Keystone Click - The Key to Your Web Foundation

There are so many benefits of advertising on the internet. First things that come to mind is that ROI that is easily traceable. You can track every click that a site user makes on your site.

A website is a great tool to go alongside any marketing campaign. The important factor to realize is that web design is very different from print design. Websites can be interactive and need to pop on a screen rather than on a flat piece of paper. Web design is a matter of thinking outside of the flat surface of a print brochure. Web design is thinking how a site user will navigate, what is the site visitor using to view this web site (MAC, PC, Firefox, Internet Explorer, iPhone, etc). Web design is not thinking long term for content, but how to keep content fresh while keeping the task minimal. Web design needs to flow logically as well as be aesthetically pleasing.

Most companies utilize the internet to verify the legitimacy of your business as well as to do research on your product or services. Brochures, publications, direct mail, and all the other aspects of marketing and advertising are still important for your campaign. However, your website will act as the keystone to your campaign.

All of your advertising materials should have a call-to-action. That call-to-action is usually one of three things, a phone number to call (which most people now-a-days are afraid to pick up the phone initially), an address to write to (very retro way to deal with business), or finally a web site address (or email address) to type in. The latter is the most popular and best received by your target audience probably 90% of the time. There are still a handful of individuals who have not jumped on the WWW bandwagon but the majority of active consumers are on the internet and hoping their favorite companies are too.Marketing through the internet saves time and money for both parties involved. Updating a newsletter is much simpler online than in print, (see our blog post about e-newsletters). Also, with SEO (Search Engine Optimization) online marketing is a must. You want to be found when someone searches for you, so marketing yourself on the internet correctly is vital. People are more likely to investigate the first few sites that pop up rather than hunt for another one. Being near the top will give your organization the edge that you need.

Pay per click advertising also takes your company to your consumers. For search engines, you can bid on keywords that are relevant to your target audience. You can also put your ad on sites that your target market may be on. These constant sites usually charge a fixed price per click rather than bidding. The end result is that your market will find you even if they are not actively seeking your services at the time.

The internet is just one more avenue for you to get your name out and generate buzz and sales for your organization. Who wouldn’t want that?

1. Have it be comprehensible.  Shrtning vrythng is cnfsng. 140 characters is vital for Twitter, but people need to easily understand your message.

2. Encourage participation. Whether that’s tweeting at someone or calling your audience to action, it’s important to get your followers motivated.

3. With everything you write, make sure it’s worth everyone’s time. Sure it’s only 140 characters, but there are just some things that people do  not need  or want to know.

4. Respond to tweets often. Whether it’s just a simple “thanks for the follow” or answering others’ questions, it shows that you/your organization values relationship forms of communication rather than the out-dated 1-way communication model.

5. Tweet about different things. Keep your Twitter account interesting. Just because you focus career-wise in one field doesn’t mean you can’t tweet about other things that interest you. And chances are, you can relate most things back to what you’re “known” for.

Tweet On.

Cold Calling. Not many people jump at the thought of picking up a phone, dialing a number and yes, having to speak to the voice on the other line. What people forget is that when done correctly, with just the right amount of finesse, cold calling can actually one of your greatest tools in your marketing tool belt. As with most things in life, business doesn’t just fall into your lap, you have to go out and search for it, you have to earn it. And one effective way to earn it is to pick up that telephone and dial. So here are some tips to help you warm up that cold call and make it one that’s effective rather than tedious.

• Focus on the right goal when calling. What are you trying to do with this call? Make a sale? Wrong. Well, kind of. Yes, you want to make a sale, but you don’t want to do it over the phone. The goal of the phone call is to win a meeting with the prospective client. Making a sale in person is much more effective than trying to pitch your product or service over the phone. If you aim for the goal of setting up a meeting, the person on the other end of the line will be less likely to treat you as another pesky telemarketer and rather, a respectable business contact.

