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style="clear: both; text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_LwF-YOwm7A/TVMf7VXmxqI/AAAAAAAAADU/uqXpNFtcPRk/s1600/4140253754_d97608ec66+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"&gt;&lt;img border="0" height="280" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_LwF-YOwm7A/TVMf7VXmxqI/AAAAAAAAADU/uqXpNFtcPRk/s400/4140253754_d97608ec66+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Today I got a call from my oldest daughter who is applying for a sales job in Atlanta in the very same industry as Fresh Focus Group, internet marketing. As I listened to her enthusiasm about how the interview went, it occurred to me that she needs to be more concerned about who she is selling for than how much they liked her. Salespeople know it is much easier to sell a top quality product from an industry leader who has strong customer service and competitive pricing, than to work for a lower ranked firm. Wouldn't you rather sell for Google than Bing? Facebook over MySpace? McDonald's over Panda Express? It got me thinking about what a top quality internet marketing firm looks like and how a potential client- or salesperson- might choose who to work with.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;div style="text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"&gt;6 Ways to Evaluate your Internet Marketing Provider&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
1. Are they actually internet marketers-- or not? Changes in the way consumers in all industries use the internet have necessitated that businesses do more- much more- than just park a website on the internet and wait for the phone to ring. Look for a firm that will design a cost efficient, custom multi-channel internet marketing system using only the most effective tools for your business. Reject any that push only one solution or clearly have no experience in marketing.&lt;span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; color: #383737; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;An active internet marketing plan is vital to bringing qualified leads to your website and capturing their contact information so you can follow up in person.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
2. Look at the company's own website. Is it up to date? Do you see a compelling Call to Action? Attractive colors, layout, font? Easy to navigate? Does everything work correctly? The adage about the cobbler's children who have no shoes should not be an excuse when you are evaluating a supplier's own website. What you see is often what you will get. And the basis of an effective internet marketing strategy is a strong marketing website.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
3. Look at their portfolio. Do you see variety? Do you generally like what you see or is it all just ho-hum? &amp;nbsp;Do you see a variety of specialized tools- contact forms, e-commerce capability, links to social media, live feeds, easy and useful navigation, blogs, white papers, and the latest in functionality? Remember, it isn't as important that they have worked for someone in your industry as what they have creatively developed for their clients.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
4. Compare their prices to the competition. Are they expensive, cheap, or reasonable? It goes without saying that we all want to pay as little as possible for the best quality we can afford. Decide upfront that building your website is an investment that will reap rewards for many years. Like hiring a top&amp;nbsp;notch&amp;nbsp;salesperson, your website is an investment that keeps on producing if it is done correctly. You can always find someone who will build you a website for $200. But will it build your business? Likely not. In web design, you get what you pay for.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
5. Look at their organizational structure. What are the skill sets of the people involved? Is there anyone&amp;nbsp;on board&amp;nbsp;who understands marketing? Ask them for case studies. Is their salesperson the same person who will help you develop your internet marketing plan? How is content development and graphic&amp;nbsp;design handled? &amp;nbsp;Ask them to describe the service you will receive after your website launches. Is training in content management&amp;nbsp;available?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
6.&amp;nbsp;Insist on a Content Management System. This is critical to keeping your internet marketing plan up to date. Long gone are the days when you launch your website and never look at it again for 5 years. Or when a website designer builds a black box website design only he can decipher or adjust. Content management systems such as Joomla or DotNetNuke allow you the flexibility to adjust the content and look of your website almost infinitely over time. Will you be able to adjust your marketing promotions-- yourself? Can you add or correct content as changes occur in your marketing plan or your organization? Can you change to a completely different color scheme without rebuilding your entire website? You should also have a choice of whether you learn to do your own website maintenance and updating, or your internet marketing company provides ongoing maintenance.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;div style="text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"&gt;Doing Your Homework Has Never Been More Important&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;nbsp;Being a smart consumer of internet marketing services requires knowing how much the industry has changed in the past few years. Today over &amp;nbsp;97% of people shop online for local goods and services, so a strong marketing website is one of the most important marketing tools available to your business. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
