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Custom Designed WordPress Template
Here’s a great opportunity to start your own self-hosted WordPress blog/website. Let the world know about your business or service. It’s fun to express yourself, share your adventures and maybe even make a little money.
Starting your own blog is a great hobby. It’s creative too.
Start your own business and sell stuff. A self-hosted WordPress blog/website is the perfect format. It’s a content management system that’s easy to use and update. You have complete control of your site and can modify it whenever you want.
Special Offer from Creative Juices
For a limited time Creative Juices Design Studio is offering a custom designed WordPress themed blog/website at 15% off our estimate with one year Free Hosting and Domain Name Registration*. This is so incredible you’ll have to call for a free quote.
This Remarkable Deal Includes:
- Unique, customized template with your own photos or brand
- Your own domain name registration (for one year)*
- Free blog hosting for one year**
- Free telephone support
Your self-hosted WordPress blog/website has a completely accessible back end that is easy to learn. You will be able to add an unlimited number of pages and plug-ins with unbelievable functionality. This includes photo galleries, PayPal shopping carts, Twitter and Facebook links, calendars, search engine optimization and tons more.
Options are available:
*Each Additional Year Web Hosting and Domain Name Registration Only $125.00 after the free initial year
This is a package deal for both Hosting and Domain Name Registration.
Search Engine Optimization and Site Registration Special. From Only $249.00.
Includes Title Tags, Meta Description, Keywords and Registration with major search engines like Google and Bing.
Regular Price: $500.00 and up.
Call 310-791-5803 for more information.
Hurry. Offer expires 12/31/10
There are many ways to get a logo today. You can create one yourself if you have design capabilities. You can buy a logo design software package for $29 and put a few graphic elements together along with your company name.
You can go online and find a logo design factory that charges only $99 or $149 for a logo with unlimited changes. Realize, of course, that your logo will most likely be designed by students or recent graduates with limited experience. And you will be encouraged to order something else to help the logo design factory generate enough money to make up for that cheap logo.
Or you can hire an experienced graphic design company and pay a fair price for a product that will best represent you and your company.
Get Your Online Logos Now
It used to be that a professional logo design would cost you a minimum of $500 and an average of $1500. You were dealing with professional artists and graphic designers who had many years in the business designing logos. They had talent and experience. They knew how well your logo would stand out in color and black and white. What colors would go with your product and service and what design would create the best public image for your company. You met with the artist in person and discussed your preferences and options. And they took the time to follow their creative process. Creativity is not instantaneous.
Today you can go online and get an instant logo for $99 or $149. How much time and effort do you think was spent on creating that logo?
Keep in mind that your business logo is a graphic representation of your brand. Typically you keep your logo for many, many years. When people see your logo they get an immediate feeling about your business, whether it’s conscious or not. Do you really want that image to be cheap?
Professional Logos Cost Money
Think about big companies like Apple, Nike, Coca Cola, Pepsi, Microsoft, etc. Do you think they contacted an online logo factory and paid $99 for their logo design. I think not. They took the time and spent the money to carefully research their image and brand. They spent thousands of dollars. Maybe even hundreds of thousands of dollars building a brand image that matched their product or service.
Choose Your Logo Creator Wisely
So when it comes time to choose a company or person to create your own company’s brand image, don’t you think you deserve to get something that best represents you? I think you do.
You want to be proud of your company. You want to be successful. And you most certainly want to present an image of yourself that is both professional and exudes success. To achieve this you have to spend a little bit of money.
And always remember. You get what you pay for. This fact almost never changes.
You can find hundreds of books to talk about Social Media Marketing, formerly known as Web 2.0. And I’m going to give you crash course in just a few paragraphs.
Blogs
Your blog is an extremely powerful social media hub. If done correctly, it can boost the visibility of your business in ways never before possible. Think of it as an online magazine. You’re in charge of design and content. Your blog can help promote your company’s website or it can be a part of your website.
Setting up a blog is very easy. You can try using a free blogging system such as WordPress.com or Google’s Blogger. But if you want to appear really professional you need to go for a self-hosted blog. The most popular and easiest way to do this is through WordPress.org. You have lots of options for design themes and plugins. Of course a professionally designed unique theme that utilizes your company’s brand identity is best.