• Don’t write a script. Unless you are a thespian actor, a script is going to sound like…a script. Instead, formulate an outline of speaking points and topics you want to cover. Have an opening line, a few brief points to bring up, and an idea of how you want to exit the conversation (see next tip about meetings). This outline allows you to put your own personality into the conversation, because that’s what it should be, a conversation, not just a robotic voice rattling off facts.

• Have a specific date and time in mind. When requesting a meeting “Wednesday at 11am” shows much more confidence than “Could I possibly meet with you sometime next week?” It also shows the prospect that you really do want to commit to this relationship and gives them a more structured request so they are less likely to blow you off.

• Relax. It’s just a phone call. If you sound tense though, you better believe those phone lines will pick up on it. So stop thinking of it as asking your “crush” to the prom way back in high school. If you get a no, you didn’t lose anything and your friends won’t mock you for taking your cousin. Remember, the goal of a cold call, is to get a meeting, the goal of the meeting is to try and get business. It’s better to have tried and lost 10 minutes than to not have tried at all because it does work frequently. So relax, there’s no other way to put it.

Now that the ice has been thawed around that telephone, go pick it up and start calling!

We at Keystone Click are proud to announce that our own Mike McGarry was one of the first ten people to complete “The Power of E-mail Marketing” from Constant Contact’s Expert Program.

By completing this program, Keystone Click is now available to give presentations and tutorials about Constant Contact and teach e-mail marketing strategies and techniques. This will help our clients by giving them the tools they need to successfully use e-mail marketing. The program also instructed how to build a quality contact list and strong e-mail content that will be read with increased click-through and response rates. Knowing this information will help us better utilize an organization’s time and investment by creating e-mails that catch attention, pique interest and get desired results ultimately ending with higher ROI.

Keystone Click has been using Constant Contact for 9 months now to help outline and distribute e-mails as well as manage the publics of a variety of clients. Now a partner with Constant Contact and an advocate for the company, Keystone Click is looking forward to the advantages that this training will have for our organization. Clients now will be able to create professional looking e-mails quickly and simply as well as manage contact lists and measure e-mail campaign results.

With this new competitive advantage to our name, we feel confident that as a company, we are in a better place to offer the best services to our clients in not only the web design and programming realm, but also the internet marketing realm.

Congrats Mike!

Who doesn’t love listening to the sound of their own voice? But what about other people listening to your voice, do you have something interesting to say? If your company has intriguing content to share, perhaps you should think about venturing into the world of Podcasting.

Podcasting is a simple way of reaching out to your target market. It utilizes RSS Feeds so people interested in your field can choose to receive your podcasts. This allows them to listen to your podcast when and wherever they so choose. So, as with anything you put on the web, make sure it is worth people’s time.

Think of podcasting as your organization’s own talk radio show, just minus the commercials and with each segment individually accessible. It’s more like a CD where you can skip to the track you want to hear rather than wade through the entire cassette tape to get to a 2-minute segment. If your organization just had an important meeting, why not record it and let your consumers get a behind the scenes look. This not only gives out information to your publics, but also lets them know that you are an open organization.

Other types of podcasts that could be interesting would be:

-Interviews: Have members of the company share a bit about themselves to make the organization more personal to the listeners

-Product Reviews: discuss a new product or service that’s coming out

-Directions: explain how to use a product, service or idea to its maximum potential

-Industry News: discuss something new and exciting in your industry whether it is new opportunities or a new organization

So you recorded a Podcast, how do you get people to hear what you have to say?

-As with Facebook and Twitter, include an RSS Graphic on your website to let visitors know that you have a podcast available.

-Enter into a Podcast Directory. When listeners are looking for a certain topic to hear and your podcast shows up as a match for keywords, your work is done. These directories let listeners find you giving you more time to record interesting content for your next podcast. Some directories to consider:

Podcasting Station

Podcast Alley

AllPodcasts

For more help with podcasts, check out this helpful site.

Happy Podcasting!

It seems like everybody has a blog these days, even pets are blogging about what mischief they’ve recently cause. So how do you get your organization’s blog to stand out? First off, use your resources.