If you've been out of the loop and it's now time for a website update, be sure you do your homework. And if you're looking for a job selling internet marketing services, be sure you choose a company who stays one step ahead of their competition.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Any other criteria you find important when choosing an internet marketing company? Please leave your comments below and I'll be sure to get back to you.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Photo by Ivan Walsh. http://www.flickr.com/photos/ivanwalsh/4140253754/&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3419077516759828764-5034308034517208283?l=freshfocusgroup.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="feedflare"&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/sVUGfd/~4/ApgA0Zkrmoo" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/sVUGfd/~3/ApgA0Zkrmoo/6-steps-to-choosing-internet-marketing.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Kathy Estadt, President of Fresh Focus Group)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_LwF-YOwm7A/TVMf7VXmxqI/AAAAAAAAADU/uqXpNFtcPRk/s72-c/4140253754_d97608ec66+%25281%2529.jpg" height="72" width="72" /><thr:total>0</thr:total><feedburner:origLink>http://freshfocusgroup.blogspot.com/2011/02/6-steps-to-choosing-internet-marketing.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3419077516759828764.post-9193080054778913806</guid><pubDate>Wed, 24 Nov 2010 21:53:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2010-11-24T15:57:28.021-06:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Search Engine Optimization</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Internet Marketing</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Marketing</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">SEO</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Sales Growth</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Google</category><title>How to Improve your Website Ranking Using Search Engine Optimization</title><description>&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kiX5ll6Xf6I/TO2ITqHUXqI/AAAAAAAAADI/1b-bXoitbT8/s1600/%25231+Google+Ranking.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"&gt;&lt;img border="0" height="136" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kiX5ll6Xf6I/TO2ITqHUXqI/AAAAAAAAADI/1b-bXoitbT8/s640/%25231+Google+Ranking.JPG" width="640" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;Too many times recently I have met business owners who have a pretty new marketing website but they aren’t seeing the big bump in sales they thought they would with an impressive new online home. And that‘s just not right. Sure, the website is beautiful, maybe even has a great call to action, but is it being found? And if found, is it converting clicks into customers? &amp;nbsp;Search engine optimization should not be a black box service you pay for and forget about. As business owners, take the time to educate yourself about this important internet marketing channel. Then take action to improve your website ranking by understanding what is important and then doing something about it.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"&gt;Build it and they will come.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;If only that were still true. With the number of new websites coming online every month worldwide, Google continues to try to give its customers what they go to Google for- relevant results. There is still only one first page on Google and until they figure out a way to display the results in 3D, increasing competition will continue to make that quest for display on Google’s first page increasingly difficult. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;But Google sticks to their mission and when everything else is in flux, showing relevant results seems to be a firmly entrenched goal. One evidence of Google’s continuing effort to show the most relevant search results is their first page format seems to include more types of results weekly. Search almost any keyword in Google and check out the latest version. You can almost picture the corporate gymnastics as they juggle local results, organic results, paid ads, social results, Google Places listings, and a host of other new ways to display the most relevant websites for their users’ searches.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;As a business owner, you want to make sure your website is poised to be found decidedly relevant by Google. Your website may be the very best result for a Google user’s search, but if Google doesn’t see it that way, your organic ranking will reflect that and be lower. So what does it take to impress Google? That’s the topic of today’s post. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"&gt;Two Ways to Make your Website Relevant to Google&lt;/span&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;Google ranks websites organically based on a complicated top secret algorithm that involves keywords, placement of those keywords, relevance in the online world, their ability to navigate and index your website, and a host of other factors. There are only two ways to show up higher in organic search results, onsite factors and offsite factors. Improving your ranking is both an art and a science that should involve attention to both areas. For best results, it should be done with precision and attention to ongoing results as shown in your Google analytics report. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;Onsite factors include all the tweaking you do to your website to make it more relevant as a destination for Google’s users. Knowing which keywords have the highest average search volume is vital. Knowing which keywords will actually improve your ranking is dependent on competitive factors that you must also study. Optimizing your website becomes an exercise in using those keywords on your website in the manner and locations that Google values highest, and keeping it optimized as market conditions change.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;Offsite factors include building inlinks to your website from other relevant websites, essentially telling Google that because of this link, your website is also relevant to their user in this subject area. Be sure you don’t confuse the issue by getting links from other websites that are not relevant or ranked much lower. You’re trying to build authority so Google will rank you higher. Close attention to detail, rechecking links often, repairing broken links, and having a systematic strategy for adding more each month is vital to improving your organic ranking.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;Want better response to your internet marketing efforts? &amp;nbsp;Make sure you or your internet marketing consultant apply smart search engine optimization principles to your website. Over time, you will see your ranking improve for the keywords you target, which will mean more traffic, more customers, and of course more growth.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;Is your website delivering customers? Or just another pretty face? We’d love to hear your comments!&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/sVUGfd/~4/v0RX1VdXteA" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/sVUGfd/~3/v0RX1VdXteA/how-to-improve-your-website-ranking.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Kathy Estadt, President of Fresh Focus Group)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kiX5ll6Xf6I/TO2ITqHUXqI/AAAAAAAAADI/1b-bXoitbT8/s72-c/%25231+Google+Ranking.JPG" height="72" width="72" /><thr:total>0</thr:total><feedburner:origLink>http://freshfocusgroup.blogspot.com/2010/11/how-to-improve-your-website-ranking.