9 Tips To Boost Your Small Business Website

When it comes to creating or redesigning a website, there are infinite ways to customize it to make it your own. With all those options, it can get overwhelming trying to decide which option looks the best, while at the same time better at getting the job done.

But have no fear!

The internet today is full of great examples of websites that found creative and innovative ways to attract potential customers, engage and inspire action from site visitors, and set themselves apart from competitors.

We have compiled a list of nine small business websites in the Louisville, KY area that did just that. When looking at these element examples, be sure you are not directly copying them. Instead, use them as inspiration and customize them to fit your marketing and website needs.

1. The Henry Clay: Killer Homepage

Originally built in 1924, The Henry Clay has become a popular venue in the heart of downtown Louisville to host a variety of events, from weddings to corporate events. They made our list because their homepage hits all the top elements that make it a killer homepage. Simple navigation, list of services, and an easy to understand call-to-action allow visitors to quickly find what they are looking for. In addition, they highlight the recognition they received from three of the top wedding sites and utilize a blog section to keep visitors up-to-date on events and news. When they combine all this with a clean layout and simple color scheme, they produce a stunning display to highlight their business that is sure to bring in new customers.

2. Crafts Gallery & Mercantile: Service Descriptions

Crafts Gallery & Mercantile is a Contemporary and Traditional Art Gallery providing the Ohio River Valley with design presentations, fine art consulting, sales, picture hanging, art installations, and customized corporate art programs. Their excellent descriptions of their services are how they got a spot on this list. They describe what they do, how their process works and the benefit and value the customer can gain from their services. Having this type of content builds trust and enhances the customer experience by making your site more appealing.

3. Park Side Bikes: Employee Bios

Born in 2009, Parkside Bikes was Louisville’s first used bike store. Its creation was built on the hope that anyone could walk into the store and find their perfect bike. With any local store, it’s important to establish a strong relationship between the customers and the employees. Parkside Bikes did a great job of introducing their founder and staff on their website. They included original photos of their employees and brief bios about everyone. This allows people to emotionally invest in a relationship with your small business before stepping foot inside your doors.

4. Logic Media: “You Statement” and Call-to-Action

Logic Media has been providing web design and marketing solutions to the Louisville Metro area since 2003. Their excellent “You Statement” and Call-to-Action is what helped land them a spot on this list. As soon as their website pops onto your screen, visitors instantly know what services they provide and how those services can benefit their business. Their Call-to-Action is very clear and lets visitors know that if they want to grow their business with digital marketing to generate revenue, then the next step is to click on the button to get a complimentary consult. When you combine a “You Statement” with a clear CTA, your website stands a great chance of increasing conversions, thus making your business profitable.

5. 3 Space: Video about a Product/Service

Educating your customers is an excellent way to build trust and establish your business as an authority in your industry. 3 Space is a company that does industrial 3D printing and they created an interactive video to educate potential customers about their 3D scanning services. This is a creative way to show potential customers who may not be familiar with the ins and outs of 3D scanning an in-depth look into the process and how they can benefit from this service. When you educate visitors, you help them make an informed purchasing decision and build a positive business-customer relationship.

6. Tim R. Winters Architect: “How It Works” Page

Founded in 1988, Tim R. Winters Architect was built to fill the lacking niche of residential architect in the Louisville, Ky area. They specialize in timeless and classic designs inspired by the early 1900s. Their clear and easy to understand description of their service process is an excellent example of a “How It Works” page. They section the process out step by step, mention what people will be a part of each step, and what everyone’s, including the client’s, responsibilities are. This shows they are taking the necessary actions to make sure the client knows what to expect at each stage of the design process, and ensures that the client gets the most out of the process. Well done, Tim R. Winters Architect!

7. Formé Millinery Co.: Testimonial Page

The Formé Millinery Co. is a custom hat shop and a unique gem for the city of Louisville. Their website made our list because of the different and beneficial way they organized their testimonials. While many companies just list their testimonials on a page on their site, Formé Millinery Co. broke up their testimonials based on the categories of “hat testimonials,” “experience testimonials,” and “hat making workshop testimonials.” This breakdown is a great way to show visitors, who are leery of this industry because of how unique it is, current and previous customers’ experiences with different aspects of this business. Testimonials and reviews are essential to any large or small business, because of the growing popularity of consumers wanting social proof before making a purchase.

8. Abrams Roofing & Sheet Metal Inc.: Original Images

It’s a tried and true fact that using original images on your website is the best option versus using stock images. Original images consist of photographs, infographics, cartoon, GIFs, or any other visual element that are used to further promote your brand. Abrams Roofing & Sheet Metal Inc. is a great example of a business using their personal photographs to enhance the user experience and build trust among the site’s visitors. The picture of an old work truck with the company logo on it instantly builds an emotional attachment between the company and the customer. It proves they have been in business since the 1950s, they have won the trust of their customers, and will continue to carry on the company’s values.

