Today your website is more important than ever. With 98 percent of consumers starting their search online for anything and everything, will they be able to find what they are looking for on your site?
Navigation:
Your website navigation tells customers how to find the information they need, so make sure it is easy to find and very clear. Try writing it in the terms that link back to why someone is visiting your site. (For example, if you are a realtor, your navigation might include: Selling Your House, Finding a New Home, Getting a Mortgage, etc.).
Website Design:
Your home page should be visually appealing, and your visitors should get a clear understanding of your business from it. This page should be simple and easy to read, and you should include content on your home page for the search engines to index. Although this content is important, keep it brief and to the point.
Contact Information:
Make sure that your customers can find you. Your contact information must be easy to locate. Include a phone number, a ‘contact us’ form and perhaps even an email address. Site visitors need to be able to reach out to you from wherever they are on the site, so make your contact information present on every page.
Call to Action:
Your site should have a clear call to action and should make it easy for customers to find the information they need to make a buying decision. Everything on your site should be accessible within two or three clicks. If you have so many layers of navigation that they can’t find a specific floorplan or pricing for a home within a few clicks, you are making it too hard.
Search Engine Optimization:
Your site needs to be built with proper on page Search Engine Optimization. On page SEO includes writing content with relevant keywords, proper links, title tags and meta data, which is the content that search engines read to know what each web page is about.
The site in our illustration is for Geordan Communities. Notice the clean navigation, clear copy and call to action. If you are looking for website design and development, call mRELEVANCE. We would love to help you build your next website for success.
Are you looking for ways to generate more website traffic and more leads? Consider a promotion. Since launching the “Day at the Lake” promotion, The Village at Reflection Lake Nantahala has seen a major increase in online traffic. After the initial launch, traffic to the site increased in 71% month-over-month. The site saw more than a 200% increase in year-over-year traffic. So far, two lots have gone under contract and several people have taken advantage of a Day at the Lake at this exclusive lake and mountain view community on Lake Nantahala in North Carolina.
What are you doing to jump start your leads? Whether you offer a discount, promotion or a referral, you need to promote your offering. The Village at Reflection Lake Nantahala used a number of tools in its marketing mix — email marketing, public relations, blogging, online public relations, banner ads and more.
It’s not to late to schedule a visit* to The Village at Reflection Lake Nantahala and be treated to a full lifestyle experience that includes:
- Lunch at the Lakes End Diner (home of the famous BIGfoot burger);
- A $25 gas card;
- A pontoon boat tour of the clear, blue lake;
- A tour of available lots with unbeatable Lake Nantahala views; and
- A chance to win a weekend at the lake this fall, in a cabin that sleeps up to 14.
The Village at Reflection Lake Nantahala features home sites priced from $94,900 to $129,900. There is no build-out requirement, so buyers can take their time planning their dream vacation homes. For buyers wishing to enjoy the lake sooner, the perfect mountain cabin program is available and includes a 1,400 square foot cabin with a view-facing covered porch.
The Village at Reflection Lake Nantahala invites buyers to escape to the pristine waters and secluded forests of the western North Carolina mountains. Reflection offers customizable cabins in a private gated community with upscale amenities and gorgeous views of Lake Nantahala. Reflection is a tranquil retreat that’s still easily accessible from Atlanta, Chattanooga, Charlotte and many other metropolitan areas. For more information or to schedule a day at the lake tour, call 866-218-8439 or visit www.lakenantahalareflection.com/thevillage.
*Must visit by 9/30/11
If your business needs help with marketing, contact mRELEVANCE. We are here to help.
Known as the Millenials, Generation Next, Echo Boomers or the Boomerang Generation, Generation Y (people born between 1977 and 1994) uses technology and different ways of communicating more than any other generation in the past.
Armed with cell phones, usage of social media and the Internet, Gen Y is full of consumers and brand experts.
Therefore, branding to this demographic is just as unique as to the ones before it. Though, ways of branding have changed. Newspaper or MTV ads don’t appeal to this generation, but social media and e-mail campaigns do.
According to a Reuters Money post, “The big detail that brands need to pay attention to is how to reach this group electronically.” A survey from Milo.com revealed that 20% “like” a brand on Facebook, 10% follow a brand on Twitter and half receives e-mails from brands.
Brand loyalty is also important to Gen Y. The survey showed that 65% of female Gen Yers consider themselves brand-conscious, 61% of male Gen Yers consider themselves brand-conscious and 60% of girls aged 13-24 say they consider a store a friend. If Gen Y likes a brand, they’ll post about it on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, blogs and so on. They’ll also post about a brand if they don’t like it.
Though brands are a priority, paying full-price is not. Gen Y uses many discount sites, flash sale sites and aggregator websites to find deals online. They also watch for store promos or sales.
Why is knowing how to brand to Gen Y significant? The demographic accounts for 25% of the population and spends about $200 million total a year! Furthermore, as Baby Boomers are retiring, Gen Y is starting their careers. Gen Y is predicted to outspend Baby Boomers by 2017. So, selling to Gen Y is a major asset to brands.
