It isn’t enough just to have a blog or profile on Facebook. Smart business owners have learned how to harness the marketing power available to them on the internet. They have realized that following a few basic guidelines can mean the difference between a bad investment and a fantastic return. Here are some internet marketing tips that local business can use to maximize the power of a web presence.

Get Listed in Business Directories

Consumers are internet savvy and have quickly become accustomed to finding everything online. One of the first places they go is to Google. Local business owners who have not yet claimed their free listing in Google and other search engines are leaving money on the table.  Savvy business owners don’t stop there. They go on to claim business listings on other popular directories such as Merchant Circle, Yelp and Hotfrog.  Taking the time to completely fill out every possible piece of business profile information is one easy way to make the most of directories. Links from the local business website and the business blogs can help move a local business listing higher in search engine rankings.

Connect Socially

Minding the social graces online can greatly influence web presence. Signing up with the social sites is an important part of any local business marketing plan, but participating on those sites is what makes it all worthwhile. Doing so does not have to be difficult or time-consuming. Once a day set aside some time to check on the business’s social pages and respond to any comments or discussions that happen to be going on. This builds trust in the community.

Building and Maintain a Blog

Far too many businesses have blogs that suffer from a serious lack of attention. Business owners who want to stay in touch with customers and potential clientele make sure a new post appears at least weekly.  Wise blog owners don’t stop with putting a post on the blog; they use plug-ins or software that sends blog posts directly to social sites.

Communicating via Email

Used wisely, email can be a powerful tool.  Email messages keep the business name in front of customers.  Ezines and newsletters make it possible to both keep in contact with current customers and reach potential customers.  Subscription links included in newsletters make it possible to reach new readers and grow the customer base. Emails don’t have to be text, they can also include videos. Make sure your sign has a subscription form so that interested users can receive emails from you.

Initiating Incentives

Incentives are a powerful method of keeping a business web presence high profile.  They’re easy to use in a variety of ways and can be integrated into a wide range of marketing activities. Many business directories offer a free option to include coupons. Offering a free report or coupon in return for customer email is an effective way to gain customer leads. Offering current customers a special deal in return for referrals to others is another incentive technique that gets results.

Business owners often say that it’s easier to sell to existing customers than to find new customers. It’s just as important to keep current customers once as it is to gain new ones. Local business owners can do both by maintaining a web presence.

Smart business owners don’t stop at having a blog or creating a Facebook page. They make blog posts and Facebook connections interactive parts of their internet marketing agenda. They learn to make the most of business directories and blogging to keep their business in front of people. They utilize social services and email to maintain a connection with the public. They realize the power of incentives in making it possible to both gain new customers and reward existing ones.  They maintain a living, growing web presence. So can you.

Email Marketing: Continue the Conversation with Customers

Email technology is nothing new, it’s one the oldest and most popular forms of communication on the internet. Everyone treats it differently, some people use it the same way they use “snail mail”, they check it once a day and leave it alone. Others use it as one of their main lines of communication and a source of up to date information on their favorite topics. Most businesses make heavy use of email internally to keep their employees connected and communicating. However, businesses can also use email marketing as a very effective way to connect with and monetize their web traffic if they know how.

Email Marketing: Add Email Submission Form to Your Website

Obviously, in order to start utilizing email as a means of networking with clients and customers, you are going to need a website. Chances are you already have one, but it can always use improvement. The web is constantly evolving and you should make it a point to adapt to it. Users don’t want to be bombarded with sales pitches and blatant commercialism; they want nice clean interfaces that invite them into the site to check out what it has to offer. Populate your website with content that’s useful and interesting to your visitors, your initial goal with any new user on your website is to gain their trust as quickly and completely as possible.

Email Marketing: Collect Customer Emails

The ultimate goal is to get your visitors name and email onto your email subscription list or newsletter. You may not have given much thought to this aspect of your business, and if that’s so then shame on you. Think about it: if a visitor willingly provides their name and email address for the purpose of receiving more information about your business or topic, they are no longer a visitor- they are a lead. This is the best kind of traffic you could hope for, they did all the preselling and advertising for you.

