Archive for the ‘Marketing’ category

Why do teachers need websites? In one word – communication!

May 29th, 2014

 

 

When my daughter Mary was in the fifth-grade, she came home with a report card that was, shall we say, less than impressive. This bright, hard working girl was getting D’s in social studies, science, and health. The first parent-teacher conference of the year was held ten weeks after school began, and it wasn’t until then that I learned of the problems she was having.

At the conference, I asked her teacher a favor. “Please let me know what Mary needs to know in these areas, when the test dates are, and when the projects are due. I will help make sure she knows what she needs to know!”

A bit flustered, the teacher said she would get back to me.

I never saw the list of competencies or test dates, but I also noticed Mary never received less than a B in her class again. While at the time I viewed this as victory for proactive parenting, I have since worried that the skills and knowledge Mary should have gained during that year fell by the wayside.

Mary’s teacher missed a tremendous opportunity by not enlisting my help and the help of the other children’s parents in her class. Over one-fourth of the year was gone before I knew my son was having problems. Even had I known he was struggling, I did not know enough about the curricular content or teacher’s expectations to know how to help.

Parents do want to help. They just need information. And technology can help you provide that information.

Yes, a classroom website can improve communication between you and your students and their families. If you’ve ever run into problems with students not taking papers home to their parents, then you need a website! Websites are effective communicators!
There are 4 ways that a website can communicate and benefit a teacher:

1. A website is open for business 24-7. People can go to your website any day, at any time of day. It is convenient. Parents can read the homework assignments or the information about that upcoming field trip. The website will be working for you even when you are asleep! It saves you time and expense. There is no way that you could schedule conferences around the clock like that. A website can take the place of meetings, parent pages, newspapers, brochures, and announcements.Thus, a website expands your time.

2. A website gives you unlimited exposure. People in your community and even from half way around the world can visit your website. Parents can give your website address to relatives who live out of town.Thus, a website expands your range.

3. Because a website expands your time and range, people that you probably would never reach through any other medium, including other teachers, can see what your class is doing. They can contact you through your website. Your website will enable you to connect with other educators who share your interests.Thus, a website expands your resources.

4. Since the great majority of students is really interested in the Internet, a website can captivate their attention and challenge them to become more interested in their school work. In their eyes, a website is “totally cool.”Thus, a website can challenge your students to become more interested in their school work.

Anything that will expand your time, your range, your resources, and also interest your students is bound to be worthwhile.


Some people are afraid to create a website. They think that it is too complicated and beyond their capabilities. Please don’t let this kind of thinking stop you. The Internet is a golden opportunity for teachers. Don’t let it pass you by. You can get a free  classroom  website right here today! Here’s an opportunity for you to get started.

Manage Your Teachers Websites 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.

Free Trial with no risk or commitment

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eManagerSite
15 Commerce Drive,
Cromwell, CT
1-800-418-2358

 

Introducing eManagerSite

May 8th, 2014

 

eManagerSite is a CMS tool made for web designers and businesses. We set ourselves apart from other CMS sites by offering more than just website editing. We know it’s more than just a website – it’s your digital workplace.

After nurturing that concept, the eManagerSite officially went into beta in late 2013. We’d love to welcome more busineses and organizations onto our CMS platform, and to have more web design and marketing agency partners.We strive to be the best business website builder for your needs.

All The Tools You Need to Manage Your Business

eManagerSite’s management features are optimized for keeping track of website content, employees, and customers.

Website Content: Update your site anywhere, at anytime — all you need is an internet connection. Uploading files is easy with a built-in FTP; those files are then easily organized with our Asset Manager that can handle anything from pictures to to videos to PDFs. You also get the ability to add in custom forms that can obtain any sort of data needed, such as Contact Forms or
Registration Forms. These forms can then be synched with our built-in email tool or outside programs like Excel to organize data or communicate information.

Employees: Unique user logins allow different employees to edit different areas of the site — so a department can be allowed permission only to its appropriate pages and functions. Our included email marketing tool can send out and keep track of internal emails and internal email campaigns to ensure privacy and security. Have as many intranet or extranet sites as needed to keep information away from the public but still displayed on a beautifully organized site.

Customers: Manage customers easily with our CRM tool. Our tool holds thousands of customer names in our database, and syncs customer data from our E-Commerce and Email Marketing modules. Get a hold of important information fast using our Search function.

Unique Management Features:

  • Content Management
  • Cloud Hosting Included
  • Intranet & Extranet sites for managing employees
  • Storage for unlimited amount of web pages
  • Powerful programming modules such as store locators and search boxes
  • Advanced customer relationship management (CRM) module
  • Unique User Permissions for different eManagerSite logins

Want the best business CMS tool available?

Start your free trial today!


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7 Email Etiquette Rules eManagerSite Recommends

April 30th, 2014

Etiquette doesn’t just apply to your table manners; it applies to email marketing too. These unwritten rules of the email world are worth reviewing. You don’t want to offend your customers by making an email faux pas, right? We didn’t think so.

Here are seven email etiquette rules that your small business should follow.

