Happy New Year! Sorry its been awhile, but I had to take some time off to regroup for what promises to be our best year yet. (I say that every year and every year we blow the doors off the previous year so I'm just going to keep on saying it EVERY YEAR!)
I was thinking about those New Year's resolutions and I thought I'd turn the tables on my audience and post what I think should be YOUR Business Resolution List for 2007 from an Internet marketing prospective. Here goes:
- Upgrade/Update Your Old Site (or get one if you don't have one already people--geez, its 2007 after all!): Time to take a good look at your site and really look at your Return On Investment (ROI). Did you get what you paid for all those years ago? Is it performing and bringing business through the door? Does it really represent your company's image in a clear, concise manner? Do visitors know what you do immediately from the home (first) page? If you answered no to any of these questions, its time to call a web designer (us!) right away. I'm just as guilty as the next business owner for site neglection. My own resolution this year is to get our new site launched by March 1 so keep checking back for our progress.
- Hire a Reputable Search Engine Specialist: I had a guy today tell me he could find his company at the top of Google under his company's name "ACME Real Estate" (names have been changed to protect the innocent). I said, "Great! Now, can you find it under the keywords which represent what you actually do like 'commercial real estate'?" He stuttered a bit and then meekly answered, "no..." I told him that most companies can find themselves listed under the company name (although there are many who can't even find themselves that way!). What you need to do is put yourself in the shoes of someone who doesn't know who you are from Adam and is searching for a company who provides the products or services you actually provide like "web design" or "high heeled shoes." If you can't, do something about it because you're losing out on a lot of potential clients out there who use Google, Yahoo and MSN which are the top three search engines.
- Start a Solid Email Marketing Campaign: If the last time you emailed your customers about your company's product or services was more than 6 months ago, its time for you to start an email campaign. Let's face it, people have short attention spans and smaller memories. You need to start an email campaign at least once every other month to remind people you're still around and kicking. Tell them about new products and services, spread good news about your success and ask for referrals. Ahhh, that's the big one. I never understood why business owners are so afraid to ask customers for referrals. I do it all the time and it pays off BIG! I have 2 or 3 clients who sent about 3 clients to me in 2006. I have one in 2007 that's already hooked me up with 2 really big clients and for that I'm grateful. The reason for all of those referrals is because I make sure Bella Web Design, Inc. is always on my client's radar.
- Exercise your Right to Blog: I can't say enough about how this blog changed my business in 2006. Its only been around since October, but in the last three months, my leads soared to record levels. The reason for this is I've used my blog to educate and have created a resource people enjoy reading. (I have the comments to prove it!) My blog has helped me establish myself as a leader in my field of expertise. If you can write or hire someone to help you write, you can do the same thing for your business in less than 2 hours a week. More on that later...
- Add Video to Your Site: Last year, Google bought YouTube. YouTube was listed in Time Magazine as the hottest application of the year. Why? Because of streaming video! Now that more folks out there have the bandwidth, its time to set your site apart with some cool video. Take a look at what we did for Lillie Glass. When I visited their workshop, I thought, "How cool would it be to see Thom Lillie in action creating his beautiful sculptures?" From that thought came the video people are talking about. This is actually another resolution I've made, add a sales video with yours truly on camera. Watch for it at our site www.bellawebdesign.com.
Whatever your resolutions are this year, I hope 2007 is a big one for you as well and I hope that we here at Bella Web Design, Inc. can help you make them a reality. Thank you to all of you who continue to work with us and especially those who have referred us to other business owners. Our gratitude cup runneth over and we raise a tall glass to all of you in 2007!
