Promotional Designer

7 Steps That Will Make Your Business Sizzle…

noreply@blogger.com (Artista Design) — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 14:40:00 PDT

“It doesn’t matter whether your product is information or a flyswatter. If you understand marketing, you can make serious income.” Robert G. Allan, Author Multiple Streams of Internet Income

A lot of business owners don’t realize it is the little things that one does that will make a BIG difference in their success.

We all look at the big picture – the all important professional website, blog and of course optimizing with keywords and page titles. But what will really make a difference between you and your competitor?

Read on….

1. What makes you different from your competitors?

You need to focus on what makes your business unique. Why should people come to you over your competition? Then you take that idea and run with it, really make sure you “promote” that on your website and marketing material.
2. Over coming worries and objections.

What are your potential clients most worried about when it comes to your service or product.

How can you reassure them – or at least answer their most prevalent concerns. This may take some market research – but most of us, who have been in business for any length of time, have a good idea what that is. If you get the same questions over and over – or concern’s that is something you want to put to answer up front.

How do you remedy this? In the copy on your marketing materials/website (right up front) you need to address this and give the answer.

Example:

“Is your website just sitting there doing nothing?” Well we have the answer you are looking for! We design/redesign websites that are made for marketing.

You get my drift...

3. Be Genuine

Being genuine is very attractive to all consumers – are you just being a pitch man or are you sincere when you connect with your potential clients.

People know when someone is out for the money or genuinely interested in solving a problem for them. Think about it – when I get someone who I think is pressuring me or just out for the sale they are off my list. I will not do business with them.

4. Be Honest

Don’t over sell your service – don’t promise things that you are not willing to follow through on. Don’t act like you know something when you don’t – it is OK to say let me get back with you on that.

Don’t stretch the truth – even a little. Absolutely STAND BEHIND your word.

5. Don’t under estimate the power of testimonials.

Endorsements and testimonials are effective ways to dramatize facts and back up the benefits of your product, but don't use ones that look or feel transparent.Any testimonials you use must be true.

I cannot tell you how many times I have landed a job because people read my testimonials – and it help cement my credibility.

6. Be generous with your knowledge.

It is important that you give of your knowledge generously. You don’t have to give away the farm to be helpful. If not you are giving the impression that you are just out for the money – or perhaps you are not a real expert.

I am always happy to give my clients or potential client’s tips or refer them to other businesses that I believe in. I will give information away for free – and even when I find an article that I think will help one of my clients I will send the link.

I am a true believer in helping people succeed – and giving information that will help. I guarantee it will come back to you ten fold. It also helps with your credibility – and shows you as an expert in your field.

7. Promptly answer any emails, and return phone calls.

How many times have you contacted a representative of a business- or a business owner because you were truly interested in what they were offering – and they don’t call you back, they don’t email you, in fact it looks like they fell off the face of the earth. I have more times then you could ever imagine…

When you get a lead – contact them. When someone calls or emails you should respond as soon as you get the lead. Follow through and follow up, it is that simple.

Even if you don’t have the answer right away or you may not even be the right person for the job - let them know you have received the message, if you cannot or do not offer the service/product they need do not hesitate to refer them to someone who can.

Be cheerful and expedient in returning a phone calls and email. Let them know that you sincerely appreciate their business and not to hesitate in contacting you, if there is any way you can be of further assistance.

One more morsel of truth: Always aim for satisfaction, great customer service, and genuine interest in your client and their needs. It is a lot easier to keep a customer then to get one so treat your customers as if they were gold and you will find customer come back again and again…

Pamela Jacob - Artista Design

Call or Email now for a free consultation - pamela@artistadesign.com or 801.910.4825

**Providing Creative Solutions & Amazing Results**

Graphic Design, Website Development, Website Re-Design, Social Media, Consulting, Project management, Branding, Marketing, Blog Design

Blogging Tips and Tricks

noreply@blogger.com (Artista Design) — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 14:59:00 PDT

I am amazed at how many business owners do not have a blog. When I work with my clients I always try and convince them to start a blog. It gives their business credibility and shows them as an expert in their given field. What better way to market your business?

A blog also helps your website get better positioning on search engines. Search Engines love blogs – the fresh content that is placed in the pages will cause the search engines to pay attention, and it will allow you to gain more exposure for you website. Every business knows the best kind of traffic is targeted visitors – that is exactly what you will get from people who visit your blog.

A blog can be as easy or difficult as you want it to be, you can host your own blog or access a free one from Wordpress or Blogger. For a monthly fee you can also use services like Typepad.com The biggest fear I find business owners have is, first they are intimidated by writing articles, second, and they don’t feel they have the time. So how do you overcome these fears?

Find resources that make it easy for you to post appropriate articles to your blog. One of the most obvious ways is to hire someone to write original articles – a good writer can always do research, as well as get information from you about what you want to convey. If you prefer to have you name on the article posted hire a ghost writer (someone who doesn’t take credit for the article) you will own the exclusive rights to the writing, but it will obviously cost you more to do this.

If you just don’t have the budget to hire someone, no problem that is why free article sites are so popular. You would be amazed at the quality of some of these articles – the only catch is you must publish the resource box at the end of the article. These resource boxes usually have the name of the writer and a link back to a website or an affiliate page. Because of this you want to find writers that are not in direct competition with you but complement your business, this make it a win-win situation and will not effect your business in any negative way.

Please remember to check out the links in the resource box – this is just double insurance that it leads to a page you feel good about.

The “cream de la cream” of article marketing resources’ (in my opinion) is called Ezine Articles – You can also Google your niche market (article resources), and it will come up with article sites that are directed towards your business.

Another great way to get content driven articles is by having guest blogger's. A lot of businesses love the free marketing that the resource box will provide them when you use one of their articles.

Top 10 Article Resource Sites

1. Ezine Articles

2. Article Alley

3. Go Articles

4. Article Dash board

5. Search Warp

6. Buzzle

7. Article Base

8. Article City

9. Idea Marketers

10. Web Source

The best way to manage your time is by accessing some of these article websites – finding articles you want to use, copying and pasting the article in a word doc – to save time and stay organized you may want to set out a block of time to collect eight articles or more.

Then twice a week put an article up. Make sure and comment on the article you are posting. In addition, people love to read short blogs with links to information they care about, simply add your comment, and a link to the site or article you are referencing. Another great way to create a blog article is commenting on things that are in the news that pertain to you business – then linking back to the resource.

I have found a great tool called Post Later - I can write several articles and schedule each one to be posted on future-dates of my choosing. It is such a time saver - and since I post for some of my clients’ blogs it really saves me time.

If you are worried about setting up a blog – and having an attractive interface, contact your web designer, they should be able to set it up with all the bells and whistles you need.

Please feel free to contact me if you need help, for a small fee, I will set up your blog and make sure you have the elements needed to market your blog and reference your website. I will also teach you how to simply and efficiently add articles and pictures. I know the internet can be overwhelming, but remember step by step you will gain the knowledge and the systems you need to be in command of your online success!

Pamela Jacob – Artista Design

Providing Creative Solutions & Amazing Results

Should You Take the Lowest Bidder When Hiring a Professional?

noreply@blogger.com (Artista Design) — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 09:30:00 PDT

When we hire someone it is important to realize – we are paying for their expertise just as much as their time. All businesses live with a budget and in this time of economic uncertainty – it is more important than ever to make the right decision when hiring someone. Shopping around is essential when making that decision.

Even so, remember this piece of advice:

"The highest bid may not be the best – The lowest bid could be the worst."

Why do I say that?

I have been in this business a long time, so I have seen it all… Some people think if it is expensive it must be superior – so they go with a website/marketing firm instead of a small business.

