If you haven’t yet recognized the importance of online marketing, think of your company website as a business card that quickly identifies who you are and what you offer.

Whereas traditional business cards only provide a limited view of your company to a small audience, your company website makes detailed information available to a virtually limitless audience 24 hours a day, every day.

In the past, truly effective advertising required substantial budgets that many small and medium sized businesses couldn’t afford.

The Internet has changed that to an extent. Smaller enterprises can now compete with bigger industry players, giving them equal access to consumers.

As a marketing specialist for an online surety bond company, I know that a solid web presence can help you reach client bases you never before considered.

So, how will a strong web presence benefit my company?

There’s no doubt that consumers are changing the way they find businesses and purchase products.

In today’s technologically driven world, the yellow pages and newspaper advertising have become obsolete as web pages have become the most effective way to attract consumers.

E-commerce has also taken the place of the once-popular catalog.

Consumers no longer have to drive to a store to evaluate a product or service.

Easy-to-access websites have become the norm for national chains, and smaller enterprises are now following suit.

An estimated 2.25 billion users have Internet access in today’s global climate, and the competition for their attention is fiercer now more than ever.

That said, you can’t just publish a website for your company and expect customers to find you on their own. The Internet doesn’t quite work like that.

Having an online presence won’t get you anywhere if you have poor website performance.

How can I start building a strong web presence?

Today’s consumers use the Internet to search for information about a product or service.

Websites that make good first impressions hold consumers’ attention long enough to retain their interest.

When correctly implemented, a strong web presence can convert informational searches into sales.

A strong web presence quickly shows viewers what your enterprise offers, such as

• valuable products/services
• how to contact the company directly
• relevant industry developments
• other information that’s helpful to the consumer

Furthermore, the ever increasing accessibility of social media marketing allows entrepreneurs to establish promotional platforms for any business — for free.

Social media marketing allows business owners to establish fan bases easier than ever before.

My bet is that the businesses that will experience the greatest growth in the next decade will be the ones who continue to use the Internet to connect with current clients while also attracting new customers.

Discover Why WordPress is an absolute must for you online presence.

You’re Probably Thinking To Yourself…

My business is growing slower than I anticipated.

I make just enough to cover my monthly costs, but not enough to go on holiday when ever I want.

I could really do with a constant flow of new clients and a fatter bank balance.

What I really need is a whole lot more exposure for my business to get my name out there.

Well you wouldn’t be alone in your thoughts, many brands and business’ face this dilemma.

So whats the golden answer to this question? Keep Reading….

Yes You Guessed It

By now you probably figured out that it’s best to get a website.
This way you could find hundreds of new clients, get rich and retire in the bahama’s.
When you’re finished day dreaming reality sets in and the brain starts to churn out a million questions:

1. What are the costs involved to get a stunning website ?
2. How long will it take to get it designed ?
3. Who should I trust and use for this project?

Sounds like a plan, so when do we get started?

After going on the internet and searching for terms like “website design” a sea of results pop up for you to sift through.
The more you sift the more confused you start to feel.

1. Why are all the prices so different ?
2. Do website designers actually speak a language I understand?
3. How do I know what package to choose?

Through all the confusion this is what many people do….

Maybe I can try my hand at building my own website. You’re thinking a website for free !(Now theres a great idea).
You search again and this time for the term “free websites” and find there are plenty of websites that provide service and promise the world.
You design your free website using the free point and click controls.
As you’re designing your own custom website you discover some restrictions.
Its free BUT… you can only do so much or some features are only reserved for premium users.
What ever happened to free?

At the end of it all your website doesnt look nearly as nice as was initially promised.
Free & Easy I think not !

The honest truth is….

You going to have to outlay a little capital to get a decent website presence.
Nothing comes for nothing like all things in life.
If you want something worthwhile you are going to have to invest some time, effort and capital.
The great news is there is a solution that you can start with and build on in time.
A solution that can be eventually developed into a fully fledged website that looks good like what you hoped for when you started out.

Okay! So here’s why wordpress websites rock

Use wordpress as a starting block, if you absolutely have no funds… start on a great platform that you can later expand and upgrade. Why I suggest WordPress as a good platform for building your website?