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3419077516759828764.post-7094994060804656115</guid><pubDate>Mon, 13 Sep 2010 16:10:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2010-09-13T11:10:06.592-05:00</atom:updated><title>How to Grow Your Facebook Fan Base on Your Business Page</title><description>&lt;div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://jchutchins.net/site/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/facebook-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"&gt;&lt;img border="0" height="120" src="http://jchutchins.net/site/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/facebook-logo.jpg" width="320" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;div style="font-size: xx-large; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"&gt;I often run into people who have a Facebook business Page and don't know how to grow their fan base. It isn't hard but it does take understanding the rules of Facebook- which seem to change weekly- and also some ongoing time to devote to the project. In this rather long post I will give you the basics for using three free tools to build your fan base on your Facebook business Pages.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-size: xx-large; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-size: xx-large; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"&gt;First, make sure you are working with a Page and not a Group. Groups are wonderful for chatting with friends about shared interests but they don't have all the features of a Page. There are several styles of Pages that come pre-loaded with tools for different types of organizations. Currently those options include Pages for a local business; a brand, product or organization; and an artist, band, or public figure. Make sure you have the type of Page that works best for you. If you don't have too many fans, you could even start over and make an appeal to each of your fans to come Like your new and improved Page.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-size: xx-large; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center" style="font-size: xx-large; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 24pt;"&gt;Build Your Marketing Plan First&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-size: xx-large; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-size: xx-large; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"&gt;As you decide on a Page type,&amp;nbsp;think about your organization's marketing objectives and your unique target market. Sit with your managers or your internet marketing consultant and take the time to integrate your Facebook objectives into your overall marketing plan. Some of the top objectives might include building awareness; developing leads; directing traffic to your e-commerce site; building brand advocates through special promotions; distributing information such as tips, white papers, industry news; or all of the above. A clear list of objectives will help insure your efforts are targeted and efficient.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-size: xx-large; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-size: xx-large; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"&gt;Once you've built your Page and your marketing plan, it's time to grow your fan base. Facebook has some great tools to help do exactly that. And they will continue to add more. It is Facebook's stated objective to continually improve what it calls its social graph, the linking of every individual to every other individual all over the world. Recently, the social graph concept has expanded to include the linking of every individual's photos, events, Pages, and other objects as well. As the social graph evolves, your ability to expand your fan base improves.&amp;nbsp;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-size: xx-large; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center" style="font-size: xx-large; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;&lt;span class="apple-style-span"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 24pt;"&gt;There are at least three ways to grow your fan base using free Facebook tools&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="apple-style-span"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 24pt;"&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-size: xx-large; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-size: xx-large; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"&gt;"Suggest to Friends": This is a simple and free way to get the word out that you have a business Page and to ask friends to Like it. Let's say you are a hair salon with a new business Page. Look for "Suggest to Friends" in the left column right under your Page photo. Click on it and a window pops up. You can choose to send an invitation to all or only some of your friends. When you have your list ready to go, click "Send Invitation" and your friends will receive a suggestion from you to like your salon's Page. If you can also convince your employees to use this feature to invite their friends on a regular basis, you will begin to see your fan base increase.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-size: xx-large; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-size: xx-large; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"&gt;Remember that every time a new fan Likes your Page, it enters their stream, which means that it is posted to their profile plus their friends' News Feed.&amp;nbsp;You’ve seen this. Your friend “Jane Smith likes&amp;nbsp;&lt;u&gt;XYZ Salon&lt;/u&gt;.” Haven’t you been curious enough to go to that Page and Like it too? I have.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-size: xx-large; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-size: xx-large; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"&gt;The speed of building your fan base will depend on the target audience and the strength of your incentives, but the principle is the same whether you are selling burial plots or ice cream cones. Rinse and repeat weekly with slightly different incentives. Remember, every sales cycle is a process, not an event.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-size: xx-large; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-size: xx-large; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"&gt;“Share” Button: One of the most versatile ways to build your fan base is by regularly using the Share button at the bottom of each “link” you post on your business Wall. When you publish a simple text-only update, it goes only to your fans. But when your update includes a link, you can also 1. Share that update with your friends or 2. post it on your personal Profile, which expands your reach considerably. And the Share option is available to everyone who views your link, whether on their own or on a friend's News Feed, or directly on your Page. Think of the possibilities!