Archive for the ‘Marketing’ Category
Description of ‘Marketing’ Category: Marketing is used to identify potential clients, satisfy clients, and keep clients.
Thursday, November 17th, 2011
Directing traffic to your website is only the first part of increasing your online sales. In the past we have often discussed the various methods for targeting your potential customers but what happens when they are actually on your website. Do your visitors follow through with a purchase or do your leads tend fizzle out? With this question in mind we offer the following suggestions to increase the likelihood of a sale once your customers are able find you on the Web. 
Ease Your Customer’s Fear:
With most transactions there are associated risks. It is very important to address these risks because they may immediately deter your potential customers. Having a secure website, a customer privacy policy, and offering a money back guarantee is just a few ways that you can put your customer’s fears to rest.
Create Value and Offer Incentives:
One of the great things about the Internet is that it allows people to easily explore their options however this can also make it hard for a business to stand out amongst competitors. It will help if you offer additional value whether it is through better pricing, a higher level of quality, or better customer service.
Display Genuine Testimonials:
The past positive experiences of your current customers can help encourage new customers to choose your products or services. People love reviews because they help them to predict their level of satisfaction based on the experiences of others. A positive and genuine customer testimonial can often prove to be a major factor in a visitor’s decision to choose your company over one of your competitors.
Build a Relationship:
Be sure to express product or service recommendations based on the information that your customers provide. Making a one-time sale might be your initial goal but you should always strive to build a long term or an ongoing business to client relationship. Nurturing this type of relationship will not only influence future business with that particular customer but it will also increase your reputation and show your potential customers that you care. Follow up emails, subscriptions, memberships, loyalty programs, customer satisfaction surveys, and product recommendations are all great ways to continue positive communication with your customers.
Additional suggestions include:
- Allowing your customers to focus by limiting the number of products offered on each page.
- Creating an attention grabbing headline for your products page.
- Clearly expressing your products, how they work, and how it will benefit the customer.
- Focusing on your visitor by using terms like “you and your” while avoiding “we, me, and I”.
- Creating a sense of urgency without being pushy. For example use “limited time only” or “Available while supplies last”.
- Using various color schemes and text formatting to grab your visitor’s attention.
- Determining what methods, prices, or product features work best for your business and attracts more customers. (Split Testing)
These are just some basic suggestions that can be implemented to increase your online sales. I urge you not to stop here and continuously explore your own ideas to discover what works best for your business.
For additional tips please visit How to increase sales and 6 Sure Ways to Increase Sales!
Thanks for reading and Good Luck with increasing your business’s sales.
Dustin
CDTek.com
Tags: business sales, business website, customers, increasing sales, sales, website, website sales
Posted in Internet, Marketing, Small Business Tips | No Comments »
Thursday, November 3rd, 2011
Are your phone lines ringing off the hook with potential clients or are you with the majority of small businesses who have suffered a decline in customer activity? You have a business, you offer a product or a service, and you have a business goal but now what?
Rarely do customers seek out a business unless they are familiar with its background and brand reputation. If you need the customers, it is up to you to find them. It is your responsibility to target your audience and capture the attention of prospective customers. Advertising and marketing play a vital role in making your business appeal to a specific audience. Lately social media has provided companies with a tremendous, free, and effective marketing tool, however social networking sites are not the only tools available. There are plenty of offline marketing techniques, one of which is Cold Calling. Although cold calling doesn’t have the best reputation, if done correctly it can be a valuable sales tactic for your business.
Cold calling is the marketing technique of reaching out to possible future customers via the telephone. The term cold is used because the potential buyers are not expecting to be contacted nor have they had any prior communications about the product. Cold calling is the opposite of warm calling which is where the potential client directly expresses their interest in your services. Companies that warm call their customers typically gather information using post cards and website information surveys or subscriptions. Compared to warm calling, cold calling relies much more on guess work, calling the right person at the right time, having the right solution, and a little bit of luck.
Some might think that cold calling is only disliked by consumers however sales associates often dislike this technique just as much. For many companies cold calling customers can be one of their greatest weaknesses.
Why consumers dislike cold calling:
- The majority of the time you can easily discover that the cold caller is uninformed about what they are selling.
- These types of calls are often unwelcome interruptions and can distract from actual work.
- Most of the time we probably aren’t interested in the products being sold.
- Sometimes the callers can appear as being manipulative, too resilient by not taking no as an answer, and too chummy or fake in order to get the sale.
Why sales associates dislike cold calling”
- They have to call someone they don’t know.
- They have to call someone they that probably won’t be interested in their product or service.
- They are discouraged easily because the high number of people who reject their sales pitch.
- They have to perform a task that usually brings the worst out of people.
- Cold calling can feel uncomfortable and repetitive, and the cold caller is often lousy at it.
Companies that rely on cold calling as their primary source for generating sales are fighting an uphill battle. However this doesn’t technically mean that it doesn’t work, it just requires more effort and the right skill set. The following are some important tips to follow when you are using cold calling for your business.
