TOP 5 BUSINESS WEBSITE DESIGN TIPS

TOP 5 BUSINESS WEBSITE DESIGN TIPS

82% of consumers and small business owners turn to the internet first for information about local companies.

Your business website design is either going to capture this consistently growing audience of tech-savvy consumers, or lose these leads to online competition with a more effective web presence.  Converting new visitors to loyal customers will be a challenge if your site is outdated, difficult to navigate, or does not exist.  Here are the Top 5 Business Website Design Tips that will help your brand succeed online:


1.) Code Name: Source Code.The most important element of your website is something not visible to the end user; the source code. This is the programming language used to construct the core elements and functionality of your site. It is also an essential tool for communication with search engines. Having a solid foundation from the start with professionally written code will save you the time and cost of rebuilding later; choose your design team wisely!

2.) An Aesthetically Pleasing Design.Studies show that site design is a decisive factor for building trust with online consumers. A custom, high-impact, user-friendly business website design will not only increase customer loyalty and engagement, but help convert new leads to loyal customers by presenting a professional brand image.  Conversion rates, bounce rates and the total time a user spends on your site will all depend heavily on exactly how visually appealing and easy to navigate your website is.

3.) Engaging Content.From captivating home page copy to compelling customer testimonials and case studies, unique and engaging content is essential to keeping your audience’s attention. Enhancing visibility of your brand in search engines will be based mostly on the quality and consistency of your content. Hiring a professional copywriter or web developer who is familiar with your industry can be the best route if you do not have the resources in-house to create and manage your web presence on a regular basis.

4.) Mobile-Optimization.Searching for a local business happens 40% of the time from a mobile device. With over 150 million smartphone users in the U.S., having a mobile-optimized site is key to capturing this consistently growing segment. A responsive website design that adapts to the screen it is being viewed on can be an effective solution to accommodate the growing number of devices on the market.

5.) Future Development.Companies that blog have 55% more web visitors. Developing the best business website design in the world doesn’t mean a thing if consumers can’t find your company online. Having a balanced approach to promoting your site, from SEO and PPC, to blogging, social media and e-mail marketing, is key to maximizing your reach and visibility online.


Need help with your business website design?  Visit dream ink's Website Design page for more info.

SOCIAL MEDIA & ONLINE REVIEWS = PEOPLE POWER

A Nielsen Study reported 92% of consumers trust recommendations from family and friends over all other advertising.  The power of a personal referral or testimonial can be a crucial factor when someone is making a purchasing decision.  So how do you get your clients telling the world how amazing your products, services or expertise are?


Social Media
Social media is the new word of mouth advertising.  With Facebook recently hitting one billion users, many of whom log in three to fourteen times every day, the "Like" and "Share" buttons are quickly becoming a brands best friend to reaching a larger audience.  Social media provides a more casual forum to share content more often with users who have already indicated interest in your business by joining or following your feed.    

Another distinct advantage Facebook has over many other social media platforms is the accessibility and ease of sharing from mobile devices, which continues to drive increasing numbers of users to "check-in" at local businesses when finding a minute of boredom, waiting in line, or walking the street... (excuse me!)


Online Reviews
Savvy consumers are investigating local businesses now more than ever through sites such as Yelp and Google+.   These are likely qualified leads about to make a purchasing decision based upon your previous customers experiences, and your last chance to convince them that your company is a reputable, accessible and superior alternative to the competition.

Incentives, online surveys and QR codes directing your customers to review sites are great low-cost ways to generate a wealth of positive online brand endorsement before you're scrambling to bury the one bad review that someone (inevitably) posts.


Just ask!
Write a letter to your top ten clients asking for a personal endorsement; ask customers at the end of each appointment or delivery if they would endorse your brand with an online review (having an iPad handy is a smart move in this situation).  You can also create a postcard or insert to be mailed out with each invoice or statement, directing customers on where to share their experiences on.  You can then feature these testimonials on your website, post to social media, and include on print media to tell everyone how great your company is- without having to say a word.