&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-size: xx-large; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-size: xx-large; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"&gt;For this example, let's assume you are a band with a band Page and you want to increase your fan base to announce upcoming gigs. Offline, you will want to develop a list of promotional updates that include links to the gig venue, your band's website, Facebook photos, You Tube videos, internet news stories from past gigs, and anything else that might interest your future fans. Plan your posts offline and write the text to persuade the recipient to Like your Page.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-size: xx-large; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center" style="font-size: xx-large; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 24pt;"&gt;Now the fun begins. Here’s how it might work.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-size: xx-large; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-size: xx-large; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"&gt;To send a link to your friends, first publish it to your Page Wall. (It will automatically go to your existing fans.) Then click Share below the update/link and select your distribution list from the drop down box (looks like a little padlock). Choose Everyone, Friends of Friends, Friends, or a Custom list. When you click Share again, your update/link will appear in the News Feed of the friends you've just designated. Your copy should include an incentive to go to your Page and Like it. Try something like a contest for a free bottle of wine at your next gig, and you will find your fan base building.&amp;nbsp;This is a good way to bring your friends and family into your fan base. For some bands (or businesses), these are your main fans.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-size: xx-large; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-size: xx-large; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"&gt;Non-administrators, such as your employees, fellow band members, or anyone else you can talk into it, can also Share your band or business links with their Friends. Instruct them to go to any update with a link, click on Share, choose their list, and click Share again. Voila! They've just posted your Page update/link to their personal profile and it has gone out to all their friends as well. You can see how repeating this weekly with incentives to Like your Page could build your fan base quickly. And as your fan base builds, more friends of friends and their friends will Like your Page, resulting in much greater reach.&amp;nbsp;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-size: xx-large; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-size: xx-large; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"&gt;Another option using the Share button is to post your link to your personal profile. This time it enters your friends' News Feed as a personal update from you. You've seen plenty of links from your friends, things like YouTube videos, photos, articles, and other Pages. And many times the links are compelling enough to click on them to see the original source for yourself. Structure your updates to be interesting and enticing. Since friends tend to share interests, friends of friends will come to your Page to see what you offer and some will also Like your Page. Another fan means another News Feed announcement to their friends.&amp;nbsp;Facebook counts on the fact that you and your friends share many common interests and this is why the News Feed concept works so well.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-size: xx-large; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center" style="font-size: xx-large; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 24pt;"&gt;A third free tool-- Events&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-size: xx-large; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-size: xx-large; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"&gt;“Events”: Another free tool available on Pages is the Event. For your band, for instance, look for the Event tab on your band Page. If you are a club venue and you have a local business Page, you may have to add the Event tab. Go to the little "+" sign at the end of your existing tabs and click on it to add the Event tab if it isn't already on your Page. Inside the tab you will find all you need to set up and distribute an announcement to your fans of your upcoming Event. And the Event feature comes with its own Share button which insures that you can distribute your Event beyond just your fan base to your friends. Again, include text that encourages every recipient to come to your Page and Like it.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"&gt;If you are the band, you can also create an Event on your own Page and distribute it the same way. Multiply this coverage times the number of band members plus the venue employees and you have just created a huge distribution list. Now imagine receiving the same Event invitation from both the venue and the band and perhaps also Shared by one or more of your friends. Wouldn't you think about clicking through to the Pages and Liking them while you are there? Of course you would. That's the power of Facebook.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-size: xx-large; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-size: xx-large; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"&gt;&lt;div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"&gt;I’ve touched on a few of the ways you can grow your fan base on your business Page. Are you harnessing the power of free Facebook tools to grow your business online? Have you used any other free Facebook tools? Let us know in the Comments section below.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3419077516759828764-7094994060804656115?l=freshfocusgroup.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="feedflare"&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/sVUGfd/~4/QZDtAkVh6gU" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/sVUGfd/~3/QZDtAkVh6gU/how-to-grow-your-facebook-fan-base-on_13.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Kathy Estadt, President of Fresh Focus Group)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total><feedburner:origLink>http://freshfocusgroup.blogspot.com/2010/09/how-to-grow-your-facebook-fan-base-on_13.