Marketing 101 | Creative Juices Graphic Design Studio

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The Importance of Keywords

Just how important are keywords in getting people to find your website? Very.

Keywords are the actual words and phrases people put into the search engine to find what they’re looking for. When you are optimizing a page you will use keywords in the title tags, as well as meta tags. Keywords will be in the copy you write for the page as well as in “alt” tags on photos (which are hidden). And those keywords will depict the very essence of your page. It is what people are looking for and it’s how you will get noticed.

You need to be as specific as possible. If you just use the most popular keywords related to your page you will be one among millions of results, and the chances of getting a high ranking are slim to none. Of course there are many things that go into a page’s ranking, including links to your website, social media (Facebook, Twitter, Linked-In) and continually adding new copy to your site that people will find helpful such as in blogs. But keywords play a very important part.

Analytics also plays a big part in finding out who is seeking your site and what keywords they use to find it. Sign up with Google and insert their analytics code into your site so you will be able to keep track of your visitors. The more information you know, the better equipped you’ll be in optimizing your site.

Check out Google‘s free Keyword Tool to help you find the best words that suit your site. And remember that each page should be optimized as a separate unit with it’s own specific keywords relevant to the copy on that page. The goal is to use keywords that are the most relevant and specific to what your web page is about and have the least competition. You do not just want to have people look at your site, you want people that will convert to clients or sales.

18 May

7 Helpful Tips on Choosing a Domain Name

Your website is probably going to be your most important marketing tool. It should be the hub of all information related to your business. That’s why it is very important to have a domain name (url) that is descriptive of your business, easy to memorize, hard to misspell and of course available. Here are some easy tips to help you decide on the best domain name for you.

Try to use your company name / brand in your domain name.
Keep your domain name simple, short and easy to remember.
Avoid using hyphens and underscores. They can cause confusion.
Use key words related to your business. It’s best when your url describes what it is you do and what people would be searching for.
Use dot com whenever possible. It’s the most recognized url extension.
Avoid using numbers. Again, it’s confusing not knowing whether to use the number or to spell it out.
Don’t add an “s” to an existing popular domain name. The “s” is easily forgotten and your potential client will end up at your competitor’s site.

For more helpful information on domain name selection and search engine optimization check out SEOmoz.org.

Business Practices Helpful Hints Marketing 101 Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

16 Apr

The Power of Social Media Marketing

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

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

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.

Advertising Blogging to promote business. Business Practices Helpful Hints Marketing 101 Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Technology Website Design

01 Apr

How to Take Control of Your Website

If you’ve always wanted a well designed website platform that you can easily update yourself, WordPress.org is the answer.

“WordPress is a state-of-the-art publishing platform with a focus on aesthetics, web standards, and usability. WordPress is both free and priceless at the same time.” So says the WordPress website.

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. Add pages, add posts, modify text. Create a photo gallery. And unlike WordPress.com, you can sell products and sign up for affiliate programs. And the best part is, it’s easy to understand. And don’t forget free.

“WordPress is infinitely extensible. One of the core philosophies of WordPress is to keep the core code as light and fast as possible but to provide a rich framework for the huge community to expand what WordPress can do, limited only by their imagination,” says the folks at WordPress.org.

A large variety of plugins add infinite versatility to your site. Just about anything you can think of can be added. It’s as simple as finding the plugin, installing it with a click of a button and dragging a widget to your sidebar.

Free Templates are Great. Your Own Unique Template is Better.

Here’s where Creative Juices comes in. While you can get quite a variety of free templates online, having your own unique header and theme, utilizing your logo, photos and artwork, adds a special touch.

A Creative Juices designed template adds class to your site. You’ll stand out because your site will be unlike any other.

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 expertise and maybe even make some money.

Special Offer from Creative Juices

For a limited time Creative Juices Design Studio is offering one year Free Hosting, set up and Domain Name Registration with your custom designed WordPress themed blog/website order*. This is an incredible opportunity to start your own blog/website with a creative look uniquely your own.

And remember, your self-hosted WordPress blog/website has a completely accessible back end that is easy to learn. You will be able to make changes, add an unlimited number of pages and install plugins with unbelievable functionality, all on your own. This includes photo galleries, PayPal shopping carts, Twitter and Facebook links, calendars, search engine optimization and tons more.

Search Engine Optimization and Site Registration are also available. Call for estimate.

Includes Title Tags, Meta Description, Keywords and Registration with major search engines like Google and Bing.

Call 310-791-5803 today and you can have a fully functional, completely customized website within a week.

Starting your own blog and/or website is a great hobby as well as a business tool. We make it creatively easy for you.

When you’re ready for something more, we can also design template-free websites from scratch.

Call for a quote. Because everyone’s needs are different we can’t list prices. Tell us your budget and we’ll tailor a program to fit your needs.

And of course, if you’re not interested in a hands on approach, we can do it all for you.

Hurry. You can’t afford to be without a visually appealing, highly functional website.

Business Practices Creative Juices News Helpful Hints Marketing 101 Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Technology Website Design

23 Mar

What’s the Most Effective Blogging Platform?

Blogging Options

When first starting out on my blogging journey I tried Google’s Blogger, GoDaddy’s Quick Blogcast and WordPress.com. All are easy to use and set up. I have since discovered that WordPress is one of the most popular free blogging systems.

So I settled on WordPress.com and created a not too regular blog. Blogging takes time and careful thought. Sometimes it takes research or just having something “remarkable” to say. That is not always easy.