Did you know nine times out of 10 when you choose a big company, you will not be dealing with the actual designer – but a sales person. Big mistake – it really makes more sense to deal with the person who is actually designing and building your website. On top of that I have had clients who once they signed on the dotted line couldn’t even get the sales person – to call them back, or they called back when it was convenient for them.

Some clients have paid an arm and a leg for a website and when their website was finished – and needed updates or changes. They were charged sky high prices. Or their web site was built with a scripting (programming) language that wasn’t needed and twice as expensive to have anyone update it.

A lot of very successful business owners are not internet savvy – and put their trust in the business/professional building the website. It is important that you find someone you can trust to act as a partner in your business – wanting what is best for you, someone who genuinely cares about your success.

Remember just like in all professions you will find some unscrupulous business’s that are dishonest and will sell you things even when you really do not need them.

What is the extreme opposite of the above scenario?

The business person who wants to find a bargain and will go with the lowest bidder. If you are given a very low price then chances are this web developer is new and cannot really give you good advice on what is needed to build a marketing website. Or will not take the necessary amount of time with you to really give you good customer service.

Inexperience really is a detriment when trying to build a successful online business. I have heard numerous times of web developers that actually abandon the project – and have left the client hanging – so unprofessional is an understatement.

How do you determine if you have the right professional to build your website?

A good web designer will:

Take the time to talk with a perspective client before they write a proposal – really get to know what their business goals and needs are.
Take the time to explain internet jargon in a way the client can understand.
Have good communications skills.
Have some experience under their belt – and know the ropes when it comes to what is needed on a website.
Understand and know; HTML – XHTML and a bit about programming languages.
Be creative and has an eye for design – web pages can be a lot like art.
Help’s their client achieve business goals by giving them good advice and great references.
Knows how to optimize a website so that it can be properly indexed on search engines, and tell you what needs to be done to make that happen.
Give excellent customer service and be an ongoing help when you have questions or don’t understand something pertaining to the website.
Be honest when they do not know something and find the answers you are looking for.
Have a network of professional connections who can help with things they don’t do like action scripting, data-base set up, etc.

Remember you need to be a partner in the building of your website; after all it is “your” website. Having a rapport and knowing that you will not be guided in the wrong direction is imperative.

In a nutshell; hire a web designer that is honest with integrity – and you cannot go wrong.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me for a free consultation – no strings attached.

Pamela Jacob – Artista Design

Providing Creative Solutions & Amazing Results

The power of Google Analytics

noreply@blogger.com (Artista Design) — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 10:56:00 PDT

Google Analytics is such a powerful tool to use - it actually allows you to decide what you want to measure on your website. You can literally put this tool to work for you and personalize it as well. You can define your ideal objective, goals as well as specifics.

If all you want to know is who visited your website and how they got there - that is simple enough and you can do that. However, the power of Google Analytics lay in the ability to define goals and put on filters that will allow you to do in-depth analysis of your website.

What do I mean?

Let me break it down for you so you know how to use Google Analytics and have the biggest advantage. First of all, Google works with objectives, goals, and specifics, these allow you to really hone in on what you are trying to accomplish when managing your website.

Objectives: An objective is the big picture – what do you want your website to do? What is the purpose for your website what do you want visitors to do once they are there.

If you are an e-commerce site your objective is to sell products and make a profit. Using Google Analytics, you can actually see the products that are selling and what products are not - helping you to pull the product that is not selling or market it in a different way. This of course will translate into big profits for your business.

Goals: If objectives are the result you ultimately want to achieve with your website, a goal is a short term aim.

What has to happen for you to learn which products sell and which don't? Or perhaps your goal is to sell 30 more widgets within 6 months. You can do this using Google analytics as the tool and setting goals within the application.

Specifics: Now that you have outlined your objectives and goals you are ready to use Google to your advantage. Specifics are the “how” the action steps you will take to reach what you really want.

Example: You would set up the sales page and a funnel (using Google Analytics) to measure how traffic comes in to your sales page. Google can tell you where visitors are entering as well as what page your visitors are exiting from. Knowing how your visitors are responding to your website allows you to go to these pages and tweak them so you can get the results you want.

Google has made it easy to place the code in your web pages, they do the initial metrics for you and the best thing is it is free.If you are not particularly savvy on html or how to apply the code have your web developer apply it to every page. You can even generate .pdf to analyze the month by month statistics.

Once the code is embedded in your web pages, Google will start collecting data and within a few days you will see countless stats related to your site. Then it is time for you to become familiar with the dashboard that Google provides - you will be able to set up the goals and specifics of your website.

You access all the data through the Internet so you can login and set parameters right then and there.

Another great function of Google Analytics is that you can set up different profiles for one website. You can put different code on different websites of course, but you can also break down one website into different profiles and monitor them independently, or you can use the different profiles to see which sections of your website are effective and which are not.

AdWords and Analytics Google

AdWords is a pay-per-click advertising program. Essentially you would buy keywords and then pay them for every time a potential client (website visitor) clicks on an ad you put up through Google. You also have the option to pay for impressions - that means everytime your ad loads on a page.

If you are thinking about using AdWords as part of your marketing campaign or are using them already Google works seamlessly in providing you with the answer to that all important questions, Is this ad working, am I making more money then I am spending? You can see if the visitor who clicked on the ad (you just paid for) bought something, or they clicked away from your website without purchasing the product you are selling.

You will be able to see where your visitors entered the site and where they leave it. When you sign up for Google and AdWords us the same account number (Google uses Gmail as the login and password) you can link both accounts together. AdWords will be imported into your Google Analytics Account. This provides you with a safety net so you can watch the behavior or you visitors and change what isn't working.

The development team at Google has a way of making their tools very usable and Google Analytics is just one of many tools that live up to these high standards.

I am amazed that everyone doesn't use this tool, if you need help in placing analytics on your pages email me or give me a call.

Pamela Jacob - Artista Design 801-910-4825

Providing Creative Solutions & Amazing Results

Exerpt From A Fantastic Book

noreply@blogger.com (Artista Design) — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 07:01:00 PDT

Very seldom do I put articles in my Blog that other people have written - however today I make an exception. I have been told I can take excepts from this amazing book and post it on "Promotional Designer" - because I love this book - I am willing to make an exception!

Conscious Entrepreneurs Use the Gift of their Intuition

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift ~Albert Einstein~

Conscious entrepreneurs are raising their awareness and consciousness - by coming into alignment and embodying the gift of their intuition in their life and in their business.

They know that authentic success is from the inside out.

As they discover exactly how to consciously tap into their inner wisdom, they can make crystal-clear decisions in their business, reduce stress, feel more ease and vitality, and create a life and business in sync.

Are you one of these conscious entrepreneurs?

Or would you like to be one of them? It is actually very simple.

You already use your intuition every day in your business whether you realize it or not. From snap decisions to hunches, you are now being guided by this inner wisdom.

So here are the first 7 steps:

1. Say yes to your intuition!

Some of the messages you are already getting are unconscious … so when you open to your intuition by saying yes, you create conscious awareness.

So take time now to feel the yes in your heart.

2. Come into a state of being.

A simple way to do this is to tune into your breath.

(This will help you to quiet your analytical mind and become fully present in the moment.)

Here is one of the techniques I discovered (many years of acupuncture study). It is very simple, yet very subtle, so have patience with yourself.

This will relax your body, expand your breath and bring you into your heart. This allows you to feel your connection in your heart with your source. It’s also very grounding.

Rub your palms together. Allow your fingers to soften. Now face your palms towards your body. Place your right thumb between your left ring finger and pinky finger and gently slide your right thumb into your left palm. Your right thumb nail will face you. Now gently wrap the fingers of your right hand around your left pinky finger. Feel that you are embracing your left pinky finger. Relax your arms onto a table, desk or your lap. And breathe. Feel your body … feel what happens with your breath. Do this now with your eyes closed.

