3 Reasons to Invest in your Web Presence in a Down Economy

Thursday, Sep 2nd, 2010 by Brian DeLaet | Leave a Comment
Filed under: Conversion Optimization, Denver Search marketing, Denver Web Site Design, EduCyber, Social Media Marketing, marketing | Tags: , , , , ,

What’s happening in your financial world? If you’re like most folks, you’re not sure whether we’re headed up or down or what is around the next corner.

In uncertain times it can be difficult to see a way forward and spending money is the last thing many business owners want to do. Yet here I am telling you to invest in your web site. What gives?

Here are THREE reasons you want to invest in your site now:

  1. Get better efficiency. There are several ways to accomplish this: Put more information on your web site so you spend less time answering the same questions over and over again; Qualify your customers better through your site so that those you contact are ready to do business; Reduce or eliminate your store front and sell more from the web site. These are just a few of the ways you can be more efficient with an investment in your site.
  2. While your competitors are giving up and going away, you can establish a firm or firmer foundation now on your web site without having to build a new building or sign an expensive new lease. Your site should look professional (good design), be functional (easy for customers to do what you want them to do) and be search-friendly (search engine optimization)
  3. Get more customers. Beat the rest of the crowd that is still stuck on search engine optimization – which means driving more traffic to your web site – and get started on conversion optimization – which means getting the folks who visit your web site to buy, register, signup, or whatever your call to action is. If you have any degree of traffic you should look at what those visitors are doing and if they aren’t contacting you to do business, optimize the process to make it smoother for them to do business with you.

Social Media Marketing Made Easy

Tuesday, Aug 24th, 2010 by Brian DeLaet | Leave a Comment
Filed under: Denver Search marketing, Facebook, LinkedIn, Social Media Marketing, marketing, twitter | Tags: , ,

Everybody wants to do it quickly. “How much time does it take?” is the number one question I’m asked. It can be fast and it can be easy. But first you have to invest in a plan. That can be investing time or investing money or both. Without a plan then your “investment” is about as solid as investing in the crap tables in Vegas. With a plan you are investing in the growth of your business.

What does a social media marketing plan look like? That depends on what you want to accomplish and on what social media is doing when you create the plan. Remember that this technology or medium is very much in its infancy so what works in August of 2010 might not work come November. It really does change that quickly.

So what is the easy part of all this?

The most crucial part of your plan is to decide what action or actions you want people to take. A good starting action is getting people to LIKE you. On Facebook this means to click the like button. In the olden days (April of 2010 for example) you wanted people to become a fan but it changed, just that quickly. Now you want them to LIKE you.

So folks say liking isn’t enough. I say that depends on your plan. Once they’ve liked you, you can communicate with them more directly. If your company or purpose is based on a particular event such as a charity run, then getting them to click the like button might be enough because now you can share information with them about the event.

Other actions that could help you get what you want out of social media:

  • Fill out the form to sign up for your newsletter (now these can be put right into facebook)
  • Click through to your web site
  • Click a link to a coupon or social media only special
  • Call you directly from info on your profile
  • Make a comment on your posting
  • “LIKE” a particular post
  • Start a new conversation
  • Respond to a poll question
  • Post a picture
  • Post a video
  • And the list goes on and on . . .

Now we’re to the easy part. Once you’ve got your goals and your desired actions, engage your friends / fans / followers accordingly. It really doesn’t take much time with a plan – or if it does take a lot of time, it does so because it’s paying off for you.

But don’t forget to measure the results. If they aren’t turning out as desired, then it’s time to revisit the plan.

Want help? That's what we do. Call 303 368-2245 ext. 4 to get started.

EduCyber Named Wheat Ridge Business of the Year

Friday, Aug 6th, 2010 by Brian DeLaet | Leave a Comment
Filed under: Denver Search marketing, Denver Web Site Design | Tags: , ,

EduCyber, Inc. a Denver Web Design and Internet Marketing firm was named the 2010 Wheat Ridge Business of the Year. Following is the text of the Congressional Record presented by Ed Perlmutter, Member of Congress:

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Brian and Maki DeLaet, owners of EduCyber Inc., for receiving the 2010 Wheat Ridge Business of the Year Award.

EduCyber Inc. began as a home based business in 1998 and has successfully grown under the leadership of Brian and Maki DeLaet. Its growth is attributed to the high level of personalized service provided to its clients and the business model used has become one that others seek to incorporate in their own businesses.

