The Bridge - MTECH Internet Marketing Tips » Business Building Tips http://mtechbd.com/webnews Helping Owners Traverse the Digital Divide Wed, 16 May 2012 13:36:08 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Evolution of Websites in 2012 http://mtechbd.com/webnews/2012/05/evolution-of-websites-in-2012/ http://mtechbd.com/webnews/2012/05/evolution-of-websites-in-2012/#comments Thu, 03 May 2012 15:40:31 +0000 mmitchell http://mtechbd.com/webnews/?p=407 Recently, I spoke at the Pagosa Springs Tourism Conference on the Evolution of Websites in 2012. The talk covered not only the technical changes from static HTML to interactive CMS sites, but it also discussed how the role of websites is changing. What was once an online portfolio is now becoming an interactive, lead generation tool that connects directly to your digital and print marketing strategy.

Here is the Powerpoint presentation:

 

Evolution of Websites in 2012

]]> http://mtechbd.com/webnews/2012/05/evolution-of-websites-in-2012/feed/ 0 How do People Spend Their Day Online? http://mtechbd.com/webnews/2012/03/day-on-internet-social-media/ http://mtechbd.com/webnews/2012/03/day-on-internet-social-media/#comments Wed, 07 Mar 2012 14:24:14 +0000 mmitchell http://mtechbd.com/webnews/?p=373 Ever wondered how most consumers and people spend their day surfing the web? Thanks to MBA Online, you can now see how much time, energy, data and information is exchanged daily on the Internet.

How does your time compare?

A Day in the Internet
Created by: MBA Online

]]> http://mtechbd.com/webnews/2012/03/day-on-internet-social-media/feed/ 0 Small Business Owners: How to Make Your Customers Love You http://mtechbd.com/webnews/2012/01/small-business-owners-how-to-make-your-customers-love-you/ http://mtechbd.com/webnews/2012/01/small-business-owners-how-to-make-your-customers-love-you/#comments Wed, 04 Jan 2012 15:39:46 +0000 mmitchell http://mtechbd.com/webnews/?p=311 In this global economy, small business owners must compete against other local businesses, Internet businesses and global companies for products and services. So, how do you stand out? Here are a few things to check in your business:

1. Simplify your website with compelling offers – Many small business owners have outdated websites with old information or information that is cobbled together in different spots. Figure out your brand and message and make sure it is clear throughout the site. Furthermore, utilize compelling offers for whitepapers, videos and other items to gather leads and engage your clients.

2. Invest in customer loyalty  - Offer local discounts or extras without having them ask for it. Don’t just offer new deals for “new customers” only. Remember, it takes more effort to get a new customer than keep an existing one.

3. Be their customer service partner – Be proactive in helping your customers solve their problems and/or needs. If you see issues with one customer and create a solution, then perhaps other customers could also use that advice or help. Don’t just be the “expert” but instead help empower your clients to succeed.

4. Be responsible – Make sure you and your employees own problems and work to find solutions. Be persistent and passionate about caring for your customers. Also, whenever possible, the person who speaks to a customer first should “own” that customer instead of passing them from person to person. If your clients have to call you back repeatedly to solve a problem, then you are not serious about customer service.

5. Fix the big issues bothering your customers – Many owners ask their customers “How can we improve?” But how many really listen and act on what they hear?

With new technology and business moving at a rapid pace, many people are looking for those small businesses that can come along side them and help. Where is your focus? Is it on helping those around you or just getting a new client? Is it on holding onto your knowledge so that customers HAVE to come to you or is it an attitude of sharing your knowledge to help them?

MTECH Internet Marketing helps small business owners and companies develop Internet marketing strategies, train staff, provides monthly reports, creates optimized websites, and educates owners on how to use social media and search to increase revenue and customer service. For a free evaluation, please contact us at 970-731-6325 or visit our website: http://mtechbd.com.