3. Ask a simple question where the answer is yes or no.*

4. Allow the answer to come to you. Key: If you try to grab it, it will certainly disappear!;)

5. Appreciate and thank your intuition!

6. Act immediately from inspiration on the message you receive. The sooner the better.

7. Witness any outcome … and then celebrate!;)

*For yes-no awareness techniques, see our e-Book "Create a Conscious Business", page 26.

Make a daily date with your intuition, like tea time with a friend. Remember my four P’s: presence, practice (daily), patience, and most importantly … play with it!

When you decide to take time to come into alignment and tap into your intuition, you will create expansion that brings a life of freedom, fun and joy - authentic success from the inside out.

Mary Denaro is a contributing author to Align, Expand and Succeed; Shifting the Paradigm of Entrepreneurial Success. This “just released” book is based on the premise that the world is changing at a very rapid pace. We are starting to see that cooperation brings better results than old style competition. It’s a new era and we need to work together to create success for everyone, not just for a few.

This book features dozens of conscious entrepreneurs who share their wisdom, expertise, stories, lessons and insights about the new and exciting shifts that are happening for entrepreneurs worldwide.

This book is designed to raise the vibration of the planet like never before. Get your copy of Align, Expand and Succeed and enjoy an abundance of gifts with your purchase. http://www.aesbook.com

Thank You

noreply@blogger.com (Artista Design) — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 11:25:00 PST

In the last few months I have been immersed in circumstances beyond my control – and I focused on what is really important in life "family".

My mom passed away in November and as anyone who has lost a mother knows it has thrown me off kilter (to say the least). I recently lost my Dad in July so it was a double whammy this year.

The reason I am letting you know, I really appreciate each and everyone of you who take the time to read my articles. It is especially important to let you know I didn’t fall off the face of the earth (even if I may feel like it some days).

I will be posting articles to my blog soon – if not this month then at the first of the year.

Once again, thank you so much – and I hope you all have a great holiday season.

Pamela – Artista Design

Creating the Life You Love

noreply@blogger.com (Artista Design) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 09:46:00 PST

The New Year brings about thoughts of change – making resolutions and challenging ourselves to reach for things that we feel will make a real difference in our lives.

But more often than not, no matter how determined we are life gets in the way. Our resolutions are put on the back shelve, and we are in the same position month after month, year after year.

You have all heard the saying “keep doing what you’re doing and keep getting what you are getting”. This is such a true statement – how many people do you know who are stuck in the same rut – unhappy – spinning their wheels and still doing the same thing over and over.

It is not easy to reach your goals – if it were everyone would be successful. It takes determination, a specific plan, and doing what it takes everyday. If you want a change you are going to need to change.

The little things in life make the biggest difference – if you manage your day you can change your life.

You need to set specific goals – the more specific the better. Goal setting is a powerful process when done right. By knowing precisely what you want to achieve and breaking it down into bit size chunks your ideal future will become a reality.

I am a firm believer that nothing is impossible – if you change your thoughts, beliefs and how you talk to yourself, you will be amazed at how different life will become. When you truly believe you can achieve that goal and take these specific steps – you will achieve what you really want in this life.

Goal setting made easy…

First you need to look at the big picture – what is truly important in your life – where do you see yourself in 5 years. By really thinking about this and writing it down on paper you will be able to create a plan that will take you where you want to go. Be very specific the more detail the better.

Then you need to break it down – into smaller and smaller targets. Create a one year plan, six month plan, and one month plan of progressively smaller goals. What are the things you can do today that will lead you in that direction? What actions do you need to take to make this a reality? Each of these steps should be based on the previous plan.

When you have broken it down – you need to make a daily “To Do List” of things you will do to make your vision a reality.

You may be saying to yourself – whew to much work for me or when will I have the time? This is your life and you can make anything happen unless you make excuses. You have the time if you will make it a priority.

Envision your goals, see yourself where you want to be – what will your life be like – how will you feel.

It is not easy – but it is simple when you follow your master plan. Don’t let your head get in the way – negative thoughts are your worst enemy. Don’t share you goals with people who will not support you in your dream. When you share your vision with people who are negative or don’t believe it can be done, you are opening yourself up for self defeating thoughts.

Write down what you say to yourself – and change the negative into a positive.

Everyone will have times when they run into obstacles, it is what you do with them that counts. This is the time when tenacity and belief in yourself will make a difference.

Put together a vision board you can hang up – this may seem silly but it will really help cement your vision. When you start getting discouraged look at it and remember you can do what ever you are determined to do with a strong vision and a good plan you can become unstoppable….

Driving FREE Traffic to your Website.

noreply@blogger.com (Artista Design) — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 09:45:00 PST

I am often asked “what is the best way to drive traffic to my website”. There are so many ways to market your website and get results some take a lot of time to cultivate and some can produce traffic right off the bat.

In order to drive traffic you need to know the options available – and then plan your strategy.

There are free ways – you don’t have to pay money but you do have to spend time to get where you want to go. Those of you on a shoe string budget may not have the cash to advertise or use Pay-Per-Click methods.

Remember even the best designed websites will not produce income unless there is traffic directed to it…

. Free traffic, as the term suggests, implies that you drive traffic to your website free of charge. The most common method of obtaining this involves using Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques. When you optimize your website, search engines view your site as being useful and relevant. This in turn, leads to increase in rankings for your keywords, key phrases.

One thing you must be aware of SEO methods are great for obtaining free traffic in the long term, but it might take as long as six months to a year to see full results.

Blogs

Search Engines love blogs – the fresh content that is placed in the pages will cause the search engines to pay attention, and it will allow you to gain more exposure for you website. Every business knows the best kind of traffic is targeted visitors – that is exactly what you will get from people who visit your blog and go on to access your website..

You can host your own blog – or use a free version. Just make sure you link back to your website and give plenty of links in your article to redirect traffic

Article Marketing

If you do develop a blog you can re-purpose those article and get them published at article directory sites that have high volumes of traffic. This works to bring in organic search engine traffic within a week (targeted the best kind).

However, as your article moves out of the main pages of the article directories, your traffic is likely to taper off in two to three weeks.

Writing and publishing articles once a week should keep free traffic to your site from dropping off.

Top 10 Article Submission Sites

1. Ezine Articles 2. Article Alley 3. Go Articles 4. Article Dash board 5. Search Warp 6. Buzzle 7. Article Base 8. Article City 9. Idea Marketers 10. Web Source

Social Media Sites

When you do it right Facebook, Twitter and other social media websites can give your blog and website a lot of exposure. You need to post your links, give helpful advice and don’t be afraid to be a giver.

This gives you back links to your website – advertises your business and builds business relationships.

One of the great things you can do to help with time management is to set up your blog article to feed into your social media sites. Showing others (through your articles) that you are a professional gives you credibility.

Back-links

Having highly positioned sites link to your website will cause Google and other search engines to pull you up higher on the search engine pages – and give greater exposure to your business.

Banner Exchanges

There are also banner exchanges that allow you to post your banner advertisement on the other website when you post one of them on your website. I personally don’t want banners on my website, but if I hada niche site or blog’s that I was using for an affiliate commission I would take advantage of this tactic.

Forums

Don’t under estimate what joining the appropriate forums can do. When you join forums that are of interest to your business – it is important to place a link in your signature file. Answer questions – watch posts this goes for others blog’s as well. Post your comments and they usually always link back to your website.

For questions or help please feel free to contact me pamela@artistadesign.com

Check out my website Artista Design

The Value of a Good Business Card

noreply@blogger.com (Artista Design) — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 13:57:00 PST

Have you ever gone to a business meeting or networking event and collected business cards from companies you were interested in. When you looked at their business cards what did you think??

