positive reputation online and off, is the most effective public relations tool there is and brings in the best clients. Social media has the ability to spread your reputation far and wide to a variety of projects that may have otherwise not been aware of services.    

In conclusion, lawyers who successfully leverage social media tools to communicate, collaborate and network have a distinct advantage over those who do not. The most effective way for lawyers to use social media is to talk to people, not at them. Engage in conversation with others, don’t simply advertise your services or firm. Share information about your yourself and your personal experiences, and most Importantly, don’t be afraid to take off your  “attorney hat” and talk like you would in everyday conversation with friends, social media should be fun too! 

Legal web design and marketing,  is one of our specialties at The Net Impact. Whatever look and feel your law firm desires of its law firm’s online presence, we can help you accomplish it. We are confident that our skills in attorney marketing, social media and web design, can help your law firm’s web site reach the top. Contact The Net Impact today for a complete law firm marketing solution that is customized specifically to meet your law firm’s web site objectives.

Luxury Online Marketplace Meets Website Objectives with Auctori

The GoldenPortal.com mission is to create a unique marketplace offering the best quality, highest-value, merchandise available at large discounts. Golden Portal’s Members and families have high expectations and understand quality, making the need for a well-designed and user-friendly website an important part of the success formula for this shopping site. The unique, member-only club joined forces with The Net Impact to satisfy this discriminating clientele.

Golden Portal reached out to the Net Impact in search of a flexible and dynamic way to create new pages, support ever evolving vendor relationships and make changes to their website with the sense of urgency today’s online retail environment demands.  The Net Impact used their partner solution, Auctori – a Web Content Management System (CMS) built for SEO.  The Net Impact was able to  take Golden Portal’s existing site and place their custom design into the Auctori CMS. This gave the Golden Portal marketing team the ability to manage their website, change offers and update their vendor pages at anytime, from anywhere, –  they would simply need an internet connection.

GoldenPortal.com

“It is exciting when The Net Impact has the opportunity to work with a fresh and entrepreneurial idea. Working with Jim O’Brien and the original GoldenPortal.com Design, created by Tom Zimmerman, has allowed us to take on unique challenges by using innovative and special components in Auctori™, our Web Content Management System,” said Steve Thomas, President of The Net Impact.

The Net Impact Team and the Auctori Team worked together to meet the client-oriented company’s objectives.   Golden Portal employees were trained onsite by The Net Impact team on all of the different capabilities and numerous modules that make up the Auctori system including a new Affiliate Management Administration tool developed to the exact specifications of Golden Portal.

Click this link for more information on Golden Portal.

Click this link for more information on Auctori.

Check out the Press Release on TNI’s work with GoldenPortal.com

 The Internet is overflowing with law firm websites that all present a very similar message. For this reason, it is extremely important that your law firm has a creative, yet professionally designed website that captures the interest of visitors and holds their attention long enough to convince them that you are the firm that can meet their specific needs. Simply building a website for your law firm is not enough. The website has to be built in a fashion that is user-friendly, professionally designed, visually appealing, informative and also search engine optimized. A poor overall appearance combined with confusing navigation and outdated content will leave your potential clients clicking away to your competitors.

From an internal management perspective, too often a legal website is static, meaning even the simplest changes to the website can get bogged down in an IT to-do list or create added expense from outside technical services. An excellent solution to this problem is using a content management system to build your law firm’s website to have a professionally designed site that can be updated at anytime, from any location by the lawyers and other staff themselves. Content management systems are expediting communications on the company web  among law firm personnel.

How will using a CMS benefit my Firm?

-Content management systems are customizable software solutions. Designed specifically in accordance with the discerning needs of the corporate infrastructure, CMS is all about ease, convenience and the utmost productivity.

-It’s secure. The CMS assures that the right departments and people are authorized to review and add content.

-CMSs deliver efficiency. Partners who are out of the office or working from home can receive and respond to time sensitive information.

With a CMS, you are not only  simplifying interdepartmental productivity. In the marketing sphere, content management systems multitask as a viable marketing tool.

3 ways content management systems can function as an effective marketing tool:

Establish a firm’s credibility in a specific area of law.
A website serves as a firm’s online portfolio. It is a place to announce new laws, litigation scores and other unclassified client-case information. Having the  access to keep this information fresh and updated will send the message out to potential clients that your firm is up-to-date, well-organized and a step above a competitor.