However, it’s not as simple as throwing an opt-in form on your site and calling it a day. You need to hold your visitors by the hand and lead them there, and then offer them an incentive for signing up. The trick is to make the existence of your form visible and to make the visitor conscious of it, but not to throw it in their face. If you even think of using a pop up for your email newsletter opt-in form, your target audience had better be either the over 80 crowd or the “Extreme Naivety” niche. Your best bet is to put it on the sidebar and use a slightly more vibrant color than the rest of your site. You should also include it on any sign up forms for things like purchases, forums, memberships, etc. Offering a free gift is great too, but make it a meaningful and valuable one that pertains to your business.

Email Marketing: Develop Newsletter and Send Email Updates to Your List

Once you have your loyal following of targeted leads, it’s time to send out your newsletter or regular updates. The frequency of the updates needs to be carefully considered. Daily updates are a big no-no, people hate having their inboxes full of messages from the same source and they consider it spam, they will be off of your list in no time. If you space your newsletters out too sparsely, you won’t get enough exposure and many of your leads will just forget all about you. Once or twice a week is usually a good frequency.

Email Marketing: Newsletter Content and Design

As far as the content of your newsletter goes, really try to make it something worth reading. Provide the latest headlines in your industry, offer exclusive information on upcoming events and really try to get your reader involved with your business and coming back to the site. Don’t bore them to death with dull company news, very few of your subscribers signed up to hear about your quarterly sales reports. Put yourself in their shoes, if you were someone interested in the services or products that your company offers, what information and resources would be of interest and value to you? Get a nice clean and colorful email template and stick with it, consistency is professional. Remember, the email networking and marketing scene is all about building trust.

Solar Vita, LLC is one green company that needed a fresh-as-a-daisy look. The company’s focus is Project Vita, a solar infrastructure initiative that is working to produce power for electric cars by solar energy instead of conventional means such as coals or gas.

To succeed, infrastructure projects like this need to be commercially viable from day one. The electric car industry is trapped in a catch-22: people will not buy electrical cars if the availability of charging stations is very limited. But companies won’t invest in charging stations if very few cars will use them. Solar Vita successfully addresses this problem by allowing the charging stations to be profitable even as the number of cars remains relatively limited.

Solar Vista commissioned WebFrootz to help establish an online presence. WebFrootz created a logo that supports the company’s environmental core philosophies of renewable energy, economic development, creating green jobs, building new and upgrading existing infrastructure, and providing environmental stewardship.

Logo Design Concepts (Round 1)

Logo Concept A evokes a green mentality by using the very color, and hints at its automotive focus with a small car logo at the far right of the web address. The car logo is framed by a circle hinting at sun rays and also the circular nature of renewal, an integral element of environmental stewardship. The tagline, “Green All the Way” can indicate both the literal journey of a car driver and the “journey” of the elements used to power the car.

Similarly, Logo Concept B shows the car, bigger this time, but makes the font smaller to accommodate it. In Logo Concept C, the rays partially encircle the web address and the car, now between the address and the tagline, is followed by a long green cord, which gives a sense of electricity use. Logo Concept D is similar to C but eliminates the car and changes the coloring of the fonts.

Logo Concept E makes the car the largest part of the logo, which is important since the web address doesn’t indicate anything automotive. The half circle around the car loses the rays and indicates a continual cycle from the extension cord to the nose of the car. Using green for the car and the “EV” helps convey the environmentally friendly nature of the project. The rest of the address is gray, as is the tagline.

Logo Concept F makes the electrical plug extend from a green sun towards the web address, also in green, over the gray tagline.

The WebFrootz team worked with Concept E, offering color variations which included a yellow half circle and green car (A), light yellow half circle and green car (B), yellow half circle and black car (C), orange half circle and green car with orange lettering (D), brick red half circle and brick red lettering (E), yellow half circle with black electrical cord and black car (F)l, gold half circle and green car (G), yellow half circle with gray car and lettering (H) and gold half circle with dark gray car and lettering (I).

