SEND THANK YOU NOTES

Did you know that a large percentage of new business comes from referrals? Send a personal, handwritten thank you note to anyone who refers someone to you.  This will perpetuate more referrals and I bet your competition isn’t doing this! Who doesn’t love to get something in the postal mail besides bills and junk mail?

AUTO ID PLATES AND LETTERING

How often are you stuck in traffic and end up staring at the license plate in front of you? This is the perfect place to display your web site address. If you have a short slogan or tagline, it can be placed on top with your web site address on the bottom. There are also companies that offer nice lettering to place on your back or side window. Have you ever searched for a pen and paper while trying to memorize the magnetic sign on the truck for handyman services, plumbing or hardwood flooring? The person in the vehicle behind you could be your next customer!

LABELS

Use labels with your web site address and catchy slogan to seal your correspondence. This is one more way to flash your web site address in front of a potential customer. I recently purchased some products at a trade show. Luckily the vendor had placed a label on the back of the product so I could go to the website and order more for friends. Without that label she would have missed out on some sales after the event was over. Create your own labels with your website address and phone number for wine bottles to give as gifts.

POSTAL MAIL

How often do you stay in touch with your clients & business associates? At a minimum, quarterly correspondence will keep you fresh in their minds. Several online printers offer full color postcards, business cards, bookmarks and note cards. Create a one-page newsletter or tip sheet and include a promo item. I got one recently that was a message in a bottle. Very clever!

In addition to your online communications – these offline efforts will help you stand out from your competition. It’s all about being creatively unique and memorable. Have fun with these and remember, if you’re not promoting your site – who is?

How can you enhance the “experience” the visitor will have at your website?

1.       Appealing colors and images.

2.       Verbiage that lets them know they are in the “right” place.

3.       Audio, music, video, testimonials or quotes.

What is it that will make them call or email you today?

1.       Your phone number and email in a larger font and very visible on every page.

2.       Good copy – what you say and how you say it is imperative to visitors taking action. Note: Reverse type text (light text on a dark background) is the most difficult to read online.

3.       Easy navigation and simple calls to action. Too many places to click or too many graphics is a real turn-off to visitors. Less is more!

I invite you to “experience” a few sites we’ve designed using the WordPress platform:

Tilde Furniture – www.tildefurniture.com

Check out this brand new site we designed for Stephen Kohlbeck. It’s crisp, clean, easy to navigate and the site design reflects the simple elegance of the furniture. For green, eco-friendly, luxurious furniture – this is the plac

Better Health & Wellness -  www.bettterhealthwellness.com

The colors and images in this site are inviting and relaxing. You can already imagine how you are going to feel once you walk thru the doors. There’s a call to action to sign up for the newsletter. The phone number and email are very visible. Make an appointment today for massage, reflexology, acupuncture or an ion footbath.  Aaaaaahhh!

Fun Productions -  www.funproductions.com

The bright colors and images just scream FUN in this site redesign! The phone numbers are large and visible up top. Calls to action are: Request a quote, sign up for newsletter and over on the left nav – Tell Us What We’re Doing Right.  (I love that last one). Notice this site has 3 forms of navigation since it’s pretty large. The images are clickable to the different areas and the navigation on the left also gets you right where you want to go. Additionally, we’ve added bottom navigation to get you back from some of the longer inside pages. Their social media and YouTube icons are in the upper right. The experience here is fun, fun, fun! Call them for your next team-building event or corporate party.  Let the FUN begin!

Collaboration – This is something The Web Muse & Co. does every day. We are in communications with Printers, Public Relations Firms, Marketing Companies, Virtual Assistants, Graphic Designers, Search Engine Optimization, Pay-Per-Click, Social Media experts and many more. These are all people we “collaborate” with – meaning that we work on a project together. We refer business back and forth. Think about all the different people you interact with on a daily basis and make a list of those types of businesses.

Connection – One can spend time on or offline with networking and making new connections. What’s even better is when someone you know “connects” you or introduces you to someone new. I call this a “warm connection”. It’s wonderful to get phone calls or emails saying, “Anita, I’d like to introduce you to Victoria. She is an amazing woman who specializes in 4-color printing of brochures and business cards. I think you’ll find her pricing very competitive with the online vendors. Here is her contact information, etc.” I immediately thank the person who introduced us, next I contact Victoria to setup and in-person meeting or a phone call. I go into the meeting with one agenda – what I can do or provide for her. Not what she can provide to me. I offer to connect her with my clients who are looking for these services, give her new resources or links to sites, put her information in my next Muse News and introduce her to some businesses for collaboration. Do you see how this works? It’s a win/win/win!