9. Great Flood Brewing Co.: Product and Process Description

The Great Flood Brewing Company is a Louisville native bar that opened its doors in 2014 and began its own beer production in 2017. What makes this brewing company stand out from the rest is their impressive description of their brewery and how their beer is created. They talk about how different ingredients affect the taste of the beer, the many tools that are used at each stage of the production, and the journey from grain to beer. Creating this type of content has the potential to improve conversions, because it allows them to connect with and educate the reader. This also builds trust and relationships because they are giving the information needed to make an informed buying decision.

NOW IT’S YOUR TURN!

After looking at all of these amazing examples, what did you discover? When executed correctly, each element has the chance to increase the quantity and quality of the user experience.

What happens when you increase the quantity and quality of the user experience? You stand the chance of creating better leads and increasing the number of conversions. Who doesn’t want that!?

Your website is the digital face your company and it needs to promote your brand in a positive way. With the help of these killer content elements, you can create a website that helps your small business stand out from the competition, make an impression, build relationships, and gain more customers.

The post 9 Tips To Boost Your Small Business Website appeared first on Onethingmarketing.net

One Thing Marketing
2305 Hurstbourne Village Drive #400
Louisville, KY 40299
502-532-1818
https://www.onethingmarketing.net/map/
https://www.onethingmarketing.net/info/

What You Can Expect From Our Digital Marketing Company: One Thing Marketing’s Core Project Plan

For business owners in and around Louisville, KY, there is one fundamental need…customers. Without the all important customer, you have no business. One of the best ways, if not THE best way to build your customer base is to build and grow an online presence for your business.

Go ahead and ask yourself, “How the heck do I do that?!”

We’re glad you asked!

Hiring our digital marketing company, One Thing Marketing, is the answer.

We are the best of the best when it comes to creating and building online marketing strategies.

(Yes, we are tooting our own horn.)

Our team begins to implement these strategies through what we call our “Core Plan.”

While each Core Plan is customized to the needs and budget of each individual client, we still start with a few basic fundamental elements that are the most effective in building a website and web presence. We call these our “Core SEO” elements. They are:

• Custom Website Design
• Onpage Website Optimization
• Local Search Optimization

Remember that while these are “fundamental” we still cater each one to your specific business budget and goals.

SPOILER ALERT!

Once your Core Plan is finished, our partnership doesn’t have to stop there.

(Everyone leaps for joy!)

If you are craving more leads or your industry is competitive enough to need work on a more ongoing basis, then we can roll right into a “Dynamic Plan.” The reader’s digest version of a Dynamic Plan is that it consists of work that is flexible and can fluctuate based off results and changes that we see during quarterly evaluations of your website and its performance.

For now, we are going to focus on describing each step of the Core process and what you can expect from us and what is expected of you. To make things a little more fun, we are going to follow Charlie with Tuff’s Security and talk about what he went through during his time working with our amazing digital marketing company.

WHERE THE BALL STARTS ROLLING: THE STRATEGY SESSION

We are going to start this Core Plan from the very VERY beginning. Charlie started his own security business and is needing some help getting his name out in the community and gaining more productive leads. What is the first thing he does?

He hops on his computer and does a Google search for “marketing companies in louisville ky.”

And would you look at that! Look who pops up first in the map results!

We use the same basic online marketing principles for our digital marketing company as we do with each of our clients. If this doesn’t prove that we practice what we preach, then we don’t know what does.

Now that Charlie has found us, the ball can start rolling.

Step 1: Give Us A Buzz

Whether Charlie calls us, submits a strategy session form through our site, or he heard about us from a friend, we will call him within 24 business hours to talk about what his needs are and if our partnership will help meet his business goals.

Step 2: It’s A Match!

After our initial chat, if we are a match made in heaven, then we will schedule Charlie’s FREE strategy session within the next week or at his earliest convenience.

In this meeting, we will dive deeper into what his needs are and give him a quick synopsis of how our services could benefit him. We will also cover what all goes into the three fundamental elements:

• Website Design
  • We will create a website that is aesthetically pleasing and user friendly.
• Onpage Website Optimization
  • We will ensure that the website is ranking for specific keywords that relate to Charlie’s products and services.
• Local Search Optimization
  • We will create and optimize the top local directories to ensure Charlie’s business name, address, and phone number, or NAP, is correct across the web.

Once this meeting is over, we will ask Charlie if he gives us the green light to create a first draft of his custom marketing plan. This meeting is in no way a formal commitment to work with us. If this first meeting is not one to write home about, then no feelings hurt here. If the fit is not mutual, then we will bow out and wish Charlie the best of luck.

Step 3: We Get Creative

If Charlie gives us the okay, then our team will need about a week to create Charlie’s customized online marketing strategy based on his needs and budget discussed in the strategy session.

Step 4: Tell Us What You Think

After we wipe the sweat away from working hard on Charlie’s marketing plan, we will meet up to review our proposed plan. We ask that everyone involved in the decision making process be in attendance so we can answer every question, big and small, his team may have.

