Sitepro Blog - Entries for category 'Marketing'

Deal Me In

Steve Allingham — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:56:00 -0600

Are you a manufacturer with a network of dealers who sell your product? If so, you could be missing out on a terrific opportunity to significantly increase sales. Yeah, I know I sound like a TV pitchman, but for a small investment and support, your dealers could be selling your product online and making money for themselves, and for you.

Let’s Go ‘Kamping’

Steve Allingham — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 22:24:00 -0600

Wouldn’t you like to know what visitors to your site are thinking? Certainly an unhappy or pleased visitor could email you through your capture form, but I’ve discovered a better way. One of my clients turned me on to a new program; it’s great for all flavors of sites, but extraordinarily important for ecommerce sites.

Websites are Successful with Excellent Marketing Strategies Behind Them

Matt Haller — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 08:02:00 -0600

When creating your website you should make sure you can answer this question. How does our website fit into our short-term and long-term marketing strategy? The website will be a key element of any marketing strategy so keeping the focus on the role it will play is imperative.

Why You Need a Website

Matt Haller — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 06:57:00 -0600

Even if you're not planning on selling online, a well-crafted site is an essential for any business. Many times we hear my business is very small, just me and a couple employees and our product really isn't sold online so why do I need a website?

On Top of the Hill with Google

Matt Haller — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:22:00 -0600

Recently I read David Viney's "Get to the Top on Google" and fortunately for you, the whole book can also be read online.

In the last chapter of the book, Viney summarized his top tips for search engine success:

Seven Simple Things Everyone Needs to Know About Internet Marketing

Matt Haller — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 09:56:00 -0600

Seven Simple Things Everyone Needs to Know About Internet Marketing

Social Media

Matt Haller — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 11:52:00 -0600

Common Factors of Social Media Success

Question: Don't you think its tough to measure social media?

What do mouth watering State Fair Mini Doughnuts and Your website have in common?

Matt Haller — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 11:39:00 -0600

..."These doughnuts are a family tradition". "I wait all year long to get my fix". "Just the smell brings back such great memories". Do these sound familiar to you?

They both should inspire someone to buy!

KISS Me!

Steve Allingham — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:22:00 -0600

Don’t all stand in line with your lips puckered! What I’m talking about is “Keeping It Simple, Sweety.” I read an incredibly useful and informative book recently called “Don’t Make me Think,” by author Steve Krug. The premise is that if your site visitor has to think too much about what to do on your site, they’re not going to do it – they’re just going to move on.

Mixed Messages

Steve Allingham — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:52:00 -0600

A few weeks ago an email circulated pointing out one hapless company’s image problem. Their website was upbeat, bright, with neon green highlights and a hip feel. But the actual company’s retail location was drab, old, with ancient signage and really the opposite feel to their site. While they may have intended to capture the web audience and show them how hip they were, their actual location was anything but, and the mixed message was killing them.

Using Sitepro’s Testimonial Feature to Get Customers

Steve Allingham — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 17:39:00 -0600

Your company probably has at least one – a lovely handwritten letter from a well-served client pleased to let you know how wonderful you are. (Makes up for the handwritten note from an unhappy client pleased to let you know how rotten you are). If nothing else, that school class you gave the tour to probably sent you a thank-you note, as well. Either way, if it was positive, you probably passed it around the office, pinned it to the company bulletin board, or sent it to everyone via email. But did you think to pass it around to your customers?

Why You Need Comments

Adam Knight — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:58:00 -0600

You’ve put together a brilliant blog post illustrating your company’s newest product, or an upcoming event guaranteed to make your business the talk of the town. The post goes live, and then a couple of hours later you check back and notice a comment sitting at the bottom. Expecting lavish praise, you find instead someone claiming your company cheated them, did a poor job, or (worse yet), fired them for no reason. This isn’t a nightmare, it’s an opportunity.

YouTube Video 101 :Part 2

Keif Oss — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 13:03:00 -0600

Your Company Video: The Pro’s and Con’s of YouTube Hosting

This is part 2 in an onging series called "YouTube Video 101". See this post and others to learn how hosting videos through YouTube may apply to your business.

Social media is all the rage these days. From building company Facebook profiles to placing videos on YouTube, a lot of businesses are jumping on board. YouTube is a great medium for putting the right kind of video on (I’ll get in to what may be the right kind of video in another post). With an audience of nearly 330 million user’s world wide, the format cannot be ignored. You can use YouTube hosting to present your video content to this audience as well as embed video feeds from YouTube in your company website. While YouTube presents some incredible new possibilities, there can be some drawbacks that companies may not be fully aware of. This post explores both the pros and cons of using YouTube’s service in business applications.

What Makes A Website Successful?

Paul Her — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 16:18:00 -0600

We’re not going to focus on the design or the layout of a website, although we may mention some basic elements that will relate to the design, but more importantly, we’re focusing on how the website is structured so it can be successful.

There’s no question on arguing how a website can help you obtain a successful online presence and that it’s the most effective marketing strategy one can have as a designer or a company. A successful website should already have basic information where a site visitor can learn, identify and quickly understand how you can help. Essentially, a website provides a solution to a problem.