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3419077516759828764.post-3479344201126771597</guid><pubDate>Mon, 23 Aug 2010 13:00:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2010-08-23T13:51:39.311-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Internet Marketing</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Website Design</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Marketing</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Marketing Plan</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Sales Growth</category><title>Keys to Building a Marketing Website</title><description>&lt;div style="text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kzHK8CEOwWE/SfW3ujsL2UI/AAAAAAAAKA8/kjb1W9oqdTk/s1600/ornate-keys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"&gt;&lt;img border="0" height="220" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kzHK8CEOwWE/SfW3ujsL2UI/AAAAAAAAKA8/kjb1W9oqdTk/s320/ornate-keys.jpg" width="320" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13.3333px;"&gt;Let's face it. Most of us don’t build websites every day. In fact, we build them so seldom that when we go back to the designer who built our last one, we often find out they are no longer in business.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;No worries. There is a whole new breed of internet marketing professionals who are teaming up with website designers to provide something better, something fresh, the next evolution of website design. They're creating marketing websites which are at the hub of coordinated, multi-channel internet marketing programs.&amp;nbsp;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;And the internet marketing specialists who create these hard-working websites are equipped with the best of both worlds: website design knowledge plus a thorough background and education in marketing principals as they apply to every media, every organization. They’re &amp;nbsp;traditional marketers with an expanded toolkit, advertising experts applying their skills to a new media, business consultants with an eye to your bottom line.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;u1:p&gt;&lt;/u1:p&gt;  &lt;div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt;"&gt;How Do You Know if Your Website Designer is Really an Internet Marketer?&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;u1:p&gt;&lt;/u1:p&gt;  &lt;div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;or &amp;nbsp;simply a graphic designer or programmer?&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;u1:p&gt;&lt;/u1:p&gt;  &lt;div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;While this list is not exhaustive, here are a few basic elements of a strategic plan you should expect your internet marketing consultant to explore with you before you build a single page.&amp;nbsp;Your marketing promotional plan would be derived from this detailed look at your business as well.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;u1:p&gt;&lt;/u1:p&gt;  &lt;div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;Business Objectives:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;What is the purpose of your website? Are you trying to make your organization stand out in a crowd of similar organizations? Are you trying to attract new business? Are you promoting a brand new image, logo, or slogan? Will you be showcasing a new product or service? Do you plan to generate leads for your sales team? Are you trying to educate, sell, or perhaps convince? What is the reason you are developing a new website now? The answers are as individual as snowflakes. Be sure your designer asks you about your overall Business Objectives and tailors your website to your marketing needs.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;u1:p&gt;&lt;/u1:p&gt;  &lt;div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;Target Audience Definitions:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;Like many businesses, you may have multiple products and services, each with its own target audience. What is the best way to appeal to each group? The first thing your internet marketing specialist should do is to find out what each group is all about. Stand in their shoes. Identify their problems. Agree on the solutions. Perhaps pick up the phone and talk to a few key customers or other stakeholders. Research their culture, their heroes, their dreams. Conduct a few focus groups if necessary. Your designer should take the time to understand your target audience profiles so she can tailor the marketing design accordingly.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;u1:p&gt;&lt;/u1:p&gt;  &lt;div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;Product Features and Benefits&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;: Every organization has a “product” or two. Even service-oriented businesses such as hospitals, cities, and churches know that their “consumers” have a choice in where they spend their money. Be sure your internet marketing consultant takes the time to understand your product features, benefits, and the claim substantiation for each one.&amp;nbsp;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;u1:p&gt;&lt;/u1:p&gt;  &lt;div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt;"&gt;What’s Your Focus of Sale?&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;u1:p&gt;&lt;/u1:p&gt;  &lt;div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"&gt;&lt;u2:p&gt;&lt;/u2:p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;Focus of Sale:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;Before your designer develops a single page, you need to have a benchmark against which to evaluate their work. Internet marketers will usually build a focus of sale document with their clients before they turn the project over to their creative department. What is it? It is a statement that puts your whole reason for being into a neat little package. It is the statement that relays who you are, who you serve, what you provide, and why you are unique. It informs the entire creative process.&amp;nbsp;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;u1:p&gt;&lt;/u1:p&gt;  &lt;div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;The next time you need a website, consider a professional internet marketing consultant. They get the job done with the added value of helping you develop a strategic marketing plan that reflects who you are and where you’re going. And that plan becomes the blueprint in developing a dynamic internet marketing website and online presence that accomplishes your organization’s objectives.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;u1:p&gt;&lt;/u1:p&gt;  &lt;div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;Is your website delivering your business objectives? If not, give us a call. We'd love to help.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;u1:p&gt;&lt;/u1:p&gt;  &lt;div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;Comments? Questions? Let us know what you think.