Expose a law firm to media visibility.
Content management systems are developed to syndicate news and events to search engines, ultimately disseminating information among media outlets. Whether it’s a high profile case or a law firm’s achievements, a CMS makes it easy to publish and firm updates and legal victories.

It will be easier for potential clients to seek you out on the web.
Most people refer to the Internet to research legal services. Many web content management systems are built specifically for Search Engine Optimization purposes. This will increase that a potential client will come across your website in search of legal services.

Not all new software integrations are a nightmare. The transition to a content management system is non-intrusive. It does not impose any network outages or require daily operations. Content management systems are customized to accommodate a law firm’s unique communication requirements, making the adjustment and simple and worthwhile process. As for the learning curve, CMS training is minimal. Once the functionality and design decisions have been determined, it is easy to start inserting content and images.

In the end,  using a CMS to market your firm’s area of specialty is an economical and user-friendly marketing tool – well worth the return on investment.

A law firm’s website should attract new clients, communicate with existing ones and aid in the sharing of information among the lawyers of the firm. If an attorney website is skillfully constructed and has regularly updated content, it can prove to be an effective tool for marketing your firm and presenting your business in a professional manner. Law firms should view their website as a living, ever-changing and interactive space for their communities, as opposed to a place to simply lump articles, biographies and press releases. A content management solution may just be the simple solution your law firm needs to meet all of it’s online needs.

The Net Impact’s CMS solution of choice  for law firms is Auctori:Law founded upon the Content Management System Auctori. Unified Development, Inc. (Unidev®) designed the CMS in association with several law firms to give attorneys and legal professionals an easy to use, but powerful system to update and maintain their professionally designed website. To see two excellent examples of Auctori:law™ in action, please visit The Stolar Partnership, LLP www.stolarlaw.com and Paul J. Passanante, PC & Associates at www.passanantelaw.com.

The value and significance of the legal industry demands a certain website environment that The Net Impact has been able to perfect. The Net Impact Team fosters an understanding of your profession and the aggressive marketplace that you are competing within. Contact The Net Impact today to learn more about how we can help your law firm enhance their online prescense!

You are not alone. As social media advertising opportunities continue to emerge, the emphasis on the importance of reliable web analytics is more important than ever. Web analytics are a pillar of any successful social marketing campaign. Analytics provide an accurate report of traffic coming from networking sites on which you are conducting marketing efforts, and serve as a vital tool in aligning traffic results with your marketing goals.

Facebook Ads are a very low cost and deeply targeted social marketing option. While Facebook  is a brilliant platform for matching your product to a niche market, advertisers are coming across a common problem in consistency when tracking Facebook Ads via Google Analytics. The clicks advertisers are paying for from Facebook are not matching the recorded hits from Facebook on Google Analytics.

So what is the problem? Google is not tracking the traffic source as Facebook. It is likely that your ads are going through a redirect or a rewrite that is causing both the referring data and the URL parameters to be stripped off. Facebook redirects users when sending them to the site. Therefore Google Analytics does not trace the source back to Facebook, due the redirect striping from the referring code.

Is there a way to effectively monitor my Facebook Traffic using Google Analytics?

 The answer is “Yes”. Don’t worry Facebook is not scamming you.  There is a simple solution to this frustrating problem, tag your Facebook Ad itself with the source so that it can be captured when someone comes to your website. Luckily, these can be quickly generated using Google’s URL Builder Tool.  Appending a unique identifier to a link, tells Google that, “Any actions by this visitor should be attributed to this particular campaign.” By linking a Facebook Ad to a tagged URL, you are classifying the traffic for Google Analytics.

If your Google Analytics Account has been linked to an active Google AdWords account (Google’s PPC Advertising platform) there is no need to tag your AdWords links. When someone hits this page; the tracking script automatically pulls the information in and categorizes it.

Another option for tracking Facebook Traffic using Google Analytics is using a unique landing page for your Facebook ads. Google analytics will then show you which hits come from your Facebook ad and let you analyze bounce rate, unique visitors, click numbers etc. Then visits to this unique landing page from Facebook would have the source and campaign name set as “Facebook”, and the medium set as “social”.

