With more people searching and researching companies online, your website could easily be the first thing a potential customer sees about your business. Having a website design that hasn't been updated in years conveys that your company doesn't belong in 2010. Depending on the business, it is imperative to keep your website up-to-date. There are a few simple ways you can see if it is time for you to revamp your website. Your Style is Outdated - Your website should be informative, not distracting. Clip art, flashing animation, outdated colors, and distracting backgrounds are all guilty practices many websites fall into. Look ...

To many, the revolution in social media networks may seem like a fad that will fade out just as fast it appeared.  Yet, the truth is that social media is one of the fastest ways to reach out to prospective consumers. Between Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other similar social media platforms, everything that can be said about you, whether good or bad, is transmitted almost instantaneously across the globe. With over 300 million users, Facebook is by far one of the biggest social media networks out there.  While it may have begun as a tool to keep college students in touch, ...

Creating a blog for your company or business can be a great way to inform customers and build a brand for your company. However, getting one started can be a daunting if you are not sure where to start. Here are three questions you should answer before you begin blogging for your business. What is your goal with the blog? Do you want to become a leader in your industry and create a following? Then you need to have a lot of unique and original material to compete with what is already out there. If you are looking to increase your ...

On October 5, BuddyPress 1.1.1 was released to offer WordPress MU users the benefits of social networking, launching WordPress into a new era. The new version is a social networking layer that can be added to any existing installation of WordPress MU making WordPress sites social. Here are some of the benefits of the new BuddyPress. With the help of this new version of BuddyPress, WordPress administrators can create specific profile questions for members to fill in. This allows other users and followers to view information about the members. Extended profile capabilities for members gives each member a unique ...

The amount of time Americans spend on social networking and blogging sites as tripled in the past year. According to the Nielsen Company, time spent on social network and blogging sites, like Facebook and MySpace, accounted for 17 percent of all time spent on the Internet in August 2009. With an increase in the amount of time people spend on social networking and blogging sites, it is important for your company to adjust its advertising and marketing campaigns. Estimated online advertising has increased from approximately $49 million in August 2008 to $108 million in August 2009, a 119 percent increase. ...

Times are tough, but slowly the economy is working its way back to normalcy. Now is a great time to start reexamining your marketing efforts, or whether there are any efforts at all. Maybe the budget isn’t where you want it to be. Maybe your vision of how to market doesn’t match the size of your wallet. Obviously marketing is worth the investment, but if you’re on a tight budget, consider these low cost ways to market your business: E-mail Campaigns: Send a market specific, dynamic, message-effective e-mail. Sending an e-mail to 10,000 people will cost you very little. You ...

In part 1, we looked at just the first basic steps you should talk when starting a brand new blog. Now that you have been blogging for a bit and have a few posts up, it is time to gain a readership. These are just a few ways to help you gain a loyal readership for your blog. RSS Feed One of the most basic things you can do to help improve a loyal readership is by keeping the link for your RSS feed readily accessible. If people like what they see right away, then they'll most likely add your blog to ...

Starting a new blog can be another simple step toward raising your brand or company's awareness online. However, if you've never taken part in blogging before, it can be an overwhelming experience. Here are some basic tips to getting your blog started. Easy URL Many people don't think too hard about their username when creating an account for the first time. However, this is one element of your site that can easily bring in more traffic. Use your company name if available or make it related to what the subject of your blog will be. Design The first thing someone will notice when ...

If you talk to any business owner, a common concern is how to bring in new business or new customers. We are wired to believe that increased revenue comes from our ability to constantly draw in more clients. This is true to an extent. What many businesses fail to see, however, is the importance of maintaining their current customer base. A common pitfall is the notion of once a customer, always a customer. Just because a customer used your service or bought your product once, doesn't mean that they will continue to do so in the future. A steady revenue ...

Have you ever noticed that when you open your email inbox, some emails catch your attention instantly, while others go relatively unnoticed?  Email marketing messages must contend with so many other competing messages in the inbox.  Creating split-second interest with a compelling subject line is the key to attracting readers to click and read more. How To Write Subject Lines that Jump off the Page The fact is, most people spend an average of about two seconds reading an email's subject line.  During those two seconds, reading the first two or three words will allow the reader to choose between the options ...

 We have fallen on hard times. This thought has been made by the heads of many prominent businesses. The economy is merciless, and businesses are struggling to stay afloat in midst of the aggressive storm. Marketing strategies have either been stripped down to its bare minimum or heavily equipped as soldiers ready for battle. At the very least, where does your web site stand? Is it enough that your website is up and running? What elements are attracting your potential visitors, and bringing them back for more? The Attract and Retain Approach for website design is extremely important to the success ...

Have you ever set aside time to sit down and update your business blog, only to find out you have no idea what to write about?  It's easy to talk with customers and answer questions about your areas of expertise; you feel comfortable and competent "talking shop" with colleagues, but writing a blog brings on an intense case of writer's block.  Sound familiar?  Try these time-tested tips for instant blog successes! 1.    Answer a frequently asked question.  Choose a question that you often hear from your clients and write out a description of the conundrum and your best answer.  Chances are, ...