With Internet traffic expected to quadruple by 2015, small businesses are using social web design to expand their marketing reach. Recent research suggests that social media will become a major component of all small business marketing by 2015.

According to one survey by AMI, small businesses expect to increase their social media budgets in 2012 by 35%. In comparison, the overall rise in the marketing budget averages only 4% in the same survey. Social web design is a key component in leveraging the rapid growth of social networking platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn.

Social networking design refers to the crafting of a website to encourage visitors to join the company’s social media pages.

Social media is about developing and nurturing relationships

Using web design to promote your company’s social media outreach is desirable because of the power of social networking in growing relationships. No other part of the Internet is so effective in maintaining contact with prospects and existing customers.

Social media networking works in much the same way as offline personal networking. The idea is to create and maintain actual friendships rather than impersonal business relationships. A site that is well designed for social networking will prominently display links and actively encourage visitors to join the company’s networks.

For example, if you display articles on your site, you can include a Facebook “Like” button. This button will be displayed after the article and will allow readers to post a snippet on their Facebook wall recommending it to all their friends. In the same way, a page can be designed to allow readers to “tweet” about the article on their Twitter profile pages.

Bringing users back to your business site from social media

One of the main reasons to use social networking design is to maintain constant contact with prospects and existing customers so that you can lure them back to your e-commerce or business website. Since huge numbers of people are already using social media, you gain instant access to them by joining their networks.

In comparison, trying to lure visitors back to your site without social media is a difficult task. Even if you post good content on a regular basis, many people will simply forget about your site. When you join their social networks, you have the opportunity to gently remind them about your business. For this reason, web design should make connecting on social media a very high priority.

Once you have connected with visitors using effective social networking design, the trick is not to use direct marketing on the social media platforms. Using direct sales pitches on these sites is considered bad netiquette. Instead, the idea is to become an asset to members in your social networks by regularly posting useful articles and other information. In that way, your friends will value their connection with you.

For more information, on how social web design can work for your business, please call us today.

When it comes to social media marketing online the rules are no different than traditional methods of marketing. Consumers have a need to be a part of the digital community, making it the perfect territory to engage, interact and form professional relationships with them.

Why Should You Invest in Social Media Marketing Consultants?

Just a few years ago many would have believed that social media was merely a trend to be outgrown, but statistics have repeatedly proved otherwise. Seeking the professional advice of a consultant who specializes in social media marketing can have a high return on the investment. In fact, it has been proven that companies who invest in SEO campaigns often achieve returns in excess of 500%.

Hiring an outside consultant to monitor search engine optimization and other technical specs of online marketing can provide much-needed relief in time and efforts. SEO campaigns can be quite tricky and in today’s post-panda world there is little room for mistakes to be made.

Why Consumers Love Businesses That Market Online

As a general rule, the web plays a valuable role in sparking conversation. The possibility of going viral on the internet is a leading incentive to deliver quality content, engage the audience and shock them with new insights and information. Consumers are known to gravitate towards the web to share their ideas on products and services. What better place to engage those consumers than by interacting with them within a virtual realm where millions unite?

With mobile web browsing on the rise, online marketing is becoming even more profitable. Consumers are frequently engaged in conversation on social networks, many of whom are in search of a particular product or service. Implementing new methods of social media marketing is a great way to reach out to those consumers at a time when your particular product or service may be of interest.

Online marketing provides a new opportunity to research and understand the behavior of a targeted audience. Taking steps to determine what the audience needs and desires in a particular product or service is the best way to ensure satisfaction when it is time to deliver. Ultimately, being able to understand the audience and connect with them often means being able to gain their trust – a key value in any successful relationship.

However, surveys have shown that most businesses still are not achieving results up to their expectations on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. The fact that they are still spending more in this area of marketing shows that they believe in the potential of social media, but still haven’t managed to master the art of promotion on the social web. One solution to this problem is to use the experience and expertise of a professional agency.

Social media is where the action is

Large corporations and small businesses alike are moving into the social web to attract new customers and to cultivate their relationships with existing customers. Among the things that make social media attractive is the personal interaction, the real time environment and the capability of reaching a large network simultaneously. A social media marketing agency can help your business quickly adapt to the fast changing social networking world.