Although the tracking of Facebook ads does not have to be complicated, many advertisers may not be aware of the restrictions of tracking social media using Google Analytics. All of your tracking and campaign management efforts can go to waste if basic analytic maintenance is not accurately recorded.

In order to have a successful marketing campaign that includes social networking efforts,  the campaign must be consistently and accurately monitored. The attention to detail when reviewing analytics is necessary to produce realistic and actionable data –  a cornerstone in analyzing the impact of your social media marketing campaign.

Contact The Net Impact for more information on Google Analytics Consulting or for assistance with tracking your online campaigns.

Become a Fan of The Net Impact on Facebook!

Integrating Your Website With Social Media Exposes Your Brand to the Masses

Just a year ago, it was unheard of to combine microsites with social media to get your message out to current clients and potential customers in a more effective and cost-efficient way. What respectable business had a Facebook site and who in the world tweeted?  But, 2009’s explosion of social media has generated many techniques to create dialogue and receive feedback in  ways never before imagined.  Yes, your firm can Facebook and tweet in a professional and productive manner.

In this generation of user-generated content, companies are realizing they cannot only expect consumers to find them through the major search engines. While this is still fundamental and a website functions as a primary means to entice the consumer to “meet” the company, many businesses have also invested time in using social media networks to go directly to where their consumers “meet”. Especially in today’s economy when many companies are looking to cut back on their marketing budgets, the low cost of creating a social media site to establish an online brand presence and generate leads is a quick, inexpensive and effective solution.

So does the growing popularity of social media sites kill the need for a website? ….We don’t think so.

An effective marketing strategy integrates your website with a variety of media approaches, social media networks being an important piece of this puzzle. The benefits of having a company website are endless, and websites are a marketing tool that social media sites simply cannot match. The real time attribute of a social media site occurs when a social media profile is viewed as a tool to enhance a website. Updating your company’s web page and your social media profiles at the same time, can produce links with indefinite visibility, which in return has the potential to increase overall traffic and conversion to your site. Social media sites can also enhance the visual appeal and overall feel of your website by providing a more interactive experience for visitors. By incorporating social media features, such as YouTube videos or blogs, into your website, you can create your own brand focused community that allows for user generated content.

Think of social networks as a friendly gateway to your company website or microsite. Seeding your site with social networks spreads content far and wide through search engines, as well as through contacts who are already a part of your social networking communities – places where rapport has already been established. People tend to share their experiences, good or bad, with their social networking communities – people they have built a connection with. So find out where your audience’s conversations are taking place and establish a strong presence. When social media sites are operated effectively they have the power to steer your audience to your website, resonate with your visitors, humanize your brand and deliver content to the masses in the click of a mouse.

Social media sites function to grab your visitor’s attention and leave them wanting to come to your site to learn more; so, make your messages intriguing, your profile informative and the look of your social media site attractive. Every photo you put up on Facebook, every message mashed into 140 words on Twitter and every story-telling video posted on YouTube reflects your company’s image and message, and may just be the “link” that drives the next big business deal to your website.

• The King and Prince Resort
• Retrowonders
• Artistic Sensations

The Net Impact can help you incorporate social  media into a creative and well-designed marketing campaign which encompasses the planning, listening, understanding, engaging and monitoring of your company’s social media accounts.

We understand that in this economy, many companies are cutting back on their marketing efforts. Contact The Net Impact to learn how we can help you expose your brand without breaking your budget!

I remember when my University got Facebook my freshman year in college. Back in the good ole’ days, when Facebook was strictly for college students, I would have gotten in some serious trouble for trying to check my Facebook Page during class. Back then I would have laughed if someone would have told me that an important part of my future job would require me to make daily Facebook updates to my company’s business page. But wow has Facebook has changed dramatically in the 6 years since its birth. Recently reaching 300 million users, Facebook is no longer a virtual community for college students to share information with friends (and “friends”). The social network has rapidly evolved into a networking platform for individuals as well as businesses to share information from the trivial to the vital. This global phenomenon has left businesses large and small asking the question: “Does my company need a presence on Facebook?”