Be honest now…

I know if I am offered a card that is really unique or has a professional polished appearance I get a favorable impression in fact it makes an impression"this business must be successful". When the card is designed really well I think WOW this company must be successful.

Do you think that something as simple as a business card makes an impression to those you meet? Yes of course it does. Remember the saying “The first impression is the last impression?"

Let's look at the flip side…

You go to a meeting and are handed a business card that is designed with clip art and printed from a home computer… What do you say to that – well in most peoples minds - even subconsciously the thought appears “if they can't afford a professional business card how successful are they”?

Everyone wants to be part of a successful business, if you do not portray success through your marketing material then what are you thinking? How many people have not taken you up on your offers or investigated your website because they are turned off by what they see?

You may want to be frugal and cut corners on some things but professional business cards are not one of them…

Last but not least – those free cards you get from places like vista print may be great for you but can be spotted in a second - in fact on the back it has an ad for Vista Print and it should, after all they gave you that product for free.

The same thing can be said about your website. Uncle Sal may be a wonderful man, and know how to put together a web page (after all it is free, or cheap) but I guarantee 9 out of 10 times it is not professionally put together. People are internet sauvy these days - and can tell a professional website from an amateur one.

Remember these 3 things:

You companies professional image can make or break your business.
Everyone wants to do business with a successful company, if your image is less you are ultimately losing money.
Don't squeeze pennies only to lose dollars. When you don't portray yourself as a successful or credible business a potential client will not want to do business with you.

Don't fool yourselves it is the little things that we overlooked that can create a negative impression.

If you need help with developing a logo - business cards or website contact me! Free consutation included...

Artista Design

Providing Creative Solutions & Amazing Results

What is more important for a website design or content?

noreply@blogger.com (Artista Design) — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 13:33:00 PST

Not to sound like a broken record... But here it goes!

Get a grip everyone, I am still hearing the same old stuff “But so and so said content is the most important don't worry about the look of the site it is content that sells”.

The look of your website is everything if you have a great looking website everyone will flock to it and buy, buy buy…

Once again may I remind everyone that if visitors are not impressed with the visual presentation of a website what makes you believe that a person will stay around and read the content???

If a visitor to your site loves the visual appeal of your website and then when they look at the content it is a bunch of fluff, has typos and/or grammatical errors, what makes you think they will read anymore about your business or venture into articles you have written?

You need both an awesome (professional) look and great content.

How can you kick it up a notch? Make sure your website is branded/designed to attract you perfect customer.

What do I mean by branding to attract your perfect customer?

Every business need to know who their particular clientele is – and every business needs to know what their prefect customer looks like.

Do you know who will buy your product or services?

If you say everyone – then you are not going to be able to get the target audience you need. You will not know how to - or where to direct your marketing dollars.

Example: If you have a product or service you are selling to baby boomers do you think you would design the website to look like something from Sesame Street or MTV, Of course not.

If I am Home Depot I would not market to customer who have never done home improvement in their life, are not interested in it, or only hire people to do what needs to be done. I would market to people who enjoy doing their own projects and learning how to improve their home or homes of others.

If I am Macy’s I would not target people who didn’t have a certain income – or those that didn’t care about brands of clothes or fragrances’. People who have restricted income would go to places like Wal-Mart or K-mart.

You should always know who you target audience is the more details the better – once you have that you will know what will attract them in the way of design and content.

You need great content and a look that attracts your perfect client/customer.

There are all kinds of people in the world some are visual some are information driven. You must always appeal to both. It doesn’t matter what your personal taste is – it does matter what your client would appreciate and be attracted to.

Moral of the story?

If you have a less than great looking website - or your content leave something to be desired get it fixed!

If you have not sat down and figured out who you need to market to, do it – you will be amazed at the change when you start marketing in the right direction. Success is just around the corner…

For a list of tips on how to market you website Click Here.

For help in website development or branding contact Artista Design

Want a FREE Consultation – Email or call 801-910-4825

Providing Creative Solutions & Amazing Results

Marketing or Sales What Is The Difference?

noreply@blogger.com (Artista Design) — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 09:14:00 PST

In a nutshell, marketing is getting people to know you – your product and/or service. Attracting them to what you have to offer. Sales are everything you do to secure the order or close the sale…

Marketing creates opportunities, and sales bring about outcomes…

In a larger company, the sales team would be the one who gets the call from potential clients or would call to find interested buyers (cold calling). The marketing department would be the employee’s who come up with strategies to attract potential customers.

The marketing and sales teams need to go hand in hand. Where one ends the other begins. Sales teams that are not integrated and a function of the marketing strategy are doomed to cold calling and

other wastes of time and effort.

A really good marketer can direct peoople who are interested to the sales team.

When a sale is made to the client it is the sales person who will build the long lasting business relationships. So if you are thinking of hiring an outside sales team make sure they are honest – and engaging. Likeability is very important, telling people what they need to know not what they want to hear.

When you are a small business or a start up company you want to control costs and guide the growth of your business so you do many things.

As a small business owner I wear many hats – I like to be in control of my own destiny. So I do the marketing and the sales, because I know my business inside and out.

As a marketer I figure out strategies that will put my business on the map – things that will give my business high exposure and appeal. There are so many ways to market one's business that I could spend all my time marketing. If I am marketing but ignoring the sales or “calls to action” moments, then I am spinning my wheels (not good!).

One of the most important things to consider as a small business is who do you need to hire – to help your business grow. Do you want to do the marketing or is it more cost effective to have a professional help you with that portion? If you do hire a marketer make sure you know what they are doing and the strategies behind it. This keeps you on top of what is happening, as a business owner you want to steer your own ship and may want to change strategies as time goes on.

On the other hand, I believe if you are a small business owner you should be in command of the sales portion of the business - the one to have personal contact when there is interested in what you have to offer.

Case in point: The way I run my business, I am the only one working with the clients – I may hire outside help for programming, etc., but I am the one who works with everyone. I do not want my client to worry about anything “that is my job”. Customer service is one of the most important aspects of business, and I know I will give superior customer service. If I hand out this task to others – how am I going to build rapport with my clients?

I truly believe in my services, so I am the natural sales contact when someone reaches out to get information – I then let them know what I have to offer and why they should go with me.

That is called closing the sale, and because I believe in what I do and what I have to offer it just comes naturally.

Marketing and sales are the lifeblood of every business. When starting from the ground floor up you must remember all your decisions will make a big difference in having a successful endeavor…

For help in strategizing your marketing plan or building a successful blueprint – contact me pamela@artistadesign.com or 801-910 -4825.

To success beyond measure!

Pamela Jacob Artista Design

Providing Creative Solutions & Amazing Results

Scarcity or Abundance - How Do You Run You’re Business?

noreply@blogger.com (Artista Design) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 14:10:00 PDT

It seems there are two different types of people in business – givers and takers (non-givers).

Now you may be wondering what I mean by that, but if you have come into contact with very many business owners you will know exactly what I mean. The sad part about this whole scenario is that these people who are afraid to share knowledge, ideas, or experiences are losing out on some really good professional connections and customers. I believe the motivating factor of this type of business owner is thoughts of scarcity. They are afraid someone may get ahead by giving away what they know or steal their ideas and concepts leaving them with less.

If you have ever heard Wayne Dyer talk about scarcity and abundance it is really enlightening. Simply put, scarcity is the idea that your negative thoughts and fears propel your actions and bring about consequences. So if you think in a negative way things like “my business is dying I will never make it" - “I have no customers” or any number of pessimistic thoughts about not having enough – you will begin to notice things start to dry up. Then you start to panic and what happens? Just what you believed would.

On the other hand, if you believe in abundance, you know there is more than enough for everyone, you are no exception – you will then feel free to expand your horizons in thoughts and actions. Giving more of yourself and being generous will attract others into your sphere.

