NetPublic Communication Services

Avoid these mistakes and your site will be steps ahead of your competition.

Troy — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 13:18:00 -0800

1.Not planning your site

Before you even have a website, you must have an idea, a focus. Why do you want a website? What are your plans and goals for the site? Sit down and draw out a map of possible pages and ideas for your site. Include your site's purpose --whether it is to sell more product or make the public more aware of your issue -- whatever it may be. Build your site from it's strong foundation (your goals) and you'll have a better, more solid site.

2. Failing to put contact information in a plainly seen location.

This could be disastrous. If a customer doesn't see this information, they can't contact you. You should consider a 'Contact Us' button or link from your Home page. Even better, make a link to your email address in your header or footer, somewhere that will show up on every page. Even if no one ever contacts you this way, just the presence of this information comforts edgy customers.

3. Broken Links

Do you enjoy clicking on a search result only to get a Page Not Found Error? No one likes them. Check your site statistics at least once a month (if not more) to make sure you don't have bad or broken links.

4. Outdated Information

A sure turn-off to a potential customer is the presence of old information. If it's July and your website is announcing the 'new' products available in February, your site just lost major credibility. Make sure your information is up-to-date. Consider adding a 'Whats New' button or a Business Blog.

5. Too Many Font Styles and Colors

This is a huge pet-peeve of my company. I've had people ask me to review their website and the first thing I notice is 4 different fonts. It looks bad, unorganized and unappealing. Different colors may attract the eye for a short time, but constant flashing or otherwise bright fonts (and graphics!) become annoying. Beware, this is a sure-fire way to scare people away from your site!

6. Orphan Pages

Every website has a heirarchy, a sort of tree that branches out from the Home Page. While most of your visitors visit you through your home page, there are times when a page further down interests someone, and they may copy that link and send it to a friend. This is where you need to pay attention. That friend may like what you have to offer, but they can't find out how to contact you, or how to get back to your Home Page. That's an orphan page. Every page on your site should, at a minimum, have a link back to your Home page. I would suggest adding a contact link at minimum.

7. Frames

Frames at one time were the talk of the industry. They were the original Content Management System (CMS) for your site. Nowadays they are few and far between. If you are designing a site, don't use frames. Newer technologies such as server-side includes are much more common and accepted. Your pages look fresher and those silly bars don't get in the way.

8. Disabling the BACK button and excessive Pop-Ups

Have you been to a website and decided that it wasn't the information you were looking for? When you clicked the BACK button, did you suddenly get a barrage of windows (or, pop-ups) to your dismay? These things rarely actually work, and worse off, the reason you hit the BACK button is because you DIDN'T want any more information from that site. Don't break the BACK button. There are other ways to get your user's attention.

9. Slow loading pages

While personal and hobby sites may normally be slow, there should be no reason for your business or other professional website to be slow loading. Today's Internet surfer won't wait long for information from your site - there are too many others with the same thing! Make sure your pages load quickly. If the server is slow, consider a different host. If your webpages are full of applets or large graphics, consider a page/site redesign.

10. Using Leading-Edge Technology

While the Internet is all about new and fancy stuff, don't be the first to do it. While it may 'look cool' to you, you ultimately need to decide if it actually enhances your user's experience. Do the flashy cartoons make your customer more apt to buy from you? Probably not. How many of your customers have to install a Plug-In just to see your page right? Do they have to upgrade their browser to contact you? Not good. Wait until the technology is either more of a standard or gone - you'll save face with potential and future customers.

Maximize Your Ad Campaign Dollars

Troy — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 13:10:00 -0800

Advertising isn't cheap, but that doesn't mean you have to spend a fortune to promote your business. Try stretching your ad dollars with these tips:

Target your market. Make sure that you reach your target audience, but don't overbuy. In large metropolitan markets, advertising
Ads by Google

See Your Ads on Google
In Just Minutes. Immediate posting. Instant Traffic. Instant results.
adwords.google.com

Targeted Advertising
Make a direct customer connection with powerful behavioral targeting
www.revenuescience.com

Small Business Marketing
Create your own or use templates Easy-to-use. 500 emails free!
www.VerticalResponse.com
in daily newspapers and on television can be costly, and you may end up paying for a much larger audience than your business serves. Find targeted media that focuses on your service area, such as community or neighborhood newspapers. Read Determining the Target Audience for Your Small Business for techniques to help you to segment your audience.

Look into regional ad buys. Some publications have regional or demographic editions where you can place an ad for a fraction of the cost of advertising in the regular edition. And cable TV stations offer local advertising that is broadcast only in certain markets.

Check into discount options. Most publications offer an agency discount of 15 percent; if you act as your own advertising agency, you may qualify. You can also get frequency discounts for advertising several times in one publication. Monthly magazines, for example, usually offer 3-, 6- and 12-time rates. Moreover, many publications offer retail rates or special rates for other types of businesses.

Buy remnant space. When you purchase leftover space or airtime that a publication or radio station can't fill, you won't get to pick your spots, but you can save anywhere from 30 to 80 percent.

Consider classified ads. The classifieds aren't merely for job openings, and they're available in magazines as well as newspapers. They're much cheaper than standard display ads, and many publications let you run mini display ads in the classifieds. Classified-ad categories include a broad range of consumer and business products and services.

If an ad works, stick with it. Run it more than once or in more than one publication. Repetition is effective, and you'll save money by keeping the same ads.

Use co-op funds. If you're a retailer, take advantage of co-op advertising funds offered by your vendors. Co-op programs reimburse you a portion of the cost of an ad that mentions the vendor. Most co-op plans have strict rules, so check with your vendors and follow the guidelines.

Try to barter. Find out whether a publication or radio station will let you pay for advertising with goods or services. This may be an option if you're working with a small media company. Sometimes called "trade" ads, these barter deals are often struck with restaurant advertisers, but it is possible to barter with any number of business products or services.

Reuse ads. If you have a good-looking ad, make the most of your investment in the creative work. Reprint the ad for use as a circular, handout, or direct-mail piece.

Whatever medium you choose for your advertising, you'll have to steer clear of the Top 10 Advertising Mistakes, such as failing to distinguish yourself from your competition.

5 Tips on Advertising Basics

Troy — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 11:49:00 -0800

1.Be consistent in your ad message and style including business cards, letterhead, envelopes, invoices, signs and banners.

2.Newspapers, radio and TV stations are helpful in producing the advertising that you will be running with them.

3.While word-of-mouth advertising has been around a long time, it usually falls short of being able to attract the number of customers needed to be successful in business.

4.Promote benefits rather than features. A benefit is the emotional satisfaction your product or service provides, or a tangible performance characteristic.

5.Know your competitors. Knowing everything about your competitors is just as important as knowing everything about your own business.