Connections can also start out to be personal, based on a hobby or interest and turn into business. For example, I recently connected 3 women I personally know who love horses. One is involved with a beautiful horse ranch, the other does equine gestalt therapy plus speaking and the 3^rd is a graphic designer who loves to ride. Because this was a “warm connection” from someone they knew (me) – they immediately contacted each other and I can’t wait to see what transpires from their interaction. Exciting!

I want to help you with a connection today. Here’s how to participate:

1. Send me an email with a type of connection or collaboration you are looking for. This would look something like this: I am looking for a Social Media Expert who has experience working with Commercial Landscapers. Or Do you know a publisher that I may connect with about my upcoming book about Dream Interpretation? Or I need a connection in the Los Angeles area to help me with my speaking skills. You get the idea. It is not – I need a connection to buy my latest book. Or My target audience is anyone who dreams, etc.
2. Include a blurb about your area of expertise, services, products, contact info, etc.

I will get busy and start reaching out to my local and global network to make the connection. Sound like fun? Let’s start connecting and collaborating with some new dynamic people today!

As a website owner, let’s use the retail store analogy – you invest money in the building of the website or the retail storefront. Next, you open your doors for business or your website goes “live”. The thinking is that once the website is built, the search engines should find you immediately and the cash register will start ringing. Is this realistic? Why are online expectations so drastically unrealistic from offline expectations?

Many website owners have budgeted no time or money for online advertising or marketing yet expect dollars to come flooding in. I get dozens of emails every day with desperate pleas like, “Can you fix my website?” “What’s wrong with my website?” Or my personal favorite, “I can’t spend any more money on my website.”

If you want excellent results from your website then it’s a smart idea to invest some time and money into the marketing of the site. Here are three budgets and scenarios to consider.

Piggybank of Money – You have more time than money and can afford to wait for results. Focus on your website usability and how to attract your ideal clients. Research keyword phrases, start reciprocal linking ,cross-marketing efforts and actively engage in social media. Educate yourself by taking some seminars or teleclasses. Take immediate action on what you learn.

Stash of Money – You want immediate results and have a pretty good budget. Optimize your site to the max so the search engines and your target audience will find you. Consider a pay-per-click campaign. Invest in Google Ad Words. Enhance your offline marketing strategies to compliment your online strategies.

Buckets of Money – You want maximum results and have no budget limitations. You know what conversion rates are worth and will strategically test and measure results. Implement everything outlined in the previous two budgets plus Google Sponsor Spots. Invest in more than one pay-per-click program. Pay for listings in relevant industry, geographic and target market specific directories. Hire a Public Relations and SEO firm that will maximize your on and offline efforts.

In any of the above scenarios it’s a good idea to keep reinvesting some time and money into ongoing website efforts. When you find something that works, keep doing it and take it to the next level. For example, if you find that you’re getting lots of traffic from industry-specific directories, contact them and see how you can do more business with them. Maybe you got several clients from a website that you’re linked with. Contact that website owner and thank them, then suggest more ways you can promote each other’s business.  And finally, talk with your competitors. Are your online goals and expectations realistic? Ask your competitors how they are doing, what is working and what they’ve found to be their most effective online marketing strategy.

I gotta tell ya, this twittering is like texting on steroids. I’m still weighing out the time vs. benefit. Stats show that 60% of people who start on Twitter become Twitter Quitters. The piece I find fascinating is that it can be educational and easy to find resources with Twitter search. The company is growing rapidly and new uses for it are developing all the time. So, we’ll see what transpires in the next few months.

The first thing I noticed on Twitter was how many people started following me that are supposedly Twitter experts. They asked me to sign up for their Ebooks, Ezines and Courses all about making money with Twitter. This just added to my state of being overwhelmed. Then I became afraid that I wasn’t doing it right.