No matter what you believe, whether it is in abundance and scarcity, or in the law of reciprocity. It is the truth as I have experienced it. The more you give, the more you get, and I can vouch for that in my own business.

Now I am not taking about giving away the farm. You need to charge for goods and services, having a healthy sense of self, knowing your boundaries ad understanding when it is appropriate to charge is essential. As business people we have to believe in our hearts that our goods and/or services are worth purchasing. If not you had better start looking for a new profession.

Giving in a genuine way by, writing great articles, sharing your knowledge and providing excellent customer service is essential. You will be amazed at how your business will grow and the quality of clients the clients you will attract when you do these things.

For a free consultation on your website effectiveness or marketing strategy contact me by email or phone….

Pamela Jacob - Artista Design

801.910.4825

Providing Creative Solutions & Amazing Results

Networking is still important, even with social media.

noreply@blogger.com (Artista Design) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 15:13:00 PDT

With the advent of social media sites, a lot of business owners think this is all they need. They mistakenly believe that good old fashion person to person networking is dead.

Nothing could be farther from the truth.

The fact is it is more important than ever to make these human connections. It actually will make connecting online more powerful when you have met your online friends face to face.

Networking has been a really important part of my business – the connections have kept my business alive and well. A lot of people get the wrong idea about how to go about networking with groups. It isn’t the immediate sale that you are looking for it is long lasting relationships. Being know for you expertise and building trust with other movers and shakers in you communities is priceless. These are the types of people you want in your circle of business friends.

In every city and town there are business networking groups – you may have to go to several before you settle on the one you want to attend regularly. When you do go to a networking event I have 10 tips that will help you make the connections you need.

9 tips to productive networking…

Always bring a handful of business card – give a card to everyone you meet.
Dress in business attire – first impressions are everything
Go out of your way to meet people, introduce yourself
Do not sell while networking. Your purpose is to make contacts not drive people away the minute you meet them.
The best way to make conversation is to ask them questions about what they do.
When you get home follow up by emailing them and letting them know you would like to keep in touch.
Organize contacts on your – computer or smart phone. Using their business cards to make notes
When making referrals think of people in your contact circle first. This is a good way of cementing your relationships.

So find a meeting to attend in your community – nothing but good can come from it… For help in promoting your business shoot me an email – I would love to chat…

Pamela Jacob Artista Design

Providing Creative Solutions & Amazing Results

Are you goals in the trash?

noreply@blogger.com (Artista Design) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 12:49:00 PDT

Isn’t it funny how when the first of the year arrives, we are so excited to achieve our goals? We know this year is going to be different! Then life happens and slowly but predictably the goals fade into the horizon.

Well, I was determined not to let that happen this year, so I signed up for the 100 day challenge. Whew, this is one intense program – and it was well worth the small amount of money I paid.

I am on day 49, and I have 51 days to go. I thought I knew everything about setting goals but this kicks it up to the next level. Every day I receive a short video with a lesson that challenges me to put what I have learned into action. I also love their interactive forms, and a host of other tools that really keep me focused on the prize.

I know if you are an achiever and want to take your business to the next level you will love it. This not only pertains to your business but any goal you are trying to achieve.

If you are someone who is not serious about stepping out of the box. This program is not for you. However, if you have goals, plans and idea’s this will keep you on the task. Gary will teach you how to stick with the plan. If you take this seriously you will succeed in achieving whatever you set out to do.

Check out the video and see what you think. If you decide to take the challenge I would love to hear from you...

Are visitors leaving your website as fast as they arrive?

noreply@blogger.com (Artista Design) — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 10:36:00 PDT

So you've optimized your website, spent a lot of time finding good keywords –you have even gone so far as to hire a company that will make sure everything is right.

This cost a small fortune, but you know that traffic is the only way to have a successful business on the web or otherwise.

You have even put Google analytics on your site so you can see the amount of traffic you are getting and where it is coming from YOU ARE SET! You are excited to see all the traffic – you can even find your listing at the top of the search engines, but then you realize people are coming to your site, but they are not staying!

What is wrong, why are the visitors leaving and not converting into customers?

Why are you not getting any inquires into your services?

Guess what: Your website may be visible – but you may not be connecting with your visitor. Having worked so hard to get traffic to your website, you don't want to lose them by failing to give them what they are looking for.

The fact is: most visitors to your site will not make a decision to buy your products or services the first time they visit. You need to make sure you have a site that makes visitors want to come back – you need a means to collect information from people who are interested in what you are trying to sell.

When someone goes to your website you want to provide them with a satisfying experience. You want to connect with your clientele by choosing and designing a website that you know will be enjoyable to look at.

You must make sure that your website is designed for the end user – the people you know will buy your services or products, and it has to look professional!

It is important Visitors understand what services or goods you are providing. Equally, as important is that your website has navigation that is clear and concise.

You also want to offer them something of value. This gives your business credibility – builds customer loyalty and helps you collect information that you can use to market to potential customers.

An example of a free item may be: Let’s say you own a dog grooming place, and you want to get visitors to return to your site, whenever they need your services, you also want to collect information for future marketing opportunities. You may be able to offer them a report on how to travel with your pet, OR you may offer an e-book on keeping your pet happy and healthy…

Make sure visitors leave a name and email. You will need to have a system set into place so that the name and email will be put into a data-base, and a thank you email will then be sent to the recipient of the report. Make sure you have a good auto responder program.

There are all types of on-line auto responder programs that are very inexpensive. With these programs, you can have an online data-base and build individual campaigns based on what your business goals are.

Nine Ways to keep visitors coming back….

Does your website load fast?
Does you website look professional and inviting?
Is the design something that will attract your target market?
Do you keep your content updated and fresh?
Do you have a opt-in box with a give away on your site (above the fold)
Is the text on your home page clear and concise? What make you different from you competition?
Is the text on your home page short and to the point. People tend to scan a website before they decide to delve in and read it.
Is your navigation easy to understand and links clearly marked?
Is all the information on your website clear – contact details easy to find – phone numbers and emails easily accessed?
Do you have a blog? This is in addition to your standard website. You must have a blog to become the trusted authority…

Pamela Jacob is the owner of Artista Design. If you need a website developed or redesigned, project manager, consultant or graphic designer - you have found one. Pamela's specialty is taking an idea and making it come to fruition.

“If you want to own an online business that thrives, if you have a passion for something you want to share, if you have an idea that you want to come to life contact me. My initial consultations are FREE”.

What is the Difference Between a Blog and a Newsletter? Do I need Both?

noreply@blogger.com (Artista Design) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 09:31:00 PDT

I was recently doing some consulting with a client when I was asked about putting together a newsletter – she wanted to know the best way to develop a template and send it to her data-base. She already had a blog and wanted to know the difference between the two. I had never been asked that before but what an excellent question. I am sure a lot of people are a bit confused.

So what is the difference between a blog and a newsletter?

With so many similarities I can see where the confusion comes in. Most people are very familiar with blog’s, but what is the difference between them?

A blog is like a website on steroids something that you continually update with articles, comments, thoughts, and great information. The goal is to promote a website, business and/or share information about a subject close to your heart. Your blog is indexed by search engines and most blogger’s hope that hordes of people will find their blog interesting and informative, so they will sign up for the next update. The goal is to attract people who happen to find your blog through keywords or subject matter and build a following. This could be for different purposes – to show you business expertise, promote a cause that you are involved in, to build a community of like minded individuals.

A newsletter is an email sent to subscribers. It is something that you would develop to send to people who have signed up to get information, updated news about your company and topics of interest pertaining to your business or organization. A newsletter usually goes out on a monthly or quarterly basis and will have the same look and format from month to month. Once upon a time (OK I am showing my age!) newsletters were sent out by snail mail now it is much more likely that it will be distributed through email.