WordPress 3.0 has come out with some new features, Mashable has highlighted the important ones:

-Custom Post Types: You can add different content types rather than just “Posts” and “Pages”.  This allows you to feature more areas of your organization such as a section for “Members”, “Testimonials” or pictures and videos.

-Custom header/backgrounds: WordPress 3.0 offers clean and bold designs coupled with functionality not typically found in themes. If you don’t have coding skills to customize your theme (not many of us do) WordPress lets you customize your background and header to give it a less “Clip-Art” feeling. You can use your own images to give your blog a more personal style without going through the hassle of programming it yourself.

-Multi-site compatibility: For organizations with different branches, this feature is key. This lets you manage different websites with the same WordPress installation.

Other ways to enhance your blog:

The Facebook “Like” Button: it’s everywhere, so why not on your blog? Install a plug-in for this feature and let your followers promote your page with a simple click of a thumbs-up.

Security. Readers don’t want to weed through spam under your contents section. Secure your blog, install the automatic updates to help protect against spamming.

Silence is Golden: We all have guilty pleasures in music, but that doesn’t mean they need to be shared. If a reader wants background noise while reading your blog, that’s what iTunes and Pandora are for.

SIZE. For goodness sake, please use a readable font.  If readers have to squint, there is a high likelihood that they will just skip onto the next blog.

Spell Chec: Because once you post, you’ll never forgive yourself for forgetting that “K”. So spell check, and go through for other edits as well. It boosts your credibility and won’t end up with people giggling at the fact that you still cannot tell which is the right form of their/there/they’re.

Focus on content: Backgrounds are nice, especially with the ability to make them more custom. However, people should be remembering what you have to say, not what colors are flashing at them in different patterns.

Happy Blogging!

So your Non-Profit wants to maximize its presence in Social Media?

There are a few things that need to be done. First off, choose which social media site you want to use and focus on. Having too many sites to manage will eventually lead to a few of those sites lying dormant in the World Wide Web. Inactivity on these sites will convey a message to viewers that your company isn’t fully paying attention to the details.  When looking at your social media site, viewers want to see it bustling with life because in their minds, it is a representation of the charitable work that you do as well. By the same token, do not overwhelm you followers with constant updates about every small little thing; leave that to Lindsay Lohan and the other obsessive Tweeters. (No, actually we don’t care that you just brushed your teeth, but thanks for sharing).

By focusing your social media on one or two key sites, you allow your organization to connect with your followers. Since this opportunity is there, embrace it. You can respond with personalized Tweets or posts rather than sending out mass, generic e-mails and newsletters. Social media allows for relationships to be built. So build them and your organization will see the benefits of being real rather than a distant, impersonal organization asking for donations.

Connect with your volunteers, potential volunteers and those whose interest has been piqued by your cause. If you really want to put a face and personality into your relationships on social media, call for some opportunities to meet in public as a large group for you and your following.

Some resources that your NPO can use:

-Volunteermatch.org : A “dating” website of sorts for Non-Profits and those who want to make a difference in our world. This takes the stress out of looking for volunteers, the site will have them find you.

-Firstgiving.com : A way to raise money online for either your organization to use as a collective, or for your members to use to reach their more immediate base  of contacts. Check out more tips for raising money online.

-Google Analytics: Find out, for FREE, how many people are visiting your site to measure the results of your Social Media endeavor.

For more tips on NPO Social Media

For examples of successful NPO Social Media pages already in practice

An excellent, low cost way to keep your clients and prospects informed of your services, products, news, etc is to send out eNewsletters. This can be a simple text e-mail or a colorful HTML e-mail. Either way, you are getting your name in front of your target audience. Here are a few reasons why sending an eNewsletter rather than simple e-mails, or snail mail newsletters, is so much better.

Perk #1—People See Your Name. eNewsletters will reinforce your service or product continually with each e-mail that you send. These repeated messages cause greater and more effective brand awareness and recognition. With eNewsletters, the link to your site is right there on the e-mail, so the reader only needs to click and they are on your site, they are looking at your services and products, they are one step closer to making a purchase than before opening that eNewsletter.

