Historically, Catholic Schools have been at the forefront of scientific, educational, medical, and technological innovation.  Ironically however, Catholic Schools sometimes are one of the slower adopters of this same innovation.  This has proven true of the adoption and effective use of both websites and social media by most parishes.

Why have our Catholic Schools been so slow to embrace the  internet?  I believe it is for the same reason that any of us fail to do something well – a lack of vision and thus motivation.  In other words, without understanding the potential and importance of an idea, it is unlikely that we will be empowered to implement that same idea.

Below are what I believe to be the top 7 reasons that Catholic parishes desperately need a dynamic website.

First Impression

When someone moves into town and they are looking for a Catholic parish, what is the first thing they do?  They google “Catholic church, name of town, name of state“.  So what is their first impression of our parish?  The parish website!

If our parish website is ugly, looks like it was made in the 90′s, or is poorly maintained (i.e., it still has information about last year’s Fall Festival on the home page), that new parishioner will probably be a new parishioner at another local Catholic parish whose website reflects “we are a beautiful, dynamic parish with a flourishing faith community”.

Primary Source of Communication

What is one of the most important principles of evangelization and communication?  Meet them where they’re at.  If we want to be faithful and effective evangelists and catechists, we must go where the people are.

So where are the people in our parish? Answer: online.  The internet – websites, blogs, social media – are the primary source of information and means of communication today.  If we embrace these mediums of communication, they will help transform the life of our parish.

Increase Active Participation

How often do you spend countless hours creating and preparing for an awesome youth night, bible study, or other parish activity and then wonder why nobody (or very few people) show up?  Often, the problem is not that people are not interested in the events or ministry that we provide, it’s that they do not know about them!

Let’s be honest – most people do not listen to announcements at the end of Mass or read the parish bulletin.  However, a dynamic parish website, combined with the effective use of social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter and a robust communication tool such as email newsletters, will engage the majority of parishioners and increase awareness of the spiritual, social, and services opportunities available at the parish.  And if we increase awareness, we will ultimately increase active participation!

Efficiency

I know how much time is spent on administrative work each week.  Flyers, permission slips, volunteer recruitment and coordination, tracking down payments…all tasks (important as they were) that required time that someone would have rather been spending doing “ministry”.

With a dynamic parish website and by utilizing social media, a parish can greatly reduce the amount of time spent on traditional administrative tasks through more efficient and streamlined forms of communication.

Better Stewardship

A great parish website improves stewardship.  Firstly, we are more efficient so we are better stewards of our time.

Secondly, we can greatly reduce the amount of paper used for mail-outs, permissions slips, flyers, etc. by embracing digital communication.  This will save the parish thousands of dollars a year,

Thirdly, by freeing up more time, we are able to spend more time using our talents in other ways.

Finally, if your parish website gives a good first impression we have a better chance of growing the number of families in our parish, which ultimately increases donations and your parish.

Go Green

By creating a dynamic parish website and using social media, we can become a more paperless parish.  Thus, we will be doing our part to be a good steward of the environment.

Open 24 / 7 / 365

Regardless of how many hours we work and serve at our parish, we cannot be available around the clock.  Not true of the parish website.

The parish website is the one part of our parish that is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.  By creating a beautiful, dynamic website, you have an opportunity to evangelize and catechize at all hours of the day.

Manage Your Schools With Ease

eManagerSite is the perfect website builder for schools, colleges, and community organizations. Manage staff, notify parents, schedule events, integrate blogs and social media, and so much more. eManagerSite CMS is a complete website editing tool that fits any need – and any budget.

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Alibaba, the Chinese internet behemoth that’s relatively unknown in the U.S., is preparing to file the prospectus for a U.S.-based initial public offering next week, Reuters reported on Wednesday. Recent estimates value Alibaba between $153 billion and $200 billion and indicate that the IPO could raise up to $15 billion.

John Sculley, the former CEO of Apple, told CNBC this week that the Chinese e-commerce giant is the “hottest thing in high tech right now.”

With the IPO – the largest in tech history – just around the corner, here are five things you need to know about Alibaba.