Be educated, prepared, and sell the appointment:
Know what you are selling and how to properly sell it before you attempt a cold call. Research the company that you are cold calling and try to identify the decision maker prior to calling. Develop a proper opener and possibly a call outline of the topics and key items you want to emphasize during the conversation.
Always be courteous and display confidence:
Sales calls can often bring out the worst in people but it is extremely important for you to remain polite and respectful to all parties that you encounter when conducting a cold call.
Don’t underestimate the “Gatekeeper”:
The person situated between you and the decision maker is known as the gatekeeper. This person is usually a secretary or assistant that screen callers for the decision maker. When talking to this person don’t lie, or be rude, just be straight forward with them. In order to reach the decision make you must first produce a positive impression on the gatekeeper.
Respect the prospects schedule:
Ask them if it is a good time to talk with them about the opportunities that your organization or products can provide. If they are unable to talk with you at that moment then suggest a specific time to reach them, avoid general lines like “I will call you back at another time”. Instead ask “Would it be more convenient if I called back tomorrow morning at 10am”.
Carrying the conversation:
If you manage to make it through the gatekeeper and the prospect has the time to meet with you then it is extremely important to capture their attention early in the conversation as well as maintain it throughout. Try to utilize their name throughout the conversation to strengthen and develop the bond.
- Be professional but enjoyable
Don’t be afraid to make them laugh or deviate to the occasional small talk. Being honest about a sales call situation can also provide some levity and small talk can help establish a relationship with the prospective customer. For example a cold caller may introduce themselves by saying “Hi my name is Jane and this is a sales call, I know most people hate sales calls, so I’ll be brief but I feel that there are some important opportunities that our service can provide for your company.
- Project Emotion, Create Excitement, and provide value
Use past positive anecdotes and success stories to inspire positive feelings for the prospective client. For a physical product you can suggest a product demonstration and you can refer to past customer experiences.
Try to ask what a common problem for their company is and offer several ways how your business can help eliminate that problem.
- Push past no, but know when to stop pushing:
Being resilient is a necessity that a cold caller must have, they will frequently be faced with rejection and being able to move on and push past “no” is crucial to success. When making a call, if they tell you that they aren’t interested without hearing you out try to jump start a conversation by asking a question. For example you can ask them what problem they face and how much that interferes with their everyday business productivity. If you sense the prospect is upset and is becoming unreasonable you should politely thank them for their time and move on to your next call.
Asking for an appointment:
Even if the conversation has gone well, this is still a sales call and it is very unlikely that the client will ask for an appointment. It should always be you who closes the call by requesting a meeting with the person to discuss in more details. Remember to ask in a way that assumes that they want to meet with you, avoid “would you like” and go with “are you available on Tuesday at 3pm”. The words you choose to say something matter and in this situation they will help make it more difficult for the prospect to say no.
The best way to achieve success is to rehearse prior to the call, analyze your strengths and weaknesses following the call, and improve for the next call.
Hope that you find these tips helpful.
Thanks for Reading!
Dustin
CDTek.com
Tags: business, call, cold, cold calling, prospective customers, sales call, warm calling
Posted in Marketing, Small Business Tips, Telephone | No Comments »
Thursday, October 27th, 2011
With marketing today it is absolutely necessary for a business to develop a strong advertising plan and utilize a diverse set of marketing strategies. In most cases, businesses tend to spend much more on the their company advertisement or the promotion of their products than the actual cost of production. In the past we have emphasized the different ways to market your company online however you should also keep in mind the opportunities that offline advertising has to offer. 
The basic principle behind promoting your business is to express and convey the company’s goals, products, or ideas to the targeted audience. Businesses use marketing methods in order to maximize their brand recognition and customer awareness. With today’s technology it is fairly simple to market your business online with email, blogs, and social media sites. However, a well-designed marketing campaign should actually incorporate both online and offline promotional strategies. Due to the intense focus that has recently been directed to online marketing, some companies may have lost focus and have possibly missed out on attracting offline consumers. The following is the more widely used offline marketing strategies. Each of these methods can be used to increase your company’s brand and reputation.
- Place your website’s URL in emails, letterheads, and business cards.
- Give out complementary promotional items. For example you could give T-Shirts, fliers, bumper stickers, pens, and magnets all with your business logo or company website listed.
- Advertise your company and the website’s URL in newspaper or magazine press releases.
- Using QR codes so mobile users can access your website
- Create window or storefront signs that display your website’s URL for both customers and potential customers passing your store.
- Join local community groups to spread information about your company. (Business associations and Chamber of Commerce)
- Create and Send Business Post Cards that provide contact information about for your company.
- Contact your local business direct mailing advertiser. Design and create an advertisement for your local audience.
- Sponsor local Events, Fundraisers, and Charity Functions.