Because those who get your newsletter have signed up you know they want the information – and it is not considered spam. If you just send out your newsletter to hordes of people who have not signed up that is where you get into trouble – no one likes to be spammed – and you could be black listed.

What are the benefits of a blog versus a newsletter?

Both a blog and newsletter keep people informed on various topics. A blog will attract new people to you and/or your business. It is also essential for business to have a blog because search engines love them. The articles and information on a blog are continually being updated so search engines are alerted to the changes. When you combined you website with a blog you are doubling or even tripling the amount of people who you will attract.

A newsletter is a great way to keep in touch with clients and those who want to know the latest news, specials you may be having, people who have signed up for more information are much more open to new ideas or upcoming events. It is targeted because these people have asked you to send them more information. Newsletter's are great for PR and can be helpful in answering questions that may have come up through the month saving time and promoting your business.

Decisions, decisions a newsletter or blog?

I believe, if you are a business on the move and would really like to propel your business to the next level you should have both. Once you get a system down it doesn’t take a lot of time and the time it does take is well worth the rewards you will receive. And of course you will want to make it easy by using an auto responder so you can build your online data-base. Having a sign-up form on your website with an enticing freebie is always a great idea.

Pamela Jacob is the owner of Artista Design. If you need a website developed or redesigned, project manager, consultant or graphic designer – you have found one. Pamela’s specialty is taking an idea and making it come to fruition. “If you want to own an online business that thrives, if you have a passion for something you want to share, if you have an idea that you want to come to life contact me. My initial consultations are FREE”.

What Can a Good Website Do For Your Business?

noreply@blogger.com (Artista Design) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 11:57:00 PDT

What is a website worth to you and what can it do to help you beat the competition? Take a look at the top 9 reasons to have a website - one that is build right!

Ensure your content can be seen the way you want it, by everyone on the internet.
Expand your business hours to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year.
Expand your company's brand name awareness locally, nationally and worldwide.
Reduce your advertising costs by enough to pay for all of your web site expenses.
Reduce mail expense and/or expensive paper catalogs for your company products.
Reduce load on your employees while giving you another way to conduct business.
Help you to develop a customer email address list to increase your return business. Build a data-base through Opt-ins for online marketing.
Get customer feedback and other information using email, online surveys or polls.
Provide your customers with information they might need, whenever they want it.

Any business that does not have a properly built website is not really serious about having a thriving, forward moving company. It doesn't matter if you own a brick and mortar business or have a service you provide. With smart phones, I-Pad and all the ways people access the internet these days you will be left behind and you will not be able to compete with your competitors.

If you find you need a website facelift – or just need a professional website built, please give me a call or email me consultations are FREE.

I would love for you to check out my online portfolio and while you are at it see what some of my clients say about my services.

What do I specialize in? Web development, graphic design, project manager, consulting and everything inbetween!

Pamela Jacob 801-910-4825

Artista Design

How to Land a Client

noreply@blogger.com (Artista Design) — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 12:44:00 PDT

“It doesn’t matter whether your product is information or a flyswatter. If you understand marketing, you can make serious income.” Robert G. Allan,

It doesn’t matter how many times you have heard it – one often forgets a crucial component that will make or break your business. That is showing how you can solve a problem for your website visitor…

What do I mean by that?

Many times I have come across websites that talk about how great the company is and how they have been in business umpteen years. Then they go on and list all the credentials they have on and on and on.

No matter how impressive it may look to you, people visiting your website are looking for something much different than that. Sure they need to know about how experienced you are, but you can talk about that on the "About Us Page". The one thing that you can do to bump up your customer base is so simple and straight forward sometimes it is easy to over look – what is in it for them?

Why would someone want your product or service? What problem will it solve in their life? What will they experience when they buy what you have to offer?

You must first solve a problem for them or give them a reason why they need your product or service. A good way to do this is asking a few questions on the home page and then giving them the answer using your service or product.

Saving money and buying at a lower price are great. However, they must be followed through with benefits, reasons, sound facts and lots more benefits. When designing your copy, stick to the emotionally-gratifying benefits. Bring them into the conversation – once someone see’s where it will be beneficial to them. They will contact you and not just pass through.

Another Important Element - Getting Your Reader's Attention

Endorsements and testimonials are effective ways to dramatize facts and back up the benefits of your product, but don't use testimonials that look or feel transparent. Any testimonials you use must be true, for double the benefits use your client’s picture with their testimonial. I cannot tell you how many times my clients have told me when I saw you testimonial page – it sealed the deal…

Never talk down to the readers as though you know something they don't, or you're better than they are. To you, the potential customer is GOLD. Absolutely STAND BEHIND your word. Be cheerful and expedient in returning a phone call. Let them know that you sincerely appreciate their business and not to hesitate in contacting you, if there is any way you can be of further assistance.

If you give a time limit the product will be offered for sale, or mention a limited supply, or have a reduced price for a certain time, you'll increase the impulse to act. Again, STAND BEHIND your word; and you will find customers come back again and again...

801-910-4825

11 Ways to Optimize Your Website with Keywords.

noreply@blogger.com (Artista Design) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 10:07:00 PDT

I believe when a business (or person) is not educated about how a website is put together they may not understand the complexity of building a website that is marketable and effective.

The look of the website is important but what about all the stuff behind the scenes? These are the details that make your website search engine friendly and will make marketing your business a whole lot easier.

All of these details take a lot of time, attention to detail is imperative. You don’t see it but you get results when you do it. An inexperienced website designer may not even know how important these pieces are. And if you are using a build it yourself template you will not have the advantage of being able to tweak until you have it right.

There is research involved as well – scoping out your top competitors is a must.

Keyword throughout your site, in the right places is a big thing. Meta-tags that were so highly touted (keywords) are not used by Google, they go through other means to verify your site's keywords. That doesn’t mean other web search engines do not use meta-tags.

The description meta-tag is important for Google and all search engines because that is what is listed on the directory page with the link.

The whole page of your website should be keyword rich.

I have developed a checklist of things to make sure you (or your website developer) are doing when building or tweaking your website.

11 Ways to Optimize Your Website with Keywords

Page Titles – these page titles carry a lot of weight when your pages are indexed. Make sure each page has a title name with keywords that are pertinent to that particular page
HTML pages – are the actual html files of your website named with keywords
Keyword Phrases – Do not use keywords that are to general
Enhance Phrase – Use longest keyword phrase version
Number of keyword phrases on each page matters – don't put massive amounts of keyword phrases or you will be penalized (in the copy).
Placement of Keyword Phrase – It is important to use the keyword phrase(s) in the beginning of your body text
Regional Keywords – Make sure you put the city and state somewhere so that when someone searches for a specific town or state you are more likely to be found. Preferably in the title
Services Products – use specific services and product names
Header Keywords - H1 Header tags should be in place at the top of each page
Search engine spiders give more importance to those titles. Sub Directories – each of your individual folder within the root directory of your website should have a keyword name
Company Name – if you are using your company name as a keyword – Don’t.

It doesn’t matter how simple the website looks the backend needs to have time and attention.

For help in any aspect of your website consulting or developing please contact me the initial consultation is free…

Pamela Jacob Artista Design 801-910-4825 pamela@artistadesign.com

Selling Products VS Selling Services - What is the Difference?

noreply@blogger.com (Artista Design) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 08:54:00 PDT

Have you ever wondered what the difference is in selling products vs selling services on the internet? There are more differences than you realize. Even though this is probably common sense I really hadn’t articulated it to myself until I decided to write this article. I think I may diversify!!

Key Differences in Selling Products

When someone comes to your online store, they decide what to buy and are able to make a selection and order the item(s). You do not have any physical interaction with the buyer except under unusual circumstances. Your only concern is bringing them back for a second order.