Many businesses fail in their social media efforts because they are unaware of the correct netiquette and approaches to marketing in this area of the Internet. Professional consultants can help you navigate the social web and avoid costly mistakes that can actually hurt your business’s reputation.

The key to marketing on social media platforms is to use a more indirect approach to promoting your business. An Internet marketing agency can show you how to grow your online network at sites like Facebook and Twitter while avoiding any perception of “spamming.”

With the right approach, people will look for you on social media

Social networking pros know that the secret to success on the popular social platforms is to become an asset to other members in your network. Your friends on Facebook and your followers on Twitter should look for your postings to find useful information and news.

The worst mistake you can make on social media is to directly solicit your products or services to your friends and followers. People on these sites do not want others constantly bothering them with sales pitches. Social networking consultants can show businesses how to find valuable web content to post on their social media platforms.

By becoming a source of desired knowledge and news in your network, you will build trust and reinforce your friendship with potential and existing customers. The experts can then show you how to lead your social media friends to follow links to your sales website.

If you would like to find out more information on how our team of proven social media professionals can help you manage your social web marketing campaigns, please call us today. Our consultants will walk you through every step of the process from optimising your web pages for conversion to creating your own fan pages.

Small business especially, can use social media to its advantage by creating affiliate web pages which can provide greater visibility and access to the customer base at a minimum of cost. Affiliate web pages created on social media sites can also provide much-needed one-way backlinks to the main hub. One-way backlinks are the most important metric used by search engines to determine placement. These web sites also provide an easy way to keep your network of web sites dynamic, with new content produced at a fast pace. Dynamic web sites are also very attractive to search engine spiders.

Let’s go over each of the advantages of small business social media individually.

1. One-way backlinks. Create pages, whether fan pages or profile pages, of your business on social media web sites. Create them on all of the large, general hubs and on web sites that cater to your industry specifically. You can then have links on all of these pages pointing back to your sales page. When the major search engines go to rank your main page, your one way backlinks will push up your sales page ranking because you have sites that are trusted by the search engine pointing to a site which is relevant. This is the top link you can get, and the one that is the most rewarded by the search engines.

2. Dynamic web content. Dynamic web content simply means that you keep up to date with current happenings. You can do this through a blog, a streaming news feed, comments from your site visitors, or new postings advertising new breakthroughs by your company. The bottom line is, you want to keep up to date, relevant content on your web site. Search engines respond just like people do. Who wants to go back to a web site with the same outdated information that was there last month? You have been to web sites like that. The first question you ask yourself is if the business is even still open!

3. Affiliate web sites. Affiliate web sites simply mean web sites that are not your main page, but are still about your company. Social media sites are the easiest way to set up these sites. The best part about affiliate sites is that you are placing yourself in a hub that already receives traffic, increasing your visibility to people who do not know about your business. People are much more likely to find a new business on a social media site than they are by randomly coming across your web page.

The bottom line: Use small business social media to your advantage, and be sure to contact us for more detailed help on the subject!

You must be on top of things; with your results appearing from the moment a potential buyer types their desired searches into Google or their search engine of choice. Here’s how real estate Search Engine Optimisation, or SEO, can help.

Increasing Your Search Ranking

You’ve probably heard of search or page ranking before, and the term is not too complicated. Your ranking is basically how close your page appears to the top of the list when numerous search results are generated. Lower page rankings are better because there are fewer competing sites in front of them. SEO helps you increase your page ranking by improving the quality of information and inbound links.

When people search for real estate the terms they enter can take many forms. One is just as likely to search for “Inner East flats” as they are for “Sydney Apartments.” Because prospective buyers may not have settled on a specific option, their search methods will vary widely. Real estate search engine optimization entails reworking your site content to match the home, rental or commercial property-focused terms people are actually looking for.

But You Can’t Do It Alone

SEO is a hefty task. In addition to deciding which search terms, or keywords, you want to focus on, you’ll need to think about how to present them, and understand how to track their efficacy. This sort of detailed data analysis is best left to the experts who can outfit your site with analytics tools, graphs and charts that reveal just how visitors travel through your pages. They can also advise you on the best format for your content, for example, flashy graphic intros may be eye catching, but they are not accessible to search engines, nor to buyers who just want to browse properties in a hurry.

