The New Year is behind us but January is a still a good time for business of all types and sizes to review, plan and implement their business website and Internet marketing activities. So here is our guide to getting the best out of your Internet marketing:
1. Review, review, review
You are doing your business a big disservice if you do not thoroughly review your website design. Use free Google Analytics to find out how your customers find your website, what pages they like and what pages they don’t. Reviewing the website design is more than being happy with the look of the site; the review should cover content – images, video, words – Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), social media marketing etc. Get you staff involved – and get people not involved in the business to rate your website design and overall customer experience. Check out your rivals and research the latest in web design software.
2. Plan, plan, plan
If January is a quiet period, take advantage of the downturn to put together a plan for the whole year. Search engines rate websites that have regularly updated content that is unique, relevant and interesting – and they do that because that’s what customers’ value. So make sure your website design allows you to update regularly and put together a plan for the next 12 months copy.
3. Put yourself in control
If you do not have a Content Managed (CMS) based website, 2012 is the year to put that right. With low-cost and well-established free / open source CMS apps like Jooml and WordPress, you can make a cost-effective change that will allow you to offer a great customer experience, updatable and future proof.
4. Get Social
Social media marketing may seem like something that only brands or bigger businesses do, but it is playing a bigger role in how customers choose the companies they do business with – so that makes it something that you should be doing. Your web design should incorporate your social media activities such as Twitter and Facebook marketing and Blogging.
5. Get Plugged-in
CMS web design offers a wide range of plug-ins designed to improve your customer experience but also to improve back-end activities such as admin and integration with other business accountancy and stock systems – saving you time and money. Make 2012 the year of integration.
6. Try e-commerce
The growth in online sales is unstoppable, even in a difficult economic climate. Whether selling products or services, whether local or international, most businesses can benefit from using e-commerce to sell online. Not only is it easier for customers, it can have cost-savings benefits for the organisation. And with low-cost apps like Magento, e-commerce is within the budget of many organisations.
7. See It Through
Perhaps the most difficult aspect for any business is to maintain the discipline of maximising the effectiveness of their website design – adding copy, media, new functions. If business is good, time is squeezed; if business is poor, motivation is low. So allow proper time on a weekly basis to make amends, and involve as many people as you can in social media marketing and providing new content to your website – from those on the team to friends and family. And, of course, getting expert advice on all aspects of web design and internet marketing can really help.
How was it for you? Please feel free to tell us about your experiences and tips reviewing your website design.
Technorati Tags: Internet Marketing, internet marketing strategies, Joomla, Magento, Online Marketing, Open Source, Social Media Marketing, Web Design, Web Marketing, WordPress
In this video we will show you how to link your social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter & YouTube), by using apps for your Facebook page/profile, authorising your Twitter account and connecting accounts via YouTube. This video is designed for people who are new or intermediate users of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