Maintaining it regularly can be a challenge. You have to constantly come up with copy that is interesting, relevant and remarkable. This could be once a week. Daily would be great. A few times a week is good too. The trick is to write posts that people want to read. Show your personality and have fun.
Facebook is the most popular online social network today, with over 400 million active users of all ages creating a home page and making “friends”. Facebook is a place where “friends” gather. Let everyone know what you’re doing. It’s easy to set up and is free. Show photos, play games, network, add applications. What’s your status? Your Facebook profile can be made public or private. You control the settings of who gets to see your page.
If you have a business you need a “Fan” page. A fan page is part of your original Facebook account. It is visible to everyone, registered or not, including all your customers. While a Facebook Group is better for hosting discussions, for long-term relationships, a “fan” page is best. Personalize your fan page with your company brand or image.
In order to get people to become a “fan” of your company, you need to drive them to your Facebook fan page. Therefore it is important to link your social media together. Create a button on your blog and company website, inviting visitors to become a Facebook fan. You want your fan page to be a fun place to visit. Create content and invite discussion and participation. Make your fan page a resource of information about your company and related products.
Another way you can entice users to join your fan page is by creating contests or coupons specifically for your Facebook fans. This could include discounts on products, free shipping, or other special deals. The goal is to get people to join your fan page and come back often. You need to give them a reason to participate. Encourage comments and input.
Creating a successful fan page takes planning, time and dedication. It’s not something you can set and forget.
Twitter can be a very powerful business tool with over 17 million users, a large number of which are older professionals with high incomes. It is called micro-blogging because your “posts” are limited to 140 characters. But you can create an unlimited number of posts.
With Twitter you have access to immediate feedback from people all over the world, 24/7. When you need help, just ask for it. You’ll be surprised at the number of people who will answer your questions and offer assistance. This is also a great way to do market research.
Use Twitter to let people know who you are. Your tweets can include links to photos and video. Send links to helpful or interesting websites. Promote contests, specials, sales, new products, whatever. Inform people when you make a blog post. Direct people to visit your website. And don’t forget to create a unique Twitter backdrop with your company brand and information.
Coming soon to Twitter will be “Promoted Tweets”, a way of advertising on Twitter. And you will be able to pay for a Commercial Twitter account which gives a business detailed analytics tools and the ability for several people to post to the same Twitter account.
LinkedIn is a business social network with over 65 million professional business users with an average income of over $100,000 a year. If you’re selling to other businesses you’ll want to have a LinkedIn presence. It’s a great way to drive targeted traffic to your website and further build your social network by exchanging “information, ideas and opportunities”.
Building Buzz and Getting Noticed
The best way to get noticed is to remain consistent. That means you must post to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and write your blog posts on a regular basis. If you don’t, people will stop following you. That’s not good. Sign up with HootSuite and you can write one post and send it to any or all of your social media at one time.
The more followers, friends and fans you have, the more you’ll get. It’s kinda viral. People want to follow popular people. And when you give people what they want in terms of information, tips, discounts, promotions, contests, customer service, etc., they’ll keep coming back for more.
When you’re involved with social media marketing, you’re also a part of the exciting new world of mobile marketing. Facebook, Twitter and Blog news-feeds are a huge part of mobile phone apps. Even Apple has entered the arena with it’s new iAd concept coming to an iPhone or iPad near you. Imagine interactive mobile ads and videos that are graphic and enticing. Google already has a big presence in mobile text advertising. You don’t want to be left out of this new marketing frontier.
So that’s the essence of Social Media Marketing. It’s all part of Search Engine Optimization. The goal is to get people to your website or social media hub. This can also include being part of social bookmarking sites like StumbleUpon, Delicious, Reddit, Digg; photo sites like Flickr; rich media sites like YouTube and Spoink and don’t forget MySpace.
For more information on how you can become a part of this exciting and powerful world of social media marketing contact Chuck at Creative Juices.
Are you in business for yourself and need more income? Who doesn’t… There are many ways to increase your income. Here are a few.
- Increase your prices. Sounds scary but it’s a good way to get more money. The trick is to add more value to your product or service at the same time. People are willing to pay more if they feel they are getting more value for their money.
- Cut expenses. Find creative ways to cut your bills down to size. Do you really need 5 business lines? Try using call waiting. Recycle paper. Take that printing job your customer never picked up or paid for and use the blank side in your printer. But only print things that are necessary. Save paper, save a tree.