For reviews on my company, dream ink, click around our website to read a few:
dream ink Creative Page Review

Or click the link below to a few others on our Google+ page!
dream ink Google+ Page

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PRESIDENTIAL PROMOTIONS

With the election behind us we thought it would be a great time to analyze what advertising may have influenced our voting decision.  From heated debates on job creation and taxation, the marketing campaign for each candidate had a clear strategy for targeting those most likely to vote for their party.  What issues evoked the most emotion from you, and how was the message reinforced? Take a look at the list below to see the many ways each candidate used to reach their audience.

  

TV:  The first debate attracted 67.2 million viewers.  That's nearly 22% of the entire U.S.!

Radio:  Both campaigns advertising heavily on adult contemporary stations targeting women voters in the last week before the election.

Print:  Political postcard mailings, wide-format banners and stake signs are three of the biggest products purchased during a campaign. 

Optimized lists:  99% of candidates running for (any) office will purchase an optimized mailing list based off of demographics and psychographics.

Social Media:  Obama is known as the "Social Media President" for being more engaged with the online audience on YouTube, Google+, Twitter and Facebook. 

E-mail:  Both candidates utilized e-blasts to procure donations and build brand loyalty.

Phone:  Who isn't tired of the robo-call?

Promotional:  Both candidates have e-commerce selling hundreds of promotional products:

The Romney-Ryan 2012 official store | Home & Obama for America | 2012 | Store

After all this filibustering... dream ink for President?  dream ink - creative. print. marketing.

  

DIGITALLY SPEAKING

As the world consumes iPhones, iPads and iPods at a rapidly accelerating pace, it appears we are moving to a paperless society in which your product or service will be need to be advertised through magic screens and megapixels to maintain market share. Just don't go investing every penny of your marketing budget in online advertising just yet... and here's why:

Marketing should be a multi-pronged approach to reaching your audience.
Business cards have been used since the industrial revolution, while the phone and fax were essential tools to advertise and communicate for the past sixty years. As we enter the digital age, websites, QR codes and social media are enhancing methods of transmitting information and should complement, not replace, your current marketing efforts.

The majority of consumers are looking online to research products and compare pricing and are not yet completely comfortable making every purchase from their home computer.
While Applications such as Google Wallet are making it easier and more accessible to pay for purchases through your smartphone, people still have security concerns and limited access to the internet. Experts believe it will be another ten to fifteen years before buying habits shift more to the digital dollar than our traditional paper or plastic, which gives your business plenty of time to adapt.

Ad specialties and print media are tangible products.
One of the strongest senses for memory retention is touch; sending a personalized invitation is going to leave a more memorable impression than that online invite. There is still a very large percentage of consumers who have not joined the digital age, even more who still prefer the traditional tri-fold brochure and business card for their rolodex. (For anyone under thirty reading this blog, a rolodex is what people used before cell phones became your address book!)

No matter what medium your using to reach your audience, compelling and effective graphic design stands behind every ad campaign as the difference behind striking an emotional chord with your audience, or turning them off with outdated or cluttered design. Join us next time for tips on how to hire the right designer to develop your brand image!

WEBONOMICS

The internet has revolutionized business and advertising by connecting over 1.97 BILLION users worldwide, who all have a product, service or story to share. While traditional print, radio and television ads may have been the most efficient methods for reaching your larger audience in the past, having a user-friendly and visually stunning website may now be the most affordable and effective medium to promote your brand.
How will your business benefit from investing in an online marketing campaign?


• Have your product or service found among the 91 MILLION Google searches performed each day.

• Reach your target audience among 1.8 BILLION registered e-mails by optimizing demographic and psychographic data to procure lists for e-mail marketing.

• Interact daily with over 600 MILLION users on Facebook, generate a Fan base and drive traffic to your website.

• Integrate QR codes in your advertising and appeal to 45 MILLION smartphone users- and growing each year!


Launching your site is only the first step in developing a strong online presence. Being relevant to Googles Ranking Algorithm will require keyword research, search engine optimization and regularly updated content. By incorporating social media, print-to-web materials with Personalized URL's or custom flash drives with pre-loaded information will make your information even more accessible and help consistently drive traffic to your site.

Next week: the "write" promotional product makes all the difference!