April 21, 2005
In this issue:
Big Bevans Group News!!
IDEA: Driving Customers to Your Site
Even More Bevans Group News
Come and Get It
Big Bevans Group News!!
It's the most important news you've heard all day!
Please join us in welcoming Michael
Dougherty as our new Creative Director. In addition
to his extensive graphic design experience, Michael
is also an accomplished illustrator and writer.
“Michael is just perfect for the Bevans Group,”
says Ann Bevans-Selig, president of the four year old
marketing and web development firm. “His talent
as a designer is evident. Moreover, his straight-forward
manner and sense of humor will make him a client favorite
in no time! Our clients will immediately benefit from
the addition of Michael to our creative team.”
Michael will be introducing himself to you all in the
coming weeks. To tide you over, here's an IDEA:
IDEA: Driving Customers to Your Site
Email
Mike |
As Creative Director, it's my job to create web
designs that attract the attention of the people
our clients want to do business with. Yet, no
matter how good the design, its impact will be
lost unless the right people see it. So, driving
traffic to your website becomes the first order
of business.
Search engines are a common way to find what
you need on the web, but competition is fierce.
There are thousands of businesses competing for
top ranking, and there is no sure-fire way to
guarantee that you will get—and keep—-top
billing.
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While search engines are a valuable tool for finding
the best price on widgets, they are not always the best
method for finding the right vendor when relationships
and chemistry matter.
Luckily, there are several cost-effective (heck - they're
practically FREE) ways to promote your site in the real
world. Here are some IDEAS:
| 1. |
Include your web address
on all your marketing materials. This is
a common mistake made by new and even some established
business. Your web address should be prominent on
all your marketing materials, from your business
cards and flyers to your radio and television commercials.
With salespeople calling at all times of the day
and spam emails overloading their inboxes, your
prospects don't want to feel hassled or pressured
to buy something just because they want to learn
more about your company. Including your web address
on all of your marketing materials allows people
to visit your site at their convenience. And since
you're already printing all that stuff anyway, it
won't cost you one extra dime. Given a choice between
including your phone number or your web address
(like on your vans, or pens, or baseball caps),
go for the web address! It's easier to remember,
and people are more likely to visit your website
than to call you on a whim. Then, when they're ready,
they can easily find the rest of your contact information
on your site. |
| 2. |
Get a real email address.
It's surprising how many people insist on using
free webmail accounts (like Yahoo!) or their home
email addresses when doing business, rather than
setting up email accounts on their own domain. Folks
who do this have one thing in mind - their own convenience.
They forget that every time they send an email,
they are scoring a brand impression! That is, every
time someone sees your email address, they see your
company name and how much care you've taken to give
an overall professional appearance. And one day,
when they're bored, or when something you've said
has peaked their interest, they will go to your
site to see what's new. Worried about the convenience
factor? Configuring your email so that you can read
and respond to it online or in multiple locations
is easy. Just ask us. |
| 3. |
Be Your Own Don King. The
best way to drive traffic to your website is to
get out there and talk about it. Think of a movie
you saw based on a friend's recommendation. A recording
artist you may never have heard of without someone
suggesting it. Even a restaurant that you tried
because a family member or coworker gave it raving
reviews. It's the same with websites. Word of mouth
drives people to websites. The best example I have
seen is a gentleman who referred people to his website
for everything:
"Need directions to my office? They're posted
in the contact section."
"Need to know the newest promotion we're running?
Check the homepage."
"Want a list of our services? You can download
a PDF from the website."
It may seem like he was blowing them off, but what
he was really doing was creating traffic. He understood
that, most of the time, people won't just look at
the directions or the contact section. They'll click
around and, in the process, they will learn about
your company. And if your content is good, they
may even check back later to read your newsletter
or catch up on industry news, all the while soaking
up new service offerings and encountering new opportunities
to buy. |
So in closing, having an amazing looking website is
only the first step. It's the effort you put into promoting
it that will increase your prospects' awareness of your
company and potentially increase your sales. So get
out there, hype it up, then sit back and watch the hit
counter grow.
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Even More Bevans Group News
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Click here for even more
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In case you need to know where to find us:
Bevans Group
PO Box 6061
Silver Spring, MD 20906
301-598-9440
509-267-0945 fax
info@bevansgroup.com
www.bevansgroup.com
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