The “hottest thing in high tech right now.”

What exactly does Alibaba do?

Think of it as a mix of Amazon.com, eBay and Paypal. Customers use Alibaba to shop online, sell unwanted goods and make online payments. Alibaba has two retail sites: Taobao, which features thousands of non-brand name products sold by smaller merchants; and Tmall, which offers brand-name products. The two sites are hugely popular, and collectively account for more than half of all parcel deliveries in China. According to The Wall Street Journal, their combined transaction volume in 2012 topped one trillion yuan ($163 billion), more than Amazon and eBay’s revenue combined.

Alibaba is big

Hangzhou-based Alibaba is China’s largest internet company and operates in the world’s largest internet market. It also has offices in the U.S., U.K., India, Japan and Korea. China has 560 million internet users – twice as many as the U.S. – who spend an average of 20 hours a week online. With 24,000 employees, more people work for Alibaba than Yahoo and Facebook combined. The site had 36.7 million registered users in 2012, and Taobao.com is one of the world’s 20 most-clicked sites, Business Insider reported. On the 11th of November every year, Alibaba conducts a huge online shopping sale which coincides with what is known in China as Single’s Day – a day on which young people lament or celebrate being single. On November 11 2013, Toabao and Tmall made 35 billion yuan ($5.75 billion) in the 24 hour period. Meanwhile, Alibaba’s mobile payments service Alipay is responsible for 70 percent of all of China’s mobile payments in 2013, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Alibaba is profitable

Alibaba Group reported a 66 percent on-year surge in revenue to $3.06 billion in the final quarter of 2013, while net income more than doubled to $1.36 billion. The robust earnings report followed a slowdown in the previous three quarters. U.S. search engine Yahoo’s market value is closely interlinked with Alibaba as it owns a 24 percent stake in the Chinese internet giant worth around $30 billion. Yahoo’s shares rose 9 percent following Alibaba’s quarterly earnings report on Wednesday. Jack Ma, the 49-year old Alibaba founder, is China’s eighth richest man and the 122nd richest man in the world, according to Forbes, with a net worth of $10 billion.

Alibaba has struggled with corruption allegations

In 2011, Chinese police arrested 36 people in connection with operating fraud on Alibaba.com. They were accused of running a criminal gang that used fake personal and business identities to open fraudulent accounts, cheating buyers out of over $6 million, Reuters reported. In 2012, Yan Limin – once the manager of Alibaba’s Juhuasuan group buying venture – was sacked for gross misconduct after accepting two large bribes. He was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2013. Several other Alibaba employees implicated in the case were also sentenced.

This is just the beginning

Alibaba made $3.5 billion worth of acquisitions over the past year. Its shopping spree has been concentrated in Asia thus far, but the conglomerate is starting to target the U.S. market. Last month it bought a minority stake in California-based messaging and free-calling app Tango for $215 million. Alibaba already has its own application, Laiwang, which had over 10 million users as of January.

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WebInteractive provides you with everything it takes to sell products and services online. We understand your needs. In today’s digital economy, people want to conduct business quickly, easily and  wherever and whenever they feel like it. Therefore, in order to compete in the 21st century, a company must be conducting business 24×7. eCommerce is one of the most important technologies that has emerged from the internet. ecommerce allows people to exchange goods and services immediately and with no barriers of time or distance.

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The comprehensive online marketing and web development solutions from TCC Web Interactive helps your business grow. Let WebInteractive do a free evaluation of your website and start making money with your website!

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By  Katie Holliday

During every cycle of technological growth, someone declares an aspect of our daily culture “dead.” SEO, print media, blogging – even the internet itself – they’ve all been tapped for extinction. Yet we still have newspapers to read, we still have search engines to please, and blogs now number over 152 million.

This does not, however, negate the sentiment that some of these mainstays are on their way out. If you think of death more as a transformation into something new, then print media is definitely experiencing that process. As is SEO, blogs, infographics, and even the mighty website itself.

It’s an obvious truth that websites as we know them are a thing of the past. They are evolving out of necessity, and in a sense, into utter oblivion. Why? Because that’s simply the nature of technology; it’s anything but static. And if your website is static, it’s an endangered species.

