5 Key Considerations When Designing a Business Website

Key Considerations When Designing Business WebsitesYour website is often the first factor that influences how people feel about your business.  Recent research found 97% of consumers use online media to aid their purchasing decisions.

Let’s put it this way: poor web design and functionality?  Then the back button is getting clicked immediately and your product is out of that potential customer’s consideration set.  Yep, it happens that fast.

Great web design assures every online visitor they’re about to have an enjoyable experience the moment he or she lands on the site. When done correctly, it leads the visitor out of the unknown and into the known, providing knowledge about and access to a solution that meets their needs.

A quality web design should lead visitors exactly where they need to go.  It’s imperative the design offers every visitor specific actions to take before leaving the website, whether that’s making a purchase, filling out a lead generation form, subscribing, or making a phone call.

While designing a business website or blog can be a very complex process, here are five key considerations to always keep in mind.

Click here to continue reading…

#SMPro Social Media Spotlight: Interview with Will Russell

will-russellAs part of the #SMPro Social Media Spotlight Blog Series, this interview highlights Will Russell: San Francisco resident, soccer fanatic, and founder of online marketing consultancy Will Russell Marketing.

Founded in 2012, Will Russell Marketing assists brands in the safety and security industry by elevating their online presence and integrating online initiatives into their business strategy to drive increased business success.

Below, Will discusses his background, offers a handful of golden marketing tips, and provides his opinions on the overall landscape of the social media industry.

Click here to continue reading…

How To Automate Twitter Using Google Reader, Buffer, and IFTTT [Guide]

How to Save Time on Social MediaBefore we dive in, let’s dispel the myth that automating social media management is a mortal sin.  Every industry seeks to automate time-consuming tasks to some extent, so there’s no need to place social media management on a pedestal that doesn’t exist elsewhere.  Aside from that, Dan Zarrella of Hubspot recently released some compelling data that supports the case for automating Twitter.

Anyone who’s managed multiple Twitter accounts for clients knows the job is incredibly labor-intensive.  Between finding or creating great content to share, optimizing tweets to maximize clickthroughs, and setting up sharing schedules, time goes right out the window.  It’s no wonder businesses look to outsource this work so frequently.  Neglecting automation plainly limits your ability to engage followers as often as you should.  Essentially, it limits your ability to do what is best for your clients and that’s an avoidable lose-lose scenario.

To emphasize, automation isn’t an excuse to ignore your Twitter account.  The purpose of automating tweets is to free up time for engaging your followers — responding to their tweets, driving conversations, and thanking those who retweet you.

So, let’s make at least one aspect of social media management — Twitter — a bit less time-consuming by using three free, simple tools: Google Reader, Buffer, and IFTTTDeal?

Click here to continue reading…

10 Fundamental Do’s and Don’ts of Twitter Etiquette

Twitter has exploded in Do's and Don'ts of Twitter - Twitter Etiquettepopularity over the past few years, offering businesses a way to listen to and reach out to their target audiences.

While Twitter was built on a platform of simplicity, it’s by no means an easy marketing tool to grasp.  A few misconceptions about how to use Twitter can land your business in a minefield of negativity and bad PR.

For that reason alone, it’s important to be aware of the fundamental “rules” of Twitter etiquette before you dive in.  If your brand is already on Twitter, these do’s and don’ts will serve as a handy checklist to ensure your behavior isn’t putting off customers.

Click here to continue reading…

7 Sharp Ways To Boost Your Visual Content With Twitter’s Vine App

This is a guest post from Jasmine Henry of Inbound Marketing Agents.

It was only matter of time before Twitter How to Use Vine App for Social Media Marketingmet users’ hunger for visual social media content. Following a year when Instagram grew dramatically (subsequently being acquired by Facebook for $1 billion) and Pinterest grew to attract 1,090 visitors a minute, Twitter’s January 24th launch of the Vine app hasn’t been a disappointment.

In fact, Vine has quickly become one of the hottest topics in social media marketing, leaving brands and consumers buzzing about ways to maximize the social experience using Vine’s six-second video clips.

Click Here to Continue Reading…