1. Always get permission

Just because someone handed you a business card doesn’t mean he or she wants to get emails from your business. You need permission from each and every customer you email. 

2. Make it easy to unsubscribe

Your customers should be able to easily unsubscribe to your emails. The CAN-SPAM laws require this option on every email you send. Don’t worry though, if you’re sending content that has value, your unsubscribe rate will remain low.

3. Make sure the content is error-free

Nothing stains your reputation faster than an email full of misspellings and grammatical errors. Your customers have high standards, so don’t let them down. Use spell check and proofread your email more than once. Remember, spell check won’t catch every error, so read carefully to make sure you haven’t mixed up words like “compliment” and “complement.”

4. Check and double check your links

You don’t want to send an email with broken links. Not only does that defeat the purpose of your email and potentially cost you sales, it also drops your credibility as a company. “The entire point of an email campaign is to generate business,”  “People want to be able to act instantly to your message. It is your job to provide them with a quick and easy way to do that.”

5. Send short and concise emails

Short, snappy emails help time crunched readers. Even if you’re sending out your company newsletter, you can offer “teaser” information with a link to the full newsletter.

6. Your subject line should relate to the content

Don’t be deceptive with your subject lines. If your email is about an upcoming sale, say so in your subject line. You can get creative with your subject line, but don’t try to trick your customers into opening the email. Customers don’t respond well to it, and it’s against the CAN-SPAM law.

7. Keep it classy

You want to convey a professional image. To do that, don`t write in ALL CAPS, it looks like you’re shouting at your customers. Don’t go overboard with things like symbols and exclamation marks, either. It’s just not necessary.At its core, etiquette is all about being polite. The same rule applies when you’re emailing. Be courteous and respectful of your customers and their time. Make sure your company is putting its most polite foot forward, and you’ll see success. Want more email marketing etiquette tips? Sign up for the free evaluation from our email experts at WebInteractive. We want to assist you in building your business and profits.

Design and Web Development

Web Interactive, a division of The Computer Company Inc. (TCC), specializes in Website Design Connecticut, strategy, SEO, SEM, web design, e-commerce, and proven online marketing strategies
for 100’s of businesses just like yours for over 15 years.

Developing and managing your company’s entire web presence is our business.

Contact Us

Hartford Area
15 Commerce Drive, Cromwell, CT 06416

Directions to our corporate office

 Other Locations

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Paramus, NJ 07652
201.447.1770

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This post contributed by guest author, Lisa Furgison

eManagerSite’s Best Practices For Designing Mobile Websites

March 12th, 2014

For interactive designers and developers, the mobile revolution is here. Mobile browsers have been around since the ’90s, but Apple’s launch of the iPhone in 2007 enlightened us to the true potential of handheld mobile devices and became the catalyst for today’s mobile explosion. With continuous introductions of more powerful and usable touchscreen phones and tablets stimulating the rapid growth in mobile browsing, companies can no longer afford to ignore the mobile experience associated with their brand.

Inevitably, focus is shifting away from developing native apps for individual devices and platforms, to developing mobile sites and web applications that provide excellent user experiences across all devices and mobile browsers.

This shift is happening for many of the same reasons our desktop software applications are moving to the cloud. An application that works well for everyone, everywhere, and on every platform is a beautiful thing for everyone involved. When a cloud-based application is updated, the change is instantaneous for everyone that uses that application. The same applies to mobile websites. There’s no need for a lengthy app approval process, no need to prompt users to download updates and no need to develop for every device and mobile operating system.

Great mobile sites start with function over form

Mobile users tend to look for mobile sites that address a need (entertainment, productivity, and communication are the most popular). Therefore, it is imperative that design serves to facilitate the underlying functional requirements of the site. Confusing user interface or poor performance will irrevocably damage user trust, rendering even the most beautiful designs moot.

Performance is the new sexy

Mobile users have a bewildering number of choices for interactive engagement. Any new mobile site has to compete with 500,000+ iOS apps, 260,000 Android apps, and more than 4 million mobile-optimized websites. Performance is the easiest and best way to stand out. Users have no tolerance for slow performance, but a strong appreciation for mobile sites that get the job done.

Simple is as simple does

Mobile sites must be driven from a simple idea or concept and then execute flawlessly against that concept. So, pick an idea that has real value to potential users and then deliver that value in an easy to understand site. Mobile sites that quickly communicate simple and compelling value to consumers have a much higher success rate than those sites that do not.

Don’t build an app when a site will do

Mobile apps are great because they do things that mobile sites can’t do. But it doesn’t make sense to use them for what a site can do. Mobile apps lock development and design into specific ecosystems, require significant redundant development to cross platforms, add a vast amount of management complexity, and involve powerful outside actors in the process (carriers, handset manufacturers, operating system developers, store administration, and others). Mobile sites avoid all of these things and allow for a much faster path to execution. Have a clear understanding of what mobile sites can and can’t do and plan accordingly.

Engage the design team early and often

Despite the technical challenges of mobile execution, sites still begin and end with designers. Many mobile sites (and apps) clearly have an engineering first approach and they have a very high failure rate. Great technology and development are certainly the foundations of success in mobile but they are not the determinants of success. Design is. Designers should be involved with every stage of development.

