Month: June 2016

Your website should be designed in a way that users flow through the content in an intentional way. From the navigation bar to your images to your contact form, everything should be intentional.

First, think about your audience and then think about the goal of your website. Are you trying to capture leads? Or are you trying to just provide information? Generally speaking, websites can and should be designed to take your prospects through a process that ends in you capturing their information.

GET INSIDE THE HEAD OF YOUR AUDIENCE

Your copy should be written in a way that solves your audience’s biggest problems. If you speak to them and engage them, they will naturally crave more from you. Think about how you can help your prospects and leverage that to capture leads.

TURN YOUR WEBSITE INTO A REVENUE GENERATING MACHINE

Your goal is likely to increase revenue, I get it! If you’re like most, you haven’t quite figured out how to make your website work for you. Your website should be generating a constant stream of qualified leads for you or your sales team to work. If it’s not, your content isn’t serving your audience. I’m going to use our website as an example of how you should think about your content hierarchy.

DRIVE TRAFFIC TO YOUR SITE

Before you can capture leads, you have to be getting the right people to your site. We do this in a myriad of ways including SEO, search, social media, etc. Our traffic drivers typically point to a piece of content or blog post on the site. Merely getting prospects to your site isn’t enough, you have to convert them or all the time, energy, and effort it took to get them there is wasted. Notice the call to action at the bottom of our blog post, it’s intentional.

PUT YOUR NAVIGATION BAR IN THE RIGHT ORDER

For us, our clients generally want to see examples of our work, what services we offer, and who we have done work for in the past (this builds credibility.) You’ll notice that our navbar is designed to serve this audience. We’re also building credibility through the slider and by showcasing recent awards.

MAKE IT EASY FOR PROSPECTS TO CONTACT YOU

It’s okay to have multiple forms on your website that serve different purposes. The form below is for those who are ready to schedule a consultation.

Others may not be ready yet but would like to stay up to date on what’s happening so we also provide them a way to sign up for our newsletter with the form below. They aren’t ready to buy yet but one day, they will be.

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Design is everything you see. ​When designing your website, remember that your site will not only be viewed on the computer but on every possible digital platform. A designer’s job is to create a cohesive look that ensures your brand looks great on all platforms. The content on your website is what tells your story and helps sell your product. Showcasing your content in an effective way is the most important aspect of a designer’s job.

A CONTENT FOCUSED DESIGN

There are a few ways to approach designing for your content. The most common way is to start on a desktop computer, which then gets translated to various size screens that are usually smaller. The issue with going from big to small (computer to phone) is trying to squeeze the same content into a much smaller area while also considering the limitations of a mobile device. The solution then would be to start small and go big. This is called Mobile First, a current buzzword in the design community. The issue remains—big to small and small to big won’t always translate without usability being compromised. Considering the optimal design for content will make it easier to display the content on any device. Case and point, think about your users and how they will view your content and design with them in mind.

IT’S ABOUT BALANCE

The balance of content is an art. To achieve the balance, you must start with content first. If you take into account who is using your website and what the end goal of that user is, you will have a good foundation for building a functional and usable website. It can be big to small or small to big. It should not be dictated strictly by one or the other, it should be customized for your brand content first.

CONTENT IS KEY

Thinking about your content before you think about the device will make you more flexible with the design, as well as create a streamlined and easy user experience. So if you hear buzzwords such as Mobile First, make sure your designer has your content in mind, not just a defined method that may or may not work for your brand.

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Name. Address. Phone Number. Or as as some would say, “N.A.P.” Google algorithms are a bit of an anomaly but we do know that listing your N.A.P. across the internet is extremely important for search marketing. Search engines are looking for these three items and if yours aren’t there, your site will get skipped.

GOOGLE WILL CONCEAL YOUR ADDRESS

The business name and the same phone number (tracking numbers can get tricky) should be listed on your website and across local listing aggregators no matter what.  Having your address listed and visible is the tricky part especially if your business doesn’t have a storefront. If you work out of your home, Google will likely conceal your address for safety reasons. In order to fix the problem, you must make your address publicly visible.  Here are the steps:

UTILIZE MAJOR LOCAL LISTING AGGREGATORS

First, publish your business information to the major local listing aggregators (Localeze, Infogroup, Acxiom, and Factual) that feed into the local listing sites and search engines.  Next, Google will cross-reference the NAP used for these additional listings with the NAP provided in the Google My Business page, and if they’re consistent, will give your Google My Business page more authority, and better rankings as a result. The key here is consistency!

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There are endless possibilities when it comes to building a great user experience on your website including navigation, social media, content, and imagery. The list goes on and on which allows for digital clutter to build up quickly. At the forefront of your design should be user experience. Focus on creating a simple site that’s easy to navigate—follow the KISS principle!

