June 2009 - E-marketing Minute - Marketing--Beyond Your Web Site

Are you relying on your Web site to do all your work for you? If that’s the case, you are probably pretty disappointed.

Some people have the idea that once a Web site is up, all they have to do is wait for the orders to roll in or the word-of-mouth to catch on. And then the Web site just sits there. And sits there.

And sits there.

April 2009 - E-marketing Minute - Does Your Site Work on All Browsers?

Have you ever noticed how your company or organization's Web site looks on different computers? What comes up on your neighbor's computer may appear quite different from how it looks on yours. That's because he could be using a different browser from yours.

Web site developers have absolutely no control over the software that will end up viewing their Web site. As a Web site owner, you need to be aware of the complications involved in viewing your site. As an Internet user, you need to be aware of the hidden issues brought on by not updating your browser regularly.

There's a good chance that you yourself are using either Microsoft's Internet Explorer 7 or 6, but there are many other options out there. As it stands, Mozilla's Firefox is a strong third in the browser wars, with Google Chrome, Safari, Opera, and now Internet Explorer 8 filling in the minor ranks and nine more that are too insignificant to list. Not including the smart phone market, that leaves you with 16 different ways to view the same site.

March 2009 - E-marketing Minute - Who Owns Your Web Site?

Recently a small retailer approached us about taking over her Web site hosting and improving the site. She had paid the designer to develop her site a year ago. Her hosting contract was up for renewal.

Much to her dismay, she discovered the Web site did not belong to her business. There it was on the contract: “The developer maintains the rights to the Web site’s design.”

She wanted out. She wanted a divorce from her Web site hosting and design company—but unfortunately she was locked into this relationship. Redesigning the site would cost too much. The retailer had learned a costly lesson.

This is not your usual and customary way that Web site ownership is handled. Usually the site belongs to you, the client. But it happens often enough that I thought it was worth a column.

December 2008 - E-marketing Minute - Picking a Domain Name

They say availability is the mother of invention... or is it necessity? Whichever it is, when you’re choosing a domain name, you may not get your first choice. What’s the next best thing? It’s time to get creative.

Your domain name should mirror the image you want your company to project. The URL you choose can have an impact on brand identity and help with keyword ranking. Choose carefully.

November 2008 - E-marketing Minute - Web Site Pet Peeves

This month we asked our staff for their pet peeves regarding Web sites they’ve visited. Here are some of their suggestions:

Sometimes it is hard to figure out how to reach someone in a company, according to marketing manager Laura Freeman. Make sure your contact information is clearly visible. Put contact information on every page, traditionally in the footer (bottom of the page). Or, have a “Contact Us” page. Preferably do both.

October 2008 - E-marketing Minute - Web Sites That Work

Businesses could be faced with lackluster sales during these challenging economic times. It’s always important to ensure your Web site is working to increase your profits and productivity, but it’s doubly important now. How can your Web site build profits and increase productivity with limited resources?

September 2008 - E-marketing Minute - Words That Sell

Whether you are working to create or improve your Web site, there is a mountain of minutiae you need to keep in mind. Technology changes fast, and you have to run to keep up.

But there’s one element that never changes: Writing words that sell.

August 2008 - E-marketing Minute - SEO Techniques

A client recently asked us to do some SEO on their Web site. (SEO, or search engine optimization, is about designing your Web site so it achieves a high ranking on search engines such as Yahoo and Google.) We were alarmed to see what the previous company had done – lots of repetition of the same term on the site and in the metatags, the descriptive code that tells search engines what is on your site. Most search engines regard both of these methods as spamming and count them against you.

July 2008 - E-marketing Minute - E-mail Campaigns

E-mail campaigns: Best practices for the best response

Want to increase readership of your e-mails? Using the same tactics as you would use for direct mail will help increase readership of your e-mail copy, according to an article by Pat Friesen in Target Marketing magazine’s July ’08 issue.

June 2008 - E-marketing Minute - Web Site Access Information

Do you have your web site access information? We have many times dealt with companies that don't have their access information - who their server is, their designer, their domain name registration company, passwords, etc. The secretary who had the info left the company a year ago, the web designer left town or went out of business, or you decided to switch hosting or site maintenance companies. It takes a considerable amount of research to find the information so you can turn it over to another designer or another employee.