Brian and Maki DeLaet are active contributors to the business community. EduCyber is a member of The West Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise wheat Ridge, Wheat Ridge 2020 and the Applewood Business Association. In addition to their active participation in the community, they have lent their support to new city development projects such as new parks and new bike and walk-ways.

I extend my congratulations to Brian and Maki DeLaet, owners of EduCyber, on their recognition and thank them for their commitment to our community.

Online Privacy vs. Convenience and Communication

Thursday, Aug 5th, 2010 by Brian DeLaet | Leave a Comment
Filed under: Denver Search marketing, Social Media Marketing, marketing, privacy | Tags: , ,

The latest trend in social media is “Location Aware” services whether it be Twitter, Facebook or the latest up and coming site, Foursquare. I’m an avid user of Foursquare, checking in mostly at public locations like restaurants, coffee shops and taverns but also at our office and even on my deck (one of my favorite places to be).

Seems pretty cool to let people know where you are, doesn’t it? Sometimes you might be bragging, “Waiting for roller coaster at DisneyWorld” and sometimes a bit more mundane, “Coffee at Starbucks with Tom”. But even letting your circle know that you’re talking to Tom might be a signal that the project is on, that the relationship has been solidified or even that you and Tom are an item again.

Emarketer’s report on Privacy and Geolocation shows that men and young people are much more likely to use location based media. It is a trade off. To have the convenience of sharing with friends (so they can join you or envy you or make decisions about where to go for the evening) you have to give up some privacy.

I read a very interesting article today in the Guardian on Foursquare and Cyberstalking. What can I say but understand the risks as you engage in location based media? You can also check out SafetyWeb.com, a site dedicated to helping parents keep their kids safe online. This is a fee for service site but they focus on keeping people safe and, for example, offered the tip of checking in on location-based social media AS YOU ARE LEAVING instead of when you arrive.

In any case, be aware that when you share your location, more than just your friends might be watching.

9 Measurable Social Media Marketing Goals

Wednesday, Jul 28th, 2010 by Brian DeLaet | Leave a Comment
Filed under: Denver Search marketing, EduCyber, Facebook, Internet, Social Media Marketing, marketing, twitter, website | Tags: , , , ,

It seems like I’ve been focusing a lot of my attention lately on helping understand or plan out their goals. Whether it be goals for a new web site or social media marketing goals, it is absolutely critical to have goals and then . . . wait for it . . . actually measure them.

So if your goal is to get more business you’re going to have to refine it just a tad. Otherwise when you get one new customer you will have reached your goal. But what it a good measurable goal for social media marketing? That’s the heart of the matter for most folks. What does a goal look like?

Here are 9 measurable goals for social media that, if they don’t work for you, will hopefully spark something that will work:

  1. 200 more followers on Facebook. This is definitely measurable simply check today and at the end of the time period and see what the change is.
  2. 20 retweets a week on Twitter. This will help you figure out what really gets a lot of attention. Last week’s blog on “5 Biggest Social Media Marketing Mistakes” for example caught a lot of attention.
  3. 15% more click thru’s from Social Media sites to your main web site. This is pretty easy to see how it would translate into more business.
  4. 4. 20% increase in “fans” who “like” your posts on Facebook. Like #2, this will help you figure out what gets people’s attention.
  5. 5. 20 check-ins a week on Foursquare (this is a great site for location based businesses like restaurants, bars or coffee shops). Again, this is easily measured and if you’re getting folks checking in, it gives you a chance to interact – give them a to do while they’re there.
  6. 30 newsletter signups each month directly from Facebook. Check out FBML and learn how to add html to your page.
  7. 10 sales each week from Twitter. You need to be careful about pushing the business too hard in social media but with the right plan and the right product(s) it could work well.
  8. 4 leads each week generated through social media (best tracked if you create a separate landing page for social media). This is more marketing-focused but could really boost your business.
  9. 15% decrease in returns because of customer outreach through social media. Took a different tack on this one to help you imagine the possibilities. It’s not necessarily directly sales related. If you’re saving costs on the backend, you’ll be more profitable.

Note that all nine of these are very measurable. Note also that these are just the goals. Once you have the goal established you need to develop the tactics you will employ to achieve your goal. What are your goals?
 

 

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