January 26, 2012 at 6:14 pm
By Janette Speyer, Web Success Team
Editor’s note: This article was published in 2009 on a trip to South East Asia, were we traveled and ran the Web Success Team while on the go. This is still relevant information. Wi-Fi and Internet cafes are everywhere and with the advent of tablets and smartphones we are able to go anywhere without interruption. Our Web Success team staff writer is presently in Australia and contributing from there.
Traveling and running a business sounds like an oxymoron. Well, it can be done. Thanks to Apple, Twitter, Facebook, Skype and Wi-Fi. Today with all the virtual offices around you never know if you are talking to someone in the UK, America or in India.
Bob Speyer ate fried tarantulas, khamer style. Photo by asiafinest.com
Continue reading “Running Your Online Business While Traveling to Another Country” »
January 10, 2012 at 4:57 pm
By Bob Speyer, Web Success Team
2012 has just launched and it’s time to exercise our digital marketing muscles for our clients. In order to achieve the best possible results for them we have found that organizing and coordinating their previous online marketing efforts is the first order of business. Sometimes, it is more than just a Spring cleaning, rather more on the order of a redirect or facelift.
Continue reading “The Importance of Coordinating Your Online Marketing Mix” »
December 1, 2011 at 6:19 pm
By Bob Speyer, Web Success Team
Nothing is more appreciated and respected in business than a referral. It shows confidence in your brand, hands on experience and the ability to connect with people. It is the bi-product of a successful business–customer relationship. In today’s competitive business climate and the growing influence of the Internet to affect decision making, the marketing paradigm has changed.
Continue reading “Relationship Marketing to Score BIG in 2012” »
September 22, 2011 at 2:16 pm
By Janette Speyer and Alison Brown – Web Success Team
In this day in age, technology is constantly evolving. Everyday we are inundated with new features, new interfaces and improved designs that can sometimes make our head spin. Facebook is not exempt from this either, as it has undergone a lot of major transformations over the past several years. Just recently, Facebook has made some major modifications to its features, and whether you’re or a fan or not, they are here to stay.
Continue reading “The New Facebook: Hate It or Love It, Why It’s Here to Stay” »
December 16, 2010 at 5:37 pm
By Bob Speyer – Web Successs Team
Customer service is the face of your business. It may be time to consider a “face-lift.” We have all had both positive and negative experiences when contacting or following up on an order from a business — both online and offline.
Many jobs are lost or canceled because businesses have failed to provide customers (or potentials) what they want and need. In today’s business climate, we are all to focused on the negative, waiting for a company to fall short of expectations. Having key people that are knowledgeable in all phases of the sales cycle and follow up is critical in running a successful business.
Continue reading “The Importance of Marketing Customer Service” »
By Bob Speyer, Web Success Team
Every website owner is competing for the hearts and minds of their visitors. Keeping their eyeballs transfixed to your site can lead to more business and increased revenue. Making that important good first impression is the result of great direct response copywriting. Your content must engage the visitor within the first 15 seconds, giving them reason to stay, read and navigate through the site.
Here are five copywriting take-a-ways that can make your website more effective: Continue reading “Copywriting with a Bite to Hold Your Reader’s Attention” »
By Bob Speyer, Web Success Team
There is the old adage that two things are certain in life, “Death and Taxes.” With business you can also add Scope Creep. Every business has experienced it, some more dramatically than others. It is one of those gremlins that attaches to projects and wreaks havoc with proposals and client relationships.
The Definition
Scope Creep refers to any unanticipated or uncontrolled change in a project’s scope of work. It can occur at any stage of a project from proposal to the entire workflow. Creep occurs when the scope of a project is not adequately defined, documented or controlled. The client or vendor can be at fault. It can interfere with the smooth running of a project, damage relationships, create unnecessary stress and loss of income.
Continue reading “How to Prevent Scope Creep from Ruining Your Projects” »
By Bob Speyer and Kristin Tomlinson, Web Success Team
The “Contact Us” page is required for any business that has created a website and is important in providing significant details about the company. Contact Us is extremely valuable because it allows potential customers a clear channel to reach your business, let them know where your company is located and is an avenue of communications to ask questions or make requests.
Below are seven take-a-ways to consider when constructing an effective Contact Us page:
1. Company Name: Your corporate identity should appear big and bold at the top of the page so people can immediately identify it. You want your company name to essentially “pop” and be in the mind of readers at all times. Place your website link buttons on the left side of the page so that its easier to get to another web page.
2. Page Design: Construct your page so information is easy to locate and don’t put unnecessary information on the page. Your layout and design should be crisp, clear and appealing. Readers will not read the information if it is not to the point.
3. Font Usage: Use a clean font that it’s easy on the eyes. Your contact information should be in block format under your company name so that a reader’s attention is immediately drawn to it.
4. Make it Simple: Only include your mailing address, phone number and email address. The page doesn’t require any extra information. You can also link the “Contact Us” phrase to an email page that is automatically populated with your company name in the “To” box and ready for the visitor to deliver a message to you.
5. Multiple Contacts: If you have a large business or multiple employees, make sure to write every different phone number and email address for each department and person. Also include the department name and the particular person that would be in charge. This will make it more convenient for customers to reach the specific person they want to contact.
6. Working Links: Make sure the links work on the contact information. It appears negligent, careless, and unprofessional to readers when there are broken links.
7. Redirect to FAQ Page: To keep emails down to a minimum, direct readers to your FAQ page. Most of the time readers just want answers to frequently asked questions and a FAQ page can answer their concerns directly.
Following these basic guidelines will insure a more reliable “Contact Us” page that will be accurate, organized, dependable, and informational. These steps will provide an efficient page that readers can rely on to provide support, assistance, and guidance in regards to their needs and your business.
The Web Success Team specializes in developing and marketing direct response websites that take full advantage of the latest developments on the Internet. The Team has an arsenal of effective web strategies, online marketing tools and proven customized social media techniques to promote your products and services. And we’ll show you ways to increase the amount of qualified traffic to your site.
For more tips, tools and articles of interest, become a fan of the WebSuccessTeam Facebook page and learn more about online marketing, SEO and social media. Visit us at http://www.facebook.com/WebSuccessTeam. Contact the Team today for a complimentary consultation to your web success