The sale is finished once the order is processed, and the item shipped out. Proof of satisfaction is immediate – good product happy customer.

You don’t have to qualify a prospect or worry about payments – they either have the money to buy the item, or they don’t. The prices of the items are what they are, unless you are trying to entice the buyer by having a sale or special – there is no haggling – just straight-forward sales.

Because your primary goal is the sale of the items you do not have to worry if the prospect will become “a difficult” person to deal with.

When selling tangible products you know the cost of the item you are selling, you know the margin of profit you need to make money. Customers are buying an off-the-shelf item that is mass-produced and not tailored to specific needs.

In online shopping cart sales, the best way to move your product (besides getting visitors to your website) is through volume discounts – and pricing specials.

Key Differences in Selling Services

Services are usually sold by the person who will actually render the service. The service provider must build a personal relationship with the buyer, and must be able to connect with the client and have “good chemistry” otherwise the relationship will fail.

Getting a signed contract is just the first step. Clients must be sold and resold throughout the project. Having good communications skills and being able to present to a client is crucial.

Satisfaction is subjective – this is why service sellers must be sure and screen prospective buyers. Select only those prospects that seem a “good fit” with the seller’s personality and type of service.

A service provider should not pursue the sale of a “difficult” prospect. Why? Simply put, because he/she is also the one that will have to deal with this person while rendering the service.

The service business is very labor intensive. Having to calculate the estimated time and being accurate is something that can make or break the business providing the service.

Some service providers view visits and preparations of bid and proposals consulting work and do charge accordingly. Talking from experience it does take a great deal of time and effort to find out what the client wants and to come up with a written contract.

I personally do the initial consultation for free…

Clients view the service provider as a “consultant” or expert and their image of the service provider dependent largely on how well the business person performs in the initial meeting.

The customer is buying and expects to get a service that is tailored to their needs and sometimes highly customized. If you are not a people person than you are at a disadvantage and online sales may be better for you than selling a service.

Similarities between Service Sales and Product Sales

Not matter what type of website you own or are thinking to put up there is always the need to have interested visitors come by.

Having a professional, well thought out website is imperative so people know that you are a thriving professional business.

Similar search engine optimization and other internet marketing strategies are needed. Everything from having great keywords in your copy to making sure the titles on your page reflects different and important keyword associated with each individual page.

You need to build a data-base of people who have come by and showed interest in your website.

How do you do this?

By using an auto-responder to build a client list, providing something of value to a visitor (and I mean real value) is the only way you will be able to get someone to sign up.

The item can be information on how to do xyz, special coupons or anything you know your visitor will like, it is really up to you.

This applies to everyone who is striving to be successful.

Another really important piece of the puzzle is making sure the marketing materials and copy on your website solves a problem for your visitors.

People don't really buy products and services. They buy what the products or services can do for them. In both service businesses and product sales, people buy solutions to their problems. Realizing and grasping this concept will explode your business exponentially when used in your marketing process.

The problem can be an easy one to solve, or it can be a major problem the bottom-line?

'Marketing is helping people get what they want.'

Here is a simple two-step marketing solution to promoting products and services: Step 1: Attract people who are seeking the solution your product or service provides, capturing their contact information through use of an online auto-responder. These captures are your prospects. Using campaigns that are automated saves you time and time is money… Step 2: Follow up consistently with your list of prospects providing them with information that will be helpful to them, and information about how your product or service will help them solve their particular problem, giving them special discounts for being a part of your opt-in subscribers.

The first step helps you attract as many opportunities as possible, and the second step helps you convert leads into clients.

I know you are constantly barraged with razzel dazzle concepts and claims that you will make huge amounts of money overnight. Those that say you can do it overnight – do not know what they are talking about.

Remember if promises sound to good to be true –they are, and you are setting yourself up for failure and disappointment.

Having a thriving business takes a lot of work. It really comes down to making a decision. What do you feel passionate about, what do you want to do?

The 3 simple things that a start up business will need to concentrate on are: Learning the ropes, find the right team of professionals to help build your business, and a lot of hard work…

However, once you get it off the ground. Nothing is more rewarding than seeing what you have dreamed about come to fruition…

If you need a consultant, project manager or website created call me lets talk - the initial consultation if FREE

Pamela Jacob - Artista Design

801-910-4825

Do You Need Outside Help to Achieve Success?

noreply@blogger.com (Artista Design) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 08:31:00 PDT

I recently sent out a newsletter and received an interesting comment. In my newsletter, I talked about a goal-setting program that is called. "The 100-day challenge" it is an amazing program that I had taken twice.

My subscriber stated: If you’re relying on someone other than yourself to achieve your goals, I’d suggest re-evaluating your own desire for success…

Obviously, this person is very driven and excited about his business. I am thankful he took the time to read my newsletter and connect with me.

Nevertheless, I was taken back by the comment. I even felt a little defensive, like I had been perceived as weak for needing something other than myself to achieve my goals.

This response was unusual for me. I normally love to receive comments good or bad - and constructive criticism always helps me to make what I do even better than before.

As I thought about this, it occurred to me, there may be many people out in the business world who felt this way. They do not need outside help to achieve success – they know what to do and how to do it.

Do you believe this in your own life and business? It doesn’t make sense to me. I believed no matter what you know, or think you know there is always room for improvement.

As successful as my business is I know that the learning never stops. The more I know, the more I need to know. That includes better ways to motivate myself and hit the ground running.

Life also throws curve balls, with the death of both my parents last year I needed something to prop me up and give me a good push to get me back on track. In life we will all go through some challenging times.

The moral of the story if there is one?

Everyone no matter how proficient or successful they are can always learn through others. Putting money out for quality programs that improve and motivate is one of the most important things you can do for yourself and your business.

If you would love to be motivated, inspired and learn a better way to achieve your goals – I strongly suggest you take “The 100-Day challenge” Gary Ryan Blair has developed 100 days of videos thoughts and actions that will propel you to achieve your goals faster than ever.

Check it out Click Here…

Until next time may great success and happiness come your way.

Pamela Jacob “Artista Design”

Providing Creative Solutions & Amazing Results

The Basics of Search Engine Optimization

noreply@blogger.com (Artista Design) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 13:04:00 PDT

Just last week my brother-in-law asked me to look at a website and see what needed to be done to increase his search engine optimization. As I took a look at the code and other aspects for him, I came across a lot of little things that add up to a big thing that could cost him page ranking with the search engines. Since this is always an important subject to all website owners – I have decided to write an article on the basics of Search Engine Optimization.

This article is not talking about off page SEO – meaning back-links, social media strategies, etc. I am talking about on page SEO what you must do on your website to get higher ranking on search engines.

There are some fundamental things that need to be done before you submit your website to search engines. These things should ALWAYS be a priority.

If you have a web person taking care of your website make sure they have done these things.

First 11 Steps to Search Engine Dominance…

Indicate page titles using title tags – so important that each page has a title that is unique and descriptive.
Create accurate descriptions of your business using the description meta tag. Write a description that would both inform and interest users if they saw your description meta tag as a snippet in a search result

Example:

Source Code Looks like this. <html> <head> <title>Marketing-Information and Advice on Marketing Strategy</title>

Use mostly text for navigation. Controlling most of the navigation from page to page on your site through text links makes it easier for search engines to crawl and understand your site.
Put an HTML site map page on your site, and use an XML sitemap file.
Create content that is useful and compelling. Use a good mix of keyword phrases.
Write text that users will enjoy that is well written and easy to follow
Break your content up into logical chunks
Make sure each page has relevant and unique copy – do not copy the same text from page to page
Format links so they’re east to spot –choose descriptive text to link with.
Optimize your use of images – be sure and use the alt tag with a descriptive keyword related to your page.
Use heading tags – these are what you may consider the title text on your pages. Use headings sparingly across the page

Once these basic rules are in place you know you now have a great foundation to launch the rest of your marketing plan…

For more insight or if you have any questions what so ever please contact me!