REMOVE THE CLUTTER

Simplifying your website can go a long way in improving user experience. Whether it be taking advantage of existing device functions (such as mobile-friendly websites returning to the top with a tap at the top of your screen) or removing unnecessary distractions (like too many call to actions, buttons or links), simplifying generally creates a better user experience. This ultimately means more conversions for you!

SIMPLIFY THE EXPERIENCE

A simplified web experience means having exactly what you need and only what you need so the user flows smoothly through your content. Links, buttons, and functions that are not optimized and flexible for all viewing platforms can all be distractions that confuse your users and inevitably lead them astray from the original purpose.

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At the heart of your online strategy is great content (if it’s not then we probably need to talk!). From your website to SEO strategies to social media, content is king. If you aren’t putting a concerted effort into creating GREAT content, you’re not maximizing your potential on the web.

Here are five ways for you to improve your content overnight:

1 – Provide Your Readers With Value

First and foremost, you must provide your readers with value. Simply creating content for the sake of creating content is not enough. In order to keep your audience engaged, you have to create content that provides real and actionable value. Give your readers useful information that they can apply themselves. By positioning yourself as a resource, eventually, you’ll reap the benefits.

2 – Write for Both Types of Readers

Everyone processes information a little bit differently. Some will skim your content and others will read every single word. The key here is to provide subheadings for your skimmers and detail in the paragraphs for those who need more information.

3 – Write Copy That Your Audience Needs and Understands

A good place to start when drafting your content strategy is with your FAQs from customers. What questions are you getting a lot? Create content that answers those questions and put it out, “on the line!” Doing so positions you as the expert and will make clients more likely to call you when they have a need.

4 – Add Images

You should always be including an image with your posts. Especially in the case of social media, a great image can mean the difference in getting the click or not.

5 – Include Relevant Keywords

Search engines are ranking the content on your website to determine its relevancy based on the search query. Including the appropriate keywords in your copy will help with search engine optimization.

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Navigating the digital world is undoubtedly complex and with new social platforms and technology emerging every day, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. An overall strategy takes time and resources to implement (which is why we’re here!), but in the meantime, here are some things you can be doing right now:

1 – CREATE A SNAPCHAT ACCOUNT AND USE IT

Video platforms are among the fastest growing social media sites. Specifically, Snapchat outpaced competitors last year by a landslide—in case you are looking for a stat here—over 400 million snaps are sent every single day! Selling a product is about selling an experience. There’s no better way to capture emotion and showcase people having fun with your brand or product than through video. Utilizing SnapChat will allow you to get into the phones of your current customers’ friends. Finally, you should create geofilters for your customers to use while they are at your place of business.

2 – CREATE BLOG CONTENT—A LOT OF IT

What content makes sense for you? Tell your audience what makes you unique, give them insight into your process, and make them feel like a part of it. Then, take the blog content and scale it for other social media platforms. Turn it into video, Tweets, Facebook posts, etc. to serve multiple audiences. Engage your people. The people that craft the experience are what make your story sell, USE THEM!

3 – BE THE NEWS

Having killer content that resonates with your current buyers creates a ripple effect that generates new business. The added bonus? When companies, especially locally owned companies, are making waves in the market, it is newsworthy. Social media can and should include a lofty PR strategy.

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Business start-ups, even existing ones, take on so many tasks, that the creation of a logo is commonly overlooked. But defining your business with branding has to start somewhere, or it could be lost in the bottom of the attraction-food-pyramid.

1. LOGOS—the cornerstone of every company’s branding. When your company first launched, it may not have been a priority for whatever reason. You may feel that when a prospective customer approaches you for services or a product, your brand is not their priority. So chances are you put together something for yourself or even had a friend or family member help out with the design. But, once you’ve settled into your industry, reconsider using real designers. Sick patients don’t go to fake doctors. They go to the pros.

2. SO YOU HAVE A LOGO, BUT IS IT CURRENT? Regardless of your industry, we live in a very fast-paced society that is very critical of presentation. Does your logo speak to the world? Take time to survey your brand. Is there confusion about what you do? Go outside of your inner circle. Sometimes those near and dear to you don’t want to offend your existing brand. A great logo design should speak about the nature of your business, product, or service. So if your existing logo is out of step with your message and customers, it’s time to revamp.

3. EVERY BUSINESS CHANGES. And so should its branding. The evolution should marry with the trends of society. Consider always the future of your business and your future customers. A company with a revamped logo recognizes the importance of its legacy in the marketplace.

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With the announcement that the National Weather Service (NWS) will now be able to use mixed-case lettering due to updated equipment, there has been a spark in the importance of typography treatment. In their April press release, the NWS explained the transition from the teleprinter which only accepted ALL CAPS to an advanced weather system which accepts mixed-case lettering. You’re probably asking, “why is this important and what does it have to do with marketing?!”