 

]]> http://mtechbd.com/webnews/2012/01/small-business-owners-how-to-make-your-customers-love-you/feed/ 0 Pause on Social Media…Check the Basics http://mtechbd.com/webnews/2011/12/social-media-for-small-business-owners/ http://mtechbd.com/webnews/2011/12/social-media-for-small-business-owners/#comments Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:59:01 +0000 mmitchell http://mtechbd.com/webnews/?p=296 Before diving into creating posts on Facebook, articles on Linked-In or tweets on Twitter…take a quick pause…There are some basic foundations that you should set in place to maximize your effectiveness. First of all, you need to understand the relationship between social media, search marketing, Email marketing, and your website. Each activity affects the other, so you should be thinking of social media as part of an integrated Internet marketing strategy. To that end, here are a few things to ask yourself:

1. Do you currently have web tracking in place (i.e. Google analytics) so you can see how much web traffic your social media posts are giving your site?

2. Do you have a blog installed on your website? Websites that have blogs and that link to blog articles from their various social media channels bring in a much higher percentage of website visitors and/or leads.

3. Do you have a targeted landing page strategy to effectively compare different marketing campaigns and channels and increase the number of leads?

4. Do you have a customer relationship manager (CRM) tool in place so you know how to follow up on leads and conversations you get from your various social media channels?

5. Is your website/blog optimized for search engines? Search is still a major source of business for most small business owners.

6. Do you know what keywords your audience might be searching for to find your product/service? Not only is this important for your website/blog to be optimized, but you should also have these keywords on your social media profiles.

7. Do you have a lead nurturing strategy in place so you can maximize on any social media activity?

8. Are you coordinating your website, blog and social media leads into an Email marketing campaign?

9. Have you identified key staff and personas who will “own” consistent blog and social media posts?

10. Are you evaluating your social media and web stats on a monthly basis to see where you are winning and where you need to increase/decrease activity?

11. Have you identified your clear brand message and unique positioning so you have a content strategy moving forward and consistent messaging across all your posts?

12. Have you determined your social media goals so you can measure your effectiveness?

13. How much time will you or your staff dedicated to social media posting, connecting, and viewing each week?

These are just a few of the basics to consider whether you have already started working in social media or are considering getting started. Social media is a media channel…not a marketing strategy. Even though it is “free”, your time is not. So, you want to make sure your time investment gives you the best ROI possible.

MTECH Internet Marketing helps small business owners and companies develop Internet marketing strategies, train staff, provides monthly reports, creates optimized websites, and educates owners on how to use social media and search to increase revenue and customer service. For a free evaluation, please contact us at 970-731-6325 or visit our website: http://mtechbd.com.

]]> http://mtechbd.com/webnews/2011/12/social-media-for-small-business-owners/feed/ 0 When Should you Outsource as a Small Business Owner? http://mtechbd.com/webnews/2011/12/when-should-you-outsource-as-a-small-business-owner/ http://mtechbd.com/webnews/2011/12/when-should-you-outsource-as-a-small-business-owner/#comments Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:52:42 +0000 mmitchell http://mtechbd.com/webnews/?p=285 As a small business owner myself, I spend a lot of time teaching other owners how to juggle marketing along with all of the other functions in business. Between running the books, developing new clients, handling the product/service, marketing, and even answering the phone/Emails, it can be overwhelming. Yet, as an entrepreneur it is always difficult to outsource many of these tasks. Since many small business owners “bootstrap” their business, it is always hard to spend money having someone do something that you can do.

On the flip side, however, if you continue to do things that you could outsource, you will always stay small. There are only 168 hours in the week. So, you are limited to the size of your business if you are the only one producing.

What activities can you outsource that cost you less than your own hourly rate? These could include bookkeeping, basic functions in your business or activities that you are not talented in or you hate to do. What services could you partner with other business owners that could help expand your service offerings? What activities are you doing that drain your energy and prevent you from being the best you can be? Conversely, what activities are you talented in and things you enjoy doing?

Here is another article from Coloradobiz.org that covers the “Reluctant Entrepreneur”:

http://www.cobizmag.com/articles/the-reluctant-entrepreneur/?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ColoradoBiz&utm_content=

MTECH Internet Marketing provides assistance in equipping small business owners to understand and implement successful Internet marketing strategies. If you would like a free consultation, please call us at 970-731-6325 for more details.