I started to wonder why some strange people were “following” me. It’s weird to think that, I know! What’s the point of having thousands of followers? I don’t just automatically follow everyone who follows me. I’m only interested in following people who have something of interest to me. For example, if I look at their tweets and they mostly say “having a bagel for breakfast” or “looking for something to do” or repeated self-promotions – I do not follow them. I unfollow people who tweet every few minutes about nothing. The ones I like to follow have current marketing tips, web trends, good resources, links to articles or quotes.

I downloaded several tools and apps for Twitter like Tweetdeck and Tweetlater. Another learning curve here as there are a gazillion apps out there. Now I’m trying Twitterific. I also downloaded the Twitter widget for MAC and that’s pretty handy. When I post on Twitter it’s supposed to show up in Facebook but if I post on Facebook it will not show up in Twitter.

Below are just a few items I’ve “tweeted” about in the past in no particular order.

# Just finished reading The China Study – extensive research and startling truths about what we’re eating.8:23 AM Jun 2nd from web

# Client Relationships – funny and true! http://bit.ly/DCwfL2:39 PM Jun 1st from web

# Wine & theatre event Quilters musical in downtown Denver http://bit.ly/smGg312:04 PM May 29th from web

# New blog post: Five Web Faux Pas to Avoid http://bit.ly/MNFdH6:48 AM May 27th from Twitter Tools

# Savvy Web Marketing in 5 minutes http://thewebmuse.com/blog/12:03 PM May 22nd from web

# List of website tools and resources http://bit.ly/BF59s11:53 AM May 21st from web

# “Family isn’t only blood – it’s the friends you love, across the generations.” – Michael Caine11:45 AM May 20th from web

# Q&A Laptop Cafe in Denver today at 2:00 – always learn lots of useful info http://www.creativemarketin…11:48 AM May 19th from web

Leave a comment below about your likes, dislikes and experiences with Twitter. I’m always learning! You can follow me on twitter here: www.twitter.com/webmuse

Those of us with websites, blogs and ezines may want to showcase lots of products or services with too much text. You’ve seen the websites I’m talking about – too much text, too many calls. The reality is that simpler really is best.

Have you ever walked into a restaurant and been presented with way too many choices? It’s early in the morning or late in the day and you just don’t want to think about what to order. How many times have you ordered off the handwritten sign with just 3 choices because it was easiest? I know I’ve done that many times when my brain is just too tired to think.

Let’s use The Web Muse site and Muse News as one example for you. We have many pages trying to tell you everything we do. There’s web design, marketing, consultations and MORE. In addition, we have lots of free content and resources so the site is of value. The curse is putting too many words on the pages and knowing that people scan rather than read online. On the Home page in particular it’s best to keep the text brief yet get your message across to visitors.

In the Muse News it’s so tempting to share ALL the latest resources and information. Once again, getting carried away with too many words when the majority of readers are “scanning” this online. When I write beyond my self-imposed 2-page limit I put those new thoughts, ideas and resources into the next month’s issue. This works great because then I’ve got a good start on the next issue. This might work for you when you find yourself feverishly writing too many thoughts or ideas.

If you’re not seeing results from your website, blog or ezine – then try simplifying. You may be surprised by the response and the results. I would enjoy hearing from you on your tips for simplifying and may share those in a future Muse News.

How many people are going to find out about your website off-the-web before they are online? Print your web address and e-mail on every piece of paper and promotional material that leaves your office. Your web address and e-mail address should be on business cards, brochures, letterhead and envelopes. The recipients of these items may not know you have a website and will be prompted to take a look. If they know about your website, maybe they haven’t been back to visit and will place your business card by their computer as a reminder to check it out.

Color postcards of your website are good for direct mail or to hand out at trade shows.

Advertise your website on your car or delivery vehicle with a personalized bumper banner or chrome-like lettering. It’s an inexpensive way to get lots of local exposure. Assuming the average person drives to and from work daily in rush hour traffic in a large city, each plate will be seen and understood a minimum of 3,000 times per day.

Colorful Images in Longmont, CO has a wonderful selection of address labels. How about putting your web address on a sticker and use it as an envelope seal? You’re sure to find some creative labels that are suitable for your business. These also make great gifts for someone with a new website or a nice thank-you gift for someone that links to you.

Post-it Notes® are used as frequently as paper clips. Try to include as much contact information as possible on your Post-it Note without making it look cluttered. Use your web address and phone number with your company name or tag line.

Click below to share your best offline marketing tip that brings more visitors to your site.