Before you tweet anything, ask yourself whether anyone would bother to re-tweet it?

That’s a simple question, but it will help you avoid producing the kinds of endless, mindless content that so many businesses and organizations are counting on to help them find customers online. But who wants to bother reading something that isn’t at all original, much less follow the person or group who wrote it?

Thinking about the “re-tweet rule” will force you to come up with something that’s informative, insightful, or even funny before you release it digitally out into the world. In other words, it will stop you from simply being another voice in the crowd.

The best thing about social media marketing is having people pass on your content for you, without any marketing expense or effort on your part. Remember that as you put together your tweets, and don’t waste the 140 characters you have to use.

Call Marcy Design, a Columbus Ohio website design company to help with your web, marketing and advertising campaigns.

Because it tends to not be as exciting, however, and doesn’t have as large a following, lots of marketers ignore LinkedIn. That’s a mistake, and we will give you the biggest reason why: sooner or later, your company is going to want to attract bigger orders or clients. That’s going to involve C-level decision-makers, and more of them are on LinkedIn than any other social site.

With that in mind, realize that you don’t have to spend a lot of time on LinkedIn to make it work for you. What you do need to have, however, is a profile that emphasizes your company strengths, key contact information, and some great recommendations from past customers. Having each of these in place will make your LinkedIn profile easier to find, and offers some reassuring details for any executive who comes across it.

LinkedIn might not be the cornerstone of your social media strategy, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore it. Someday soon, you just might need it to help you close the biggest sale in your company’s history.

Call Marcy Design, a Columbus Ohio website design company to help with your web, marketing and advertising campaigns.

The Biggest Problem With Social Media Marketing

Is Your Small Business Taking Advantage of Foursquare?

Is Your Dealership’s Site More Like a Brochure, or an Informative Resource?

Call Marcy Design, a Columbus Ohio website design company to help with your web, marketing and advertising campaigns.

This is more than just an interesting question. As the Internet continues to become a bigger and bigger part of most people’s car buying process, shoppers are looking for more than photos, short descriptions, and odometer readings – they want help finding the best car for them, understanding financing options, and especially figuring out what dealership they should work with.

In a perfect world, they would come and sit down in your show room to find the answers. But, given that so many car buyers have to cram their search into a busy week, or are just too intimidated to meet with a salesperson, lots of them are opting to surf the web instead. And if they aren’t finding the answers on your website, you can be sure they’re going to look for them on someone else’s.

With that in mind, part of your online marketing strategy should be developing consistent articles, blog posts, frequently asked questions, and maybe even instructional videos, all designed to help people feel more informed and involved with the car buying process… not to mention becoming more comfortable with you and your team along the way.

Many of the trends that drive Internet marketing, like search engine optimization and social media, work so well because they help people find answers and advice quickly. And in no industry is that more true than with auto dealerships; giving out free advice is a great way to set yourself apart.

If you would like help making your dealerships website more of an informational resource, contact Marcy Design today. We have worked with dozens of dealers just like you, and can help you turn your website into something car buyers will want to bookmark and return to again and again.

Call Marcy Design, a Columbus Ohio website design company to help with your web, marketing and advertising campaigns.

Do You Need an Open-Ended Budget to Find Customers on Sites Like Facebook?

Don’t Wait to Buy Foreign Domains

How Social Media Sites are Making Life Easier for the Best B2B Vendors

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Hindsight being what it is, most of us have experienced that sensation at one time or another. After all, if we had only known then, we’d be fantastically rich and successful today. And while we can’t tell you what tomorrow’s stock prices will look like, we can pass on a piece of advice that you might be glad you took later: don’t wait to buy your company’s foreign domain names.

Lots of business owners have never considered branching out into different countries and continents… but why? With the small amount of time and effort it takes to duplicate your website, or have it translated, what are the risks in spreading your marketing message overseas?