Why Websites Must Evolve or Die

Think about a typical website, say circa 2005. It’s a hub of information, yes, but a pretty flat and stagnant hub. Sites in this vain trying to compete in today’s marketplace have an insurmountable challenge. Look at dynamo apps like Flipboard and Facebook’s Paper. They are alive, by comparison; bursting with images and media, multifaceted, and far more engaging. Even the most successful blogs, updated daily, can’t compete with this kind of freshness and relevancy.

Technology is central to our lives because it flows at the pace of human evolution. Things that are static will always fall away, because life requires energy and movement. If you’re finding yourself stuck in the evolution of your business, take a look at your reliance on static pages and information. Remember that the internet in many ways mirrors the methods of our minds. It’s always firing, also sending new information. The most successful examples of online media these days matches that vibrancy.

How Social Media Breaks the Mold

Sites like Twitter and Facebook are not traditional websites because every second spent on either brings about a new experience. They are the polar opposite of static media, with streams of data and information available every nanosecond.

Furthermore, social media is insanely popular because it is highly customizable. If you were inundated with every tweet and status update, social media would cease to be relevant. Because you can choose whose information you are presented, it’s tailored to your liking, and engenders immense loyalty.

Is it any wonder why Google is fervently pushing folks to Google+? They understand the evolution taking place. We as business owners should too.

Consider a dynamic feed like Twitter’s juxtaposed with a static website. On the former, you could get lost for hours consuming fascinating details. On the latter, you’ll get the entire download in just a few minutes, and be ready to move on.

Companies that still cling to the notion that singing their own praises will amuse the masses are already finding success is fleeting. Given the choice between an ever-changing flow of excitement and a self-centric diatribe full of hard sells, it’s easy to see why social media is spelling death to the static website.

Adapting Your Online Business to the New Paradigm

If you want to think like a trendsetter, reevaluate your business with an eye to a new presence. The old way looked like this: build a website, do everything possible to make search engines rank you, launch numerous marketing campaigns, and essentially work your tail off trying to get attention. The problem is, consumers aren’t all looking for your services like this anymore.

The new game in town is found in the ever-present flow of dynamic media. If you want to compete with any sense of longevity, engage your future customers into a dialogue first. Hook them into your sphere by providing multiple channels of relevant, unique, and quality content offerings. Use social media to have a daily stream of industry-related
blasts, creative reveals, and various other ways of joining them in the daily flow. In other words, meet them where they are at, with information they actually want to consume.

Websites of yesteryear are like stop signs now. They’re always there, espousing the same information. And they’re expecting users to find them. It’s your job to find your audience, and to do so in a manner that matches their day to day behaviors. It’s your job to offer your audience things with tangible value before they become your customers.

The Good News and the Bad News

The more challenging aspect of this new stream-like way of marketing is obvious: it’s new, it’s different, and it requires more effort out of the gate. But the really, really good news is that the customers you do retain through this method are likely to remain fiercely loyal, if you provide a good product and service. Marketers in the modern age have to, in essence, romance their future customers. Once you do so with integrity, people are likely to keep coming back, because an actual relationship is formed.

In many ways, this is bringing more honesty to marketing. Since we really do have to work harder and harder to acquire new customers, we need to make darn sure we never take them for granted. Follow-through is as essential as the initial content offerings – all these pieces create the perfect company model. Balance is integral.

The sooner you dive into the new paradigm, the more likely your business will thrive. Change is always inevitable, and the true success stories are those who dared to shift focus before mass consciousness caught up. There’s still time to be an early adopter – step one is evolving your dying static website

Web Interactive addresses a full range of marketing needs, including email,  content and social media marketing—creating a winning synergy that delivers  quantifiable results. Want a free no obligation consultation with our experts

Contact us today at TCC Web Interactive

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info@tccwebinteractive.com

(860) 635-0500

(800) 418 2358

By Tina Courtney-Brown

Business has never been about “keeping up”. If you intend to simply pace the pack, then you are in for a rocky 2014. Innovation never rests and content marketing is home to a great deal of innovation as businesses discover its ROI and long-term potential for audience engagement and sales conversion. The question on everybody’s mind as the year draws to a close is, “what’s next?”