- Attend Business Trade Shows or Seminars to network with other industry professionals.
- Use Word Of Mouth by reaching out to your contacts and spreading promotional information to friends, family, and acquaintances.
These are just a few tips for marketing your online business offline, for more examples visit 37 Original ways promote your Business . In conclusion, marketing should be a blend of online and offline techniques. The internet may offer a good environment to market your business but that doesn’t mean that you should limit your company’s reach to the internet and restrict your marketing potential. Almost every business on the Internet is performing online marketing which is why adding some offline promotional strategies can potentially help distinguish you from your competitions.
Thanks for Reading!
Dustin
CDTek.com
Tags: advertising, business promotion, company advertising, Marketing, offline, offline marketing, online advertising, promotion
Posted in Marketing, Networking, Small Business Tips | 1 Comment »
Friday, October 21st, 2011
Could your business benefit from utilizing a Facebook “Like-Gate”? A year ago most people were unfamiliar with the term Like Gate and those who were familiar with it probably where critics. The primary reason for why this technique first caused controversy was because it basically begs and bribes someone to like your Facebook page. Additionally this technique also faced criticism because it only ensures the initial “like” and doesn’t necessarily generate loyal customers. Nonetheless it seems to have now become one of the more common practices for businesses on Facebook. The concept behind a fan/like gate is to offer exclusive content to your Facebook visitors once they have “Liked” your page.
Facebook’s Like Icon
Benefits of a having a “Like-Gate”:
The main benefit of utilizing a “like-gate” on your business’s Facebook page is that it helps attract new visitors and gains your company page more fans. The fans that you acquire using this method can also later turn into valuable customers. A “Reveal-Gate” can also help with increasing your brand awareness and gives you the opportunity to build a better customer relationship with those who decide to like your page. Having a “like-gate” can also help you weed through the visitors and determine which of them will actually be customers. Most of the time the people who “like” your page are doing so in order to learn more about your company or the products that you offer. However this can also become a negative reason for having this type of barrier.
Negatives of having a “Like-Gate”:
As we mentioned, a like gate can filter out the customers from visitors but because the “Like” barrier often promises some kind of reward, customers may temporarily accept your conditions in an attempt to gain access to a one time deal. There is no way to guarantee a loyal customer using this technique unless you continue to offer them deals or create a positive and lasting first impression. Some feel that a “Fan-Gate” will devalue true fans of your company and that it also cheapens the notion of actually liking something. Customers are often quick to click the “Like” button when they know that they are going to receive some kind of benefit from this action. By offering an incentive it lessens the value of the customer instead of giving them the chance to experience and like you on their own terms. Another problem with a “Fan-Gate” is that it can be expensive, not necessarily to create but to maintain the promotions promised. If your page is able to offer an incentive as well as sustain the customers future business it could potentially be worth it, however the problem occurs when customers have no intention of being a returning customer without the promise of future discounts.
If You Choose To Use a “Like-Gate”:
If you find that is beneficial for your company to use this kind of customer generating device then you should try to follow some of the following tips.
- Let them know that liking the page will give them access to special offers, news, tips or other information your audience is interested
- Visually tell the visitor what to do when they land on the page. Some use arrows pointing at the “like” or you can also copy and paste a picture of the “Like” button on your page design.
- Avoid gimmicks and stay true to your brand.
- Strive for authenticity and exclusivity.
- Monitor your results and utilize the method that works best for you.
- Focus on quality over quantity and reward loyalty.
- Deliver a Strong Call-to-Action & Compelling Reason to “Like”
- Try to avoid begging or seeming desperate to have the user “like” your page.
Designing a “Like-Gate”:
- Decide what type of incentive you want to offer in order to attract fans.
- Design the look of your “Like-gate”. Design two web pages, one for “non-fans”, who haven’t yet clicked “Like” and one to show to those that have.
- Implement the “Like-gate” on your Facebook Page.
Some common “Like-Gates” offer things like having a First glimpse access to new content, Exclusive access to register for events, special coupon discounts, free shipping, and Giveaways.
How to Get a “Like-Gate”:
There are two different ways a company can employ a gate, they can either create one or purchase a pre-existing template. Creating one is more complicated and will require some coding knowledge. Creating a “Reveal Page” requires the use of an iFrame to pull in PHP code from a separate site. For business less computer savvy they can easily purchase a Facebook Building Application from a company like North Social. Customers can these applications on Facebook. The suite costs about $20 a month and comes with a 14 day free trial. Once purchased, there are over 15 different types of apps to choose from and each can be easily assigned to your company’s Facebook page. Some of the applications that North Social offers include the following.
Deal Share -Create and launch a viral deal on your Facebook Page where you can set the number of registrations required to unlock a group discount.
Exclusive – Visitors unlock a “fan exclusive” download by sharing a wall post (supports audio, video, documents, printable coupons, and more).
Fan Offer – Convert visitors into fans of your Facebook page by rewarding them with an exclusive coupon or invitation to a special event.
