All Posts, Content & Copywriting
So here’s my worldwide web, no time to be camera-shy debut. I hope there are some tidbits that can enlighten & offer clarity of key points to consider from a content writer’s perspective. These include blogging, web design and branding across all forums of marketing for your business, big or small. So get some Kettle Corn (love that stuff!), get comfy and enjoy the show.
Why Website Content Is Important [Video Interview] from designtheory on Vimeo.
Interview by Jean Perpillant of Yvonne Barber, both members of Design Theory.
Social Media
Found this really cool social media icon set online and thought I’d share it with all of you.
Designer Bio
Jasmina is a self-taught vector illustrator from Serbia who has been working as a freelance designer for over five years now. Her biggest passion is in vector illustrations and motion graphic design. In her spare time she likes to read comic books and playing Call of Duty 2. You can check out her portfolio for more and also follow her on Twitter.
Download here
Web Design, Web Development
According to a study put out a few years back, 46% of small businesses do not have a website. While I’m sure this number has changed, there are still a number of businesses without a current website–or one at all. The following is a look at some of the reasons why a website is becoming more and more vital in the current economy.
Get Found: A good deal of searches for local businesses are now taking place from mobile phones. These are people who are literally on their way to you–if they can find out if you meet their needs. Having a good (and current!) site may be the difference between them choosing you or the business down the street.
Always There: If a potential customer has a question outside of your business hours, how will they get an answer? A website doesn’t shut off when business hours end, and so can be a way for people to get answers at 2am.
Credibility: In addition to marketing your business, having a website can build your credibility. It gives you a chance to perhaps address some questions in an FAQ or display your affiliations. In addition, blogging can be another great way to brand yourself as an expert and improve your Search Engine Optimization in one fell swoop.
Cost: Doing some research into advertising rates in my area, I found that a traditional newspaper ad, run for a week, costs around $500. If a small business were to advertise continually there, it would run them about $26,000 annually. A small business website generally costs significantly less than that. Also, traditional media might not have the desired visibility and is more likely to miss potential customers–they don’t pick up a paper that day and they don’t find you.
Competition: What happens when your competitor has a website and you don’t? People, in general, are more likely to trust (and purchase) from a well-designed current site. If that’s not your company, then you could be missing some revenue (and who doesn’t want more of that?)
These are just a few reasons why having a website is so vital. If you are the part of the 46%, please consider contacting jp Design Theory today to bring your business into the digital age.
All Posts
For those outside the marketing realm, let me help define “branding”. Branding is a signature ‘look and feel’ that leverages all of the resources our industry has to offer to make sure that you will be noticed and recognized by consumers and like industry companies.
- Branding is an essential component to any business therefore it’s something you should consistently think about and ensure it evolves on an ongoing basis. Taking time to think about and employ opportunities to promote your brand is both fundamental and key to its success.
- Your brand and marketing materials should precisely detail & sell your product and/or service. If they’re not, they’re wrong. You know the old adage of “if it isn’t broke don’t fix it”…well if it is, it’s time to re-think and re-brand.
- C’mon, get focused! Your view of your product/service can sometimes be narrow and if it’s your “baby”, it can be hard to be a tough critic. So if you can’t afford to pay for a professional focus group, here is a suggestion. Get together a group of professional friends from various industries and present your products/service. Offering hors d’oeuvres and beverages is a nice form of compensation. What’s most important though is getting their feedback in writing and implementing their suggestions (if they are good ideas…) into your brand/marketing strategies and promotions.
- Know your street credibility ~ Your brand image as well as its reputation is vital. It’s super important you know what your client base is saying about you…and even your competition. Being armed with this information will allow you to evolve your branding & marketing strategies to thwart the effects of the good or bad press.
- Promote your brand across all landscapes. This should include at a minimum:
∞ direct marketing via mailers;
∞ email campaigns and promotions;
∞ online & in-store promotions; and last but surely not least…
∞ social media, etc.
All Posts, Marketing, Web Design
The term “auto response” sometimes get a little per-judging. We’ve all been there; getting bot-like email replies when trying to contact a company for assistance, or trying to reach a customer service department that seems to purposely made their call prompts all lead you to a disconnection. Well that’s not what I’m here to talk about today. I’m going to briefly describe some tactics you can use today with your contact forms and email accounts that are on your website.
Just about every website out there has a contact page. On those contact pages there is usually a web form for you to fill out to have that business or person contact you back. Some ask you for your name, email, and phone number; while others may ask you many more details to get a better understanding of who you are and how they can best help you upon reply. However you capture the information one thing is clear, the person filling out the form WANTS to be contacted back.
A Healthy Way to Use Your “Contact Us” form:
Using your contact us form for more than just that generic message “Thank you for contacting Acme Corp. A representative will be contacting you within 24 hours.” I stopped shy of adding an emoticon smiley face. Well what if that auto-response said something more like: “Thanks for contacting us at Acme Corp! While you’re waiting to hear back from us, why not check out our FAQ section that we update on a weekly basis based on our client calls. And if you have a minute, Like us on Facebook.”
Not only do I probably cut my troubleshooting call backs down to half, but I also gave them a direct link to my Facebook page and suggested they Like it too. Chances are they filled out the form because they had a question about something. If I or my marketing team is doing their homework, they can track how many calls we are receiving and what types of calls come in most. Place those questions and answers back on the website and give them a link in case they missed it is great for catching those that fall through the cracks.
A Call to Action That Works All by Itself
So you’ve finally placed a great call to action on your home page or landing pages. That’s awesome! While you’re tracking how many people are filling it out, you’re also finding out some demographics right? Lets say your offering a free copy of your eBook that normally sells on Amazon for 9.95. When they fill out that CTA, they’re taken to a sub page of your website with links to download that eBook. While they’re downloading they also get an email thanking them for downloading your eBook, but also invites them to sign up for your upcoming webinar or an “exclusive” link that gives them access some charts or data that most are not privy to.
Use a Different Response for Different Forms & Emails
One of the lazier things I’ve noticed is having one email address and auto response across your whole website. I know it sounds a little harsh, but think of it this way, why mix up all those responses into one funnel. If you have multiple landing pages for different products and services, I suggest use a separate auto response with custom messages for each product or service form and email. The clients and visitors of your website will think much more highly of you if they contact you either on accident or on purpose and notice a completely different message each time for each separate product. And while we’re at it, update those messages monthly. It doesn’t take but a few minutes each one.
Subject Lines Need to Be Clever
Using generic subject lines could land your auto response email into your visitors spam folder. We all know most people don’t eve check their spam folders that often because they’re use to getting so much. Play around with a few ways to contact back with different subject lines to increase your click-through and open rate. Spark curiosity when they read your subject line so that they actually do read it and feel happy they did at the end. Maybe offer a cool deal or discount.
So what do you do with your email auto responses? Have some more ideas to add to this list? Let us know in the comments below.