Balance design elements to drive performance

While designers need to be involved early, so do developers. Mobile devices are very underpowered compared to traditional computers, so the performance impact of design elements is even more exacerbated on mobile devices. It is important to balance design directions with the realities of what can be executed well on mobile devices.

Define brands in the user interface The user interface should reflect the brand’s identity. Most mobile web traffic is destination drivenand few mobile sites are discovered through browsing. Brand awareness in the design process increases user recognition, leverages existing user loyalty, and results in enhanced user satisfaction. This would include focusing on visual language, consistent text, brand fonts, and incorporating core functions that are also as closely associated with a brand as possible.

Identify and address core users

Mobile is inherently more selective than the general public web and the mobile ecosystem is far more fractured. Further, mobile users will visit the mobile website away from their keyboards and out in the real world. Much of that interaction will be driven by the function or content of the mobile site in question. For example, a shopping tool is much more likely to be used in an actual retail environment than a wine review site would be, which is why it’s vital that mobile sites be specifically developed to address distinct user profiles and use cases.

Optimize design for perceived performance

The sad truth is that no matter how well a site is implemented, the mobile ecosystem remains unreliable. Carriers, locations, and devices can all have a pronounced effect on mobile web performance. Therefore, it is critical to identify those areas of potential performance degradation (such as data fetching and calculations) and then develop design strategies to minimize the user performance impact of a slowdown. For example, operations that require outside data retrieval, like populating a location specific form, can be broken into step-by-step mini flows as opposed to single step execution. That way each flow is easy to accomplish and the interactions provide time for the website to perform its performance task without appearing to slow down. Load screens are another example. By providing load imagery, such as progress bars and the like, the user is given the impression of performance or progress that can operate independently of the actual performance of the site.

Balance design priorities with performance requirements

Mobile sites have to perform well, look great, and deliver significant user value on underpowered computers that use tiny screens with limited bandwidth (you know, smartphones). Pulling this off isn’t easy and it requires that design and development both inform and guide each other. Design that is unappealing will turn off the most technically efficient site, while great design is largely irrelevant when implemented on a rickety development foundation. The success or failure of mobile websites is most often attributed to how well these two disciplines are balanced.

Want to maximize your website with Mobile Readiness?

Contact us today at
TCC Web Interactive

A Division of the
Computer Company, Inc

info@tccwebinteractive.com

(860) 635-0500

(800) 418 2358

Web Interactive’s SEO Predictions For 2014

March 5th, 2014

Google certainly kept SEO experts at Web Interactive and our marketers on their toes throughout all of 2013. Think 2014 will bring more of the same? An educated guess would answer yes and no. Algorithms are always being tweaked and refined, so in that sense, you bet there will be new hoops to jump through. But high-quality, fresh content has never gone out of style. In that sense, 2014 will be more of the same.

For those aspects that are not as consistent as fabulous content, it takes a detailed watch of past trends and current search nuances to   see where things might be headed in 2014. Let’s take a gander at predicting what marketers will need to pay attention to this year in the world of SEO.

Content Marketing Continues to Dominate

The heart of your successful 2014 SEO campaigns should most definitely contain extensive content marketing. This trend saw a huge surge in 2013, and the momentum is expected to continue tenfold. Content marketing and SEO are best friends because great content does indeed equal great SEO. Content has a myriad of functions in addition to providing search engines quality results, but for the sake of SEO, nothing could be more critical to your efforts than comprehensive and consistent content marketing campaigns.

It’s All About Semantics

Semantic and entity search are two aspects that Google’s Hummingbird update has highlighted, so it’s reasonable to expect these tactics will be even more important in the coming year.

Semantic search highlights more responsive and in-depth search results. Google is always looking to improve how it responds to user search terms, aiming to better answer the searcher’s quest with every update. When we speak of entity search, we simply mean we are supporting Google’s efforts in creating more accurate results when a user triggers a search query. Entity and semantics search efforts therefore go hand in hand.

How can you partner with Google and ensure your site is semantics compatible? Because semantic search techniques use HTML to emphasize the focus, meaning, and overall content of site pages, you’ll need to review your keyword and meta data strategies to ensure you’re compliant. Most sites originally drafted this content as a means to define the overall theme and structure of the site – this represents a subtle but critical shift, so reviewing your SEO language is integral to continued success.

Long Tail Gains Momentum

Another trend from 2013 that’s likely to see an uptick in popularity is Long Tail Keywords. Long tail keywords are more lengthy 3-5 word phrases that target specific, relevant search phrases used to access targeted content on your site.

Long tails are likely to increase their SEO power for a multitude of reasons. For starters, searches are becoming more and more targeted. People are less likely to search for “shoes” these days, and more likely to get far more specific – such as “red high heel stilettos.” It’s also much easier to rank higher for long tail keywords, as they are far less competitive.