Who Wants to Know?

Steve Allingham — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:10:00 -0600

Have you ever wondered who’s been on your site? Well, I suppose it would be nice to know names and addresses of people who browse your site, but that’s not possible – yet. I’m talking more general terms, specifically, how often your site gets visited.

Why Ecommerce?

Steve Allingham — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:35:00 -0600

While the recession continues to batter brick and mortar stores, online sales are still pretty hot (in comparison). When gas prices climbed through the roof last year and no one wanted to leave the house – everything you needed was just a few mouse clicks away.

Website Reviews: A Great Source for Site Improvement Ideas

Josh Gore — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 14:14:00 -0600

Every month, all of us here at Sitepro gather together to discuss the websites that we've launched in the previous month (the photo to the left is Chris Landon leading this review session earlier today). It is typically accompanied by lunch, and the typical "employee banter" that one would come to expect at such a youthful enterprise. Yes, it's a lot of fun...but that's not to say that there isn't serious business going on here.

You might be wondering why we do this every month, and why it's given such high priority...It all has to do with learning what functions businesses are utilizing, and how they might apply to other types of businesses as well.

Web Marketing 101

Steve Allingham — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 08:50:00 -0600

Web marketing is easy - put your web address on absolutely everything that will ever come in contact with a customer, prospective customer, or someone you hope may one day be a customer. Yet, how many times have you come across business advertising and marketing that omits a company's web address?

Go Viral: Office Depot and the Recession Aggression Bag

Benjamin Stroinski — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:03:00 -0600

If you spend any amount of time on sites like Hulu or YouTube, you may have come across this clever new ad targeting small business owners. Advertising the "Recession Aggression Bag," a phony bean-bag style product that a small business owner can physically abuse and verbally demean to feel better about the economy, the ad does no promotion of Office Depot until you visit the intriguing URL promoted at the end of the ad: thesurvivalofthesmartest.com.

Click past the break for the full video.

Why Do I have a Business Website and How is it Doing? Part 4:
Taking Action-What Do I Do With All This Data?

Jeff Gibson — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:59:00 -0600

This is the final post in the four part series: Why do I Have a Business Website and How is it Doing? The first post expressed the importance of defining clear goals for your website, the second post showed you how to assign a dollar value to those website goals, the third post explained how to create Key Performance Indicators (KPI's) to measure the performance of these website goals, and this final post will show you how to organize and look at these KPI's to make real data-driven decisions.

5 Trade Show Tips

Susan Sudbrink — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:30:00 -0600

First, identify the industries/customers your company is trying to prospect. Research the trade shows that will attract those markets. Make a master list of all the shows. Analyze the list in terms of costs, travel, dates, etc. Then, create a short list of shows that meet your expectations and criteria.

My Two Year Old Has a Better Chance of Reading Your Content…

Chris Landon — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:53:00 -0600

I was playing outside with my son Jacob this weekend, and made an interesting observation. He was running back and forth from the yard to the garage, pulling out a different toy each time. He'd take out the soccer net, and before I could get out the soccer ball he was on to the next toy. I'd come up with a game to play with the new toy, and he'd already be on to the next. It dawned upon me that the challenge of keeping his attention long enough to get into a game is the same challenge faced when trying to get website visitors to reach your targeted message.

Why Do I have a Business Website and How is it Doing? Part 3: Site-Assessment - How is My Website Actually Performing?

Jeff Gibson — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:23:00 -0600

Once you know what your website goals are and you have defined how much each goal is worth, the next step is to measure how well your business website is actually performing in getting visitors to complete the desired goals. To effectively measure your website performance, it is important to create and understand some Key Performance Indicators (KPI's).

Directory Submission Starter Guide

Lauren Haugh — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:21:00 -0600

If you’re new to Search Engine Optimization and looking for ways to improve your presence in natural search engines, link building through directory submission is a great place to start. Follow these tips and guidelines for navigating through the sea of online directories and choosing quality ones that are worth your while.

Why Do I have a Business Website and How is it Doing?
Part 2: Monetization - How Much are my Website Goals Worth?

Jeff Gibson — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:32:00 -0600

Last week we looked at why you have a business website and why it is valuable to you. In this discussion we concluded that every business website's goal is to make money directly or indirectly by getting visitors to do something on the website, and that it is essential that you clearly define what it is you want your visitors to do and to assign a value to each goal.

Why Do I have a Business Website and How is it Doing?
Part 1: Purpose - What is the Ultimate Goal of My Website?

Jeff Gibson — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:30:00 -0600

Before you can successfully market your website, it is essential that you truly understand why you have a website in the first place and what the value of your website is.

Sitepro Attending Digital Dealer Conference in Las Vegas

Lauren Haugh — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 09:19:00 -0600

Mike Phillips, president of Sitepro.com, LLC, is in Las Vegas attending the 6th Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition at the Mirage with one of his long-time customers, owner of a Western Wisconsin car dealership. Phillips hopes to play his part in helping the struggling auto industry by leveraging Sitepro's online marketing and website solutions to help local dealerships succeed.