More and more businesses are hitting the ground running with Facebook, as analytics continue to prove this social networking tool to be a successful and inexpensive way to reach your target audience. It is quick, easy and completely free to create a Facebook page. You can make your page viewable by everyone and anyone, whether they are members of Facebook or not.  Once the page is created, invite your clients to join and interact with them frequently by posting videos and photos, updating company news, publicizing discounts, initiating and taking part in discussions, and developing custom applications.

A great way to get a an idea of how powerful a tool Facebook can be to establish a strong online brand identity, is to check out some examples of business pages that have found a way to successfully utilize the medium. Pizza Hut, Atlantis Resort and Coca-Cola, are all examples of major companies that have used their Facebook Page to create a genuine community for “fans” of their brand. Another great example of Facebook Business Page we are currently working on here at The Net Impact is The King and Prince Beach and Golf Resort Page.

A few benefits of using Facebook for business include:

Increased Exposure: An important reason to invest time in creating an engaging page is each and every activity of your fans (this includes anything from becoming a fan, to posting a comment) gets shared with a greater network – giving your business increased visibility. You can also link your Facebook page to your other social networking sites, your company site and even on your email signature to personalize your brand.
 

Targeted Advertising: Facebook ads allow you to advertise a website, event, company or content you manage on Facebook. Facebook allows you to target the reach for your ad by location, gender, age and interests. As you add these customized filters, Facebook will automatically update the count of people fitting your criteria so you can gauge the size of your target market on Facebook.
 

Increase traffic to your company site: You can use your Facebook Page to link through to your company website. As a Page grows in fan base, traffic to the website will also increase. In addition, Facebook Pages also show up in search engine results.

Develop Credibility: Facebook Pages provide a form of dialogue between customers and the brand, this unique opportunity gives companies the chance to build better relationships and to show consumers that they care about their opinions. Facebook also allows for the companies to gain a deeper understanding of how they are perceived online via direct contact with consumers. Each business Facebook Page should showcase the value of their individual brand and share valid information to emphasize the company’s position as an educated leader in their industry.

 
If you have the time to devote to building and using your social media for marketing, Facebook may have unlimited potential for your business. Before you consider how you will leverage your contacts on Facebook, it is important to learn the etiquette appropriate for social networking. Unlike traditional advertising and marketing, you do not want to simply broadcast your message, but instead influence your fans by grabbing their interest and developing an active community to enhance your brand.  

Here are some important things to remember before creating your Facebook business page:

-Set Boundaries- It is a good idea to have a code of ethics guideline available to all employees to use as a reference for their social activities online. Also remember the importance of transparency and establishing honesty and integrity up front while interacting online in association with your company. Once you lose your credibility, it is pretty hard to get back.

-Create an Effective Profile Page - Give users a reason to want to become a fan of your page and to become an active member. Take advantage of applications such as the discussion board or YouTube video box to add appealing content to your page.

-Be Consistent and Frequent- The most successful and credible social media campaigns promote a strong message that is frequently heard and consistent in tone and voice. This helps consumers connect the dots from a series of your company’s marketing efforts; this leads to an increase in sales potential and sharper brand awareness.   

- Measure Analytics-Tracking these metrics over time can help you measure the ROI of using Facebook and be smarter about how to utilize Facebook as an ongoing part of your overall marketing strategy.

Bottom Line: Facebook has quickly transformed from a fad to a highly effective business tool. If you are willing to commit the needed time and effort to develop a Facebook strategy, go ahead and build a Facebook presence and start the conversation. What do you have to lose? You never know where your next business deal may come from!

DorothyLee, a unique online store that provides quality and customizable apparel and accessories at affordable prices to families, small businesses and Fortune 500 corporations, approached The Net Impact in search of an Internet marketing firm that could provide them with a plan of action to improve their search engine traffic. The customer service-oriented company had worked with several SEO firms to create search engine optimization plans and to implement the determined SEO efforts.  The firm had not yet seen any concrete, positive end-results from these past marketing efforts and the related expenses.

The Net Impact analyzed the online store’s analytics for their primary URL http://www.dorothylee.com/, compared traffic patterns to the site architecture, conducted thorough keyword research, investigated the marketplace and analyzed the competition. Using this information, TNI then developed a Traffic Based Design™ that would greatly improve the site’s visibility for key search terms organically and increase traffic.

