Archive for ‘Internet Marketing

The difference between blog and news

Posted by Jack
Dec
14
2010

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Filed Under: Internet Marketing Search Engine Optimization SEO Social Media

Many of our clients tell us they want a blog, news section or both on their website. It’s common for many to opt for a blog simply because “blog” is a buzz-word, but it’s important to know the difference between the two and which choice is right for their company and which choice will have the best impact.

I’ll break it down for you.

The News section of your site should be a factual timeline of your company. This is where you announce information very specific to your company, such as new hires, upcoming events, or changes to your service or product offerings. You can think of your news section as an area for press releases. Just be sure to present your company the way you want people to think of you: your brand.

For example:

  • Announce new products, services or offerings
  • Announce recent achievements or awards
  • Announce upcoming events

A blog serves as a space to discuss pertinent topics to your industry, not just your company. This area of your site allows you to be a thought leader within your industry and should always encourage open dialog and integration across social platforms. Blogging allows you to share your thoughts, opinions and reviews on a plethora of topics, just make sure to keep it interesting and relevant.

For example:

  • Informative – teach how (easy it is) to use your product
  • Editorial – offer opinions and reviews about topics related to your industry
  • Promotional – announce upcoming sales, specials or contests

Remember your audience and your point-of-view. Your News section is generally going to be more official, and your blog should have a more personal tone. While it is often expected to announce the author of a blog post, that isn’t necessary for a News post. Additionally, while blogging should always allow discussion through comments, a News section usually doesn’t.

Hopefully this clears up the difference between a blog and news, but there’s one very important thing to keep in mind: you have to constantly update them. Merely having a blog or news page does not make it worthwhile, and not keeping them fresh can actually send a negative message. Constantly posting blogs or news keeps your company in mind and establishes that your company is always up to date. Not only that, keeping it fresh makes a significant impact on your Search Engine Optimization!

Google Boost – The New Local Business Advertising Tool

Posted by Emily
Dec
10
2010

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Filed Under: Everything Else Internet Marketing Search Engine Optimization Search Engines SEO

Google just introduced Boost, its newest advertising tool through Google Places. Currently in beta, Boost is available in only a handful of cities and not yet available in Indianapolis. However, in a recent conversation with a Google employee, I learned that Boost will be expanded to include Indianapolis in the not-so-distant future.

So small business owners, perk up your ears.

Designed for local small business owners, the core idea of Boost is simplicity itself. First, the business owner writes a simple business description, chooses business industry categories and sets a budget. Boost then automatically creates an ad campaign for your business, finding relevant keywords and managing your budget to achieve maximum potential. Essentially, Boost is a layman’s Adwords, without all the fuss of keyword research, geo-targeting or spending analysis.

Boost ads appear above the search results in the ‘sponsored ads’ section, or to the right of the search results.

On a local search that generates a map insert, Boost ads receive a blue pin on the map instead of the usual red pin.

Boost ads do not change organic search ranking and all analytics data is collected and viewed through the Places dashboard. Each Boost ad budget must be at least $50 monthly, but can be increased at any time. Ads can also be deleted at any point and the business owner will only be charged for the number of clicks that actually occurred during that time period.

More information about Boost billing and the advertising process can also be found in Google Places Help and on the Google Lat Long Blog.

It’s time to get serious about mobile.

Posted by Jack
Dec
8
2010

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Filed Under: Design Internet Marketing Marketing

Over the past few years, the buzz around mobile sites has slowly grown from a futuristic luxury to a necessary part of a serious online presence.

Have you seen the way your site looks in a mobile browser?
Big, beautiful graphics and perfectly sized text can show up as a tiny representation of your website, requiring lots of zooming and flicking of the fingers necessary to navigate. An element of a design that might be obvious (and important) on a desktop browser might be completely lost to the mobile user.

How many people actually look on their phones?
In parsing through Analytics data for our current and previous clients (something we like to do often!) we’ve noticed a huge upward trend. Over the past year, many of our clients have seen a 4 fold increase in mobile traffic, with some clients receiving as much as 15.5% of their overall traffic from mobile visitors.

Just take a look at these examples from two of our clients. Mobile browsing is going nowhere but up.

 


Mobile usage increase over the last year

What are my options?
There are many ways to create a mobile website.

  • Restage – This involves creating a separately managed website that is served up when the browser establishes itself as being mobile. A content management system can be used to keep it up to date. This is the most customizable & manageable option.
  • Reskin – This involves making modifications to the display of content of your site. Often times this is done with a custom CSS file that makes changes to what is already being output. In other words, you might change the width of certain elements, change font sizes, or make particular items disappear altogether. This is not always an option, depending on how a site was coded, and offers the least number of options.
  • Integrate – This is your best bet if management time is a concern. With this method, your site, managed in your current content management system, is displayed one way for desktop browsers and another way for mobile users. The content remains the same, even though the shell around the content is customized to the browser.

Needless to say, SmallBox can perform any of these three options. We call it our MobileSized! service.

There has never been a better time to get a mobile presence. Give us a call today or shoot us a message if you’re interested in exploring your options. Just take a look at our site MobileSized!

MobileSized!

Presenting at Masters Of Business Online 10/19

Posted by Jeb
Oct
13
2010

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Filed Under: Internet Marketing SmallBox

Next week, Tuesday to be exact, I will be presenting on the topic of Content Management Systems at the Masters Of Business Online. This is a great event that I attended last year. It brings together some of the best and brightest marketing minds who present on the topics they know best.

My presentation will focus on Content Management Systems. What’s a CMS? It’s the thing that powers your Website, or should. There are many different kinds and this presentation will be a primer in how to pick one that is right for your Website.

My session is called “The Power Of An Owner Friendly Website”. I’m scheduled for 3:10. Here’s the full schedule.

I’m just one of many presenters. If you have any interest in getting up to speed on any number of marketing related topics then this is a can’t miss event.

If you’d like to attend you can sign up below and use the discount code “smallbox” for $25 off!

http://www.getyourmbo.com/

Small Box Austin – Now Open for Business

Posted by PJ
May
9
2010

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Filed Under: Design Development Internet Marketing Search Engine Optimization SEO SmallBox Social Media

Small Box is pleased to announce that our new office in Austin Texas is now open for business. Since 2006 Small Box has been providing custom web solutions for businesses and non profit organizations in Indianapolis.

Now Small Box is taking the same great design and technology to a new level. Austin Texas is different from anywhere else. There is a big focus on Social Networking. There are many entrepreneurs and business startups looking for venture capital.

Our goal is to be a one stop shop for anyone looking to have a great looking site on the first page of the search engines. Call PJ Christie at 512-850-4819.

Follow our special Twitter feed @smallboxaustin for local insights including SXSW.

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