Perk #2—Information Galore. With eNewsletters you can keep site visitors up to speed with upcoming events, promotions, product launches and industry news. By covering a wide range of topics within your industry, you convey an attitude of consciousness for the world around you. It shows that your company is informed and is a solid place for consumers to invest in. It’s also fast, if you’re excited about a new product or opportunity, send out an eNewsletter right away rather than waiting days for the postman to deliver a regular newsletter. You can also use them for discounts, specials or deals that your company is offering, and incentives for subscribing voluntarily to your organization’s newsletter and thus driving more traffic to your website.

Perk #3—Pleased To Make Your Acquaintance. Customers have the option of subscribing or not to your eNewsletters, this allows those who are truly interested in your product to receive the valuable information you have to disperse. You now have a targeted audience receiving what you say so you can have a more focused approach to your eNewsletter’s content. Customer research is also easily collected via surveys and responses. The people receiving your newsletter care about your organization and are more likely to participate in any research you send their way. You can also track your e-mails. Any “undeliverables” can be quickly identified and efforts can be made to correct and resend them. With this feature you’re not wasting paper or money on regular newsletters, but you’re also saving energy in the tech world. It’s saving those who don’t want your information time online, saving the energy that would be used  to delete your e-mail. And with the environment, every little bit helps.

Please just remember that when sending your eNewsletter to keep it interesting. You want to keep your subscribers, not bore them and push them away. So use this time and presence in an eNewsletter to toot your own horn and have some fun relating to your customers!

Yes! and NO.  In today’s social media driven world, it’s not surprising that a NEW social networking site has evolved and is growing in recognition daily.  www.foursquare.com is the name of this fun new site.

Details on their site state:

foursquare is a cross between a friend-finder, a social city-guide and a game that rewards you for doing interesting things.  We aim to build things to not only help you keep up with the places your friends go, but that encourage you to discover new places and challenge you to explore your neighborhood in new ways.

The best way to utilize this website is on your mobile phone.  That’s right.  The action and fun start by “checking in” at various locations by using your mobile phone.  A number of apps have been created for a variety of phones including the iPhone, Android, Blackberry, and Palm.  If you don’t have one of these smart phones, you can access the site by visiting http://m.foursquare.com from your mobile browser to “check in”.

How could this potentially help my business?

Checking into a location.

Approved businesses will have access to see who is checking into their location.  Businesses can now have the opportunity to send rewards and encourage the “checking-in”.  Here is a snapshot on FourSquares website regarding the privacy settings (which you can turn on and off)

FourSquare Check-In Privacy Setting

I crown you MAYOR OF ________.

Playing the game offers a reward system.  Individuals who “check-in” the most at a location are rewarded Mayor status.  A number of businesses (coffee shops, pizza joints, etc) are offering discounts to individuals with the “Mayor” status.  FourSquare’s website has a section dedicated to how you can utilize this app to promote your business. Also, they encourage businesses to promote the “Mayor” discounts on the FourSquare site.

Get your brownie sash out of the closet – its badge time.

Badges are still a “work-in-progress” for FourSquare, however it’s an opportunity for you as a business owner.  Since this is a WIP, FourSquare is asking for your recommendations on what additional badges to create and offer.  So, as an owner of a brick and mortar, create a badge that is earned if someone checks in 5 times within  a month.  If they earn your badge, offer then a discount or free item.

This is just a small taste of the potential FourSquare is about to bring.  It’s still in the early stages, jump on board, create a profile, and start “Checking-In”.

What are your thoughts on the current social media trends? Is this a fad? If so, how long will it last?

This video has been viral online for a couple of months, however its message is strong – SOCIAL MEDIA IS HERE TO STAY.  Business is changing, to remain competitive and alive in your industry, you need to change with it.

Enjoy the Social Media Revolution, created by Socialnomics09.  Currently over 1.2 million views.