ALL CAPS has turned into the shouting joke! WHEN YOU READ IN ALL CAPS YOUR INSIDE VOICE IS PROBABLY SHOUTING RIGHT NOW!!

Typography treatment can be summed up with the example above. ALL CAPS is meant to be read with a sense of importance while mixed-case lettering is the accepted conversational tone.

Typography is the Key

When creating a website, one of the most important aspects of your brand, it’s important to understand how typography plays a role in the user experience. Viewers are more likely to click through and read content when it’s easy to find. There are a variety of typography treatment options to use to call attention to certain pieces of content. The treatment can range from bold letters, ALL CAPS, underlining, or even changing the color. If your menu features one of these treatments, it makes it easier to find it among the rest of the content on your website.

A visual hierarchy is created when the text on your website is treated differently and calls important links and menus to the user’s attention. Without varying typography treatments, everything looks the same and is hard to follow.

When thinking about your website’s content, keep in mind the most important aspects. You want them to stand out so your clients can easily navigate your content.

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As a business owner, your bottom line is likely at the top of your priority list! Staying in the black is your key to longevity in the marketplace. Here are a few tidbits to help you understand the value of digital marketing as it pertains to your cost to acquire a new customer.

YOUR CUSTOMERS RARELY KNOW WHERE THEY FOUND YOU

There are a million ways to advertise your business—television, radio, billboard, yellow pages, newspaper, direct mail, and the list goes on, and on, and on! How can you possibly know which one is most cost effective? *Hint: asking your customers where they found you is one of the worst ways to learn. Frankly, if you are running a good mix of media, people can’t remember the first place they saw you and they feel pressured to answer the question so they just guess! They may say, “I found you on Google.” When in reality, they heard your name on TV, saw a billboard, and then searched for you on Google.

COST PER ACQUISITION (CPA) IS A DIRECT FUNCTION OF COST PER THOUSAND (CPM)

Cost per thousand (CPM) is a fancy advertising acronym that is exactly what it sounds like—the cost to reach 1,000 people. I always encourage business owners to compare the CPM of different mediums as a baseline for understanding which medium will be the most cost efficient.Your CPM directly correlates to your CPA—are you following me here? If you lower your cost to reach 1,000 prospects you will automatically lower your cost to acquire a new customer. So how do you do that? Simple. You ask your rep or your agency to provide the information. If you need to calculate it yourself, here’s a quick link that explains how to calculate this number for various mediums: http://www.srds.com/frontMatter/sup_serv/calculator/cpm/.

DIGITAL IS MORE COST EFFECTIVE AND HIGHLY TARGETED

You will find that 99.9% of the time, online marketing solutions, around an $8-$12, CPM (retargeting, IP targeting, digital display, geo-targeting, etc.) are far more cost efficient than traditional media. In addition, the online demographic targeting capabilities are far greater than mass media so you are getting a higher qualified audience at a much lower cost.

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In today’s world, we all have a mobile smart phone giving us the ability to search for anything we want at any time we want. Did the car break down? You can search for a towing service. Looking for somewhere to eat? You can search for nearby restaurants. My point is, if you are running a business, you need to be there when potential customers are searching their phones. Wondering how to get “there”? There are two proven ways: Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaigns and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) campaigns.

Above The Fold

A PPC campaign is a great start to getting your website in front of potential customers when they search Google. On the search results page, the PPC ads are always the first four listings on the page. On mobile, due to the screen size, those first four listings are the only listings a user can see without scrolling down. Your website is being shown “above the fold,” which is an old newspaper term that literally means, above the fold! This is why a PPC campaign is important on mobile—you are presenting your website to potential customers before they have to scroll. You are at the top!

Double Your Visibility

Even though PPC dominates the top of the search results page, not all users click on those listings. This is why you need to run an SEO campaign simultaneously. Once users scroll past those first four listings, they start seeing organic listings. If you’re only running a PPC campaign, you’re going to miss out on the users that scroll. As with any advertising, it’s always best to have as much visibility as possible. By running a PPC and SEO campaign at the same time, you’re doubling or maybe even tripling your visibility on just one page.

Mobile Friendly

Okay, so now you’re running both an SEO and PPC campaign and the user clicks on your website. The user gets to your website and immediately leaves. You did all this work to bring a potential customer to your site but they leave right when they get there. Why did this happen? More than likely they left because your site isn’t mobile-friendly. This is why you must ensure that your site is responsive and can adapt to different screen sizes. Phones come in different shapes and sizes. So if your website isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re probably missing out on potential customers.

I’m going to leave you with this one stat before I go; Google says there are trillions of searches that happen every year, and more than half of those searches are on mobile. Make sure your website is mobile-friendly in this mobile first world!

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