&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/sVUGfd/~4/7DHJn0DbhiE" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/sVUGfd/~3/7DHJn0DbhiE/keys-to-building-marketing-website.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Kathy Estadt, President of Fresh Focus Group)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kzHK8CEOwWE/SfW3ujsL2UI/AAAAAAAAKA8/kjb1W9oqdTk/s72-c/ornate-keys.jpg" height="72" width="72" /><thr:total>0</thr:total><feedburner:origLink>http://freshfocusgroup.blogspot.com/2010/08/keys-to-building-marketing-website.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3419077516759828764.post-1813500919277341077</guid><pubDate>Sat, 14 Aug 2010 21:35:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2010-08-14T16:59:06.449-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Internet Marketing</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Website Design</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Marketing</category><title>The High Price of NOT Having a Website</title><description>&lt;div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;img border="0" height="300" src="http://www.public-domain-photos.com/free-stock-photos-4-big/travel/irland/rocking-stone.jpg" width="400" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;a href="" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"&gt;&lt;img border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Recently I have run into quite a few small business owners who don’t have a website. In fact, they haven’t purposefully done anything on the internet to promote their businesses at all. When I ask them if they have searched for their business online lately, they look at me like I wasn’t listening.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;Did you know that even if you don’t have a website, you may still have an online presence? And often it is unflattering, incomplete, or even dead wrong.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;If you are a business owner who hasn’t yet decided to proactively engage with the internet, I encourage you to read on. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;Did you know that even if you haven’t built a website, haven’t talked with your customers via a business Facebook page, and haven’t built a profile on Google’s local business maps, someone else is most likely promoting you on the internet? &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"&gt;&lt;b&gt;You don’t believe me? Try it.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;Go to Google and enter the name of your business into Google Search.&amp;nbsp;Unless you are doing business under a rock, your company name will come up. Even if you don’t have a website, you will probably see your company name on the first page of Google. Click on any of the results and you will be transported to what is called a directory and somewhere on that page your business will be listed. &amp;nbsp;Notice the ads along the edges of the page. Most directories make it their business to list as many companies as they can because they make money when searchers click on an ad on their site. The more businesses they have listed, the more traffic they potentially get, and the more ads they sell. Roughly.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;So, a directory has picked up your business name, perhaps your address, sometimes even your hours of operation.&amp;nbsp;Is the information correct? Not likely. Are their reviews? Good for the directory; not so much for you. Especially if the reviews are negative. And they often are. Who takes the time to post positive reviews?&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"&gt;The high price of doing nothing.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;So, how’s that for unfair? You have saved money all these years by not having a website and now you find out your online reputation is negative because some ancient disgruntled customer has posted a negative review or two. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;I know what you’re thinking… here comes the sales pitch.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;Naturally, I am going to promote the multi-channel, full service solution; I believe in it wholeheartedly. I believe it is the best for your business to develop a strategic marketing plan, one that includes your offline and online marketing efforts, tailored to your marketing objectives, your target audience, and your budget. That full service solution includes a strong marketing website, the hub of all your proactive internet promotional activity. Depending on your strategic plan, that solution could include internet advertising, social media, email campaigns, reputation management and a host of other possibilities.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;But I’m not pushing that today. I simply want to urge you to go online, check out your reputation, take control of your directory listings- (you will probably see a way to do that on each directory), and be proactive about what the world is saying about you and your business. You can do it!&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
And if you decide you want an even better online presence, call us at Fresh Focus Group. We delight in working with business owners like you. And we have the marketing experience to really listen to your needs and custom design a plan that pleases you and your customers.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;Without the high price of doing nothing.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal"&gt;Comments? Questions? We’d love to hear from you. Feel free to leave them in the feedback section below.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/3419077516759828764-1813500919277341077?l=freshfocusgroup.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="feedflare"&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/sVUGfd/~4/6vD0BA-SOCA" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/sVUGfd/~3/6vD0BA-SOCA/high-price-of-not-having-website.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Kathy Estadt, President of Fresh Focus Group)</author><thr:total>2</thr:total><feedburner:origLink>http://freshfocusgroup.blogspot.com/2010/08/high-price-of-not-having-website.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3419077516759828764.post-7628256706334717720</guid><pubDate>Thu, 29 Jul 2010 02:15:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2010-08-14T19:22:30.618-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Website Design</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Marketing</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Marketing Plan</category><title>How to Choose a Website Designer</title><description>&lt;span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;  &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2798/4153837365_82d3a8e82c_t.