Because you probably receive listing data on a regular basis, you’ll also need some sort of content management system (CMS). These back-end pages let you login to your site and update properties and other data using an easy interface. This is really the only way to keep up with the immense amount of information most real estate agents use. If you’re forced to constantly manage tons of data, you’ll have little time to actually make sales.

Social media is important too. One of the best approaches to real estate search engine optimization is creating relevant content that increases your site popularity, and social media sites are perfect for this. Many social media sites that run around user generated content are open to search engines, and including “Like” buttons and other widgets on your blogs or listings is a good way to get your foot in the door.

Most companies see the newest technology as merely a passing fad. The reaction to companies to television’s introduction is almost legendary; the companies that embraced television advertising ended up doing far better than their competitors. Since then companies have needed to decide if the newest technology would long enough to give them a decisive edge, especially given the funding it takes to maintain cutting edge technologies. When it comes to corporate social media that may be the wrong attitude.

Establishing A Public Face

Unlike other technologies that require massive upgrades, taking advantage of social media requires only a single employee, or even a small cadre, whose responsibility it is to log on and monitor the company’s various accounts. Combined with access to the company’s public relations department, the social media director can provide a vital voice for the company, becoming the company’s representative online. This allows the company to have a face of sorts that people can react to rather than just some abstract entity, and that personal touch gives them an edge over the company that is merely there.

A company that establishes an identity online is one that customers start relating to as a person rather than as some abstract concept. Social media is more than just a way to let others know how the company did that quarter or to unleash coupons onto the world; it becomes a way of letting others know what happened at the company picnic. It also provides a focal point of showing what a company is doing to deal with an emergency. By establishing an identity online where customers and press can focus their attention, a company has a place where they can keep everyone up to date and knows that everyone will listen to them.

Dealing With A Person Rather Than A Building

Corporate social media allows customers to deal with a person. Although most people understand that it is an illusion, it is nonetheless one that allows them to think far more warmly of the company, and ensures that potential customers will seek out that company before they seek out other companies. Setting up a social network takes only a few moments to set up, but must be set up right. The question is whether to take advantage of this force, or to end up like those that ignored television.

What’s the Purpose of Video and Social Media?

This question had to be asked, and it has a valid answer, so don’t feel ignorant if you don’t understand. The internet is packed full of content, including words, images and rich video media. Videos rise above the other forms to grab user attention, and in a field of one’s competitors, one must stand out prominently.

Consumer education is important, and videos are also a great way to teach people the ins and outs of your site. They can provide a short introduction to what you sell, and even explain your industrial processes. Best of all, any video you create for a website can be used in other media, including broadcast TV or film inserts.

Social media serves a similar purpose from a business sense. There are many sites that try to sell their products and services very aggressively, virtually pushing their information down users’ throats. As a result consumers tend to grow weary of even some of the friendliest marketing approaches. Social media sites like MySpace or Facebook, however, allow web users to promote the content they like so that their friends can see it. It’s essentially a digital version of the word-of-mouth marketing that so many companies rely on daily in the physical world.

How Can I Make My Site Popular on Social Media?

Engaging content that keeps users visiting is crucial, and this is where video marketing and Sydney social media marketing come together splendidly. An interesting video advert is a great way to spread word about your company via a completely non-aggressive medium. Create a funny or intriguing short video, and it will practically advertise itself, moving from one user to another through blogs, forums or video sites.

Many of the best Sydney web design firms help their clients take advantage of this phenomenon by including social media packages in their services. By tracking trending videos and noting the number of views your content garners, they can help you adjust your message in order to successfully reach your target demographic. You can also use such data to include user response in your next video or social media production, creating an air of familiarity with consumers.

For more info about social media marketing and videos, check out our other blogs or contact us.

Small business without search engine optimization is destined to stay small, unfortunately. The harsh reality of online marketing is that no matter how good your product or service is, if your company does not have a handle on keyword selection, one-way backlink creation, social media marketing, and search engine optimization as a whole, your business is destined to Internet oblivion.

Since these days most people find new business online, this situation is completely unacceptable for any business wishing for any type of longevity.

Fortunately, the path has long been laid for a successful small business online campaign, and that means finding your business niche and creating and optimizing your small business website so that those people whose problem you can solve better than anyone else out there will find your business first.