Step 5: Decision Time

We get it. Charlie probably doesn’t want to make his final decision right then and there in front of us. We will give him time to review his marketing plan, talk with his colleagues, and our team will follow up with him to hear his decision. Once Charlie has his decision, be it a yes or no, he needs to let our team know ASAP. That way we can stop stalking him 

Up to this point, Charlie has made no formal commitment to us. If after reviewing his custom online marketing strategy, he decides to not work with us, he can walk away with no strings attached. Our feelings won’t be hurt at all (well maybe just a tad.)

This no-obligation, FREE session could be the “one thing” (get it?!) Charlie needs to get his business off the ground and take it to the next level.

Step 6: Let’s Get This Wagon Train A Movin’

Congratulations!

Charlie has decided to work with One Thing Marketing! He has given us the green light to begin implementing his custom online marketing strategy.

IT’S OFF TO WORK WE GO

Now that Charlie has decided to work with a digital marketing company in Louisville, KY, he is excited to see where we can take his business.

At this point, it’s time to roll up our sleeves and get busy.

Here is how everything will go down…

Step 1: New Client Onboarding

Once Charlie approves of our proposed marketing strategy, the following things will happen:

• Charlie will receive a service agreement from One Thing Marketing. He will need to sign it and send in his initial payment.
• Next, we will send Charlie a copy of his service agreement, scope of work, and paid invoice.
• Then, Charlie will receive a questionnaire. This will need to be filled out in its entirety and to the best of his abilities. While filling it out, if he has any questions, our team is more than happy to set up a call to help him out.
• Once everything is signed, sealed, and delivered, we will schedule the Discovery Meeting.

This initial onboarding process takes on average one week to complete.

Step 2: Discovery Meeting

This is where we get down to the nitty-gritty and learn more about Charlie’s business, services/products, and how he wants his website to look.

This is a 1 to 2 hour meeting with both Charlie and the One Thing Marketing team. We will go over all aspects of the website design, process, and questionnaire.

After the Discovery Meeting, we will send Charlie a follow-up email within a week. This email will list out any additional information we need, especially those that Charlie specifically wanted on the site.

(HEY! Pay attention, this next part is really important.)

During the Discovery Meeting, Charlie mentioned that he has new headshots of his employees and some new testimonials that he wanted on his site. He has one week from the date of the follow-up email to get those elements to us or his Core Plan timeline could be delayed.

The Discovery Meeting process takes about 1 to 2 weeks.

Step 3: Website Build Begins

Once our team starts on Charlie’s website, he will receive weekly progress emails so he can follow along with our work. These emails will include updates on:

• Backend development, site structure, and user flow mapping
• Necessary plugins that were added, WordPress security updates, and website backups
• Homepage design and progress of the professional service/product pages

The website build takes 8 weeks. During this time, there will be two main Milestones Charlie can look forward to.

Milestone 1:

• Once week 4 or 5 rolls around, we will send Charlie a screenshot of the top of his homepage for approval. It is what his potential clients will see first when they visit the website, so it is an important first impression. We do this to ensure Charlie likes the overall design and vibe of we are using on his website. He has 1 week to either approve or request changes. If don’t hear from him, then we assume he likes it and continue working.
• During this milestone, our team will also:
  • Finalize the design of all pages on the website
  • Setup Google Analytics and Google Search Console

Milestone 2:

• Once we get to week 7, we will send Charlie the whole site for approval. We ask that he looks over the entire site for any changes he may want. He has one week to approve or request changes.
• If Charlies does have some edits, our team will make those changes and make sure he is 100% happy with our design.
• Upon approval, we will do what we call a “pre-launch” of the website and conduct a mobile audit to ensure his whole site is mobile friendly.
• Once both Charlie and our team are in love, we will officially launch the website and make it live for the whole world to see.

During the whole website building process, we will send Charlie weekly progress emails and have monthly check-in calls. We do this to ensure everything goes according to plan, Charlie is always happy, and any questions that come up are answered promptly.

Step 3 ½: Onpage & Local Optimization

We are calling this step 3 ½ because the onpage and local optimization are not started after the website is finished, but about halfway through the website build process.

Onpage Website Optimization:

This is where our team will make sure Charlie’s website is ranking for specific keywords that are relevant to his industry and relate to his products and services.

In order to achieve this goal, our fabulous content writers will write service pages that describe each of Charlie’s services. Each page will be optimized around a specific keyword that will help that page show up in Google’s search results.

For example, Charlie owns and runs a security business. One of his services is installing security systems in residential homes. So our content writers would target the keyword “home security systems” in that specific service page.

The Onpage Optimization takes about 4 to 6 weeks and is usually completed 1 week after the website build is finished.

Local Search Optimization:

Across the world wide web, there are hundreds of directory sites that Charlie’s business name, address, and phone number could appear on. We’ve narrowed down the list to the most prominent directories, as well as picked out a few niche directories for Charlie’s business. To ensure that each listing is correct, our local search expert will do each of the following:

• Create and optimize a Google My Business listing.
• Create new business listings on several directory sites that we deem most important.
• Attempt to combine or remove any duplicate listings that are found.
• Attempt to update any existing listings that may have been previously created or have incorrect information.

