A survey distributed after our last two internet marketing workshops revealed the following:

• 80% of attendees found the workshop Very Helpful
• 20% of attendees found the workshop somewhat helpful
• 100% of attendees would recommend the workshop to a friend

Learn about upcoming internet marketing workshops.

Ad space during Super Bowl XLV?

You may not be able to afford to purchase ad space during Super Bowl XLV, but you also cannot afford to miss this limited-time offer for affordable web marketing that lets you reach new customers. Here’s marketing you can afford! Get low-cost, template-based business websites, custom Twitter profiles and custom Facebook pages.

Internet marketing sets you up to potentially reach millions of new customers seeking exactly the service and/or product your business offers. So what’s the challenge? As with all marketing, it is about knowing what consumers are seeking and knowing how to make your business more visible or attractive to consumers. When it comes to Internet marketing, it may be best to rely on the experts. I know we’ve all seen those ads to build your website in one night and for as little as $4.99 per month. But do those websites really deliver? As the old saying goes, “You get what you pay for” and the case of the $4.99 website, you aren’t purchasing a reliable investment for your business. Take some time to research web marketing service providers and make a wise selection. You may still find an affordable solution, but don’t expect to pay $4.99.

Happy holidays! As we celebrate the holidays, I want to wish each of you the largest ROI with your web marketing campaigns.

 Here are a five key web practices to keep in mind:

1. Know the season: Offer an updated look to your web site (even if temporary). Show that you have the holiday spirit.
    
2. Know your customers: Put your customer information to good use. Make sure that your site offers up a dynamic list of products and services that can help your customer locate that special gift for Aunt Susie.
    
3. Make the sale easy: Holiday shopping can be a pain so make sure that there are special holiday landing pages developed to make it easier for customers to locate the most popular holiday items. Use last year’s data as a point of reference, but be sure to also know the hottest trends and products.
    
4. Make it a steal: Like you, your customers love a great deal. Make sure that there are banners and other highlighted information about new products and savings that might be of interest to that customer. These items should be visible until the sale is completed.
    
5. Follow up: Offer the customer a reason to return to your web site. Give them the option to sign up for updates on sales, and new products and services. This will enable you to build and maintain a long term relationship with the customer. Be sure to send the customer a thank you (whether by mail or email) and include a special gift or offer to show just how grateful you really are.

Use these tips throughout the year and design your web site to keep your online customers and website visitors happy.

When consumers visit your website, it leaves an impression. Ask yourself, what impression is my website making? That impression leads site visitors to make immediate assumptions about your business. If the assumptions that are made by consumers are negative, it will be nearly impossible to modify their opinion of your level of professionalism, the type of service and the quality of products your business offers.

For most of today’s business owners, their website is the front door to their business. This is where most consumers make an initial entrance and are introduced to your business offerings. How inviting is your front door? If your website were a true brick and mortar, would you enter or would you be wary? Does it deliver the message that you are a professional organization that exercises integrity or does it say grimy and sleazy? Just as with a brick and mortar, your website should be created in a way that makes it possible for you to attract the right clientele for your business.

Helpful Tips

• Think carefully when selecting a design style for your business.
• Use a professional website designer.
• If something appears unusual during the development process, ask questions.

It is literally your business to know what is being done when creating your online presence. Stay involved and make sure that end product looks like something reliable, professional and is truly representative of your brand.

Internet advertising, also known as online advertising or web advertising may be one of the most effective advertising methods used, as it provides the ability to target specific markets while they are surfing the Internet.

However, the effectiveness of an advertising campaign is only as good as the ads. A powerful ad is one of the most important aspects of your success. And, the secret to a successful ad is your HEADLINE. You only have a split second to grab your targets attention. Your potential customer will most likely scan the ads and only read one if it catches their attention. Write your ads with passion, excitement, and benefits.

website analytics

You can generate more profit from online leads by learning about your visitors.

Website traffic reporting and analysis gives you vital data about your visitors – data you can use to your advantage. A dashboard of reports tell you everything from how many people visit and what paths they take through your site to where in the world they live. You can use this information to eliminate costly mistakes and decisions so that you can focus your offerings, and target new customers with targeted accuracy.

If there’s a billboard in the dessert and nobody sees it, was it worth the marketing spend?

Having a website is as important as having a phone number for your business. But not all websites are created equal. A pretty website can be like a billboard in the desert… if no one finds it. A website should be a marketing tool that helps you generate leads and sales while at the same time reducing advertising costs.  

Marketers who provide web design have a huge advantage as they know what works to convert visitors into buyers on the internet. They deliver a site that is visually pleasing, organized, is manageable and converts web prospects.

Remember that web designers are not marketers. Therefore even though they may create a beautiful site it is worthless if it does not move people to buy.

Most people think “web” and believe that it all falls into one bucket. But specialties in Web are much like in medicine. There are many specializations much like there are brain surgeons, cardiologists and others in medicine.

Most web folks start out in design (often graphics design) or programming (often referred to as development). Some stay and become more specialized in these areas. Some move on to the marketing and search engine expertise while others move into the more technical areas like web server administration, web security and hardware components management.

Old school folks like me started at a time when companies had one webmaster (a very generic term) who had to maintain the hardware, keep it safe, design the website and write the website copy. Eventually when web was recognized as an important marketing tool, I was lucky enough to be employed by companies that identified me as a good candidate for a marketing specialization. They thought I was strategic and big-picture… and so here I am. My focus is now on the marketing and SEO side, but I have the experience from the various areas… just my good fortune.

Hopefully some of this helps as you move forward and decide who to use. By the way, if you Google “webmaster Houston”, we rank #1 (www.clickgrafx.com). If you Google “Houston Internet Marketing Expert”, we rank #7 (and moving up). This is often what I use as my proof in the pudding.