This Traffic Based Design™ plan included:
• redefined site architecture to create the required landing pages
• rewritten meta information and content for each landing pages
• optimized links and title tags
• URL rewrite recommendations
• Image alternative text tag recommendation
• Website validation testing
• Website ADA compliance testing
• Competitor Analysis Report
• Keyword Rankings Strategy
• Baseline Keyword Positioning Plan
• Suggestions for calls to action to improve conversion

 “It was a pleasure working with The Net Impact.  We met with the company president, Steve Thomas, before getting started.  He never used any sales tactics and we felt that he was always being straight forward and honest with us.  Upon coming aboard, we found the company to have great customer service and communication skills.  They responded to all emails and calls promptly.  Also, the completion of our project was done in a timely manner,” said Nicole Minor, Owner, DorothyLee.com.

The Net Impact’s partnership with DorothyLee is continuing to grow as we are currently working with the retailer on the next steps for improvement, including the creation of an annual web marketing calendar with defined deliverables, conversion testing using Google Optimizer, a social media strategy to support the main ecommerce site and a regular review of Google analytics that will define monthly recommendations.

“Ultimately, we were very happy with all of the work that was performed; in fact The Net Impact exceeded our expectations on all fronts.  We highly recommend any company in need of SEO work to select The Net Impact as your #1 choice.  We’re sure that you will not be disappointed,” said Minor.

Had the opportunity recently to meet with a very strong local firm doing business throughout the Midwest regarding the new website they were planning.   Even with all of The Net Impact’s experience in building International B to B sites (examples: KMT Waterjets, TricorBraun, Bausch and Lomb Storz) the first meeting with a prospect is always filled with some surprise.  This is especially true in a group meeting.

Usually, someone at the table is almost solely interested in appearance.  Someone is interested in upkeep.  Functionality, search engine optimization, hosting, “cool” features and of course…cost, are all out there for discussion. In the end though, everyone has the same goal, a website they can be proud of.

What I have found is that many times these meetings need a reset.  Instead of jumping right into the discussion of what the new website will look like, act like or be built in, why not discuss what the website is supposed to do?  If you are like most of our clients, you want your B to B site to accomplish three big goals.  1) Represent and further the brand experience online  2) Make it easy for your team and your current customers to interact online 3) Generate new business.

In order to accomplish these goals, let’s discuss some elements of a better B to B site.  Let’s break it down to “Brand” elements, “Visitor and Return Visitor” elements, “Business” elements and finally the “Please the User” elements.  Some basics:

The “Brand” elements

• Establish credibility
• Display expertise
• Promote your team
• Display your relationships and testimonials
• Trophy case of awards, relationships and merit
• Show your values
• Promote the activities of business

The “New Visitor” elements

• Easy 411 on home page
• FAQ area that is written by customer service
• One click information access to products and services
• Case studies related to their industry
• Short and easy request forms for follow-up
• Demos that are easy to find and understand.  (Interesting also helps right?)
• Supportive documents and information for “doers” (those that need your product)
• Supportive documents and information for  “buyers” ( those that sign-off on the order)

The additional “Returning Visitor” elements

• Customer portal with purchase history
• Project or shipping updates for current clients
• Easy reorder capability
• Announcements for any specials or new product releases
• Online service access or service request tracker

The “Business” elements

• Easy to find and fill out “Contact Us” forms, “Request a Quote” forms and phone numbers
• Online RFP support may be good for your industry
• “Sign-up” for newsletter, product updates, trade show activities or industry news
• Lead nurturing and follow-up plan, maybe beginning with integration into your CRM
• Multiple ways to contact the company or their representative
• Analytics throughout for planning site changes and improvements.  Yes you will have some.
• Search engine optimized landing pages  to generate traffic (of course)
• A page testing plan to improve conversion (Google Optimizer is pretty cool)
• Coordination plan for “offsite” and “onsite” marketing efforts with supporting landing pages

The “Please the User” elements

• Flash, video and major graphic features are fine but…do they serve the user and improve their experience?
• Easy navigation.  (We call this a Traffic Based Design)  Get the visitor what they want in no more than three clicks. Which means..
• Planned path though the site to goal pages with “calls to action” by visitor type
• Product tables where required with easy search and sort
• Easy to find contact info, site search capability and site map

Planning out your new website elements is well worth the effort.  As you do, remember to “think like your visitors” in order to better promote your business online, generate traffic and generate leads.