For help building your social media brand, contact one of us at mRELEVANCE.
You’ve been invited to Google+ , created your profile and added Mark Zuckerberg and Google CEO Larry Page to your circles. You love it, except you hate getting all of those annoying notification e-mails that fill up your Gmail. Here are a few steps, thanks to this Social Media Today post, to help you opt-out of some Google+ settings.
In your Google+ account in the right hand corner next to “Share,” click on the gears icon which opens a drop down menu.
On the drop down menu, click on Google+ settings.
A new window pops up that displays notification settings. Uncheck those that you wish not to be notified about, and the setting is automatically saved.
Your Gmail address is not exposed, but anyone on the web that finds your profile can send you an e-mail. If you don’t want e-mail from strangers, opt out by following these steps:
Repeat steps 1 and 2 from above.
Click on “Profile & Privacy.”
Click “Edit visibility on profile.”
Under your photo and above your circles information, there is the “send an e-mail” box with an icon next to it. Click on that icon.
A box pops up asking “Who can send me an email?” If you wish to opt out completely, uncheck the “Allow people to e-mail me from a link on my profile” box and save settings. If you want people in your circles to be able to send you an e-mail, leave the box checked and select from the drop down. When you click “Custom” it allows you to select certain circles and/or people you wish to share with.
Photos taken with smartphones contain the geolocation information. If you don’t want this to be public, follow these steps:
Repeat steps 1 and 2 above, and scroll down on the e-mail notifications to Photos.
Uncheck the “Show photo geo location information in newly uploaded albums and photos” box.
After opting out of these settings, you will surely have a better managed profile and will enjoy the Google+ world much more. If you need additional help with Google+ or any other social media site, connect with us at mRELEVANCE.
The MVP of web search is trying to score in the field of social networking. Google is once again trying to create a social networking site.
On this latest and greatest attempt, called Google+, the search engine giant is picking up the ball Facebook dropped in terms of groups and privacy. The concept behind Google+ is that users will be able to share certain things in specific groups called ‘Circles.’ Management of friends is the name of the game. If you don’t want parents or colleagues to see pictures from that awesome party last weekend, you have the option of sharing them only with certain people.
For now, the site features a Facebook-like news feed called Sparks, tagging users, photo hosting by Picasa and more. Larry Page, Google co-founder and new CEO, pledged to make social networking a priority. The commitment indicates the site will develop further, so watch for more features.
A limited number of users received invitations to try it out back in the summer. Now that the site is in beta, you can try it out yourself and see what you think. Despite similarities, Google hasn’t publicly deemed Facebook a competitor. Google expects users won’t make Google+ their default social networking site and are fine with that. For now . . .
Among the notable users is Mark Zuckerberg. Yes, Facebook’s CEO is on Google+, and he’s got a growing 21,213 followers, making him the most followed. In case you were wondering, Larry Page, Google’s CEO, comes in second.
So have you signed up for Google+? What would you like to see the site roll out next? Most importantly, do you think the site will succeed? Let us know what you think!
Whether you’re trying to get into the game or you’re already a player, mRELEVANCE can help with all your social media needs.
(Originally posted July 9, 2011. Updated September 26, 2011)
People have “hung up” on the days when phones were used strictly to place calls. With all of the great technology available, it’s no surprise that Americans are upgrading to the newest smartphones on the market.
A recent survey compiled by Prosper Mobile Insights in May 2011 spotted some interesting trends among smartphone users.
A new breed of phone, some of these devices seem more like tiny laptops than their clunky 90s predecessors. In fact, some people prefer using their smartphones to their computers. That’s right- 55.9 percent of smartphone users prefer using their phone to access the Internet than using their computer.
Americans are relying on phones for more than standard features like calling, texting and e-mailing. Approximately 52.9 percent of the survey’s respondents said that they used their smartphone for all of its functions, and it was their “life.” That percentage dwarfs the other 16.7 percent who admitted to only using it for the aforementioned basic purposes.
The apps and functions of smartphones are what make them so handy and therefore loved by users. Texting took the top rank in the survey as 21.6 percent of respondents said it was the one function they couldn’t live without. Surfing the Internet came next with 16.7 percent, and e-mail ran a close third with 15.7 percent of the top spot vote. Surprisingly, Facebook is the must-have function for only 5.9 percent of users, and social media apps only got 1 percent of the first-place vote.
However, “big brother” is always watching, and respondents remembered this when answering questions concerning their privacy. Smartphone users are understandably most afraid of being their location being tracked and their second most popular concern was an outsider accessing personal information.
So are you following the smartphone trend? What’s the best part about owning one- or not owning one? Have any favorite apps you’d like to tell the world about? Check out the survey results, and come back and tell us what you think!
This week on He Said. She Said. we are exploring content. Remember, each question posed will be answered from two unique perspectives. Mitch Levinson will answer from the perspective of the search engines and Carol Flammer from the perspective of site visitors.