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"&gt;&lt;img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2798/4153837365_82d3a8e82c_t.jpg" width="320" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"&gt;&lt;div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;Recently I did a little research on the job market for website designers and found this definition for the nature of their work:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;u1:p&gt;&lt;/u1:p&gt;  &lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;Web designers create the look and feel of a client's website. This involves building a graphic design that efficiently communicates the ideas on the website. A web designer often meets with the client to talk about plans for the layout and organization of the site, the kinds of colors or pictures to use (photos, illustrations, videos, etc.), and other matters concerning overall graphic design.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;u1:p&gt;&lt;/u1:p&gt;  &lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;When I took it a step further and looked up actual job listings, I found that most of them were hiring people who had skills like Web Programming, Flash Design, and Website Content Editing.&lt;span class="apple-converted-space"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;u1:p&gt;&lt;/u1:p&gt;  &lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;Great skills, all of them. Extremely important to designing websites that look beautiful and provide a good user experience. But…&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;u1:p&gt;&lt;/u1:p&gt;  &lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt;"&gt;What’s Missing from These Descriptions?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;u1:p&gt;&lt;/u1:p&gt;  &lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;Don’t get me wrong. I’m not in any way diminishing the skills that it takes to design a great looking and functioning website. But what’s lacking in the typical web designer’s resume is any education or experience in Marketing. Check it out. Most ads for website designers assume that knowledge of multiple versions of design software is enough to qualify. Experience in website content writing- a plus!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;u1:p&gt;&lt;/u1:p&gt;  &lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;But in today’s online marketing environment, website designers who may have been first into the field because of their programming competence are teaming up with advertising and marketing professionals who are equipped with a whole new set of tools. These new marketers know it isn’t enough to build a website and expect your customers to come. Essentially, websites are part of complex online advertising campaigns. And to produce the profitability goals businesses have for their websites requires effective strategic planning plus a system of internet&lt;span class="apple-converted-space"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;marketing&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span class="apple-converted-space"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;tactics that most website designers know very little about.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;u1:p&gt;&lt;/u1:p&gt;  &lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 14.0pt;"&gt;Is it Time to Dust Off Your Marketing Plan?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;u1:p&gt;&lt;/u1:p&gt;  &lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;No doubt you have one somewhere. Over 80% of small business startups are funded by banks and other financing companies that require a business plan for approval. But how long has it been since you updated that plan?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;u1:p&gt;&lt;/u1:p&gt;  &lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;Sometimes we run into a small or mid size business owner who has a well-constructed and useful marketing plan, but frankly, it’s the exception rather than the rule. And that’s ok most of the time. One of the unique joys of business ownership is making decisions on the fly. Who has time to do all that analysis when you’re trying to keep all your suppliers paid, manage employee issues, and still make it to your son’s baseball game?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;But before you build a website, make sure you take the time to articulate your marketing plan to your designer. Ideally, your marketing design team understands your business and can develop a coordinated internet marketing plan that meets your profitability objectives. It’s key to the marketing success of your new website.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"&gt;&lt;o:p&gt;&lt;/o:p&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;Question? Comments? We'd love to hear from you.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;span style="color: black; font-size: 10.0pt;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;u1:p&gt;&lt;/u1:p&gt;  &lt;div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;"&gt;&lt;div style="text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 22px;"&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/sVUGfd/~4/joK1hUHd8Fk" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/sVUGfd/~3/joK1hUHd8Fk/how-to-design-your-marketing-website.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Kathy Estadt, President of Fresh Focus Group)</author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2798/4153837365_82d3a8e82c_t.jpg" height="72" width="72" /><thr:total>0</thr:total><feedburner:origLink>http://freshfocusgroup.blogspot.com/2010/07/how-to-design-your-marketing-website.html</feedburner:origLink></item><item><guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3419077516759828764.post-3831108301337671753</guid><pubDate>Sun, 13 Jun 2010 02:41:00 +0000</pubDate><atom:updated>2010-07-28T21:14:50.709-05:00</atom:updated><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Internet Marketing</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Marketing Plan</category><category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Sales Growth</category><title>Internet Marketing is Simply Thinking Like a Customer</title><description>&lt;div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: small;"&gt;If you're a business owner, you have probably been through the wringer the past few years. I just completed a series of interviews with members of our Chamber of Commerce in my hometown near Mobile, AL. When asked, "what would you say was your greatest accomplishment over the past few years?", more than a few said that simply meeting payroll was the thing that they felt the best about. With the economy in the state it is in, and many businesses hanging on by a thread, maybe it's time to go back to the basics of marketing. Maybe it's time to think like a customer.