Local Search Optimization takes the longest in the Core Plan, normally about 6 to 8 weeks. This is because of the vast number of directory sites that are out there and the turnaround time between finding incorrect/duplicate listings and requesting changes.

PARTNERSHIP IS ALMOST OVER

Remember that spoil alert from earlier? Here is where it comes into play.

During the initial strategy session, Charlie can choose one of the three options:

1. Sign up for only a Core Project Plan
2. Sign up for both a Core and Dynamic Plan
3. Wait to decide on a Dynamic Plan near the completion of his Core Plan

While it is not required to sign up for a Dynamic Plan along with his Core Plan, we highly recommend doing both. This way, Charlie gets a digital marketing company that will constantly monitor his website, provide expert advice, and create ongoing marketing strategies that change with industry trends.

Having One Thing Marketing as Charlie’s marketing partner could be an added asset to his business.

Here are the three scenarios spelled out a little bit more…

1. Charlie signs up for a Dynamic Plan from the beginning.

• If you are like Charlie in this scenario and signed up to do Core and Dynamic, then head on over to our other post to learn more about what is included in that scope of work with our digital marketing company.
• Once his Core Plan is completed, we will seamlessly roll right into his Dynamic Plan.

2. Charlie did not sign up for Dynamic in the beginning, but loved working with us so much that now he wants to sign up for a Dynamic Plan.

• As Charlie’s Core work comes to an end, we will give his a call to see if he would like to continue working with us and sign up for our Dynamic Plan.
• He will get a new service agreement and we will set up a Re-Discovery meeting in the month following the end of his Core Plan to go over our Dynamic strategy with him.

3. Charlie chose not to sign up for Dynamic at the conclusion of his Core Plan.

• Our team will finish up Charlie’s Core Plan and make sure he is 100% happy with the work we have done.
• Once all the work is done, we will start the closing out process. This includes:
  • Making sure Charlie’s domain and hosting is registered in his name.
  • Updating the email in his website settings to make sure he receive any and all website notifications.
• Charlie will also receive a closing email that will include the following information:
  • Since we are not the kind of digital marketing company to steal any digital assets, we will give Charlie the login information, including usernames and passwords, to his website and any other online entities we helped him set up.
  • A request to have one final phone call. This a great opportunity to hear any feedback about our work and processes. It’s also a great time to let us know how you felt about working with us or tell us if there are any areas we may need some improvement. This is a time to be completely honest. We can’t improve if we don’t hear honest feedback.

WORKING WITH ONE THING MARKETING SOUNDS PRETTY GREAT, RIGHT?

Well, what do you think?

Our Core Plan is a great way to get your business on its feet and start attracting some customers.

Who doesn’t want that?!

Here are some closing remarks from our team to you:

Your Core Plan will focus on the three basic “core” fundamentals”

1. Custom Website Design
2. Onpage Website Optimization
3. Local Search Optimization

While these are the basic core elements we use for each of our Core clients, we tailor these elements to each client’s needs, goals, and budget.

Your partnership with our digital marketing company will provide you with a stellar website that will attract new leads and keep existing customers coming back to your for years to come.

You never know, your free strategy session could be the “one thing” that lets your business soar.

The post What You Can Expect From Our Digital Marketing Company: One Thing Marketing’s Core Project Plan appeared first on Onethingmarketing.net

One Thing Marketing
2305 Hurstbourne Village Drive #400
Louisville, KY 40299
502-532-1818
https://www.onethingmarketing.net/map/
https://www.onethingmarketing.net/info/

Secrets to Success for Small Business: Combining Traditional Marketing & Digital Strategies

In a world run by the persuasive power of advertising, millions of messages go in one ear and out the other, every single day. Think about the last commercial you heard, brochure you skimmed through, website you visited, or business card you received. Can you actually tell me anything specific that stuck out to you? 

We humans have a knack for filtering out the noise, and we’re pretty good at paying attention to what we want to. It doesn’t matter if a message gets delivered to us via traditional marketing or through some type of online marketing platform – if we don’t want to pay attention to it, well, odds are, we won’t.

So, as a business owner in Louisville, KY, how are you supposed to sell products and services if nobody cares what you have to say, anyway? How do you make potential buyers WANT to pay attention to the products and services you’re selling?

The million dollar question, right?

Traditional marketing and online marketing use totally different tactics and strategies when it comes to addressing consumers. However, both channels are encompassed with the task of delivering a consistent message across these different platforms. How do you know what’s working and what’s not? More importantly, how in the heck do you make these two worlds collide and successfully work together? 

Sit back and relax, my friends. We’ll take over from here. 

Establishing the Difference Between Online and Traditional Marketing

Creating an omnichannel experience for your consumers starts with understanding the very basics, aka, asking the following question: What exactly is the difference between traditional marketing and online marketing? 

Sure, the vague answer is rather simple. One’s online and one’s not. Duh.  Well, there’s a bit more to it than that.