Even if the tax or legal considerations make you feel less than excited about selling your goods in pounds, rupees, or Euros, it still makes sense to reserve a small piece of virtual real estate, just in case the future holds something different for you. Buying these domains typically costs very little, but could end up being important years down the road.

Deciding to reserve your company’s domain name overseas might not be the same as following a hot stock tip, but it’s still something small you can do today that has the potential to pay big dividends in the future. The world is getting smaller all the time, especially when it comes to finding customers overseas.

Thinking your company could use more customers from outside your local area? Let Marcy Design work with you to come up with an international web strategy that works.

Call Marcy Design, a Columbus Ohio website design company to help with your web, marketing and advertising campaigns.

Not everything is red ribbons and overstuffed stockings when sales drop off, however. It can be tough when you’re counting on an end of the year sales blizzard, and all you see at the end of the year is a light dusting of new orders. And with more competition than ever in nearly every online retail category, there are more grinches than ever waiting to steal your holiday cheer.

With that in mind, here are three things you can do to gear up your online store for strong holiday sales:

Include wrapping. Doing your holiday shopping online is all about convenience. By offering free gift wrapping with every purchase after Thanksgiving and before the end of the year, for example, you give customers one more reason to buy from you… without having to run up large costs for your business.

Offer gift cards. It isn’t just the big box retailers who can benefit from offering gift cards. If you think someone might like to give credit from your store, give them the opportunity.

Get to know your local shipping center. It isn’t a matter of whether your customers will leave their shopping to the last minute – they will – but whether you’re going to be able to guarantee them that their purchases will arrive on time. Figure out beforehand what kinds of shipping options you’ll have available, what the costs will be, and how late you can send to different parts of the country and still have packages arrive on time.

Is your business ready for the holiday rush? Don’t wait until the last minute – find out how Marcy Design can give your pages the upgrades they need in time for the busy retail season.

Call Marcy Design, a Columbus Ohio website design company to help with your web, marketing and advertising campaigns.

That’s understandable, but it’s also a classic online marketing mistake. Why? There are really two important reasons to consider:

First, quality matters when you are adding pieces to your business website or social profiles. You don’t want to get into the habit of putting just anything online to fill some space. Your messages should be creative, concise, and most importantly, impactful. That typically takes some time…

And secondly, gradual approach is more effective. Even if you could produce great content at the drop of a hat, search engines (not to mention customers) like to see a gradual, steady flow of new content and marketing messages. Producing too much, too quickly, is a good way to overwhelm them.

Procrastinating on your Internet marketing plan is a bad idea, as is trying to “force feed” too much to search engines and customers in a short period of time. Avoid making these classic mistakes, and work with an online marketing partner who can help you stay on a realistic and profitable schedule.

Call Marcy Design, a Columbus Ohio website design company to help with your web, marketing and advertising campaigns.

Now, that’s probably not what you expected to read in this space. More likely, you thought we were going to tell you how, since it can potentially attract hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, your website is an important – and probably the most important – part of your marketing mix. You thought you were going to hear about how it doesn’t just help you with sales, but also public relations, customer service, and even recruiting. You just knew we were going to tell you that your website represents some of the best money your company can spend.

And those would all be correct… as long as you’re building a site with an online marketing plan to go with it.

Here’s what we are getting at: a new website for your company is fantastic, but unless you’re making the accompanying investment, in time or money, to search engine optimization, social media marketing, improved content for your landing pages, and so on, then you probably shouldn’t expect to get too much out of it.

Too many prospective clients are out there just looking for “a website,” and too many web design firms are happy to give them one – and collect a fee – without taking the time to learn about the client’s real needs and business goals. But a website built without purpose or plan is just an expensive online brochure. With the right tools in place, it can be a huge boost to your businesses income.

Do you need more help turning your web design project into a profitable online marketing plan? Then contact Marcy Design (614-224-6226) today – we’ll give you the kind of personal service clients have come to expect from us for years.