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"&gt;&lt;span style="font-size: small;"&gt;Every day&lt;/span&gt; more and more Americans decide to use the internet. Across all age groups, internet usage is up to over 75%. In some age groups, it's closer to 90%. Young adults who were born about the time the internet was taking off in the late 1980's are in their early 20's now and some don't even know what a Yellow Pages book looks like. They do everything online and often from their phones. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"&gt;And it may come as a surprise to know that even among seniors over 65, internet usage is almost 60%. My own mother, age 83, writes to her 85 year old sister in Arizona every day. She buys books and clothes online and plays games. She's even thinking about getting onto Facebook. She has the same needs for products and services as the younger set, and more disposable income to buy them. And she's not unique.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"&gt;So how many of those internet users are shopping online? Statistics report that over 80% of internet users do research online before they get in their cars and go shopping locally. Unlike drive-by advertising such as TV, radio, billboards, and magazines, internet sites are studied carefully by your customers while they are actually in the buying phase of the sales cycle. So if you are a local business without an online presence, you are  missing out on a huge opportunity to showcase your products and services  when your customer is actually looking for you. Think like a customer and if you don't have a business website, the time is now.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"&gt;Here's another wild statistic: Industry estimates say that there are over 750,000 new websites coming online every single month.&amp;nbsp; How do so many hopeful website owners get seen online? They often don't. Google, Yahoo, and Bing each have only one front page. So it's becoming more difficult every day to show up anywhere near the first page of&lt;i&gt; any&lt;/i&gt; search engine results. And research shows that search engine users- your customers- often don't go  beyond the first couple of listings on page one. Again, think like a customer and decide where you would look for your company. Are you there?&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
In this area, I see many business owners resorting to DIY internet marketing options that look easy, cost very little money, and promise to free them from those old-fashioned, expensive advertising agencies forever. In theory, they are terrific for the low budget business owner who wants to try out some new ideas. But they are full of problems too. I have seen only a few well executed DIY websites and emails from the local businesses I subscribe to. And even those emails were sent on a sporadic basis with zero consistency of timing or message. I'm thinking like a customer when I say that these owners don't care very much about me if they are sending me these poorly designed emails. I'm thinking like a customer when I wonder why I don't get an answer to my Facebook post on their business page. I'm thinking like a customer when I decide to devalue the products and services of a business that uses DIY marketing pieces instead of professionally designed and executed campaigns. Everyone knows that DIY options cost less money. Why shouldn't their prices reflect that?&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"&gt;That's where professional Internet Marketing comes in. The industry is only about 10  years old and evolving as rapidly as the internet evolves. That is to  say changes are happening at lightening fast speeds. Every week Google  introduces a new way to use their search engine for better, more  targeted results.&amp;nbsp; Internet Marketing is to the internet what traditional advertising is to TV, magazines, newspapers, billboards, etc. With one or two big differences. All internet marketing is designed to drive traffic to your website precisely when your customer is looking for what you have to offer.&amp;nbsp; Plus every campaign comes with in-depth analytics programs to measure precisely what is happening on your website or Facebook page. We know who goes there, where they click, how long they stay there, if they sign up for your newsletter, or buy your product. And lots more.&lt;br /&gt;
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Another difference? Internet marketing costs a whole lot less than traditional advertising because the cost of media costs a whole lot less. You could pay for dozens of online ads for the price of one TV or Yellow Pages ad.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"&gt;At &lt;a href="http://www.freshfocusgroup.com/"&gt;Fresh Focus Group&lt;/a&gt;, we think like a customer all day long. That's our job. We custom design a multi-channel online marketing system consistent with your overall  marketing plan. You don't have an overall marketing plan? We help you with that before we do one single thing.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"&gt;We think like your customer and we design programs and campaigns to capture their interest. We execute those programs with skill and consistency to keep your message fresh and in front of your customer. Analytics allow us to do side by side testing so we continually update and improve our approach. As a result, your website gets closer and closer to the front of  the pack. Your advertising stands out from the rest. Your Facebook  page becomes a customer magnet. You reap new sales that more than cover  your marketing costs.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
The bottom line: We improve your sales. That's why we're in business. That's what we do. If you pride yourself on giving your customers what they really want, give them the opportunity to buy more of your offerings with a complete professional internet marketing program. One that starts out customer focused and delivers everyone more of what they really want.&lt;br /&gt;
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Are you thinking like your customer? &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;&lt;img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/sVUGfd/~4/J5ly9iilZAk" height="1" width="1"/&gt;</description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/sVUGfd/~3/J5ly9iilZAk/internet-marketing-is-simply-thinking.html</link><author>noreply@blogger.com (Kathy Estadt, President of Fresh Focus Group)</author><thr:total>0</thr:total><feedburner:origLink>http://freshfocusgroup.blogspot.com/2010/06/internet-marketing-is-simply-thinking.html</feedburner:origLink></item></channel></rss>