Sign Up – Create contact forms, online surveys, and invitations to capture valuable information directly from your Fan page.
Sweepstakes – Launch a sweepstakes on your Facebook Page in minutes with this all-in-one app.
This is just one of the many companies that create these types of applications. There are also plenty of other free alternatives that can be found in the Facebook’s app section.
Bottom Line:
In either case, with or without a “Like-Gate” it is always better to create content or products worth Liking rather than ones that are worth a “Like”.
For some examples of “Like-Gates” visit Examples of Like Gating from the Hubspot Blog.
Thanks for Reading!
Dustin
CDTek.com
Tags: business facebook page, Facebook, facebook page, fan gate, fan gating, like gate, like gating
Posted in Marketing, Small Business Tips, Social Networking | No Comments »
Friday, September 9th, 2011
According to PRWeb a new survey indicates that although the number of small businesses that have a website has increased from 50% to 80% over the past two years, more than 40% still do not know how to professionally market their site. The survey also provided the following statistics:
- 20% of small businesses don’t have a website, of that 16% do plan to have one in the future.
- 41% believes their websites bring exposure but 28% don’t know if the website helps.
- 40% report they need help with small business SEO on their website for better search rankings
- 37% say they need help using Facebook, Twitter and other social media.
- Nearly 35% need help with email marketing promotions.
- 33% need help building inbound links to their website.
Unless you are a big name brand just having a website will not bring in the amount of traffic that you want. It is very important that you not only have a website but that you also know how to market it as well. The following are 15 methods to market a small business online, we have covered many of these tips individually so be sure to visit the links provided to get a more in depth look at each.
Although it is possible to have an online presence without a website it is always advised that the following methods are used to compliment your website rather than replace it. Creating a website yourself or paying someone to create one for your small business should be your first step. Your website will act as a central hub and connect with the rest of your online marketing efforts.
Search engine optimization or SEO is performing on page and off page methods to improve the visibility and rank of a website. SEO aims to generate greater traffic by increasing a website rank and authority in the search engines. If you are unfamiliar with Search engine optimization then you should hire an SEO expert.
Having a blog can help market your website tremendously. A blog is an excellent way to reach out to your existing clients and gain more along the way. A blog is extremely easy to set up and manage. Blogs offer a quick way to supply news, promotions, ideas, or other information to your audience. A blog can also establish you as a professional and offers an effective way to provide customer support. Additionally a blog will help earn your company respect, increase the traffic to your website, allow you to gain feedback, and may help you rank better because search engines like Google really like websites with blogs.
- Participate in Social Media
Social media has become a major influence in the world of Internet marketing. Using social media is easy to do and the reach is global. Social media is a great resource for any business because it has the ability to quickly spread your message and target your potential customers. Participating in social media establishes a communications platform that can assist companies with proactively monitoring and controlling their customer communication and perception.
Like most social media sites YouTube is a great resource for free marketing. Anyone with an account can upload a YouTube video but the real goal is to increase your presence and offer valuable entertainment to the other users. YouTube will generate more visibility for your website and will help it rank better in Google.
Businesses can increase their local presence with sites like Google Places , Bing Business Portal, Yelp, YellowPages, Superpages, InsiderPages, Localeze, CitySearch, or InfoUSA. These types of websites provide local citations or web references. Local citations are when another website mentions a business and its contact information, this can occur with or without a link to the business’s website.
Keep current with the reviews that your customers are leaving about you on review websites like Yelp. If you find a negative review take the necessary actions to correct the situation and if you find positive reviews find a way to work them into your website or sales pitch.
Email campaigns can be a great way for a business to generate an increase in traffic and sales. Many companies employing email campaigns often fall short of accomplishing their goals because their emails appear too spammy, lack customer value, or fail to project any personality. When sending out emails try to give your customers something to care about and appreciate, rather than just bothering them with useless information. Only relevant and appropriate information should be included such as promotions, events, product updates, business changes, and other information worthwhile for your consumers
A Fairly new method of internet marketing is using QR codes. These are two-dimensional icons that can be scanned by smartphone cameras to automatically pull up text, photos, videos, music, URLs, and even make phone calls or send emails. This form of brand marketing is on the rise and is providing businesses with many new, creative, and effective marketing opportunities.
- Read and Comment on Blogs
Commenting on blogs and participating in online discussions will build a credible reputation for you and your business. Online discussion will expand your network and open your website up to new customers. Some blogs even allow you to link your website to your comment which can provide a valuable backlink to your website.
- Join an Online Community and Participate in Forums
Joining online communities and participating in online forums is similar to commenting on other website’s. Forums provide an outlet for you to reach new customers and increase your visibility. Joining an online community specific to your industry is great for learning, networking, sharing experiences, locating job opportunities, meeting experts, and finding solutions to problems.