Traditional Marketing:

For a lack of better phrases, think “old-school”. We’re talking brochures, billboards, word of mouth referrals, cold calling, newspaper ads, radio commercials, trade shows, and even direct mail courtesy of the good ole USPS. 

Traditional, or offline marketing campaigns often have the advantage of “staying power”. They can become iconic, and instantly familiar to your consumers if you have a message that sticks. Although traditional marketing sources are tangible, memorable, and compelling, they sometimes can also be slower to reach consumers, making it more difficult to track their impact. 

Online Marketing: 

Online marketing, often referred to as digital marketing, is the “high-tech” side of things. Online marketing material includes anything that your consumers reach via some type of digital means. Most commonly, this is your website (hopefully full of content and good SEO techniques) or your social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. We can’t forget about digital ads like, PPC (pay-per-click) ads and digital ads, or any email marketing campaigns your business has invested in. 

With such a wide array of means of reaching consumers, online marketing expands the ability to reach your audience and the rate at which you reach them. Online marketing and proper digital strategies, more or less, allows you to deliver a message to consumers almost instantly, right at their fingertips. However, if done incorrectly, online marketing can make it harder to stand out among competitors and can seem unappealing, particularly if you overkill or oversell your message. 

Understanding Your Target Audience

In order to understand how to best sell your products and services to those in Louisville, KY, you first must know who exactly it is you’re trying to sell to. This, ladies and gentlemen, is what we like to call your target audience. In layman’s terms, your target audience is a particular, often predetermined, group of consumers who are identified as the recipients for a particular advertisement or message; it’s who your message is aimed at. 

Ask yourself these questions to get started:

1. Who am I trying to target? 

Your target audience can be defined as a desired group of consumers who are likely to purchase your products or use your services. Knowing the demographics of who makes up your target audience provides better insight for trying to reach them. Are you looking to connect with men and women, or one or the other? How old is your average customer? What about their ethnicity? Or their income level? What part of Louisville (or your own city) do they live in? The more specific you can narrow this down, the better. Just don’t make your message so inclusive that it becomes exclusive to those who may fall just outside of your intended audience.

2. So, how do I reach my target audience, exactly? 

Well, that depends. If your target audience consists of an older generation, your best method of reaching them may be through tangible marketing material, such as a brochure or business card. But if you’re reaching out to the millennials, a stellar website or interactive social media campaigns may do the trick. The good news is, you have a lot of different methods of getting your message out. The trick is to make them all work together (and don’t worry, we’ll cover that later, too).

3. What is my message, and more importantly, is it consistent? 

The problem lies within the fact that across all platforms, traditional marketing and online marketing have to work together so consumers don’t get lost in the mix. Knowing what you want to say and how you want to say it is key to making sure your message is consistent across all your marketing collateral. Your customers need to be greeted by the same messages and branding online that they’re used to seeing in your retail space and vice versa.

The Best of Both Worlds: Why Combining Your Strategies Matters

Combining your digital strategies with your traditional marketing efforts makes for one, well-oiled machine in Louisville’s matrix of small businesses. Nearly every company who sells a product or service uses one or more methods to create a flourishing, overall advertising campaign. Your advertising campaign can, and should, encompass many different techniques to reach consumers. Making sure everything’s working in sync means your business, your mission, and your products and services are put in front of consumers and actively sought out by those who are seeking what you’re selling.

It’s important to understand that this takes time, energy, and money, but where there’s risk, there’s also reward. When your traditional marketing and digital strategies start working together properly, you start to reap the benefits in more ways than one.

Better Brand Awareness:

Exposure across multiple platforms is important to reach all kinds of potential customers who are actively looking for products and services just like yours. The more places your business can be found, the more familiar it becomes to consumers.

Increase Your Credibility:

Combining your efforts is critical in gaining the trust of your consumers. Think of it like this: If someone is given a word of mouth referral about your business, they may go visit your company website for more information. If your website backs up what they’ve already been told, they may be more willing to feel like they can trust in you as a business partner.

Build a Competitive Edge:

Through the use of both, traditional marketing and online marketing, making sure your business is at the forefront of multiple outlets means you are putting yourself in places your competitors may not be. This allows you the opportunity to establish yourself as an industry leader. 

Higher Return on Investment (ROI):

 If you take the time to invest the money and effort into combining your online and offline marketing, you give yourself the opportunity to come in contact with those who are actively searching for your products and services. Opening doors to more potential customer interaction also means a better shot at a higher conversion rate, which also leads to more revenue for your business. (And who doesn’t want that?)

Coming Full Circle: How to Integrate Your Efforts

Remember that really fancy phrase we used earlier? About creating an “omnichannel experience” for your consumers? Let’s jump back to that, for a quick second. 

Creating a positive interaction for your consumers begins by improving their user experience. By promoting a consistent message in multiple places, your communication channels and their supporting resources are designed and orchestrated to cooperate to the benefit of the consumer. 

It’s essential to realize that every piece of printed material is a chance to share and promote your brand; all of your offline marketing pushes back to your online marketing. The best part? You may already be doing this and not even know it.