Logo Design – Color Exploration

Solar Vita chose A, with the half circle modified to look like an electrical cord with the plug positioned at the back of the car. Appropriately, the half circle that began as a symbol of the sun in earlier designs became an electrical cord in the final one.

WebFrootz next designed business cards, stationery, envelopes, and PowerPoint template to help Solar Vita make its presentations really pop and corporate website.

Corporate ID Design (Letterhead, Envelop, Business Card)

Home Page Design

Designing a logo, branding materials and website for Solar Vista is just one example of WebFrootz working with a solar energy company. WebFrootz designers are also excited about working with Infinite Solar, a solar industry training company. WebFrootz will soon help Infinite Solar launch Solar Professionals Network

Better graphic design and functionality means a better experience for website users and a better experience means bigger purchases. This was the goal behind redesigning Archaeology Illustrated website.

The site had been active for several months, but had not produced the results its owner craved. Hungarian-born painter, illustrator and pictorial historian Balage Blogh asked WebFrootz to help take Archaeology Illustrated to the next level.

Balage Balogh brings the ancient biblical world to modern eyes at Archeology Illustrated. Renowned as the finest archaeological illustrator to have worked with Israeli and American scholars, Balogh shares the company’s passion for fine art and biblical accuracy. He has worked with archaeologists, scholars and museums creating archaeological reconstructions.

Archaeology Illustrated stocks images depicting both Old and New Testament scenes that lend visual appeal to Bible handouts, lessons and sermons. But this purveyor of ancient art needed a new look and new tools for users to help grow the company.

WebFrtooz’s graphic design seamlessly meshes modern convenience with the site’s ancient illustrations to provide users an appealing and highly functional site.

New Home Page Design

The new website now includes a home page slideshow to capture the eye, galleries where illustrations are organized into categories for easier browsing, collections where users can buy themed image sets (ideal for exegetical Bible studies), “specials” to display discounted images for budget-conscious users, contact form, blog to keep visitors coming back, search and advanced search, shopping cart integrated with PayPal for safe, efficient checkout and a section where users may leave comments on images, which helps create a sense of community on the site.

Users also enjoy features such as multiple image size options, pricing, resolutions, finding related images, add to favorites, ability to share favorites, and credits system, which enables users to buy credits that can be redeemed for illustrations.

Read client’s testimonial.

As a result, they designed logos as authentic as the mom-and-pop eatery’s cuisine. This was important because the logo would give potential customers a feel for the atmosphere and flavor the restaurant offers even before they crossed its threshold.

The first logo concepts included the suggestions along with Asian themes: a silhouette of a stupa, arched shapes similar to mosque architecture, and native foliage.

First Logo Concepts

After seeing the initial three designs, the client exclaimed, “Wow! I’m really impressed with your concepts.”

Before selecting the final logo, the client wanted to see a hybrid of two of the designs. WebFrootz got busy again. They took the client’s feedback into consideration and provided two hybrid options, combining elements in Concept 1 and Concept 3.

Hybrid Logo Concepts

Thai Village chose the first hybrid option and WebFrootz provided all the final files (AI, BMP, EPS, GIF, JPEG, PNG, PSD, TIFF, black and white).

Final Logo Design

Designing a custom logo represents the first step in establishing a brand identity. A new restaurant also needs signs, menus, ads, a website and, of course, and social media marketing to get the word out and attract hungry customers to the table.

Whether you’re launching a new eatery or thinking about rebranding your restaurant, trust the experts at WebFrootz to consult with you throughout the process. Like the owner of Thai Village, you’ll be glad you did.

When it comes to the world of online business, links can make or break your website and so can advanced link manager. You want your links to be popular enough to drive traffic, thus improving your website’s profitability. With Advanced Link Manager, all of this and more is done for you with minimum effort on your behalf. At your fingertips, this program helps you to better manage your link building campaigns.

