•Need a new website?

•Want to generate more traffic to your site? 

•Ready to bring your media strategy up-to-date?

Look no further! We are here to help!

1. Research is key! Be an informed shopper and read reviews and ratings. The online community is extremely helpful in reviewing both new and older products to help their fellow shopper.

2. Online coupons. This is likely the easiest yet most frequently overlooked option for saving money. Use sites such as Retail Me Not to find current and functional coupons.

3. Use the correct store for that particular product. Many shoppers go directly to their favorite (or most obvious) site and make the purchase. Take 5 minutes to look at competitors to see if the price + shipping is competitive. Use Google Shopping to check between different vendors. Here are the most common sites I use for specific products:

• Newegg – computer related items, tech packages (camera+flash+bag), best bundles on the web
• Buy.com – they carry everything, use them to cross check Amazon
• Amazon – a good index for other sites prices, typically free shipping anywhere in USA.
• OWC – anything Apple related (RAM, Harddrives)
• Monoprice – all cables, converters or other tech devices are a fraction of the price of BestBuy
• Overstock – household items at a steep discount (i.e. vacuum, comforter, lamp)
• Kohls – they honor online coupons, crazy deals 24/7 on everything from clothing to home goods.

4. Look for bundles. Many times a gift or purchase that we make online needs peripherals to be functional, for example I recently purchased a single cup coffee maker. I found a bundle with the maker, 80 assorted coffee servings for almost half the price of any other online reseller. Bundles are your friend.

Many times these online retailers will have cheaper prices than the actual retailer. Try checking your favorite store vs one of the sites above!

Good luck out there Christmas Shoppers!

1. Content is King: A blog allows you to become a resident expert in your field or niche. Blogs also allow you to fill your site with relevant information. Blogs allow you to leverage the fact that Google and the other search engines all value information. They especially value updated and pertinent data. Using keywords within your content will drive traffic to your website.

2. Answer a question: People use the internet to answer questions. They use search engines to find the answers to the questions. With a blog, you have a platform which can generate substantial traffic by presenting a solution to a pressing question. When the blog is posted, it is immediately available to your social networks.

3. Easy to digest: You have an opportunity to take an advanced or complicated subject matter and break it down for the reader. You can draw upon your understanding of a subject and share it with the world.

4. Interaction: The conversation is started when a blog is posted and most layouts facilitate interaction. Further questions can be introduced and people can react to your thoughts. This interaction helps to create more dynamic content for your website and creates further activity. A blog facilitates social interaction, which empowers the reader.

5. Quality traffic: The people that visit your website through web searches will be directed regarding a specific term or question. This is the exact type of visitors you want to engage. The user that has curiosities regarding your subject matter or service will value the quality information you have provided.

How has a blog helped your business?

Over the last week I went 5 days without a cell phone, awaiting the arrival of my new device. I quickly realized how many of my decisions are facilitated through the device. My iPhone is used for looking up movie times, researching restaurants and most frequently locating places. I don’t like to leave the house without it.

“Mobile Mania” should have your business asking: What is our mobile presence?

Society in the US has steadily moved in a mobile direction over the last 10 years. As devices were introduced that added to our level of convenience without adding complexity, we adopted that technology. Handheld devices are used for email, phone calls, texting and now more recently as GPS, gaming devices and a determining factor in the buying process.

In 2011, an estimated 11 trillion SMS messages will be sent, worldwide. Those numbers speak to the importance of reaching your customer on his/her mobile platform.

AT&T saw a 4,932% increase in mobile data traffic in 3 years. That is a whole lot more people looking for a wealth of information on their mobile devices. If your current website, branding or social media is not up to par, there is still time to get back on track. The peak mobile usage year for the US is predicted for 2013.

Developers and programmers alike are beginning to focus on mobile first, rather than as an afterthought to the campaign. The emphasis is now placed on an easy to navigate interface that effectively and efficiently communicates your product or service.

If end users do not have access to your company information while “on the go”, they will move to the next business that is available. There is nothing more frustrating than visiting a website that you cannot navigate on your mobile device.

What has your company done to invested in their mobile marketing strategy?

Let me start by saying I am a self professed geek. I spend most of my days on Facebook, Twitter and blogs. I read more new articles online than most people I know. My obsession stems foremost from a thirst for knowledge but my former employment at Apple pushed it even further. When working in the technology industry you are constantly asked opinions on the latest emerging companies and products. If you are not informed on the latest breaking news, you are unable to carry the conversation.

The culture that we live in is constantly updating. Even the new Facebook layout allows us to sit back and watch the upper right corner of the screen update like a stock ticker with everything that our friends are doing online. By linking your company with the free social media options available, you are constantly in front of your end user.

Let’s start with the importance of the two biggest social media channels of 2011…

Facebook: One of the main values of Facebook is that it allows you to connect with an extremely large and diverse network of friends, family & extended users. The ability for a user to “like” your brand then shares that page with their network. The best lead you can generate is through a referral from a trusted source. This doesn’t require a marketing team/huge budget to craft a specially tailored plan for your business. Likewise, rather than a shot in dark to the public through TV, radio or print ad, you are able to immediately reach the friends of your user. It is also a wonderful place to run specials, break news and even engage with followers.

Twitter: One of the main values of Twitter is that it is a powerful lead generator. Each and every 140-character SEO-rich tweet is indexed by Google in almost real-time, getting you and your content on the first page of Google’s search results. Also, the viral power of twitter is phenomenal, with the ability for users to retweet your update to their followers.

Getting web traffic to your website can be a difficult task and with so many companies charging extraordinary amounts to upgrade your SEO (search engine optimization) to rank better through Google and other engines, you can often raise your own brand by engaging in the social networks. The involvement of your brand in social media can also significantly improve your creditability on the web through multiple results when searched.

To be most effective with your business, you must use social media outlets in conjunction with your paid media and marketing. The two together can be a powerful one-two punch.

At the end of the day, social media is the quickest and easiest way to reach your existing customers. It is also one of the cheapest ways available to find new leads for your business. To become more familiar with what is happening in the social scene, engage in conversations around Facebook, Twitter and even blogging.

What other ways have you used social media to grow your business?