]]> http://mtechbd.com/webnews/2011/12/when-should-you-outsource-as-a-small-business-owner/feed/ 0 Marketing Shifts for Small Business Owners http://mtechbd.com/webnews/2011/11/marketing-shifts-for-small-business-owners/ http://mtechbd.com/webnews/2011/11/marketing-shifts-for-small-business-owners/#comments Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:17:42 +0000 mmitchell http://mtechbd.com/webnews/?p=274 internet marketing colorado

 

Marketing is shifting at an unprecedented rate.  Many small business owners and consultants are struggling to implement and understand these new tools with limited staff, resources and budget. Traditional forms of “interruption” marketing, such as television, radio, and print are becoming less effective. Whereas, new forms of “attraction” marketing, such as social and search, are increasing in reach. Marketers are starting to think like socializers and publishers and less like advertisers.

One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is the foundations of a company’s marketing – message, positioning, audience, and branding.  Social media is not a marketing strategy, it is a marketing channel. Owners first need to understand their unique positioning to determine the types of articles and content to promote across their websites and social media channels. Owners also need to research and listen to their customers and find out where their specific audience gets their information (Youtube, Linked-In, Facebook, Google Search, Twitter, etc…).

One of the first questions owners face is if their website is still relevant and how it works with social and search. First of all, it is not an either/or situation. A company’s website, search, Email, and social media profiles work in conjunction with each other. In most cases, a company website is the hub of their marketing activity. Social media and search direct traffic to a website and the website itself converts the “suspects” into potential prospects, leads and then sales. Social media requires consistency and the content posted is short-lived. Furthermore, social media channels popularity can change and a company does not “own” the vehicle, so the company’s content and branding can be diminished. Finally, most social media profiles can enhance branding concepts, but it is just the beginning of the brand story.

Social Media also affects search engine ranking. A company blog is an integral part of social media strategy. Blog article links on your social media profiles help direct people to a company’s website. Search engines are also starting to display more personalized results. Search engines are beginning to show you results based on your social media connections, “likes”, and geographical location. Overall, new marketing is about attracting clients through valuable content and interactivity published primarily through blogs and social media tools.

When evaluating social media, small business owners should understand the importance of consistency, message and how to combine it with their existing marketing activities. Tracking is increasingly important so an owner can determine which activities are receiving the best return. Company’s should evaluate campaigns instead of just channels and learn how to convert people into leads through compelling offers.

MTECH Internet Marketing provides assistance in equipping small business owners to understand and implement successful Internet marketing strategies. If you would like a free consultation, please call us at 970-731-6325 for more details.

 

]]> http://mtechbd.com/webnews/2011/11/marketing-shifts-for-small-business-owners/feed/ 0 Internet & Social Media Marketing for Small Business http://mtechbd.com/webnews/2011/11/internet-social-media-marketing-for-small-business-owners/ http://mtechbd.com/webnews/2011/11/internet-social-media-marketing-for-small-business-owners/#comments Fri, 04 Nov 2011 14:42:57 +0000 mmitchell http://mtechbd.com/webnews/?p=246 internet marketing for small business Having spoken at several conferences this year on social media, I have realized how big the gap is between large and small companies when developing a social media strategy. Unlike mid to large companies, small business owners rarely have a dedicated marketing staff person who can take on the new role of social media. Therefore, it is up to the owner, in a large part, or a COO to figure out how to implement social media within their company. Furthermore, if the company is growing, they may not have had time to figure out what message is appropriate and what channel.

Here is a link to a recent talk I gave to the La Plata Economic Alliance Summit on this very topic. Hopefully, it will start giving small business owners an idea where to start:

http://www.slideshare.net/MarcyMitchell/social-media-marketing-for-small-business-owners

]]> http://mtechbd.com/webnews/2011/11/internet-social-media-marketing-for-small-business-owners/feed/ 0 MTECH Owner Featured in Durango Herald Article http://mtechbd.com/webnews/2011/10/mtech-owner-featured-in-durango-herald-article/ http://mtechbd.com/webnews/2011/10/mtech-owner-featured-in-durango-herald-article/#comments Wed, 26 Oct 2011 18:24:46 +0000 mmitchell http://mtechbd.com/webnews/?p=239 After speaking at the recent La Plata Economic Summit, Marcy Mitchell was approached by the Durango Herald to interview for an article on how to help small businesses in Colorado incorporate social media and Internet marketing. Here is the article:

Owners click with consumers

As buyers move online, small-business strategies must evolve

By Heather Scofield, Durango Herald Staff Writer – View original article

Small business owners juggle a lot.