If you hand out business cards or send out postcards in the mail that include your company website’s URL, for example, this is exactly what we mean. This is just one tiny example that showcases how your traditional marketing is pushing an interaction to your digital presence.

Other ways this can occur would be by placing online call to action offers on your printed material. Place an online-only discount code on the bottom of a brochure or slap a QR code on the side of your business card. Set up at a Louisville trade show and give people the chance to leave behind their email address, then send a followup stating how nice it was to have the chance to chat. 

In conjunction, the same techniques can be used online. Keep your website and social media networks up to date with unique offers and chances for consumers to interact. Take polls, ask for feedback, and give your consumers a chance to control their interaction with your company. 

Ah, but wait. What’s all this good for if you can’t keep track of what you’ve put where and how can you be sure of what’s actually beneficial?

Tracking Your Integration:

Deep breath, my friend. It’s easier than you think to keep track of everything. Implementing effective tracking methods can be performed in a variety of ways. 

Quite possibly the easiest way to start would be to monitor your phone calls with call tracking numbers, where different phone numbers are placed on different pieces of your marketing material. This way, when someone calls you, you’ll be able to know if they’re looking at your website or your business card. 

One fun way to track your marketing would be to implement unique and random offers across different avenues. For example, offer a 33% discount from the brochure on the table in your office, but highlight a 27% discount from your Facebook page. Distinctive and quirky offers like this make it easy to tell exactly where and when your consumers decided to contact you. 

If you’ve got an understanding of the idea, but not the time or resources to make it work effectively, you can always seek out a Louisville marketing firm or hire a professional to take care of this for you.

Still Missing One Thing? Choosing The Right Agency for Your Business

Bringing together your digital strategies and offline marketing efforts takes more cautious calculation and planning than you think, if you want to do it right. To ensure the success of your business, it’s always ideal to work with an industry expert or a professional marketing director in Louisville in order to bring your efforts together and optimize for the best possible ROI. 

Choosing the right agency or partner can take time and patience, but it’s worth the effort to find someone who knows what they’re doing so you can focus on running your business. Lucky for you, at One Thing Marketing, we’re pretty damn good at what we do. 

We’ll save you time and money (and a headache, or two) by speaking to all outside representatives who try to contact you. If Yellowpages or Yelp calls you to ask about something, just send them our way. We’ll also help you better focus on key areas to spend your marketing dollars and point out where we think your business could really thrive if an investment is made and tracking is implemented.

Already have a marketing pro on your side? Not to worry. We’re still here to offer advice and second opinions, or work in conjunction with your current team, if you’d like. We can take care of the things they may not be experts in or vice versa (nobody’s perfect, right?) 

We’re happy to offer Marketing Director Assistance to you, or the current firm you work with, to help bring big success to your small business. Contact us today, or collaborate with us over coffee and a free, one hour strategy session to integrate all aspects of your traditional marketing with your digital strategies and take your business to the next level.

The post Secrets to Success for Small Business: Combining Traditional Marketing & Digital Strategies appeared first on Onethingmarketing.net

One Thing Marketing
2305 Hurstbourne Village Drive #400
Louisville, KY 40299
502-532-1818
https://www.onethingmarketing.net/map/
https://www.onethingmarketing.net/info/

How to Create a Website: A Checklist

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is a fantastic website.

The best sites are like amazing salesmen, working 24/7 for your business. And who doesn’t want that? However, getting all the dynamic elements of a website to work together isn’t easy.

We are going to break down the basics every website needs page-by-page, step-by-step to show you exactly what you need, what you don’t, and how to pull it all together to create an unstoppable conversion machine.

Getting Started

A good website is built on a solid foundation of layout, messaging, content, and images. These are the necessary building blocks to have in place before creating the actual website.

How to Decide On A Website Layout

Close your eyes and envision your website.

What do you want it to look like overall?

The layout contributes to the overall success of the website. It helps to determine what it looks like, how easy the content is to read, and how user-friendly your website is when people visit your site.

A great layout will also encourage the visitor to view more pages on your website. This is where good navigation comes into play. When you combine a great layout with easy to follow navigation, you can help guide visitors to the exact pages you want them to land on and potentially create more leads and conversions.

The type of products and services you offer or what content you are producing can dictate how you actually place that information on the page. For example, if you have photos of a particular project, you may want the layout of that page to be a grid. If you have an e-commerce site, then boxes may be the best option to lay out your products because it makes the information easy to read and follow.

It’s a great idea to collaborate with your employees and web designer to narrow down what layout works best for your business.

What’s Your Website’s Message?

In order to be a successful business in today’s economy, you have to develop your brand in such a way that resonates with your target audience. Then, you have to convey this message on your website. You don’t want to just tell people what products or services you sell, but rather what your company’s philosophy and core values are as well the benefits they can gain from choosing your company.

Every website has two types of messaging – foreground and background. The foreground message is what you are actually saying and the background message is the other stuff they pick up.

For example – You are a carpet cleaning business in Louisville, KY and on your website you write about all the different services you provide – this is your foreground message. Are you a company that can be trusted? Will your employees connect with the customers? Do your core values match up with the core values of your target audience? All of these questions develop the background message.