The simple answer: more. But how much more? More of what? How will consumers respond to more? These are all questions receiving a great deal of analysis by industry leaders and professionals. Through their insights and some knowledge of our own, 2014 can be the year where your business sees the value of content marketing.

More

Content marketing shows no signs of slowing down. According to a recent study, as many as 27 million pieces of content are shared every day. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to determine that this is a pie worth grabbing a piece of. But the equation is not as simple as doubling the number of Instagram pictures your company produces. Savvy consumers are looking for more rewarding content that enriches their lives.

The axiom “quality over quantity” remains just that, an axiom. As a bevy of content marketing pieces flood available distribution channels, separating yourself from the background noise with high-quality, engaging content is paramount. Regardless of your marketing strategy, engagement metrics, and ROI, failing to recognize the importance of quality content in the New Year will be met with disappointing, though expected, results.

The issue with this, of course, is that quality is not something that is capable of measure. The intangible characteristic can be frustrating for data-driven businesses, but hiring quality writers should be your guidepost. You run a business with aplomb and they carry that same acumen to their respective arena, so trust their instincts and skill.

Substance

While “quality” itself is intangible, the range of topics emphasized by your business is not only understandable, but also malleable. Whether you are a B2B or B2C organization, data has shown that current trends in content topics are not cutting it anymore. B2B blogs are guilty of proffering generic industry profiles and parroting industry trends, while B2C organizations are on the hook for pandering based on engagement metrics instead of value.

Luckily, either case has a straight-forward solution. For businesses, utilize case studies that examine the sources of success that propelled industry leaders to their lofty position. In addition, hold live, area events that focus on the consumer instead of the characteristics of your business. Customers are less interested in what makes you tick than they are in what insights you have to give from your position of authority.

For B2C companies, focus on value. If a customer cannot identify what they stand to gain by reading your publication or viewing your video, then you have fallen short. Consumers are inundated with media. Viral videos, news reports, texts, phone calls, and music barrage eyeballs on a constant basis. This scarcity of time should play a part when you shape your content topics. An article can be deemed “useless” before the first word is read, and this would constitute an unfortunate loss of opportunity and a sometimes costly waste of time.

Technically Speaking

Content receives the bulk of emphasis here due to its importance. However, the method of distribution of such content is as important as ever. Furthermore, understanding the changing trends in distribution can help once again differentiate your marketing from the chaff that fills Facebook feeds every day.

Most importantly, businesses will need to determine how to track their ROI on content marketing response in the year 2014. Research has shown that as little as 25% of marketers actually measure this key metric on their efforts, effectively blurring the line between discussion and noise. The actual return on Facebook likes, shares, and comments will be an area of intense development in 2014, and businesses that adopt this technology will see dividends as a result.

Beyond tracking the return on marketing efforts through analytics, businesses will need to understand the changing distribution platforms of the New Year. Until recently, businesses placed emphasis on “destination” sites; central hubs of interesting content that could deliver value and engage customers. However, this method puts a lot of eggs in one basket. The new model? Integrated, distributed content across earned, owned, and paid properties. Developing marketing efforts across all of these avenues will see better results than the consolidated approach largely due to the distributed nature of our digital lives.

This distribution does not lie simply in the formats through which we consume our content, it also resides in the platforms we use for access. According to data, mobile web will overtake desktop traffic in only two years time. This involves changing screen resolutions, readability, and access that necessitate creating content that spans all platforms gracefully. In all content, consider how the page, material, and layout will be viewed across myriad platforms and utilize practices that bridge the gaps.

By emphasizing quality over quantity, basing content ideas on customer needs, and exercising the appropriate technical practices for seamless distribution, your company can see improved sales, engagement, and customer relationships in the New Year. Content marketing has become an inarguably powerful medium, and failing to utilize it to its full potential would be an exercise in corporate seppuku. Fortunately, a little knowledge, created and used, can go a long way in 2014.

