After all your work hard and marketing efforts enticing prospects to visit your website, it can be frustrating to see high bounce rates. Bounce rate is an Internet marketing term that represents the percentage of visitors who enter your website and bounce — or leave the site — rather than continuing to view other pages within your site or complete a desired action.
Here are a few common website mistakes that are often responsible for driving away potential customers:

• The basics. An unattractive design, spelling errors, broken links, images that take forever to load, and other annoyances will quickly cause visitors to lose trust and confidence in your business.

• Poor navigation. If visitors can’t tell where they are, where to click next, or how to get back to your homepage, they will likely just exit.

• Complicated, lengthy web pages. Instead, provide information that is brief and organized with headlines and sub-headings, bulleted lists, and short paragraphs.

• Too many distractions. Popup ads, flashing information, and similar devices can easily frustrate or lead visitors away from your site.

• Dated content. How will visitors know if anything is the latest and greatest information if you don’t take the time to update key areas on your website?

• Music or sound effects. These are not only annoying, but also embarrassing for visitors viewing your site from a public place. Users will likely close out of your site as quickly as possible.

• No contact information. While a “contact us” form is helpful, your website should also include your telephone number and physical address. The more contact information you include, the more visitors will be reassured you are legit.
• Asking too many questions. Requiring too much information from visitors may scare some away. Make it easy for visitors to request additional information by simply asking for their name and basic contact information. Also provide quick turnaround in response to show you respect their time.

Our creative team would love to help you develop outstanding marketing materials to supplement your website. Give us a call today!  We are here to help!

Creating A Corporate Video

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to piece together a corporate video for the shop that was going to be aired at a Ferndale Chamber of Commerce meeting. I was quite excited about doing such a project, but I also knew it was going to be a challenge.

I have edited a few small videos before, but nothing of this scale: 3 or 4 minutes long, with several dozen  video clips and still images, background music as well as a full narration throughout the entire video, spoken by your’s truly. Fortunately, just as much as this was a challenge, it was also a wonderful opportunity, for multiple reasons.
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See how sending out email blasts works!

$16,000 fine for sending emails?

Do you email in your business? Or, how about receiving tons of junk emails in a day that not only make you and your staff unproductive but clutter up the important emails as well? (more…)

Let’s face it! Marketing your business has changed dramatically in the past year. Your regular customers are holding on, wondering, speculating and unsure. All purchase decisions are up for conscious review, and this is a daunting challenge for businesses. However, it also creates opportunity!

Here are some tips to help get your customers back in the door: (more…)

Every product, service or idea you sell needs a brochure or rack card. Through the years we’ve probably printed several million brochures, and while that doesn’t automatically make us an expert, it sure doesn’t hurt.

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Last night was the packed 3 hour Marketing Symposium Class, attended by local business owners. They walked out of that room empowered and with a clearer vision on what to do when it comes to marketing.  Here are some emails from my email box this morning that I would like to share: (more…)

We just received a brilliant piece of marketing from the U.S. Post Office. “Results-Driven Marketing in a Down Economy.” It creates a wonderful argument for the use of Direct Mail during the current economic climate. They want to point out that even now, this is a great time for opportunity! (more…)

Planning for the future…
Even when it seems tough to get through the now… (more…)

Business Owners – WAKE UP! Build on Your Marketing Awareness

The truth is rather simple, the market place is changing in ways we never seen before, the paradigm shift is occurring now. And how is your business prepared to survive and even flourish?

If you are listening to the news and waiting for the economy to bounce back, well, let me begin by telling you you may be waiting for a while. (more…)