July 3rd, 2011
Keep your personal profile and your organization’s page separate. Facebook currently limits how many “friends” you can have, but does not limit how many “likes” you can get.
So, if you are using your personal profile to push your organization’s agenda, you are setting yourself up for a difficult transition down the road. Once you reach the limit of “friends” (currently set to 5,000), that’s it—no one else can connect with you. Then, you’ll spend countless hours trying to get your “friends” to “like” your organization’s new page, and only a very small percentage of them will because they are YOUR friends – not your organization’s. After all, have you “liked” all of your friend’s places of business? I didn’t think so.
They don’t want to connect with your organization – they are friends with you because they want to be friends with YOU. Plus, if only your friends “liked” your organization’s page, it doesn’t really do you a lot of good because chances are those people know what you do anyway. The object of having a presence on Facebook for your organization is to make NEW connections in addition to strengthening the ones that you already have. Read the rest of this entry »
April 19th, 2011
Among the many evolving technologies and tools for web professionals that is also the most neglected is search engine optimization. Popular search engines such as Google and Yahoo! are constantly changing the algorithms that bring consumers the most relevant search results because the technology is still fairly new and evolving. Consumers have been relying on search engines for only a few years, so it makes sense that the technology behind it will only get better and more advanced, unlike like the soon-to-be-extict phonebook. The phonebooks that are still in existence evolved into what they are today…over a period of many years. Each year, the phonebook companies made changes based on advertising trends, advancements in graphic design, and the ever expanding business and housing market(s).
However, with search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing (Microsoft’s horrible attempt at gaining market share), the rate of search engine evolution is much, much faster. Since there is nothing to print, they are able to make changes and restructure every aspect of the search engine’s experience with consumers whenever they want. And believe me, that’s what they do. Read the rest of this entry »
March 27th, 2011
Many small to medium business owners ask me how to get their “brand” “out there more.” There is no single trick or formula that applies to every business, because different markets and demographics respond in different ways. Trends are important factors; so is the economy. When focusing on your brand marketing, you must be open to new things, and expect a learning curve to overcome. The point is: be flexible.
You “brand” your company by having your logo and “mission statement” in as many channels as possible. Linked In, Facebook, your website, Youtube (if you are going to do lots of video, which I recommend), postcards, stationery, etc. The process of “branding” is nothing more than “stamping” your logo and mission statement on everything that you do, much like ranchers do with their livestock. Think of it this way: if a rancher branded his livestock, and then sold them off to dozens of other ranchers, those other ranchers will think about the first rancher that they got the livestock from. It would serve as a continual visual reminder of where the livestock came from. Read the rest of this entry »
February 3rd, 2011
There has been an SEO service scam going on for well over a year now that I have noticed. It doesn’t seem to be going away, so this post is to educate business owners and non-profit organizations that have a presence online and need to do something about search engine optimization regarding their website, but are not sure how to move forward knowing they are making the right decision. After all, money doesn’t come cheap these days, and you want to make good decisions with your advertising budget. Read the rest of this entry »
January 30th, 2011
This article also posted on EZine Artilcles
by Cullen Swanson
I never intended to start a Tulsa web design and graphic design company. Graphic and web design was a hobby – nothing more than a “video game” that I did in my spare time for fun to relieve stress. Now it is the fastest growing thing in my life and probably the source of most of my stress!
Over the years, it has been a process of elimination, but I’ve noticed that some of the things we have done over the years are so simple, and to me seem pretty basic common sense, but continue to give us an edge in this industry and provide Innovated Media with some selling points. Here are a few of them: Read the rest of this entry »
January 29th, 2011
I love the web design and graphic design industry – I really do. It started out as my “video game” and it became an addiction. I love fast-paced environments that change constantly, and where the process of learning new ways to do things never ends. I honesty never thought I’d make a good living doing it; it’s what I did (and still do) for fun.
Although there are many other qualified people to speak on this subject, I write this post from experience from what I have personally seen in this industry regarding education. Read the rest of this entry »
January 27th, 2011
SEO, search engine optimization and Internet marketing…all of these terms are now common place terms with business owners that know nothing about any of it. They just know that they need it if they’re going to expand their business online and generate more leads and sales from their website(s), which is exactly what their website should be doing—working for you while you focus on the important operational aspects of your organization.
Search engine optimization and Internet marketing are tasks best handled by a professional or by a team of professionals. In the same way a web design or Internet marketing firm wouldn’t interfere with the daily operations of your business, you, as a business owner, should focus on your strengths to lead your company in the right direction, and bring on a web design firm like Innovated Media to assist in areas that we specialize in such as maximizing your influence online. Read the rest of this entry »
January 2nd, 2011
The Internet and the technology behind it is constantly expanding at a rapid rate. Having a website simply because everyone else is getting one is no longer the reason to develop your own. Companies and organizations are using their websites to expand their influence online using their own website, social media, video, and other expanding mediums to get their message out. If you aren’t using your website to communicate with your community and develop new relationships, you need to rethink the purpose for your site and how you are using it. The number of options and upgrades are in the thousands when it comes to promoting your presence online, so deciding where to start and what you should put your energy into can be overwhelming. Here are some basic tips to get you pointed in the right direction.
Read the rest of the article on Tony Cooke Ministries’ website Read the rest of this entry »
November 29th, 2010
It’s always a good idea to hire a professional search engine optimization company that can get you listed on the first page of Google for local search results, but there are some things that you can do as a business owner to increase your rankings in the search engines. Local directories such as CitySearch.com, Merchant Circle, Yelp.com, Google Places and many others that perform well in local search results are a good way to obtain better search results for your company.
If you perform some local searches in Google for some of your target keywords and phrases for your industry make a note of the local directories that perform well in those results. Many times if you create an account with these directories your business listing you should already be listed in their directory and all you will need to do is to clean your listing and to verify it through their verification process and then you will be able to modify the existing business listing with pictures keywords and links to your website. Read the rest of this entry »
November 27th, 2010
There’s really no reason why you should not be updating your website at least once a week! Even if you have a webmaster or a professional web design company that does not work for you directly on your staff, there are easy ways through online content management systems such as WordPress and Joomla! for you to manage your own content online right on your website. Don’t setup an external blog where your updated content is separate from your website. The content needs to be ON your website. Read the rest of this entry »