Somewhere along the way I started reading and researching the blogging world and soon discovered that you can conceivably make money by blogging. What will they think of next. At the very least you can promote your existing business or service by creating useful, helpful, interesting, fascinating or humorous blogs on a regular basis.

Monetize your Blog

Making money with your blog is great. One of the easiest ways to make money blogging (by easy I mean setting it up, not getting people to buy) is by using Google AdSense. Then there’s the whole world of affiliate marketing. And of course selling your own “stuff”, such as an e-book or physical product or service. I soon discovered you cannot use AdSense or place ads with WordPress.com. But you can on WordPress.org. While WordPress.com is hosted by WordPress for free, you must find your own host for WordPress.org. This is not very difficult or expensive.

Why I Switched to WordPress.org

Since I am a GoDaddy reseller and I have a deluxe hosting plan for cjuices.com this was a no-brainer for me. GoDaddy makes it easy to set up WordPress.org. It’s just a matter of downloading the software into your server.

And with WordPress.org you get quite a lot of options to design, add to, and monetize your blog. As with all things in business, it’s a process that takes time, education, studying and work to make it pay. It’s also fun and relatively painless to set up and use. There are tons of widgets and plugins to help you with anything from simple forms, Google Analytics, Facebook and Twitter follows, shopping carts, photo galleries and much more. You can find lots of free information on setting up and using WordPress.org too.

Custom Designed Template for that Special Look

A custom designed website makes your business stand out and look professional. Call me at Creative Juices and I will explain all the possibilities on getting your website/blog up and running with a customized WordPress template. Yes, this is a shameless plug, but I am also here to help you by answering questions on the benefits of WordPress.

Free quotes too at 310-791-5803.

Blogging to promote business. Business Practices Helpful Hints Marketing 101

20 Mar

Hootsuite

Are you struggling to market your business with a blog, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn? Juggling all the social media with new content can be quite a job in itself.

I’ve been using Hootsuite daily and love it. This piece of software, available for your Mac, PC, iPad, and iPhone, allows you to write one message and send it to all your social media at once. Plus now you can schedule your posts to appear at specific days and times. Just click on the schedule calendar, pick the day and time and your done. You can also choose an image to go with your Facebook posts.

Just set up your login info for Twitter, Facebook, Facebook Fan Pages, MySpace, LinkedIn, WordPress and much more. Then write your message and check the accounts you want it to be sent from. Very easy. Plus you can view all your feeds in one place. How convenient is that?

Analyze and Grow Your Social Channels with HootSuite

Blogging to promote business. Business Practices Helpful Hints iPhone Marketing 101

18 Feb

Niche Blogging is Fun and Can be Profitable Too.

Does your pet have their own blog? It’s can be rewarding and you can make money through affiliate marketing and selling merchandise. You can also use it to market your own business. Why not?

I set up a blog for my Chihuahua using WordPress. It’s called AllMyChihuahuas.

If you want a unique WordPress template created for your little pet, give Creative Juices a call at 310.791.5803.

Business Practices Creative Juices News Marketing 101

12 Jan

10 Simple Ways to Increase Your Website’s Ranking

There are several ways to make your website more search engine friendly. Here are some of the simple ones:

Add a Title (Heading) Tag to each page, also known as a Page Title. This should relate to what is on each individual page.
Add a Meta Description to each page (no more than 150 characters).
Research and and add Keywords to all the pages. Again, should relate to the copy.
Register your site with the major search engines (Google, Yahoo!, Bing).
Set up a site map which should include all your pages.
Make sure you are listed on the major online local directories in your field.
Create a blog on your site, or link to it and write regular, remarkable copy (such as this). This let’s your customers interact with your company on a regular basis instead of just having a brochure online. We recommend using WordPress.org.
Create a Twitter account and contribute to it regularly. Give helpful information and links as well as tell about yourself.
Create a Facebook Fan page for your company and create content regularly.
Get as many links to your site from other high ranking sites. This can be the result of having great content on your site.

This is just the beginning. Search Engine Optimization is a great way to get your website known. Being listed high up on the search engine results pages can be quite a complex and ever changing challenge. Enjoy. Or hire the professional.

Business Practices Helpful Hints Marketing 101 Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

01 Oct

The Value of Design. Just how much is your company image worth?

The design world has changed quite a bit since I began Creative Juices in 1981. Back then no one knew how to typeset except a small number of trained “experts”. Design was valued. You went to a professional for everything, from a logo design to a simple form. And you expected to pay hundreds, if not thousands of dollars for truly creative, unique artwork.

Creative talent took the time to develop unique logos, brochures, artwork, illustrations, you name it. A company brand was something important. It still is today, just not so much.

You can now go online and find a logo design for $149 or less. Website templates are available for less than $100 or free if you sign up for a hosting plan. Brochure templates are free with programs such as Word or Pages. If you’re a self employed graphic designer it’s a tough world to get work in.

The problem is design has become a commodity. Something generic you can easily purchase, place your name on and call it a day.

So how can you really stand out? By believing your company is worth investing in. By spending a little extra for a logo, or a website, a brochure, or even a business card.

In other words, saving money by purchasing a logo online may not be the best choice for your new business. You only have one chance to make a first impression on a potential client. Do you really want them to see that your entire business brand is only worth $149?

Think about it.

–This is a public service message hoping to teach the value of calling a professional graphic arts studio like Creative Juices when you want to develop a brand for your exciting new business venture.

Business Practices Marketing 101

23 Aug

5 Ways to Make Money Now!

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.

Advertising Blogging to promote business. Business Practices Marketing 101 Search Engine Optimization (SEO)