Submitting a press release or article to a directory works similar to a posting on your blog except that it is on another website where it can be seen by a different audience. If you submit unique and high quality content it has the potential to attract visitors to your website.
- Create Online Contest and Promotions
Create and advertise free stuff or promotions. Special promotions for online customers will most likely attract visitors. Holding an online contest is another great way to get your customers involved and even attract new ones in the process.
- Create Infographics or High Quality Content
An infographic is a pictorial representation of specific data or knowledge. Infographics can be a great way to showcase information on a particular subject area and can prove to be a good source of link value. Infographics have the ability to transform the plain material into interesting and exciting web content. Infographics have a reputation of being able to quickly spread across the internet which is why they are great for SEO.
A Link exchange or Reciprocal Link is one of the many ways for a website to gain backlinks. Backlinks are crucial to increase the link value and rank of your website. Reciprocal links are when two websites agree to exchange links with each other. Google looks at both the quantity and quality of a website’s backlinks which is why it is important to build your website’s backlink portfolio.
These are just some basic tips on marketing your small business or company website. These should provide a good starting point to get your company name out there and allow you to start attracting more visitors.
Thanks for Reading!
Dustin
CDTek.com
Tags: internet marketing, link, marketing tips, seo, site, Small Business, social media, website
Posted in Marketing, Small Business Tips, Website | No Comments »
Thursday, August 18th, 2011
Lately More and more companies have begun to use Quick Response code or QR codes to promote their products and services. You may have noticed that recently some of your favorite companies are now displaying these 2-D barcodes on some of their products or advertisements. These two-dimensional icons are known as QR codes and can be scanned by smartphone cameras to automatically pull up text, photos, videos, music, URLs, and even make phone calls or send emails. This form of brand marketing is now on the rise and is providing businesses with many new, creative, and effective marketing opportunities.
Internetbeacon.com QR Code
Quick Response codes are still fairly new and because they are just getting started in the United States many people are still unaware of what they can do or how they work. Most of the Businesses that utilize Quick Response Coded promotional material also provide directions for first time users on how to use them. To produce the codes a company must use an online QR code generator and in order for the customer to access the information contained in the code they need to have a mobile QR scanner. Some of the popular QR generators include Kaywa Code Generator, iCandy, StickyBits, QR-Stuff, plus many other Mobile Barcode generators. Customers can download their free QR scanner from their smart phone app store.
According to a recent comScore Survey 14 million mobile users in the US have scanned a Quick Response Code but that’s only 6.2% of all mobile users. 60.5% of the code scanners were men that were mostly between ages 18-34 and had an income of over $100k. Around half of the participants said that they scanned the QR codes from a magazine or newspaper and roughly 35% scanned from product packaging. As consumer awareness for QR codes increases the number of uses for the codes also expands. The following are 10 creative places Quick Response Codes can be used to promote your business.
Business cards can only contain a small portion of information without looking too cluttered, with a QR code placed on your business card the contacts you meet can quickly access your all of your information and even store it on their mobile device. Business cards can accumulate and are often ignored which is why having the QR code automatically call or store the contact information will increase the chance of the new contact retaining your correct information.
- Mail advertisements or Postcards:
With mail advertisements or postcards your potential customers may be more inclined to check out your business. Most of the time people carry their mobile device on them and because it only takes a couple of seconds to scan and access your content the QR advertisements could prove to be very valuable. The majority of people discard mail newsletters but a QR code may peak their interest enough to discover more information.
- Magazine and Newspaper ads:
Magazine and newspaper ads also provide great space for Quick Response Code placement. Readers or skimmers will be able to see your advertisement and quickly acquire more details through the QR code. Sometimes readers don’t always own the newspaper or magazine that they see your advertisement in and having a QR code available would be a great way for readers to hold on to information. For example, the waiting room at a doctor’s or dentist office may have a magazine with an interesting business advertising that you want to learn more about. A Quick Response Code would enable you to scan, access, and store that information for later whether it is a phone number, website, or one of the many other possible uses of a QR code.
If you already run coupons in the newspaper you can add a QR code that provides users with more information such as store locations, directions, and additional promotions. Quick Response Codes can also be used to gain customer feedback. Companies can place a code on their customer receipts that provides their phone number and website or be used as a way to acquire customer feedback. For example the receipt code can offer a future discount in exchange for a few moments of the customer’s time.
Having a store display with a Quick Response code on it can allow a customer to access more information and reviews about a specific product. In addition QR codes can also be displayed in a window or on a company door for the people passing by. These codes can be especially helpful with providing store information during the hours that the business is closed.
QR codes on product packaging are also a good way to reach new and existing customers. Customers who purchased the product can easily learn more about it, send feedback, or call customer service. Quick Response Codes can be extremely useful for food delivery services, for example Papa John’s includes QR codes on their pizza boxes so customers can easily visit their website, place an order, and leave reviews.