So here’s the question of the day. . .
Q: How much copy should a blog post or website page have?
A: Carol Flammer – A happy medium for a blog post is around 300 words. You can go a bit shorter for a video post (around 150 words) and maybe a bit longer for a more in-depth features post, around 400 words. Just remember thanks to interruptions from instant messaging, texts, email, phone calls and of course, social networking sites, we all have ADD today. So, provide your readers with content they can read quickly and scan for highlights. Use bullet pointed lists and consider using top 5 or 10 lists. Don’t forget to include photos as well as video as they are part of your content too.
A: Mitch Levinson – The goal of each web page will determine how much copy the page needs. I don’t ever like to see less than 50 to 75 words on an important indexable page. In fact, 250 to 450 keyword rich words is a great target. Remember, however, to balance design and content, the Internet is, after-all, a visual media. If the page does not have enough words, it is hard for the search engines to rank it. Just like you wouldn’t want page without images, you also don’t want a page without enough words; keep a good balance for your readers and the search engines.
He Said. She Said. is a regular column written by the founders of mRELEVANCE. Each question posed will be answered from two unique perspectives. Mitch Levinson will answer from the perspective of the search engines and Carol Flammer from the perspective of site visitors.
Q: How do I increase/improve the quality of traffic to my website and social media program?
A: Carol Flammer - If you want to attract visitors and keep them coming back, create engaging content. Here are her top tips for creating blog content:
- Focus on your expertise and have the blog content showcase it.
- Make it fun and interactive, the more fun or interesting the better.
- Create a campaign and focus 50% of your content on it during the duration of the campaign.
- Create an editorial calendar, it will make everything so much easier.
- Ask open ended questions, ask visitors to comment.
A: Mitch Levinson – Feed the search engines. When you create good keyword rich content, that becomes the food you need to feed the search engines. His top tips include:
- Create and prepare a written list of targeted keywords. These are the words that your site will ideally rank for when a person does a Google search with them.
- Get the search engines to return to your site and re-index your site for your targeted search words often.
- Make sure the search engines know which words are important and what your site is about.
- Build credibility (or RELEVANCE) for your website to rank for these words.
- Feed the the search engines the right way with the right words.
Let us know what questions you have on how to improve your Internet traffic. Whether it is traffic to your website or your blog, the team at mRELEVANCE is here to help. How can we help you?
Consumers are coupon savvy. Everyone is looking for the best deal, and they want to share what they find with others. Don’t think so? Just look at the popularity of Groupon, Living Social and Facebook Deals; and all give users the opportunity to share what they find on social networking sites.
The same is true with new home sales. With low interest rates and many builders offering affordable pricing, homeownership is becoming a viable option for countless new home buyers. Naturally, this leads to fierce competition with many home builders turning to online incentives and contests to drive new homes sales.
If the thought of using your computer for anything other than writing an email makes you hyperventilate, don’t fret. You can join Lasso on Thursday, June 9 at 1 p.m. eastern for a FREE webinar, Can Coupons Generate More New Home Sales with PR and marketing expert Carol Flammer to learn more about how coupons and contests can be used to effectively generate new homebuyer interest and sales. The free coupon is above.
A leading social media expert and the author of “Social Media for Home Buyers: It’s Easier Than You Think 2.0,” Carol’s 30-minute webinar will cover the basics of using online coupons and incentives including:
- Using incentives, contests and coupons to generate leads.
- Developing your social media strategy: What’s in it for your fans?
- Creating a contest strategy for agents: Realtors like contests too.
- Maintaining the loyalty: Keeping the programs going to create referral business.
Need more online couponing help? Contact mRELEVANCE to schedule a one-on-one meeting with Carol Flammer herself where you can develop a full social media program including online couponing and incentives.
Facebook has joined the social couponing craze with its launch of a new Groupon-esque feature – Facebook Deals. Of course the BIG difference between Facebook and many other couponing sites is the sheer number of users. Facebook has a huge audience with 500 million users worldwide. Because of this, Facebook Deals will not only offer users hyper local deals but also give businesses more exposure than LivingSocial or Groupon would give them.
Each Deals page links to the Facebook page of the business offering the deal. This gives customers easy access to company information such as hours of operation, location and phone number. Every time a Facebook user likes or purchases a deal, unless they’ve altered their privacy settings, it will show up on their profile and friends’ newsfeeds.
Facebook businesses have an automatic and widely trafficked forum to share deals with an entire virtual world of connections. It is genius because businesses will gain more followers while spreading promotions.
Even though some users might not appreciate the additional advertisements and unwanted updates, more businesses will undoubtedly jump on board and take advantage of this new feature. This new tool could be exactly what businesses need to weather these tough economic times and lure otherwise would-have-been customers.
Interested in learning more about this new feature, check out Deals on Facebook. If you are interested in how you can use social couponing in your business, contact mRELEVANCE.