There are local, state and federal tax records and filings to be done. Accounting, inventory, board meetings, customer service, advertising and numerous other critical tasks also must be handled.

And recent changes in consumers’ and businesses’ communication, research and buying trends are adding more to business owners’ to-do lists. Now businesses must keep up with an official website, a blog or two and social networking pages such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn. They also must monitor user-content review sites such as Trip Advisor and Buzztown. Oh, and, customers expect businesses to ensure their message and involvement is consistent in all those online resources.

“You’re trying to run a business, meet payroll and focus on customer service,” said Jack Llewellyn, director of Durango Chamber of Commerce. “Then you throw in social media – it’s tough to keep up with it all.”

The situation has some local business owners pulling out their hair in frustration. Why aren’t customers as overwhelmed by it all as business owners sometimes feel?

“Where’s the information overload?” one local business owner wondered during a recent marketing presentation addressing the trend changes.

“It’s a different mindset” for them, said Marcy Mitchell, advisor for the Small Business Development Center of Southwest Colorado and owner of Pagosa Springs-based MTECH Internet Marketing.

The customers aren’t using the utilities the same way businesses are. They’re not selling an idea, service or company. They’re getting easy access to information and a less-complicated and intrusive way to communicate and consume.

It all amounts to a shift in marketing trends, Mitchell said. The advent of Do-Not-Call lists and commercial-free television and radio entertainment through devices such as digital video recorders and iPods have forced businesses to move their marketing strategies from the old “interruption marketing” techniques to a new concept – “attraction marketing,” Mitchell said.

To compete, businesses are finding they must build and maintain something akin to a utility to get and keep customers’ attention, she said.

“Marketers are starting to think like publishers and socializers, and less like advertisers,” Mitchell said.

Consumers want more than a business “brochure” when they’re online, she said. They want businesses to have information-rich websites, blogs and social-networking pages. They require mobile-friendly applications and quick responses to their online comments and concerns. And they’re demanding interactive and transparent relationships with companies these days, Mitchell said.

There are benefits to the new normal in marketing for businesses, she said. Once owners get past the daunting task of setting up their online marketing pages and systems for the first time, that is.

Businesses can to track their customers, the effectiveness of their marketing efforts and the progress of their sales leads in the sales process with greater ease than ever, Mitchell said.

But first, businesses must determine what online tools their customers are using and get to know those marketing channels well.

“Use the social tools your clients are using,” Mitchell suggests. “You have to know what kind of bait you are using and where the fish are swimming.”

She suggests that businesses select the tool they think is most relevant to their business and start from there. Often that’s a Facebook account, she said, as it’s among the most heavily used social-networking site by consumers.

Spend time exploring and perfecting the business’ webpage, message, maintenance schedule and customer interactions before starting another account. When multiple accounts are set up and the business owner feels his or her message is consistent between the marketing channels, it might be good to consider a software service such as HootSuite to help manage the accounts through a single work platform and better understand the effectiveness of each marketing avenue, Mitchell said.

And for those who just can’t get past the getting started part, it could be worthwhile to hire a local firm or consultant to get the accounts going. The owner can then take over the easier task of maintaining those accounts, Mitchell said. Advisors at the Small Business Development Center at Fort Lewis College also can help business owners learn about, set up and maintain the accounts for no charge, she said.

Doing nothing could be a company’s eventual death knell, though.

“We all have to be aware of how fast the world is moving,” Mitchell said. “There’s no perfect way to do it, but you have to find your voice in this new world. This is how customers are communicating today, and it’s something businesses can’t ignore.”

