December 8, 2011 at 6:21 pm
By Janette Speyer and Alison Brown, Web Success Team
Niche social sites are paving the way for the new era of online marketing. As businesses embrace social media strategies they are finding more and more that they can define their branding by using “niche” social sites to target their audiences and to interest smaller group of people. It’s ideal for small businesses that have local highly targeted niche markets such as fashion or food. With niche sites, communities are smaller and you can get your message to your audience without the clutter of Facebook and Twitter.
Continue reading “Niche Social Sites: the New Era of Online Marketing” »
By Bob Speyer and Justin Delos Reyes – Web Success Team
The word “ego” is typically attached to negative connotations. But there are several benefits to having an ego when working on a project with others. As online marketers, we at Web Success Team have the opportunity to work with advertisers, webmasters, traditional marketers, and public relations specialists. All of us generally have an ego because we need to achieve positive results for our client. We have found that the key to making our partnerships work is to communicate in a respectful manner. It is perfectly fine to fight for your ideas to be implemented if you genuinely believe they can lead to positive results – just don’t step on your partner’s toes in the process.
Continue reading “How Strong Egos Can Lead to Productive Business Partnerships” »
April 15, 2011 at 1:08 pm
By Bob Speyer and Justin Delos Reyes, Web Success Team
Scope creep. It’s not a 1950’s horror film creature but marketers run for the hills (or want to) when it surfaces. To put it nicely, scope creep is any unanticipated change in a project’s scope of work. Often times it frustrates the parties involved and can also warrant unintended charges. Scope creep is an unfortunate occurrence that is likely to surface when business is conducted. But if there’s one positive about scope creep it’s that it can be managed. Below are 10 benchmarks you can set to help you deal with scope creep.
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February 22, 2011 at 5:23 pm
By Bob Speyer, Web Success Team
Marketers need to adjust to the demands of the marketplace. Today’s younger generation are further distancing themselves from us older “geeks” by redefining how they look or view the world. One obvious example is the Social Revolution that began in Tunis, energized in Egypt and spread to the entire Arab world.
Today’s youth is increasingly being served their information through Facebook and Twitter and less and less through other more traditional media such as blogs and broadcast news. Does this mean that Facebook is going to replace blogs among the younger generation?
Continue reading “Are Facebook and Twitter Replacing the Need to Blog Among the Younger Generation?” »
By Bob Speyer – Web Success Team
I believe one of the most important pages on a website is the About Us page. It is often misunderstood and at best undervalued. Going against the grain, I propose this page is more about the reader and less about the company or person.
Here’s my reasoning: Marketers have long agreed that people both read and react (positively and negatively) to the proposition “What’s in it for me!” In real estate it’s location, location, location. In online marketing it’s benefits. People want to know the advantages of a product or service before making a decision. In their quest to find reasons to buy or learn more, website viewers will go to the About Us page to gain a better insight on who is selling to them or, more to the point, whom they are buying from.
This is key, because viewers do not just want a resume of location, employees, company history, and growth patterns. What they really want is to find out the personality of the company, what makes them tick and if they are sincere and credible. It’s their first impression of you, how you want to be portrayed and if your values match up.
A Culture of Caring About Your Customers
From the corporate side, Starbucks is a great example of an effective About Us page. It is not too wordy or detailed as in how may locations they have. Rather it is about the customer and their experience. They humanize their page stressing each customer is as important as the next one. It’s about making a connection; serving the community and conducting business responsibly. They have other links to other social media outlets on the page if you want to go deeper into their mission statement, their history and their company workings. But the message is clear.
They are about people and making their lives a little bit better each day. In reading their Facebook page or Twitter, you are instantly engaged, thinking, “I can relate to that!”
For small companies or entrepreneurs, your online brand should be personalized. Using an inviting picture of smiling head shots or an engaging video of a talking head will connect with your viewer. The content should be informative and portray you or your company as well rounded and committed to giving back to your customers and your community. Sprinkling in some personal glimpses of your life or interesting anecdotes will help make you the reader feel they know you or get to know you. Putting yourself out there is never risky, it is what makes us human and real to others.
It’s About Us — Your Viewer and You
In conclusion, if you can get a reader to make that positive connection with your organization, they will be more receptive to processing your information and ultimately interacting or contacting you. You will achieve more web success if you can follow these simple guidelines.
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.
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