This program offers features such as:

- Analyze Domain Quality
- Website Crawler
- Webpage Analyzer
- Reciprocal Linking
- Personalized Reports

Analyze Domain Quality

The Analyze Domain Quality tool allows users to analyze the quality of one or more domains that you own and even domains of your potential link partners. It lets you easily determine which domains to get links from or not.

Website Crawler

Website Crawler lets users “crawl” either a whole website or individual pages to reach a specific level that provides useful information about each crawled page. These results can then be exported to Google’s or Yahoo’s site maps. Users will find this useful since for each crawled page, its page rank and meta information are provided.

Webpage Analyzer

Webpage Analyzer is a beneficial tool to many users since it analyzes your website pages or your competitor’s pages to find new ways of improving optimization. You can also analyze pages from your potential link partner websites to see which one match the requirements for your new links.

Reciprocal Linking

Reciprocal Linking is a true timesaver for those who have to keep track of all their links. This report displays the status of links from your campaign and automatically checks to see if specific domains link to your website. It also helps you identify if your link partners removed your links from their websites.

Personalized Reports

Personalized Reports create professional, thorough reports on your products which can increase your business opportunities quickly. This tool is user-friendly and can be customized to meet the specific needs of the user. Custom headers and footers are a popular feature on this tool.

Customer Reviews

One user sums up Advanced Link Manager in one word—amazing. He has found the tool to be extremely beneficial since it not only analyzes your website’s link popularity but also ensures that your important links are still active by alerting you when a link partner removes your link.

Some users had problems working certain features. For example, one user had a hard time accessing the “Find Potential Link Partners” feature: where the program would gather the data but a blank report was generated. However, a support team member quickly got on the problem and helped the user deal with the issue.

Advanced Link Manager is powerful and useful software when used for its intended purposes, improving your website. This software is user-friendly, efficient and customizable. A wide array of plans from the Standard to the Enterprise is perfect for any website owner. Each plan is backed by 12 months maintenance. If you want your website to be the most it can be, Advanced Link Manager software is worth looking at.

If you have your own website or SEO business, Advanced Web Ranking, SEO software could be your best of friends: you know how important it is to understand where you rank in the search engines. Obviously, the higher you are placing, the more traffic you’re receiving and therefore, the more profit you’re generating.

Advanced Web Ranking is a tool to help measure your Internet success by establishing your rank. This software allows you to enter any website you choose and track its popularity and receive accurate reports.

Advanced web ranking provides numerous features to its users such as:

- Keyword Research Tool
- Keyword Priority
- Interactive Reports
- Multiple proxy
- Keyword Analysis
- Custom Filters

Keyword Research Tool

The Keyword Research Tool allows for an easier and more accurate search of keywords. Keyword choice is easily the most important part of the SEO campaign. The stronger your keywords, the more successful your site will become. Research is crucial when it comes to choosing the right words.

Keyword Priority

Keyword Priority is critical for differentiating between your most performing keywords even among thousands of keywords. Users can also sort out keywords by looking over the reports that are interactive and user-friendly. Users will enjoy receiving priority from sites such as Google.

Interactive Reports

Interactive Reports are easy to understand and follow, and it shows you how your site ranks compared to the competition. Information gathered from search engines is placed in reports that the users can use to meet their own needs and preferences. It can be sorted, filtered and transformed any way you choose.

Multiple Proxies

Multiple Proxies decreases the time it takes for an update to be completed. The use of several proxy servers sends out search requests to each server in parallel. Each request will have a different IP address. This will save users much valuable time.

Keyword Analysis Tool

The Keyword Analysis Tool is related to the efficiency of keyword usage on a webpage. Users can find out keyword density, occurrences on the page and the word count of each phrase found. You can even get suggestions for obtaining optimal density for your keywords.

Customer Reviews

A new, advanced version 8 of advanced web ranking has left some users raving. One user likes the new interface and the improved features and functions. The user found the new layout to be more minimalistic but just as effective as the previous one. Another user is also fond of the designing of the new program.