- Stickers, magnets and Commercials:
Stickers and magnets with your QR code can be placed anywhere you or your customers wish to stick them. Again food delivery services can greatly benefit from this because users can quickly scan their fridge magnet when they want to place an order. Television commercials and YouTube videos can also be used to showcase your company’s Quick Response Code. At the end of the video you can use this code to direct people to your company website or initiate a phone call.
Having QR codes located in or around your business will allow your customers to do a location login. The codes can be used to log into Facebook locations or Foursquare so people can tell their friends where they are and what they are doing.
Some companies have even begun to include Quick Response codes on clothing. Placing these codes on clothing is an interesting way to have the public and company employees perform their advertising.
Although Quick Response Codes are usually used to direct users to a website including them on a website or email isn’t necessarily a bad idea. Placing the code on an email or website can allow users to quickly and effortlessly call your company, follow you on a social media site, and get directions sent to their mobile device. QR codes on a website can also be useful for users who want to continue viewing the information after they leave their computer.
Visit the link to learn Additional locations for Quick Response Codes
These are only some of the many different uses for QR codes and Even though it might be a while before Quick Response Codes are fully integrated into our advertising it is always better to be ahead of the trend than it is to be behind your competition. Quick Response codes can be used to increase sales, increase incoming calls, build a subscribers list, advertise promotions, get more Facebook likes, get more Twitter Follows, and connect and engage your existing or potential customers. QR codes seem to only offer more company and product exposure, so what do you have to lose? Start creating QR codes today and see all the ways this new promotional tool can help your business!
Thanks for Reading have a Great Day!
Dustin
CDTek.com
Tags: advertising, code, codes, Marketing, Mobile, QR code, qr generator, qr scanner, quick response code, scan
Posted in Marketing, Mobile Applications, Small Business Tips | 4 Comments »
Thursday, August 11th, 2011
One of the most important elements of a website is the title tag. A title tag is technically called a title element which is contained in the heading section of the website’s HTML code. A Title tag is required for all HTML/XHTML documents and defines the title for each web page. The title tag is considered the primary text description of an online document and besides the actual content it is regarded as the most important of all Search Engine Optimization factors.
What Makes the Title Tag So Special?
Although every webpage is required to have a title tag most businesses neglect to optimize them. A company website isn’t complete without a fully optimized title tag. With an optimized title tag you can greatly increase the chances of customers coming to your website. Optimized title tags are extremely important for websites because they are visible in three distinct locations. These locations include the top of the browser window, the search engine results page (SERP), and the links from external websites.
Title tags draw a lot of attention to the top of the browser window. This position also enables a page visitor to know immediately where they are and if they are in the right place. Other websites and social media often use the title tag as the anchor text when linking to your site. When displayed on a search results page the title tag can also quickly grab the attention of a searcher and influence them to you visit your website. Since the title tag is a highly important search engine ranking factor it directly coordinates with what users are searching for and allows you to target a specific audience. Title tags also help target important keywords. This again helps with ranking better in search engines and finding potential customers. The title tag also appears when people bookmark your page and lets them know what your site is at a quick glance.
How Do You Optimize a Title Tag?
As you can see the benefits of having an effective title tag are tremendous. Most importantly an optimized title tag has the potential to attract valuable traffic to your website and business. The following are some of the best practices associated with creating title tags.
Primary Keyword – Secondary Keyword | Brand Name
(Leverages your keywords, products or services)
Brand Name | Primary Keyword and Secondary Keyword
(Leverages your brand name and is recommended for bigger or more reputable companies)
- Place important keywords closer to the front of the title tag.
- Use less than 70 characters, otherwise the search results will show ellipsis – “…” to indicate that a title tag has been cut off.
- Create a descriptive and relevant keyword-laden title tag. The title tag is thought to be the most important place to use keywords to achieve high rankings.
- Create a compelling title that encourages users to visit your site while maintaining your relevance and integrity.
The title tag is hands down one of the most important elements of a website other than its content. In order for a business to take full advantage of the opportunity that the title tag provides they must fully optimize it for their website and keywords. By following the best practices that were outlined in this article a website can be well on their way to gaining more relevant traffic and a higher conversion rate.
Thanks for Reading have a Great Day!
Dustin
CDTek.com
Tags: keyword, optimized title tag, tags, title, title tag, title tags, website
Posted in Marketing, Small Business Tips, Website | No Comments »
Friday, July 22nd, 2011
The Search Engine Giant Google has recently introduced a new credit card to select U.S. advertising customers. Following the traditional release pattern for Google products the Google credit card is currently in a beta test phase and is invitation only. Invitations to participate in the new AdWords credit card experience were sent out to a handful of businesses Wednesday July 20, 2011. Unselected users who are interested in obtaining the new credit card will need to wait until the conclusion of the beta test, similar to the launch of Google+ and Gmail.
from http://www.google.com/adwords/awhelpcenter/, July 2011
Although the Google advertising credit card is a MasterCard that that is issued through the World Financial Capital Bank it can only be used to purchase search advertising from Google. The new card is designed to help businesses relieve some of the financial burden of advertising costs. When unable to purchase advertising a business can lose their connection to their customers and often experience a drop in traffic or sales. Without that outlet to reach their customers and showcase their products they miss out on that opportunity to generate revenue. Consequently, without this revenue the business lacks the resources to purchase additional advertising and propel future growth, which is where the new credit card could make a drastic difference.