Proper Small Business SEO Web Design

Proper web design for small business means more than likely focusing your site around a long tail keyword or two. These long tail keywords will be chosen by identifying your business niche. The one simple question you must ask yourself in order to find the keywords that will skyrocket your business site to the top of search engine rankings, traffic, and sales is this:

What would someone with a problem that my business can solve type into a search engine box?

Once you have determined this, you will have narrowed your business niche down into a solution set that you provide better than anyone else out there. Your entire marketing strategy will be focused, from here on out, telling people about this aspect of your small business.

This includes your web design. Your text should include your long tail keywords in your headline, sub headlines, and search engine spiders love it when they are in bold type as well. However, do not overuse your keyword phrases. Write well, with synonyms for your keywords inserted throughout your text at a rate of about 4% of keywords to total words. This will keep the search engine algorithms happy without causing them to mark you as a potential black hat site, and possibly blacklist your business website from their search engine listings.

Optimizing Your Small Business Website

After designing your website around your keywords, optimizing your website to get it to the top of the charts is the next hurdle. The most important thing to do is to create one-way backlinks (sites with links that point back to your original website without having to reciprocate) for your website. You can easily start this process by creating fan or profile pages on the social media sites, and writing for blogs that have to do with your industry.

As you gain a reputation as an expert in your field, people will naturally start to recommend your advice to others by pointing them to your affiliate sites (the blogs and social media profile pages). That in turn will raise the profile of your main site, to which you can then direct your new fans to complete the sale.

If this sounds like a lot, fear not. There is help nearby. Simply follow the links to our website where we can give you more tips on small business SEO web design and the next steps to your journey to business success.

SEO: Time Spent VS Money Spent

Small Businesses attempting to SEO their websites run into a multitude of difficulties. Many new business owners do not have a clue what SEO is, they do not understand the costs associated and are worried that they are going to pay more they should. Those are all valid concerns but they should also realize that a website that does not perform, leaving potential customers behind and appearing to be “behind the times” are all a waste of money. If your small business has or is planning to set up a website you should know at least a little about SEO.

DIY SEO

What is SEO?

SEO is using certain techniques to get your website listed high in the search engines. It stands for Search Engine Optimisation. If you did not already know what the term meant, you might want to consider doing a little research on the subject. Luckily, you do not need to go far because I am going to give you a few easy tips and tricks that you can put into practice today.

5 Quick and Easy SEO Tips

What you want is a designer who can expand and improve upon what you’ve already got so that you needn’t to start all over again. Regardless if you have nothing but a simple concept, you should be able to find a local Australian firm that can easily implement it as a workable solution. Here are the best web-savvy tips for getting web design done quick and affordably,

Open Dealings and Solid Foundations

Website design is by no means easy, but the simpler the whole process is for you, the better it will be for your budget. Focus on finding a firm that offers services with upfront consultations. This way you can get a quick rundown of what you’ll receive before investing.

Many services offer huge, convoluted packages without really going into too much detail about why you need all those extras. Remember, bells, whistles and other embellishments are nowhere near as important as the basics. You need to provide consumers with an easy-to-use, accessible site that delivers as much information as they want, when they want it. A store is nice, for example, but if you haven’t got the basic information that people are looking for, they’ll never visit it, regardless how slick those new shopping cart options look.

Brainstorming a Perfect Plan

In the beginning, you may find yourself overwhelmed with ideas. This is perfectly normal, but it’s important to jot absolutely everything down. There is definitely such a thing as too much information on a website, so you’ll certainly have to make some cuts here and there, but by keeping track of all your ideas, you’ll have a better starting point. When some ideas don’t work out as well as you’d hoped after they’ve been implemented in the digital arena, you’ll also have the others ready to fall back on.

Let your designer advise you on what they think is feasible and how much you ought to include. Remember, even the most studious internet users prefer simplicity, so if you overload them with information, they will immediately develop a profound dislike for your site. On the other hand, insufficient info will make your webpage seem inadequate to those seeking sincerely helpful knowledge.

The best approach to finding a middle ground is remaining extremely well organized. Let your designer help you determine where your consumer education content will go and keep it clearly separated from your sales and marketing pitch. With the exception of the links and introductory text that join these topics, making it easier for users to navigate, your site must strive for a smoothly compartmentalized structure, so as not to confuse visitors. For more information on affordable small business website design and SEO, check out our other blogs or contact us.