It all boils down to what you want to say and how you want to say it. Think about your target audience and what values are important to them. Take some time to think through the impressions you want to project and what you want to happen in your visitor’s thoughts and emotions.

Why Website Content Is Important

Content is what gives your website its bulk.

When people come to your website, they are looking for a product, a service, or information. One way to provide this information is through relevant, valuable, and professional content. When you give visitors a clear and easy way to find what they are looking for, you have a great chance of increasing conversions.

There are different types of content you can use to target your audience, engage them, and persuade them to take action.

• Text – Having large quantities of articles or text on your site is not enough. In order to build trust and acquire more customers, the content has to be valuable, relevant, and professional. If your writing skills are not up to par, you can always hire a professional writer to help you write great content.
• Images – 65% of the world’s population are visual learners. This means you will have a greater chance of grabbing and keeping the attention of your visitors if you have visual content on your website. We go more in depth about the importance of images in the next section.
• Videos – In today’s society, people have a short attention span. They are turning to videos to get the information they need quicker. When you include a video on your website, you are creating a great user experience and building a strong connection between the viewer and your brand. Use custom videos to showcase your product/service and introduce the people behind the company.
• Animation – This refers to anything on your website that moves or transitions, like buttons or pop-up boxes. They can be used to add visual interest, act as a response to something the visitor does, or act as a notification when an action is required. Be cautious not to overuse animations that can be distracting or take away from what the goal of the page is.

Make yourself stand out from your competitors. When you combine great content with Search Engine Optimization, you have a higher chance of gaining new customers and keeping them interested in your brand.  

Why Use Images On A Website?

People are visual creatures. As such, images are a major component to any website. People like to see your company before they read your content. Anytime you use your own images, they need to be large, beautifully edited and clear, and ready for use on a website.
The basic elements of website photography include:

• Logo: This should be a no-brainer. You need a big, beautiful, high-resolution logo that you are proud of. If you have multiple versions of your logo, include them. They can be used throughout the website to generate recognition.

• Headshots: Headshots are a great way to make your company more personable and show your customers who you are, as an owner and as a team. Get creative with the headshots to showcase the personality of your team.
• Product and services photos: This may include marketing photography, special events, photos of products, assembly, or other areas of your business that are worth showing off.
• Stock images: Professional “custom” images are always the better option when including images on your site. But if you do not have original images, stock photos give a wonderful opportunity to find an image that fits your company perfectly. If you’re comfortable using stock images, there are many options including professional, staged, and candid images.

Gather all the images that you’d like included anywhere on the website. This will likely be several dozen photos – the more the merrier.
Working on your photos early simplifies the process. It’s always easier to choose between several photos than trying to arrange a photo shoot at the last minute to get a decent image for your homepage.

Must-Have Pages on Your Website

Once you have your digital outline and design, you’re ready to create the real juicy parts of your website.

Every website will have between 5-6 basic types of pages: a homepage, services page, how it works page, FAQ page, about and contact pages. Each page should be carefully crafted with unique content, easy-to-follow design, and compelling images.

HOMEPAGE

This is your permanent first impression. It typically ranks the highest, which means content and design are critical, making it the most visited page on your site.

No pressure, right?

Crafting your homepage to include all the necessary components without overwhelming the consumer is no easy feat. Luckily, we’re the professionals in Louisville, KY.

1. Answers: Your homepage should deliver immediate answers. What are your office hours? Where are you located? What types of products/services do you offer? Consumers want to find what they are looking for and find it quickly. If they can’t find what they need in the first 10 seconds, they are gone.

2. Hero image: This is the first image visitors see when they come to your site. It needs to represent your company in a positive way. What image do you want people to see when they open your virtual door?

For example: If you sell car parts, you could choose a shot from under the hood or a glamour shot of a really cool car? Maybe you want to feature a mechanic? Or highlight the garage? The choice is yours.

3. “You Statement”: A You Statement typically addresses a pain point that your customers commonly have and how you can solve it for them. Take this chance to show your consumers how you provide better service than your competitors.

For example, if you’re a cable installer who always shows up on time, your You Statement could be something like: “No more 12-hour windows. We show up on time, every time.” It addresses a common frustration and gives your solution, giving your customers a reason to trust you.

4. Services: Keep it simple. List your services clearly to show your visitors what it is you actually do and what problems you can solve for them. Use clear text along with graphics to walk people through the process.

5. How It Works: Do you have services that can not be summarized in just a few words? In this case, a “How It Works” section can briefly describe your services to give visitors a quick glance of your services and how the whole process works.

For example, if you have a three-step process, you would introduce it with a short sentence, list your three steps, and, if needed, include a button that links to a separate “How It Works” page with more detailed information.

6. Why Us: This is your time to sell yourself. Highlight your accreditations, certifications, qualifications etc.

What makes you different? Why should your visitors trust you? Answer these questions clearly and confidently.