1. Always improving and evolving

   WordPress is always being improved, some of the best designers in the world are always contributing and upgrading both free and paid options of WordPress.

2. Easy to export

   When you decide you need to move your website to your own domain or you have the funds to hire a professional website designer, moving your website easily.

3. Tons of plugins

   If there is a special element like a a contact form, calender, gallery, adding fancy tables, etc… to add to your website there is probably a plugin in for that.

4. Easy to Use

   Update and pages of your website is almost like using a word program. You can insert pictures, add documents or video. The intuative interface makes it easy for beginners.

5. Beautiful Free Themes

   With over a 100 free themes, that actually look good, many with option to customise. You are make your website look quite professional, for a service thats free.

6. Rich Resources

   There is tons of resources on the internet if you want to learn to do a bit of diy with your wordpress website. Many website’s have step by step tutorials to help you.

7. Content Management System

   Create your own custom navigation, add as many pages as you want to the website. Manke changes whenever you need to at anytime, as long as you have access to the internet.

8. Affordable Paid Themes

   If you need a little more professionally designed theme or website. There are many websites which offer really beautiful themes for a fraction of a normal website price.

9. Improves Exposure

   WordPress has great social sharing options and a built in blogging platform. Two key componants that ensure your website gets more exposure and vistors.

In conclusion…

Building your website on the right platform can save you a lot of hassle and headache later. With wordpress being the 18th most visited website out of millions of websites in the world, its hard to ignore they have an outstanding track record.

Ps. I dont work for wordpress, they really are… just that great. If you have a question on how to get started or simply want share your thoughts on using wordpress as a website, please comment below.

Do you want to know how to put a really cheap marketing strategy that’s quick, easy and works like a dream ?

If you answered “No” then you know there is no such thing.

If you answered “Yes” then you haven’t burned your fingers enough and felt the pain of dissapointment from a bad marketing decision.

So seriously, whats wrong with going for the cheapest prices?
After all money is tight and I don’t have a large marketing budget. Right?

Ok fair enough. Let me ask you a question first ” Would you settle for a rusty boat with holes in it to take you on a 7 day cruise to the Bahama’s? “

Nope you’d be sunk on day one! So I am going to lay it out in plain english for you – why price should not be the motivating aspect when deciding where to spend your marketing budget.

Cheap Is Expensive

If you want your potential customers to take you seriously, you need to look seriously good. Yes good customer service is important, but having a clipart tacky logo, with cheap business cards and an ugly website sends off the wrong vibe.

You wouldn’t dare buying a product from a dodgy salesman, or underground, back end shop would you?

“If you look cheap, people won’t take you seriously and you will always struggle for new business.”

Do Your Marketing Research

A large portion of the work we do is helping companies rebrand their image and get their marketing done.

And 99.9% of the time it is because they picked the wrong person to help them with thier market strategy.

Dont be in a hurry to get started, size up your competition.

Look at how they brand themselves, whether it be online or offline. Ask your self what are they doing right in thier marketing strategies?

“The competition is not your enemy, but an opportunity to learn about your business and make it better.”

Look For Social Proof

Before you decide which marketing company to go with to help you in your marketing strategy. Look for social proof.. in other words who says they are good besides themselves.

How? Look on thier website for a portfolio, or a testimonial section.
Phone thier clients up and ask them. You can also check on social networks like linkedin to see if anyone else has recommended them.

Google their company name and look for results about them besides thier website.

The results may sway your desicion as to whether you should use them in your markeing plan.

“If there is no evidence that a company is offering a fantastic service, they are probably not!”

Conclusion – Common Sense Marketing

Marketing is not cheap… but with a little research it can be reasonably priced. Rather save up a little and then pay the right person.

You can’t expect to charge high prices for your own products and buy others cheaply. If you offer a quality service, invest the money in looking the part – people will notice!

If you have had a bad marketing experience or been successful in implimenting a good marketing strategy, share it with us.
What has made your marketing experience unique ? 

WEBSITE PERFORMANCE TRACKING

Would you hire a salesman, stick him in an office and not check on his results? Yeah right! You need results. Well it’s the same with a website, you need to have certain goals and targets and then check up on them often. “How many website visitors” is not the only or best measurement.  Many people go window shopping but don’t buy. Just because your website looks good doesn’t mean its performing well.