Most notably, however, is the shift towards a focus in entity search. Because entity search is a more exact way for search engines to  discover the actual intent of the searcher, long tail searches will naturally become more relevant. Google and company are attempting to narrow down search results in a far more efficient and detailed manner. They can’t do this with generic keywords. The more specific and focused you become in your SEO efforts, the more likely you are to see stellar results.

Mobile Relevancy Will Continue to Skyrocket

Google’s Hummingbird update back in September of 2013 contained another essential ingredient; mobile content requirements. These days, if your site or content isn’t accessible on a mobile device, the search engines may deem it non-existent. All content you produce this year needs to be cross-device compatible. 33 percent of paid search clicks came from mobile devices in 2013 – this trend is only expected to increase, so your focus on mobile-friendly content should definitely follow suit.

Get Social, and Get on Google+

If you’re publishing content but not linking to it from your Google+ account, you’re missing out on some critical SEO benefits. With the new emphasis on author rank, Google is by-proxy encouraging marketers to get more active on their Google+ profiles and connect their content. If blogs and articles link to the author’s Google+ account, but a link doesn’t appear on their profile page, the author rank is not triggered. Author rank is another excellent element to good SEO, and can help significantly increase your reputation and credibility.

Social signals overall are bound to be even more important to SEO in 2014; as search engines are able to crawl more of these actual social sends, you can bet the algorithms will adjust accordingly. It’s also obvious that Google is not giving up on social network dominance, and they’ll continue to do all they can to make Google+ a relevant and popular social destination. Ignore these efforts and your SEO results may not improve.

Don’t Forget about Links

Many search experts have been sounding the alarm in 2013, announcing that link building for SEO is dead. Don’t believe the hype – Google continues to say differently. Why is link building still an important SEO focus? Because search engines still need context about the content you’re publishing, and its related utilities.

Link building is not just a mundane task of adding links to content, and courting the return. This also involves press releases, or advanced techniques like finding broken links on popular, high-ranking websites and filling the void with relevant content (called “broken link building”). All signs show that this un-sexy but highly necessary process still matters in a big way

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

A Division of the Computer Company, Inc

info@tccwebinteractive.com

(860) 635-0500

(800) 418 2358

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Article by Tina Courtney-Brown

How to Market With eManagerSite on Pinterest and Instagram

February 12th, 2014

As social media continues to intersect with SEO and content marketing efforts in 2014, marketers are faced with the job of deciding which social networks to use. It can be tempting to stick with the platforms you already have a presence on, while skipping networks like Instagram and Pinterest where you may not have a profile. And you need a profile to fulfil the traditional goal of social media marketing: creating more followers and interested customers – right?

The truth is, social media has a lot more benefits for your brand than an increase in followers. Platforms like Instagram and Pinterest have different marketing opportunities than Facebook and Twitter, due to their visual element. By ignoring these visual networks, you may be limiting the scope of your marketing campaign. You’ll also be ignoring the growing role that graphics and visuals are playing in content across the web.

Michael Kors was one of the first brands to take advantage of the imagery of Instagram. Take a look at the brand’s Instagram ad that promoted its new product – this photo received 218,000 likes within a 18 hours. Whether you decide to create an account on a visual network or take advantage of marketing opportunities without a branded account, Pinterest and Instagram’s imagery can help you expand your brand’s reach.

The Big Picture

It’s not enough to focus on just one or two social networks anymore. It’s clear that Pinterest and Instagram attract unique demographics, and if you don’t work within these networks, you’ll be missing out on various opportunities. Not only does imagery matter to social media users, but images can help your brand convey a lot of creative ideas.

While Pinterest users range a little older and primarily consist of women, Instagram is more balanced between younger men and women users. If one of these audiences is a good fit for some of the customers you are trying to target, you may want to expand past your primary social media accounts.

For instance, Facebook and Twitter involve posting about what just happened or what is happening now. Pinterest, on the other hand, is ideal for future plans. This makes it a powerful platform for customers looking to discover new products, services and experiences. Instagram is similar, because its platform allows you to show off your brand’s new products that might interest users down the road.

So should your business market through Pinterest and Instagram, so you can take advantage of the visual opportunities?

Why You Shouldn’t Use It

Before you decide to enter the Pinterest and Instagram networks, strategize and make sure you have the time and resources to make your efforts worthwhile. Just because everyone else is using it, everyone is talking about it online, or your competitors are already on the network doesn’t mean you necessarily need to follow.

Your competitors aren’t always right, and even though the networks are free, you still have to dedicate time to see results. Don’t make the marketing decision because of what others are doing; instead, strategize and come up with ways you can incorporate imagery into your brand. Make sure you have the capability to create graphics and photographic content. And analyze the demographics to determine if it’s the right move for you.

Why You Should Use It

Pinterest and Instagram’s networks have valuable demographics due to their visual elements. Most women or teens use one of the platforms, and most young consumers aren’t waiting around for brands to join – they’re already sharing content from the brands that are interacting with them now.

Compared to other sources of traffic, conversion rates for Pinterest users are extremely high. Unlike Facebook and Twitter, Pinterest introduces customers directly to retailers and helps brands catch users’ attention first.