View original article

 

 

]]> http://mtechbd.com/webnews/2011/10/mtech-owner-featured-in-durango-herald-article/feed/ 0 Tracking is Key to Great Internet Marketing http://mtechbd.com/webnews/2011/09/tracking-is-key-to-great-internet-marketing/ http://mtechbd.com/webnews/2011/09/tracking-is-key-to-great-internet-marketing/#comments Thu, 22 Sep 2011 18:25:34 +0000 mmitchell http://mtechbd.com/webnews/?p=216 When working with small business owners, it is amazing how many of them are not tracking their website traffic, visitors, leads and social media efforts. In order to grow, you need to know what is working, what isn’t working and when you should shift money around for maximum effectiveness.

A simple way to do this is through Google Analytics. If your website does not have this free tool installed, contact your webmaster right away. MTECH provides this as part of every website design project we do. In addition, we also provide a monthly web report service that summarizes the web traffic, visitors, keywords and SEO and provide marketing suggestions and trends.

Other tools allow you to monitor your social media mentions, such as Hootsuite, and Facebook insights also provide you with your Facebook page activity.

In addition, Twitter just recently announced it is launching its own analytics tool: https://dev.twitter.com/blog/introducing-twitter-web-analytics

Furthermore, when tracking your paid advertisement programs, such as banner ads and PPC campaigns, are you also tracking the cost per lead? If your advertising vehicles are not directing traffic to targeted landing pages with compelling offers, you are missing out on some of the story.

MTECH Internet Marketing helps small business owners traverse the digital divide through website development, coaching, teaching classes, social media training and search engine optimization. Contact us at 970-731-6325 for more details.

]]> http://mtechbd.com/webnews/2011/09/tracking-is-key-to-great-internet-marketing/feed/ 0 Co-working great economic development project http://mtechbd.com/webnews/2011/08/co-working-great-economic-development-project/ http://mtechbd.com/webnews/2011/08/co-working-great-economic-development-project/#comments Fri, 05 Aug 2011 01:39:08 +0000 mmitchell http://mtechbd.com/webnews/?p=205 One of my clients, DurangoSpace, is a new co-working space in Durango Colorado. Here is a great article from Reuters on the value of co-working as it relates to economic development:

View original article

Coworking spaces: an economic development strategy?

When it comes to attracting companies to lovely but not exactly low-cost Santa Cruz, the city just south of Silicon Valley has a problem: no airport. Without an ultra-convenient air link the city struggled to attract large employers and the jobs they’d bring to the area. So what did the city’s creative  mayor, Ryan Coonerty, decide to do? Start a coworking space.

“We realized after chasing a lot of companies that instead of attracting one 200-person business, we should attract 200 one-person businesses. The economic impact is bigger, and some of those businesses will grow,” he told Fast Company.

NextSpace, the start-up co-founded by Coonerty, just closed a $700,000 fundraising round and now has four locations in California. In Santa Cruz the space has attracted 200 members and has also proved a boon to nearby businesses, which are serving the programmers, therapists, comedians and lawyers who utilize NextSpace.

In an interview, Jeremy Neuner, the CEO of NextSpace, said that coworking spaces’ ability to boost local businesses and create jobs was very much on the NextSpace team’s minds as the company expanded, explaining that the promise of a lift to the local economy made convincing communities to welcome NextSpace easy:

In many cases, that’s the door opener. If you get a politician to open their mouth, the first five words out of their mouth are going to be jobs. As a matter of fact, the city of San Jose, their economic development director and the council member who represents downtown San Jose came to us. They said, ‘Look, much like the success you guys have had in Santa Cruz and San Francisco. We really think this is going to be good for our downtown and will you come and open up a NextSpace here?’ They were looking at it from that original notion of economic development and job creation.

Coworking makes sense for the community, Coonery agreed when speaking with Fast Company, while also underlining that it makes sense for individual workers as well. “The 9 to 5 at an office is a relatively recent phenomenon in human history, and I think it’s a short-lived phenomenon,” he says. “I don’t think it makes much sense to have all your people spend 45 minutes in traffic, come in, limit their interactions to each other, and disperse those people out at five or six at night.” Look for the trend to continue gathering pace, then.

Co-working would be great in our community of Pagosa Springs!

View original article

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