NO CALL TO ACTION

This is a common one. Imagine walking into a store trying to find the specials, but there are no big flashy signs to point them out. If you have a great product or service ensure you make it easy for your visitors to take the next step on your website. For example “Contact Us Today” or “Give Us A Call” or “Get A Free Quote”… you get the picture. Tell your website visitors what to do next - don’t assume they will. It helps promote action.

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (KEYWORD STUFFING)

There is an old saying that says “too many cooks spoil the broth.”  Keywords and descriptions help the google bot sort your website in the right category so people can find you. If it is not simple or clear for google, then it throws your website in the miscellaneous pile.  In other words,  you’re lucky if you appear on the first 10 pages of the search results. Stuffing a whole bunch of keywords on each page doesn’t help. Keywords need to exactly match pictures, links, headings and content to get indexed correctly, in order for you to get found on the web.

LAYOUT AND VISUALS

Have you ever bought a new product and then struggled to find out how it works because of poor instructions? Your website needs to be easy to navigate and designed in a way that guides the visitor from the “solution you are offering” to picking up the phone or emailing you for help. Good pictures, concepts and easy navigation go a long way to generating more website queries. Dumping a whole bunch of text on a page, just won’t cut it!

CONTACT DETAILS

This one seems a little silly really, but I have been on many websites where it is hard to find their contact details and no alternate contact methods. The basics are telephone, email, contact person and address. I would recommend adding a contact form as well.
It helps guide and categorize the queries submitted from your website. Other instant contact options could be Live-Chat or Skype.

STATIC WEBSITES

The term “frozen in time” comes to mind,  just like a woolly mammoth – only discovered centuries later. Well maybe not that drastic, but the point is Google pushes the best content first. So if your website is not update-able or offers a strong reason for returning often – like a valuable resource, the chances of it being found is slim to none. Perhaps it is time to defrost and step into the future.

OLD SCHOOL AND TACKY

There is a reason why industries and services have changed over time. Better technology and ways to accomplish things were discovered and have been implemented. Although looks are not the only factor in getting a website to perform, it certainly helps. Modern websites that are well designed use current technologies, are visually appealing and easy to navigate. You would not want people to ignore your website because it is old, clip-arty, tacky and unprofessional. On the web first impressions last.

CONCLUSION

Check to see if your website has any of these stumbling blocks and ask your website designer to correct them. A website needs to look good, generate queries and meet the targets and goals you have set. Please leave a comment, website address and share this article to stand a chance to receive a free website analysis with suggested improvements. 

We work with a lot of small to medium businesses and one of the most common obstacles they face is trying to generate more referrals. It seems that most of the time we keep chasing our tails, wondering how others get so many referrals and thinking… surely there is an easier way. So we keep trying to solve this dilemma, employing all kinds of stratagem to obtain new customers.

Some of the following questions tend to arise…

>> How can we market better to get more exposure ?
>> How do I even put money aside for marketing ?
>> How can we increase profits ?
>> How can we out perform our competitors ?

There are many standard answers that come to mind because we have been conditioned to follow conventional methods of marketing, for example:

>> Let’s spam the masses
>> Put an ad in the Magazine
>> Hand Out Flyers
>> Google Adwords
>> Put an ad in the NewsPaper, etc …

Hey! I am not saying that you must not market and use some form of advertising, I just think that one should use their greatest asset…

Happy Loyal Customers = Best Referrals

More than any other marketing avenue this one is least used, we keep churning out more and more customers month on month, many of whom would gladly recommend your service. The trick is to keep them happy, keep them engaged and keep them talking about you. But how… ?

Give Them Something For Free

Come again, something for free, why would i want to do that ? Because they are the most valuable marketing resource. Whats makes a happy customer so valuable and why would they send you referrals ?

They will talk about you to the people they know – for free. Their voice is one whom others will trust, peer recommendation is everything. You don’t have to convince potential customers… they will.

There are many creative ways you keep your loyal customers happy and willing to give you more referrals, that are cost effective. Some examples are blogging about solutions to the needs of your customers, engaging them on social media, running small competitions or offering discounts on repeat business.

Please leave a comment below, voice your opinion on how you have creatively generated more interest around your brand, which resulted in more referrals or if you have further insights to share.