There is also a large amount of sharing potential that helps increase a brand’s initial exposure. Since over 80% of pins are re-pins, it’s easy for one single pin to go viral and appear on Pinterest over and over again for weeks. This can send an immense amount of traffic to your website, making it possible to measure social media results without focusing on your number of followers.

Marketing Potential Without a Branded Account

Your presence and the number of fans isn’t the only important part of social media. You want to start a conversation about your brand that connects with every audience you want to target. This is why networks like Instagram and Pinterest have so much potential, since images can create great conversations and curiosity.

And if you move away from the traditional goal of increasing your social media followers, you can still get other valuable results such as direct traffic or content discussing your brand – and you don’t necessarily have to create an official branded account.

Here are some tactics for increasing your exposure on Pinterest and Instagram:

Focus on getting the metrics first, so you can convince your team that a profile on these social platforms would be a wise investment in the future. Measure impressions, re-pins, likes and comments to prove that the network is beneficial for your targeted demographic.

Create “printables.” These graphics are extremely popular on Pinterest, and they can be beneficial to your marketing. For example ties in with Valentine’s Day gives users a free product, while spreading the brand organically. If you’re creative, almost anything can be turned into a printable.

Use hashtags to promote your product and get users to interact with your brand. Instagram users rely heavily on hashtags to discover new content, as well as share it. This means you can give your content more reach among a large pool of users.

By figuring out ways your business can create content that can be shared on Pinterest and Instagram, you can easily extend your brand’s reach – while generating exposure and site traffic – without even having an account.

eManagerSite 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 eManagerSite

A Division of the Computer Company, Inc

info@tccwebinteractive.com

(860) 635-0500

(800) 418 2358

 

Unlock the Power of Your Email Marketing With eManagerSite

February 4th, 2014

Email is an incredibly powerful marketing channel.  According to new research email marketing is 40 times more effective at attracting new business than Facebook and Twitter combined.  This statistic may strike you as surprising—considering all the industry hullabaloo surrounding social media.  Prospects who land on your website through emai marketing are more likely to convert to clients than those who arrive via social media, and email subscribers spend significantly more than social media prospects once they make a buying decision.

However, these email marketing trends may not continue in the long run, citing a decline in the rate that people check their email—20% between 2008 and 2013.  The change is attributed to the increasing number of ways to communicate, largely a wide variety of social media channels.  Although email still has a distinct marketing advantage over social media,  the gap will likely shrink, as Facebook, Twitter and other social networks mature and work to enhance engagement.  Act now to realize the full potential of your email marketing.

What is important to realize though is that social media, content and email marketing can effectively work in harmony and create a winning synergy as part of a strategic inbound marketing plan.  Social media can be used to capture new addresses for your email marketing database; social icons and social sharing buttons on your blog can incite greater content curation.  Social sharing prompts embedded in your email content can increase its reach, enhance engagement and boost lead generation.  The ways that inbound marketing can optimize social media, content and email marketing go on and on…For now, let us focus on optimizing your email marketing.  To unlock the power of email marketing, commit yourself to ongoing learning and best practices.

Make a Winning First Impression

Your subject line needs to be information-rich and captivating and pack a punch.  Many of your prospects will read your email on the go, so your subject line needs to be concise.  Mobile devices display a limited number of characters in the subject line, so make your email titles short and sweet with your value proposition featured prominently.  Your first line of email text is used to generate a message preview, so be sure not to waste this precious space.  Get to the point quickly; use fonts like Verdana that are easy on the eyes, and keep the font size at 16 pixels or more.

Never send email with an unclear “from field.”  Due to prolific spamming, people are very protective of their email inboxes.  When they feel spammed or violated, email recipients are quick to unsubscribe from mailing lists. Therefore, it is critical to establish a level of familiarity and trust from the start by making it easy to understand who you are and why you landed in their inbox.  Receiving an email newsletter, which you did not sign up for feels like an invasion of privacy.   Be courteous and smart; build your email database organically with an opt-in form on your website.

It may be most effective to use a company name, a personal name—like the name of the recipient’s account manager or the business owner—or a combination of the two in your from field.  Experiment to determine the way that works best for your brand.  Finally, always include an actual email address, which the recipient can reply to—proving that you are a real human being.  Follow these guidelines to increase the number of eyes that actually see your clever email marketing.  You cannot convert email prospects, if your emails get deleted or end up in the dreaded spam folder.

Your Prospects Are Unique; Do Not Send One-Size-Fits-All Emails

Create a friendly tone right off the bat by addressing your prospects by their first names.  Do not assume that everyone on your email list has the same interests; it will make your content less engaging and relevant to your individual email subscribers.  Provide options, and take the time to custom-tailor your email content to the unique interests of your subscribers.

Inquire about their likes and burning questions, when they opt in so that you can effectively segment your email lists.  With email segmentation, you can strategically target your message—sending out different emails based on the content that prospects view and download on your website, the information they provide via your call to action, the comments they make about your content, stated interests, industry, job title, location and  other relevant data.