Do you need a Content Marketing plan? Contact WebInteractive  today for a free no obligation analysis of you current situation. We guarantee that we can increase your visability and results on the web.

TCC Web Interactive
A Division of the Computer Company, Inc
info@tccwebinteractive.com
(860) 635-0500

It’s a sure bet at least some of your readers are browsing your website or email newsletter on their mobile devices: Nine in ten American adults now own smartphones and a third of American adults own a tablet computer such as an iPad, up from 18 percent a year ago. For some marketers, mobile traffic is already outpacing desktop visitors, but adapting your web presence to the tablet era can be a challenge.

Having a mobile presence that works for people is really important, because if they’re frustrated with your site on their phone, they’re probably not going to go to their desktop computer and try to find your site there, especially if they’re doing something location-based

Hone in on your priorities. Start to optimize your web presence for mobile by looking at the top priorities you have for your business. Different companies interact differently with customers online. For example, a brick and-mortar business may primarily be concerned with making sure their location and hours remain highly visible. Professional offices may want clients to be able to easily schedule an appointment. Other businesses may value having their multimedia content be highly accessible in a mobile environment.

If you have a very dynamic site with a lot of moving parts, it may be hard to navigate the entire site on a tablet, let alone a mobile phone.

What would you most like your customers to be able to do on your site? Ask yourself. Then, take those priorities and make sure those features are easy to find, and use, on mobile devices.

One big obstacle to adapting your business’ web presence for mobile devices is that creating a dedicated mobile site can be expensive and complex. If you don’t have the resources to create an app or mobile site, responsive design may be just the solution.

Responsive design means that your website will be reconfigured and resized so it looks good on any screen, without having to design a website for each mobile device or browser.

Just make sure the theme you select is “responsive”—meaning that it responds or adapts to the size of the screen the visitor is viewing on. Typically, responsive themes mention this feature in their descriptions..

Unfortunately, there’s no simple plugin to make a non-responsive theme responsive. It really does require switching themes. An experienced web developer can help with the process so that the transition is smooth, without broken features on your site.

Create a dedicated mobile site.  What if you want the best mobile experience for your audience and have the resources to do it? If that’s the case, you’re going to create a dedicated mobile site for the small screen. This is a more expensive option than developing a responsive website, but can make sense for some businesses—for example, if you’d like people to be able to easily purchase from their mobile phone and your online catalog is extensive, a mobile site may yield a good return on your investment.

It’s tempting to add columns, sidebars and widgets on your mobile site, but very hard to click on the right thing when trying to scroll in and out on a mobile device. So remember to prioritize your features and layout around your business goals.

Test your site out on various devices.Whichever route you take—responsive design or dedicated mobile—here are a few steps you’ll need to follow up and make sure your customers have a great experience.

Test your site on various devices and with various operating systems. The mobile world comes in all shapes and sizes, with a variety of operating platforms including iOS, Android and Windows. A font that may look perfect on a desktop computer might be hard to read on a phone, for example. It’s a good idea to test out phone numbers, to make sure that clicking on them on your mobile device allows you to actually make a phone call. Something non-standard, like putting periods between numbers, doesn’t work. You can easily check whether it does or not right from your phone.

Compare your site to others. Looking at sites you like or wish to imitate on various devices can be helpful. Pay attention to which features improve your experience and which leave you frustrated. Get a sense for how your competitors, suppliers or vendors do mobile design by looking at a single site on multiple screen sizes and multiple devices.

Compare mobile visitors before and after. Google Analytics and other Web traffic tools make it a cinch to compare the percentage of traffic coming from mobile, so find out if your efforts are paying off. Other numbers to track if you choose to optimize for mobile traffic: time that mobile visitors spend on your site, and how many visitors are clicking on your calls-to-action or other conversion
mechanisms.

How do you ensure you have a mobile optimized website? Contact Web Interactive today for a free evaluation of your current circumstances and how we can assist you.

TCC Web Interactive
A Division of the Computer Company, Inc.
Website Design
info@tccwebinteractive.com
(800) 418 2358