Google credit card is able to lend some support and prevent a business that is short on funds from missing out on potential sales during the heavy upcoming sales seasons. With this credit card Google advertising customers are provided a line of credit with a locked in 8.99% interest rate with no annual fees. Google expressed that they realize that AdWords provides tremendous growth opportunities for small to medium sized businesses and the goal for the new card is to provide those businesses with a more supportive and attractive way to pay. The number of customers chosen to participate in the beta period is unknown and like most credit cards the minimum and maximum credit lines will vary per customers.
Although the card was created with the customer’s best interest in mind, Google also has an opportunity to capitalize on revenue from the credit card interest payments. Google makes 96% of its revenue from advertising and by offering a credit card they are not only offering their customers extra support but they can also collect extra income.
Brent Callinicos, Google’s Treasurer states “Obviously we have a robust balance sheet, so this is a way for us to use that balance sheet to help our customers, It isn’t a financial engineering project that we came up with and said this would be cool to do. It’s a customer need”.
Missing from the credit card is any type of rewards or bonus points. The company feels that given a choice their customers would rather utilize a card with a 9% interest rate over one that has an 18% interest rate and offers some sort of reward feature.
For more information visit:
Reuters- Google offers a credit card to advertisers
Sign Up For Google AdWords
Thanks for Reading have a Great Day!
Dustin
CDTek.com
Tags: advertising, adwords, card, credit card, customer, Google, google adwords, interest rate
Posted in Finance, Google, Marketing | 1 Comment »
Friday, July 15th, 2011
Despite its unconventional name Squidoo can be an extremely beneficial Internet Marketing tool for small businesses. Squidoo is a community website platform that has been around for more than five years. During that time they have accumulated over 1.5 million lenses which are mini topical webpages that users create directly on the Squidoo platform. Squidoo calls these mini pages “lenses” because they draw attention to specific niches similar to how a camera lens focuses on a certain object or experience. During Squidoo’s first six months in operation more than 100,000 lenses were created, setting the tone for its future achievements.
from http://www.squidoo.com/, July 2011
Squidoo is completely free, easy to use, fast, and fun. The creation of Squidoo lenses can be a great way to showcase your area of expertise and reach new customers. Typically lenses compile information on a specific topic or business but they have also been known to be used for hobbies, passions, and personal profiles. Their original tagline “Everyone’s an Expert (on something)” explains Squidoo’s main principle, everyone has something to contribute and it’s their goal is to provide an outlet for that sharing.
Why Use Squidoo:
Besides the fact that it’s a free high quality social media platform, Squidoo offers users the chance to reach an expansive online community and potentially build a larger customer base. Squidoo lenses are niche focused and offer some of the best content and advice on the Internet. With the help of Squidoo a small business could effectively spread their message and company awareness to millions of users.
This free promotional resource can attract potential clients and may encourage them to visit your company’s website. Squidoo marketing allows you to provide users with a ton of useful information and provide unlimited links your website, blog, and products. The lens owners even have the chance to generate revenue using Squidoo Profit Modules and Widgets. Most importantly, Google likes Squidoo and your lenses have a good chance of being indexed. The bottom line is that like most social networks, Squidoo provides an opportunity to find more potential customers and offers many more paths to you website.
Getting Started With Squidoo:
When using Squidoo for the first time you will be required to create a username and password. After establishing an account you can begin filling in your main profile, this profile will be similar to your home page and will be connected to each of the lenses that you create. Also the profile is a great opportunity to earn link value by linking to your company website. Your profile consists of your name, username, bio, picture, feature lenses, links to external sites, and your account settings.
Once you are finished you can click on the Create a lens button on the Squidoo Dashboard to begin your first Squidoo lens. When building a lens keep in my mind that there are key elements that every lens needs to have to be an effective marketing tool. The following is a list of what users look for and appreciate when surfing Squidoo lenses.
Make sure that your content is engaging and your enthusiasm for the subject is apparent.
- Easy to digest amounts of content
Be careful with the amount of text that you include. Try delivering small bite size amounts of information so visitors can easily scan your content. Most users do not want to read a book when searching for specific information so instead try to take the PowerPoint approach by adding bulleted information.
In order to drive appropriate attention to your website stay focused on what your lens is about. Users who visit your site mostly arrive there by searching for your topic and probably don’t want to be presented with unrelated information.