Do Not Become a Nuisance

If you create winning email marketing, you will see a net increase in lead generation and sales with each round of emails in the short run.  Although it may be tempting, refrain from emailing too often—thus wearing out your goodwill.  Scheduling an extra email for a good reason on occasion  is acceptable.  However, when new emails are added to the mix too rapidly, your boosts in sales could level off, stop or even reverse over time.  Keep an eye your email engagement metrics, and take care not to become a pest.

Using inbound marketing to build an opt-in email database can dramatically increase the efficacy of your email marketing.  Prospects who opt in and really want to hear from you are far more likely to appreciate your email content and click through it than those unfamiliar with your brand.

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

(800) 418 2358

 

 

 

 

Author: Monica Romeri

10 Ways to Use Video in Your Marketing

December 5th, 2013

1. Add video to your LinkedIn profile I don’t know about you, but one of the first places I go when I meet someone new is LinkedIn. I want to find out more about them, their history, and who they know. Now you can include a video in your LinkedIn profile – the perfect place for new connections to get a better idea of what you’re all about and start bonding with you, anchoring good feelings about you from day one.

2. Put a link to your video in your email signature you never know who your emails might get forwarded to maybe one of your customers passes on your info to another prospect. By having your intro video in the signature, you make it easier for people to get to know you better (and that’s crucial!)

3. Feature a video in your email newsletter Whether you’re already sending out regular emails to your customers and prospects or you plan to start email marketing in the future, the question “what do I write about” always comes up. You can feature your intro video or a
content / tip / FAQ video in the email …. Just write a little bit of text to lead into it, include a picture of the video linking to it on your website or YouTube.

4. Post video in Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google +, etc. This works great, especially if you get into the habit of producing video on a regular basis (like once a month would be nice). It’s always tricky coming up with content to post in social media that is business related. FAQ and SAQ’s (should ask questions) are the solution. People love to watch and share videos, and it’s also a way to build up a formidable presence in Google (host your videos on YouTube AND embed on your website). A good strategy is to post a link to the YouTube video in Facebook one day, LinkedIn another day, Google + another day, etc. All this interlinking gets you exposure in lots of places, all of which strengthens your presence in Google.

5. Put an intro video on your website home page just having video on your website will give you a 50x better chance of ranking on Google. Besides that, you’ll better engage the people that come to your site so they stay longer and “bounce” less (which can hurt your google
rankings). Plus it makes the experience more personal and of course, helps prospects to better know, like, and trust you.

6. Turn your video into a blog post just like with the email newsletter, you can use the video as content for your blog. I recommend hosting it on YouTube, embedding it in the blog post, and also write some intro text. It’s also handy to include a transcript of the video (all that text is good for Google). AND – upload that transcript to YouTube! (Google is already “reading” your videos, so make it easier for them and ye shall be rewarded)

7. Run a video ad campaign on Google Adwords You may or may not be a fan of those video ads that show up before the real video plays – but it works. Did you know you can use those same $100 adwords credits that come in the mail for video ads too?

8. Ask each of your clients to share your video with at least one person. The whole video thing just makes you stand out.If you have a “real” video of you talking, being interviewed as the expert, it does a great job of positioning you in the eyes of the viewer.It’s not only easier for your clients to forward than the typical “hey, this guy does blah blah blah, you should call him”email, but it’s also more effective.

9. Send your video ahead before making that “cold call” If you email someone your video first, they will already know what to expect by the time you call them. Never make another cold call again

10. Do nothing – the video will likely show up in the search engines all by itself By hosting your video on YouTube, and spending a little time incorporating the right keywords (watch this) into the title, description, and tags section of the video, that video stands an excellent chance of showing up in a regular Google search. Why? Because Google owns YouTube, and videos are big right now – and they make money off of it!

Want to incorporate videos in your SEO strategy for your website? Please contact US today for a free evaluation of your website
and how we can improve your results.

TCC Web Interactive
A Division of the Computer Company, Inc.
Website Design CT
15 Commerce Drive, Cromwell, CT
info@tccwebinteractive.com
(860) 635-0500

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Mike
Liebensohn

Social Media Trends That Will Make You Rethink Your Social Strategy

December 2nd, 2013

Know what the fastest-growing demographic on Twitter is? Or how many new members join LinkedIn every second? The answers will surprise you!

If you’re managing social media for your business, it might be useful to know about some of the most surprising social media statistics this year. Here are some that might make you rethink the way you’re approaching social media.

The fastest growing demographic on Twitter is the 55–64 year age bracket.

This demographic has grown 79% since 2012.

The 45–54 year age bracket is the fastest growing demographic on both Facebook and Google+.

For Facebook, this group has jumped 46%.

For Google+, 56%.

Those are impressive numbers against the prevailing idea that social media is “just for teenagers.” It certainly points to the importance of having a solid social media strategy if these age brackets fit into your target demographic.

Rethink it: Keep older users in mind when using social media, particularly on these three platforms. Our age makes a difference to our taste and interests, so if you’re focusing on younger users with the content you post, you could be missing an important demographic.