Fear of Blog? Don't Run from New Web Tech

Benjamin Stroinski — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:27:00 -0600

Being a self-proclaimed web junkie, new ways of using the medium always fascinate me. When blogs became popular a few years back, I operated a personal one on LiveJournal for several years as a way to stay in touch with friends and family. This was early social network days, prior to Facebook and Twitter, and having a network of peronal blogging friends was the best way to stay in touch.

Around 2005 or so, blogs took an evolutionary step, growing from a tool for "personal journaling" into an accepted communications method for businesses and news organizations.

Still, working in Northwest Wisconsin with clients less familiar with web tech, I find that the common misconception of a blog existing only as a "dear diary" sort of personal journal is still prevelant. Clients frequently react negatively to hearing the word "blog," and don't always understand what a blog can do for them. Read on to see how flexible a good blog can be a key part of your professional communication!

The Business of Blogging

Susan Sudbrink — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 10:27:00 -0600

Aren't blogs part of this "social networking" fad for younger people, simply journaling to each other online about what's going on in their lives? As a professional who has been employed in the business sector for over twenty years that is exactly what I thought social networking was all about. Boy was I wrong.

This January I had the privilege of attending the Internet Retailer Conference in Miami, Florida. Read more about how it changed my perspective on social networking, and blogs in particular, after the break.

Blog?

Kregg Knox (K2) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 11:48:00 -0600

The word "Blog," makes many people cringe, roll their eyes or go huh?, but many companies are praising the application of a Blog on there website for many reasons.

Twitter wants to know: What are you doing?

Benjamin Stroinski — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 13:16:00 -0600

Today's the day. Are you ready to get started with social networking? Let's start up your very own Twitter account! Click past the break to see how easy it is.

NoRecessionOnline.com

Mike Phillips — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 16:30:00 -0600

Welcome to our new website "No Recession Online". This website is about hope and optimism. Every day we're immersed in negative news about the economy, lost jobs, housing foreclosures, bailouts... it's enough to keep you from getting out of bed in the morning. Certainly these are real concerns affecting millions of Americans. However, the fact remains that it's not all bad news. There are positive, inspiring stories that we hear every day. I want to share some of these stories with you.

Our company, Sitepro.com, is a website development company. We build websites for a wide variety of businesses. Certainly, not all of our clients are "booming", but there is a significant number that are! Before I go one step further with my story, I must emphasize that the act of building a website to sell "stuff" online is absolutely no guarantee of success. In fact, If you're looking for a "get rich quick" idea, this isn't it.

"No Recession Online" however is a collection of case studies about everyday people who work hard, produce a product or service and deliver that product or service to online buyers. Because we have the unique opportunity to observe this cross section of businesses in action, we see and hear success stories almost every day. Some are small successes while others... hit the ball out of the park!

Because we respect the privacy of our clients, we are somewhat limited in the descriptions we can provide about individual cases though there is enough to accomplish our mission, sharing hope.

Increase Sales & Customer Loyalty with Niche Social Networks

Kregg Knox (K2) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 13:18:00 -0600

Social networking has quickly become an integral part of everyday life. The use of social networking is not simply restricted to today's youth, but spans all ages. It was revolutionary when e-mail became mainstream many years ago. The idea that you could send a message and the recipient could read that message within seconds was groundbreaking. Social networking sites are the evolution of that: communication and community building using the power of the internet. Read on to discover more about this ongoing trend.

Have you thought about your logo lately?

Benjamin Stroinski — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 10:24:00 -0600

Your company’s logo is a symbol representing your business. It serves as a visual representation of your place in the industry, your company’s culture, and your attitude to clients. Have you thought about what your logo says about your company? Read on to learn just how critical a clean, well-designed logo is the cornerstone to a solid brand.

Create a Call to Action

Emmy Bill — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:31:00 -0600

So many website owners get caught up in the “rankings game”; so much that they forget what it was in the first place that their website was supposed to accomplish.

Keep Things Consistent - Basic Brand Management

Benjamin Stroinski — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 10:25:00 -0600

Having worked for several years with small-to-mid size companies on a daily basis, the most common issue I find is lack of consistency in their visual identity. These businesses all have reasons for not developing consistent brand marketing ranging from belief that doing so would be cost prohibitive, to not believing the scope of their business is large enough for consistency to matter.

Online Businesses Defy Recession

Emmy Bill — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 10:01:00 -0600

It’s no secret that most people are watching their pocketbooks these days, so what does that mean for current businesses that are struggling, people who are considering starting a business, or those desiring to take their current business in a new direction, or to the next level. The best option that entrepreneurs have today is the option to take their business online.

5 Strategies for Business Prosperity in a Down Economy

Emmy Bill — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:26:00 -0600

In a down economy many business owners find themselves low on funds, downsizing and sometimes forced to close their doors. No business is recession-proof… not even funeral homes. But just because there may be a looming recession, doesn’t mean your business has to submit to it.

HD Video on Blu-Ray for Industry Trade Show

Lauren Haugh — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 10:16:00 -0600

In partnership with CURT Manufacturing, Sitepro delivered our first HD video production for an industry tradeshow. Learn how we leveraged their video production capabilities to provide a cutting-edge solution for our client.