The modules on Squidoo provide a great opportunity to link to external sites. Users can link their other social networking accounts like Twitter and Facebook directly on their lens. The Twitter module will allow a user to display their user name, amount of followers, and recent post. Additionally a user can link RSS feeds to their lens which provides a great way to link to their company blog. Squidoo also provides a number of other modules that allow users to link to any website on the Internet.
In addition to useful content eye candy is another major part of retaining visitors. Users want to be presented with exciting design and content not something that appears dull. Pictures are a great way to add to the user experience and provoke more positive reaction.
Again the purpose is to entice visitors and avoid being boring. Using the same module over and over again will tire quickly unless of course you have some amazing content. Change up your lens structure by alternating between the hundreds of available modules.
Squidoo allows users to associate forty tags with their lens. It’s advised that you use all forty keywords because each one acts as another way for other users to locate your lens. It is important to use tags that are relevant to the topic to ensure that the correct audience is being targeted. In addition to the forty lens tags, users can also add tags in their pictures and other link modules.
Squidoo and other social network users like to be able to communicate and interact with other users. On a Squidoo lens, users can engage their visitors by can creating comment modules, polls, surveys, guest books, sharing modules, user spotlights, videos, pictures, and links to other social media websites.
How to Maintain Your Squidoo:
Although it only takes a short time to put together a lens in order for it to stand out amongst others it will require more time and effort. Once the initial lens is created you should still perform regular updates and continue to provide useful information. Putting in the extra time to progress your lens and maintain its quality is well worth the chance of it appearing on the search engine results page. Continuous updates and optimization will most likely lead to an increase in Squidoo page visits, traffic to your business website, PageRank, and hopefully conversion rate.
For more information check out the following links
Thanks for Reading have a Great Day!
Dustin
CDTek.com
Tags: content, internet marketing, lens, lenses, module, Small Business, Squidoo, Squidoo lens
Posted in Marketing, Small Business Tips, Social Networking | No Comments »
Friday, June 17th, 2011
When assigning a rank to a website, Search Engines consider hundreds of mix-matched factors that come together to create their unique ranking algorithms. Thought to be among the most important of all ranking factors is the number of quality inbound links, however more and more people feel that local citations are just as important regardless of if they provide a link or not.
What is a local citation?
In our past blog articles we have mentioned how businesses can increase their local presence pertaining to Google Places and Bing Business Portal, however these are only two of the sites often used for acquiring local citations. A local citation or web reference is when another website mentions a business and its contact information, this can occur with or without a link to the business’s website.
from http://www.Yelp.com, June 2011
Why local citations are important:
Why are local citations growing more popular? Local citations have become one of the most recommended off site SEO methods to increase a webrank. It is thought that when it comes to local search, the ranking algorithm changes and assign more value to citations from trusted sources rather than other inbound links. Citations or business mentions are a great way to produce more online visibility for a business and can also help search engines know your business better. Although local citations do not always provide a link, they continue to help grow the reputation of a business within the community and the search engines.
Where to look:
Search engines like Google scan the Internet frequently to analyze and index websites. As a business collects more citations, the more exposure it gains and the higher it can rank. Missing out on local citations from a trusted sites or poorly optimizing your site locally is a sure fire way to quickly fall behind your competition. There are plenty of Local citations to be claimed and there are many places you can find them. The following is a quick list of sources to help you can find your local citations.
Local citations can be obtained on major search engines by creating or registering your business listing. Bing Business Portal, Google Places, and Yahoo Local are the best places to start.
- Local or Second Tier Search Engines:
Along with the major search engines there is also a ton of second tier and localized search engines that provide business citations. Yelp, YellowPages, Superpages, InsiderPages, Localeze, CitySearch, InfoUSA, and iBegin are just a few of these types of websites.
- Local Blogs and Directories:
A business can also collect citations by taking part in the neighborhood blogs that feature local companies, area business directories, or industry related forums. Local business or regional directories like Best of the Web’s Regional Directory and Yahoo’s Regional Directory can also provide local business citations.
Businesses can easily create a local citation by incorporating their address and business name on the articles that they submit to article directories.
One of the best resources for local citations is social media. Most social networking sites let users create business profiles which make them a popular place to list a business. Creating a business profile on a social networking site not only supplies customers and search engines with your business information but it also leads to large amounts of traffic or link value. Sites like FourSquare, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Digg, Squidoo, and Delicious are just some of the many social media sites that provide these opportunities for local citations.
If you are still having trouble locating local citations you can always look at your competitor’s portfolio. Performing competitive research can provide you with a ton of sources to obtain links and citations from. The Local Citation Finder is just one of the many tools on the Internet created to find competitor citations.
These are just a few recommendations to get you started on building your local citation portfolio. For more citation sources visit 20 SEO Local Citation Sources. Good Luck!
Thanks for Reading have a Great Day!
Dustin
CDTek.com
Tags: business, business listing, citation, local, Local Business, local citation, page rank, search engine
Posted in Marketing, Small Business Tips | No Comments »
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