Your website contains the message, design, and content to foster interaction and produce sales, but there are a number of steps that can be taken to improve the website's visibility to new users.  Today's search engines use a variety of techniques to identify, classify, and index websites in such a way that provides users a cohesive and informed way to access data on what they search on, and Search Engine Optimization methods allow for website admins to control their rankings and improve their chances of being found.

A little research goes a long way.

You may have heard about Twitter opening up its archives to large marketing companies for research or Google crawling your emails and searches for keywords and phrases. If you are like me this may be a little bit unsettling to you. Regardless of the methods that are being used they all share a common goal. These companies are seeking to make more effective choices on how to market their big ideas, products, and services to target audiences.

Developing a compelling promotional offer that grabs the attention of potential clients is very important to your company’s growth. There are some basic principles to keep in mind throughout the process that will help you focus on what you want, and what you need.

Several Principles of an Effective Promotional Offer

Branding isn’t only for large corporations. You can use these tips to help grow your brand with you customers.

1. Have a nice, professional logo, but don’t spend a fortune on it. It is important to include your logo on your business cards, envelopes, invoices, letterheads, signage, newsletters, ads, etc. in order to show your customers that your brand has a sense of continuity and stability.

Television, Postcards, Internet – Oh My! It seems like everywhere you turn, companies are trying to entice you with a message about their product or service. And it’s true; many companies do this to survive in the increasingly competitive market we live in today. Is a broad reach marketing campaign the best fit for everyone? Not by a long shot! Most small businesses don’t have the time or resources it takes to try and reach every person out there. That’s why knowing who your customer is and how to reach them is so important.

Marketers have been using the “brighter, cleaner, cheaper” strategy for decades. The idea is that you focus your message solely on your products and services. Product X is so extraordinary you simply cannot live without it! This strategy for marketing is quickly loosing momentum, especially in Internet marketing. You no longer have time to “seduce” your potential customers into buying, when the competition's products are just a click away.

In our previous newsletter, Kelly discussed how the use of color in your company image is just as important as the actual image itself. She explained that this is primarily due to the fact that color plays a large role in memory retrieval for consumers. In this article, we will look at color and other elements of design and how they pertain to the emotional aspect of consumers.

Certain colors can stimulate, excite, depress, tranquilize, increase appetite or create feelings of warmth or coolness. Colors act upon the body as well as the mind. Red has actually been shown to stimulate the senses and raise the blood pressure, while blue has shown to have the opposite effect and even calms the mind. People will actually gamble more often and make riskier bets while they are sitting under a red light as opposed to a blue light. This is evident when one observes the use of color and light in Las Vegas, for instance. Colors also have different effects when placed next to their complementary colors, as well as when placed on different backgrounds. The principles of color are just one aspect that needs to be taken into account when designing a graphic element for a company. One must also take into account the linear components (lines) of graphic design.

There are many factors that influence how a customer feels about the experience of doing business. Studies show that if a customer leaves with a bad experience or even an unresolved question or issue 80% are unlikely to return. A problem order doesn’t always mean that the customer will have a bad experience. A resolved problem often gives you a chance to give the customer an even better experience by showing that you put their satisfaction first. If you can respond to customers in a timely manner with competent information, and show them that you are honest and care about them and their business you will differentiate your company’s customer experience – and receive all the benefits associated with giving quality service.