Pamela Jacob - Artista Design

801-910-4825

Advertise for Free on Google, Yahoo and more. 27 websites that want to list your business.

noreply@blogger.com (Artista Design) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:25:00 PST

Well, it has taken some time, but I have finally compiled my first list of places to advertise your business on the internet for FREE.

I always look for ways to help my clients get ahead. Most small businesses are on a limited budget, the marketing funds are just not there. One of the best ways I can help you is to share a list of free advertising resources.

Of course posting your website will get your more visitors and more exposure, but it will also help you with the back-links that you need in order to rank higher in the Search engines. So it is a win – win…

I took the time to go to each website and list my own business. I wanted to see what the experience of listing on each of these websites would be. So when you get the list, you will find my notes right under the links telling you what I found when I signed up on each particular website.

I went through a lot of duds. I just threw them out – they were so confusing, or they claim to be free but really were not.

Below are some tips to make your experience when listing with all of these sites faster – and less frustrating

Type the information below into a word doc. This will make it so much faster to list your business Each website is a little different and so will need varying types of information.

Profile information you will need to write a description of yourself showing your experience in the business you are listing and why you started or believe in what you are doing. It should appeal to your target market.
Have pictures in a folder on your desktop – ready to go. Some of these websites allow pictures to be shown, and you will get more business if you have a picture of your product – or example of your service in the graphical form. Make sure you do not upload huge pictures directly from your camera. Size and compress them properly
Have a picture of yourself ready to put on your profile. People like to see who they will be doing business with, and they will trust you much more.
One login and one (GOOD) password – if you use the same for each registration it makes life so much easier.
Refresh your information on these sites as needed.

Once you have all of these things in order you are now ready to access the links – and start submitting. Make sure the word document is opened so you can copy and paste. I have two monitors, and I love it. I can post on one and copy text from the other. I will be updating this list as time goes on – if you are on my mailing list, I will automatically send you the new updated version – no need to sign-up again!

One thing to remember – most of these websites will try and up sell you. I did not buy any extra’s I wanted to see how much traffic I get from them first. You do not want to throw away money on a website that is not getting a lot of traffic. So if you do decide to pay for extras choose wisely.

If this makes you wonder how I know that traffic is coming to my website from these submissions, I have Google analytics on the back end of my website, and it tells me where all the hits are coming from. If you do not have this on your website – how do you monitor what's going on??

There are all types of analytic code and software, but Google Analytics is free – if you have someone else do your website, it shouldn’t cost much to have it done. If you need help let me know.

Important: Before listing your website, please make sure your website is in order, it looks professional, has all the elements needed to capture those visitors, and make sure you website is Search Engine Optimized…

I will be coming out with a Free (updated) SEO checklist at the end of the month. If you have already downloaded the list below you will automatically get the list emailed to you.

Access your list of free advertising promotion list

To Exciting Opportunities & Endless Possibilities!

Pamela Jacob – Artista Design

Access Portfolio

Search Engine Optimization - Whats New

noreply@blogger.com (Artista Design) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:56:00 PST

Every year I update how the search engines have changed their algorithm. Though Google has not revealed all their algorithm formulas (the way, they index web pages) due to competition they have been transparent to some.

As I was researching the topic I came across two fantastic articles that will put you in the know. Why re-invent the wheel right! I would make sure and access both articles the first has some explanations on terms and topics on search engine optimization that became valid late in 2011. The second article gives even more up to date changes and how they will affect your website.

In a nutshell – they are giving more preference to original copy and quality fast loading websites with unique attributes. Unfortunately, it is really important to go over your website every year to make sure you keep pace with all the changes – and rank higher in the search engines.

Google Dramatically Changes the Face of SEO in 2012

Google's Latest The "OMG This Isn't Really Happening" Algorithm Change By Lahle Wolfe, About.com Guide

If you have a website you probably know what search engine optimization (SEO) is and the purpose it serves in marketing your website to search engines. You probably also know that more than 80% of all Internet users turn to Google for search. MORE…

SEO Analysis of Google Algorithm Search Updates

There is no doubt that come 2012, Google is sure going to implement the content-to-ads ratio. According to Matt Cutts of Google, the testing for measuring this parameters is been conducted. The algorithm also known as “above the fold”, will be aimed at ensuring adverts do not interfere with reading of content. MORE…

To Exciting Opportunities & Endless Possibilities!

Pamela Jacob – Artista Design Access Portfolio

Providing Creative Solutions & Amazing Results

Do You Have a Custom Website?

noreply@blogger.com (Artista Design) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:25:00 PST

There are some huge misconceptions out there. People who are smart and savvy when it comes to business really don’t know the difference between websites, customized websites, and custom websites. I must admit a lot of web people, and websites play fast and loose with the terms but there is a big difference between each of them. You really have to ask questions when you have someone do a website for you.

It seems everyone is saying they do custom websites – but do they? What is the difference?

Template Website – is a website that has been pre-built, and you are buying it as is. A good example is a Word Press Blog that is used as a website – the template may already have been designed you just plug in your business name, copy and possibly some pictures. These types of websites are sold over and over again. They are the Least Expensive Choice.

Customized website – is a website that is put together as a template, but you customize it with your own banner and other small tweaks. Because you do have some customization, it will be more expensive than a template website but less expensive than an actual custom website.

Custom Website – is a website that is built from the ground floor up. The idea is visualized, written down then designed. Some web designers actually sketch the website out and then use a program like Photoshop to create the images needed for the interface of the website.

Once the images are designed, and the client approves them than the process begins. The images need to be cut apart and reassembled into a web page with html. The navigation of a website is another type of code typically JavaScript – and then if you want some movement you may use some flash or other type of animation that is also created from scratch.

People like custom websites because they want to brand their business with a certain look and feel. The website and all marketing materials will have the same logo, color, typography, etc. The copyright is owned by the business. As you can imagine this type of website is the most expensive. People who do custom website can also (usually) do graphic design, so they can develop your business card and logo, do brochures and fliers, folders and any type of promotional material you can think of. I have always done custom websites and everything that goes with that. I am inexpensive compared to other companies who truly do custom websites, but it will still cost more – because it takes more time and some talent to design custom items.

One of the hottest things going right now are Word Press websites – these are blog’s that are used as websites combined with a blog. The allure of this type of website is that business owner can update text on their own websites. These can also fit into all the categories that I have listed above. And search engines love these types of sites

So often a lot of so called web developer's scam people who really do not know the ins and outs of having a business on the internet. They take advantage of their lack of knowledge just to fill their pockets. It gives a bad name to those in my profession.

I also hear "I can get a website done for much less than that". They don’t realize that they are not getting a CUSTOM WEBSITE… 99 times out of 100 they are being quoted a template or a customized website.

Ask the hard questions when you hire a designer – make sure you are getting what you pay for. Maybe you do not want a custom website and a template or customized website is all you need – but at least be aware of the difference.

One more thing to think about – make sure your web person can do all the things to make your websites more search engine friendly this also takes a lot more attention to details – and things on the back end that you don’t see. However, it is well worth the extra price.

I think I am going to come up with questions to ask – sheet for those of you who are thinking about having a website designed or re-designed. That way, you will know the answers to the questions and when you ask, and the person doesn’t give you the right answer you can find someone else!

One more thing, I am going to be coming out with some customized websites and templates. I am thinking about having a section of templates and customizable websites for those of you who just don’t have the budget to have a customized website. When I do you will be the first to know.

To Exciting Opportunities & Endless Possibilities! Pamela Jacob – Artista Design Access Portfolio Providing Creative Solutions & Amazing Results