189 million of Facebook’s users are “mobile only”

Not only does Facebook have millions of users who don’t access it from a desktop or laptop, but mobile use generates 30% of Facebook’s ad revenue as well. This is a 7% increase from the end of 2012 already.

Rethink it: There are probably more users accessing Facebook from mobile devices than you thought. It’s worth considering how your content displays on mobile devices and smaller screens before posting it, particularly if your target market is full of mobile users. Of course, make sure to make sharing to social media from mobile more straightforward.

YouTube reaches more U.S. adults aged 18–34 than any cable network

Did you think TV was the best way to reach the masses? Well if you’re after 18–34 year olds in the U.S., you’ll have more luck reaching them through YouTube. Of course, one video won’t necessarily reach more viewers than a cable network could, but utilizing a platform with such a wide user base makes a lot of sense.

Rethink it: If you’ve been putting off adding video to your strategy, now’s the time to give it a go. You could start small with simple five-minute videos explaining what your company does or introducing your team.

Every second two new members join LinkedIn

LinkedIn, the social network for professionals, continues to grow every second. From groups to blogs to job listings, this platform is a rich source of information and conversation for professionals who want to connect to others in their industry.

Rethink it: LinkedIn is definitely worth paying attention to. In particular, this is a place where you may want to focus more on new users. Making your group or community a great source of information and a newbie-friendly space can help you to make the most out of the growing userbase.

Make sure you share consistently to your LinkedIn company page and profile by, for example,scheduling your posts.

Social Media has overtaken porn as the No. 1 activity on the web

We all knew social media was popular, but this popular? Apparently it’s the most common thing we do online. Sonext time you find yourself watching Kitten vs. Watermelon videos on Facebook, you can at least console yourself with the fact that the majority of people online right now are doing something similar.

Social media carries more weight than ever. It’s clearly not a fad, or a phase. It continues to grow as a habit, and new platforms continue to appear and develop.

Rethink it: Putting time and effort into your social media strategy clearly makes sense in light of these stats. If you weren’t already serious about social media, you might want to give it a bitmore of your time now.

LinkedIn has a lower percentage of active users than Pinterest, Google+, Twitter and Facebook

Although LinkedIn is gathering new users at a fast rate, the number of active users is lower than most of the biggest social networks around. So more people are signing up, but they’re not participating. This means you’re probably not going to have as good a response with participatory content on LinkedIn, like contests or polls, as you might on Facebook or Twitter.

Rethink it: If you’re hoping to get people involved, think about which platforms are best for that. Looking at the latest Twitter statistics and Facebook statistics, these platforms might be a better place for your contest or survey, while passive content like blog posts or slide decks might be just right for your LinkedIn audience.

93% of marketers use social media for business

Only 7% of marketers say they don’t use social media for their business. That means there are lots of people out there getting involved and managing a social media strategy. It’s becoming more common to include social media as part of an overall marketing budget or strategy, as opposed to when it was the outlier that no one wanted to spend time or money on.

Rethink it: If you’re struggling to make your strategy work, or you just want some advice, you don’t have to go it alone. If 93% of marketers are using social media for business, you can probably find someone to give you a hand. Plus, there are lots of blogs, videos and slide decks around to help you out. Be sure to find the right social media management tool for you to stay on top of everything.

25% of smartphone owners ages 18–44 say they can’t recall the last time their smartphone wasn’t next to them

It’s pretty clear that mobile is a growing space that we need to pay attention to. And we’ve all heard the cliché of smartphone owners who don’t want to let go of their phones, even for five minutes. Well, apparently that’s not too far from the truth. If 25% of people aged 18–44 can’t remember not having their phone with them, there are probably very few times when they’re not connected to the web in some way.

Rethink it: While you can reach people almost anytime, since they have their smartphones with them almost always, this also means you can interrupt pretty much any part of their lives. Don’t forget that having a phone in your pocket all the time isn’t the same as being available all the time.

Even though 62% of marketers blog or plan to blog in 2013, only 9% of US marketing companies employ a full-time blogger

Blogging is clearly a big focus for marketers who want to take advantage of social media and content marketing. This is great, because blogging for your business has lots of advantages: you can control your company blog, you can set the tone and use it to market your product, share company news or provide interesting information for your customers. With only 9% of marketing companies hiring bloggers full-time, however, the pressure to produce high-quality content consistently will be a lot higher.

What a lot of people struggle here is how to write the best headlines for your articles, when the best time is to publish posts and lots of other blogging questions that arise when people are starting out.

(Of course, not all marketers work at marketing companies, but the stats are still interesting–how many companies in any industry can afford to hire–or already have–a full-time blogger?)

Rethink it: If you don’t have (or can’t afford) a full-time blogger for your business, be aware that having a content strategy that requires consistently posting on your blog will mean a lot of work for your marketing team and/or other team members in your company to keep up that volume. This can work, it’s just important to realize how big a task it is to run with a full-time content strategy without a full-time content creator.

25% of Facebook users don’t bother with privacy settings

We’ve seen a lot of news about social media companies and privacy. Facebook itself has been in the news several times over privacy issues, Instagram users recently got in a problem area over changing their terms of service, and the recent NSA news has seen people become more conscious of their privacy online.