7. Testimonials. Consumers today rely heavily on the reviews and actions of others. Or in other words, social proof. Use your most positive testimonial on your homepage to generate trust. Throughout the website, testimonials can be used in several places as a powerful influence, specifically at purchase points.

8. Special Offers: If you have free shipping, free estimates, or discounts, highlight this on your homepage. Special offers incentivize your visitors to make a purchase or pick up the phone.

9. Email Signup: This should always be included on your homepage to build your email list. To get the most out of your site, it’s smart to pair this with your special offers. For example, “sign up for our email list for exclusive deals!” By capitalizing on this, you can target all the email addresses you receive with email marketing campaigns.

10. The Call To Action (CTA): You’re building this website for a reason. What’s that reason?

What action do you want people to take?  Do you want people to call, sign up for an email list, place an order? This is where you use a statement that is designed to get an immediate response from the person reading it combined with a large, attention-grabbing button.

11. Footer: The footer of your website is an area at the bottom of the site that contains information that is common to all of the pages. It can be used to include important links to contact details, legal information, links to other pages, etc. so visitors can easily navigate to the information they need.

It is also a great place to display social media links, copyright notices, a CTA for an email/newsletter list, and team information.

SERVICE PAGES

Your service pages give you the opportunity to explain what you offer and what makes you stand out from your competition. One of the most important parts of your services page(s) is to help your customers see the value in what you’re selling and how you can solve and prevent their problems.

Relevant, Valuable Content: A list of services is great, but it’s not informative or persuasive. You need to describe your services, answer the questions your consumers have, and give them the details they want. It’s important to educate the customer and present yourself as the authority in your industry. If you’re not a wordsmith, we have writers on staff to create unique content specifically for you.

We always say how important content is, and this is where it really shows. With relevant, valuable content, and Search Engine Optimization efforts, these pages can potentially gain higher rankings in Google.

Address pricing: Some companies don’t like to include pricing details on the website. Ultimately, it’s up to you, but we always suggest addressing it. Be open, honest, and make pricing information easy to find. If you’re worried about scaring someone away with your price tag, then it’s a great idea to discuss the different elements. If your pricing is complicated, explain that!

Images: It’s important to only use images that are relevant and consistent with your brand. When used correctly, images can help customers understand your product or service better. They can also be used to break up large amounts of text to make your content easier to read. One important thing to remember is that not every image has to be a photograph. The use of graphs or charts is a great way to explain the value your products/services can bring to the customer.

CTAs: As mentioned previously in the homepage section, a CTA, or call-to-action, is how you tell visitors what to do next. Do you want them to ask for a quote? Sign up for an email list?

If you don’t guide visitors to what the next step is, they could get frustrated and leave your site.

HOW IT WORKS

People don’t like surprises. Use this opportunity to be very detailed in what you offer and how it works. No detail is too small here. A “How It Works” section lays out your process step-by-step so the customer knows exactly what will happen in each step of the process.  

Informed customers are the best customers. The more information you put on your website, the fewer questions you have to take time out of your work day to answer to convert that sale. Your website does it for you!

FAQs

A FAQ page can be a great resource for customers. This page can answer many of the questions a customer may have without them having to call and ask someone. Be upfront and honest. Give thorough and easy to understand answers. Here, you can control the conversation. This saves you time by not having to answer a million questions each day, and demonstrates how helpful you are to your customers.

ABOUT PAGE

Don’t glaze over this page with cheesy content or boring mugshots. More often than not, this often-overlooked page will actually convince customers to give you their business. People buy from those they know, like, and trust. The about page does exactly that.

By the time a consumer makes it to the about page, they already have a good idea of what you do. Now, they want to know WHO you are and WHY do you do what you do. This can be a difficult page to write, as most people aren’t good at talking about themselves. Consider these questions to get you started:

• When did you start your business?
• Why did you start your business?
• What are your core values?
• What is your mission statement?
• What makes your company different from your competitors?
• 
  

CONTACT PAGE

This is usually a fairly simple page that tells your customers how to find you. However, don’t take the contact page too lightly. Although it’s simple, it holds critical importance. Your name, address, phone number, and email address need to stay consistent because they affect your local directories. Local directories allow potential customers to find you all over the web, and potentially can lead people back to your website. The more accurate your contact information is, the better off you will be.

• Contact form: A contact form is customizable with all the fields you would like included to get answers questions you’d like to know, and gives you emails to add to your email list.

• Social links: It’s a great idea to link your customers to your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media platforms you are on. These social links legitimize your business and give you more credibility. If you don’t have a social presence, you can build one yourself or we can help you build one. Just don’t get left behind.

Key Takeaways

Company websites are all about keeping up with consumer expectations. Times change fast, and you need a website that will keep up. By including the essential elements described in this checklist – layout, message, content, images, and must-have pages, you will have a website that stands a much greater chance of gaining new customers and turning more leads into conversions.

Because of the way consumers research, judge, and select companies and products, the importance of having a great website has never been higher. As the bar continues to raise, partner with a marketing firm that can rise to the challenge.

The post How to Create a Website: A Checklist appeared first on Onethingmarketing.net

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