- Advertising on your website. Try using AdSense from Google or sign up with affiliate programs. Then whenever someone clicks an ad on your site and makes a purchase, you make money. You can’t lose. Just make sure you’re not advertising for your competition.
- Pay off your credit cards. Of course you have to have money to do this. But by not paying high interest each month you save lots of money. At least it’s a good goal to have.
- Sell more. Easier said than done, these days. But if you’re creative and good at what you do and/or sell, then why not try to sell more. Send out e-mails (do not spam). Update your website. Advertise a special. Sign up with online directories. When all else fails, call Creative Juices.
The hard part of email marketing is deciding to do it and then sticking with it. Here’s an easy plan to help you get started.
- Create a website. (Chances are you already have one, but if not, check out Creative Juices for a custom site or you can opt for a template driven site.)
- Sign up with an email company such as Express Email Marketing or Constant Contact.
- Add a sign-up form to your website to collect e-mail addresses. Offer something free.
- Add your current client database to your new e-mail marketing account. Remember though, spamming your clients is a big no no. Don’t Spam. And always give an opt out.
- Pick a template, customize it, and write exciting and helpful copy for your first e-mail campaign. Be sure to tell a bit about yourself and include your phone number, link to website and call for action.
Or you could just hire someone like Creative Juices to do all this for you. How easy is that?!
Unemployment may be at 7%, but that just means a greater majority of people who want to work, are working.
Anyway, the point is that there are still employed people spending money. Sure a lot of people have cut back. But the best way for you to increase your sales is to let more people know what you do. What is your service? Where are you located? What do you do that’s better than anyone else? How can you help them?
If you don’t advertise or market your business in some way, no one will know you exist. Or worse, they’ll think you’ve gone out of business. And these days there’s a lot of that happening.
Update your website and let people know what is going on with you and how you can help them. Promote your brand. Keep your image at the top of people’s minds.
If you don’t already have a website, you’re missing out on one of the most cost effective ways to showcase your business or service.
If you do have a website and it’s out of date, you need to update. And fast. A tired, out of date website show’s you are not on top of your game. You may be perceived as irrelevant.
Remember, when you cut your marketing and advertising, you are essentially giving your competition a clear advantage. Is that really what you want to do?
Don’t forget to call Creative Juices if you need marketing and advertising advice. 310-791-5803. Did you know weekend appointments are now available?
Just because the economy is in the toilet doesn’t mean you can’t get more exposure for your business website and perhaps more business for you. Here are some relatively easy and inexpensive ways to get your website seen.
- Search Engine Optimization. In addition to title tags, meta tags and keywords, you can add informative copy to your site. Search engines love keyword rich copy. If you have copy that is relevant and informative more people would likely come across your website if they are searching for that information.
- Along those lines, you could start a blog and link it to your website (and vice versa).
- You could register with local Google, MSN and Yahoo map directories for your area. Also there are online directories you can register your website with, include online Yellow Pages and the Chamber of Commerce.
- You could also create PPC (Pay Per Click) ads on Google. They cost you when people click on them.
- Merchant Circle is a good website for businesses to find each other as is LinkedIn.
- And you can create a regular newsletter and send it out using Express Email Marketing. By creating a link on your site you can have people register for a monthly newsletter or specials or notices.
These are just some of the ways to help get your website and business noticed. Contact Creative Juices if you’d like any help with these.
First thing, don’t panic. The economy may be tanking but your business doesn’t have to. Unless you let it.
Now is the time to market your business. Actually marketing your small business should never stop. The trick is to focus your marketing. Now more than ever you have to budget your money. To be successful you need to figure out what types of marketing to do, and then do it.
Direct mail pieces such as postcards, sales letters or brochures are a great way to reach your target market. Create your own mailing list. You can find dba’s in the newspaper for new businesses. Or you can look in the phone book (the old yellow one) or online. Send out a few each week.
E-mail blasts are great. And there’s no postage. Or printing costs. Add a form to your website to collect e-mail addresses from people who want to subscribe to whatever you have to say.
Don’t forget ads in local newspapers and throwaways. Ads need to be seen a multiple of times before people remember them and respond. Placing an ad once in a while will be a waste of time and money.
If you must cut costs, don’t skimp on your marketing. Just focus your efforts.
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