But despite these high-profile cases of security-conscious users pushing back against social networks and web services, Velocity Digital reports that 25% of Facebook users don’t even look at their privacy settings.

Rethink it: Assuming that all of your customers are thinking along the same lines could be a big mistake. Especially if you’re basing that on what you’ve heard or read in the tech news. Remember that your customers might have very different priorities than what you expect.

Your social media strategy really comes down to what your goals are, and who your target customers are, but it doesn’t hurt to pay attention to the trends happening across the web. Hopefully these stats will help you to identify trends that will affect your strategy and your need to adjust accordingly.

Want to discuss these trends and see how they can maximize your website sales.

Contact Web Interactive at 800 418 2358

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

 

 

 

 

 

By Belle Beth Cooper

How to Track the Success or Failure of Your SEO with eManagerSite

November 1st, 2013

As you make changes to your organic SEO strategy via keywords or on-site updates, it can be challenging to know whether you efforts are actually generating positive results. Because organic SEO can take weeks and months to show tangible movement in your search engine rankings, it is essential to know how to accurately track successes and failures as early as possible. Educating yourself about the key metrics that point to the overall health of your SEO efforts can save tremendous time, money, and headaches.

Accurate measurement of any SEO campaign varies significantly based on the actual business focus and its key objectives. There are, however, a few key performance indicators that quickly reveal the effectiveness of any SEO strategy

Within hours or days of an SEO campaign launch, start paying attention to the following;

  • Rankings
  • Traffic
  • Conversions

These metrics point to the overall success of your campaign, and any movement within them after an SEO launch can start indicating long term expectations of success or failure.

Never Underestimate the Power of Keywords

There’s no understating it; keywords are critical. Correct selection and utilization of keywords can help manifest a page one Google listing, which studies show can garner you up to 92 percent of the potential traffic. Your first step is to meticulously select your perfect keywords. Then, after integrating them into your site, social media profiles, and marketing materials, start measuring their impact. Here’s how to break it down:

Let’s pretend you’re tracking a total of 10 keywords. Two of your choices are landing you on Google’s first page. The other 8 need additional optimization. You’ll need to examine your on-site and off-site strategies to find ways to improve these results. Or you may determine that those particular keywords are too competitive, and/or not applicable enough to your website to bring you the results you’re after.

Tracking Traffic

Understanding the power of your keywords involves far more than monitoring rankings. The impact of keywords on traffic is also essential. Always measure the quality of traffic you’re getting, and, of course, the volume. Remember that landing on the first page of Google for any search results is meaningless if the traffic you’re generating doesn’t convert.

To determine how your keywords are affecting your traffic, watch the metric that measures the amount of your traffic that is generated from organic search. Your individual business and SEO targets will help you determinehow much volume can be expected. As an example, if you’ve launched a national campaign, you’ll obviously expect more volume than if you’ve targeted a smaller geographic region.

So how do you quantify the quality of your website traffic? Pay attention to key website metrics like bounce rates and pages per visit. Bounce rate is really the biggie – if you’re getting a double digit bounce percentage, or if you notice it increasing after a campaign launch, it’s a safe assumption that your traffic quality has diminished.

How Good is Your Website at Converting Visitors?

Cash is still king, and conversions are the easiest way to measure how successful your marketing and website efforts actually are. Don’t assume that conversions are black and white by definition, however, as this too can be a multifaceted metric.

Here’s an example: Many SEO campaigns have the goal to increase overall leads. Remember that conversions aren’t just tracked via the web, but also through any other communication channel, like phone calls, appointment or quote requests, and related correspondence. If all your business does is sell tangible goods, a conversion is a sale. Most sites, however, have diversification with conversions, so make sure you’re considering the big picture.

Additionally, as you know, marketing is not always a real-time action. Since not all of your traffic will be ready to commit after the first visit, measure conversions by other metrics like newsletter sign-ups, social media fandom, media downloads, and any other action that indicates engagement. All of these point to a sincerely interested visitor, and could certainly equate to revenues in the very near future.

How to Quantify Your ROI

Because conversions can be abstract and, in essence, without revenue out of the gate, it’s a super smart strategy to map out the value of a conversion before you launch any related campaigns. This is obviously very unique to your business, and you may also have cost structure tiers to help determine actual ROI too.

Always factor in the customer’s lifetime value as you consider ROI. This equates to the expected profits you can receive per converted customer over their life long relationship with your business. Limiting your calculations to a single transaction conversion is a narrow focus and won’t reveal your actual ROI.

It’s obvious that tracking SEO campaign success is not necessarily a cut and dry process, but if you rely solely on something like search rankings, you’ll be missing a good portion of the story your metrics are telling you.

What metrics do you use to accurate track the success of your SEO tactics? Let WebInteractive guide you to success. For a free evaluation of your current website contact us at 800 418 2358 or

http://www.computercompany.net/Web_Development.htm

info@tccwebinteractive.com

 

 

By Tina Courtney-Brown