Some users aren’t so thrilled. One user found Version 8 to be too frustrating but admitted they hadn’t spent enough time trying it out or using it yet. Another user was frustrated by the change since it was vastly different from the previous program.

Advanced Web Ranking seems to be the most useful for those who are serious about keeping track of their site ranking. Users can choose from the most basic of software, the Standard to the most advanced, the Enterprise where all programs offer 12 months maintenance and unlimited websites. There is also live support and a forum which is always available for users. This tool takes all the guesswork out for you.

If you’re looking for a one-stop car shop to service your German import vehicle in Reisterstown, Maryland, there’s no better place to go than Bart’s Motor Works. In fact, they specialize in BMW, Volkswagen, Mercedes and Porsche. From the typical, day-to-day procedures like oil changes and state inspections to detailed engine, electronic, braking, suspension and exhaust system maintenance and repair, you are sure to find the service you need.

Unfortunately, the outstanding quality of service provided by Bart’s Motor Works was seriously impaired by its web presentation. Their old website lacked the layout, ease of use and visual appeal people have come to expect from service-based websites. WebFrootz knew the first order of business was to improve the site’s image through web design.

WEBSITE BEFORE

Home Page

Services Page

WEBSITE AFTER

Home Page

Photo Gallery

WebFrootz built the site around the customer’s logo at their request. With shirts and business cards already printed, the web agency had to keep it as is. Even so, the site now makes it perfectly clear what Bart’s Motor Works specializes in: BMW, of course.

So, the new site is easy to look at, but it also utilizes an intuitive user interface. The services provided are listed on the right hand side as well as in a drop down menu at the top of the page. Customers can now easily find the information they need and feel comfortable entrusting their vehicles with Bart’s Motor Works due to the overall professional design and up-to-date, clean web programming.

SEO strategies have also been implemented to help the company gain more customers and expand their brand to dominate the local German import car maintenance market.

Services Provided

Bart’s Motor Works utilized numerous services offered by WebFrootz to improve site quality and functionality and expand site exposure. In all, the web agency provided web design,  web development, structure and layout, programming, SEO and CMS.

Improved Site Look Makes for New Beginnings

Bart’s Motor Works already had a devoted local customer base. But with a completely redesigned site, they’ve attracted new customers, creating a new start for an established company. The web design is user-friendly and functional, bolstering the vendor’s trustworthy factor, a definite plus for increasing clientele. Increased SEO efforts have also proved fruitful, getting them in front of as many Maryland import enthusiasts as possible.

If there’s one thing to take away from the one eighty WebFrootz delivered is this: even an established business like Bart’s Motor Works can stand an upgrade every now and again. And by combining solid web development with appealing web design and tossing in some SEO pizzazz, Bart’s Motor Works is quickly rising to the top of its niche.

Everything Home Solutions, a trusted screener of home service contractors and vendors, wanted more than just a website representing their brand on the internet. They have a reputation as being a continuous screener not just a business directory like so many of their competitors. Everything Home Solutions does an exhaustive initial background check of contractors and then performs follow up checks to insure that licenses, insurance and bonding, as well as new references, continue to qualify them for Everything Home Solutions’ respected “Check Mark of Approval” designation.

They do an incredible job of screening home service contractors and they wanted a website that conveyed that commitment to quality. But they also wanted a site that could interact with consumers seeking this free screening information and interact in a way that was easy, intuitive and allowed for building visitor relationships on a long term basis. WebFrootz presented them with an “everything web solution” that they couldn’t refuse.

Building a website to engage the visitors

Currently Everything Home Solutions only serves the state of Maryland so the branding strategies and local search optimization became an important part of the overall development. The company took advantage of WebFrootz’s staff of online marketing experts to develop a corporate identity that reinforced their claims as a premier, trusted source for screened home service contractors and positioned them as a leader in their marketplace.

The site itself has a look and feel that appeals to homeowners and the crisp design suggests a company that has its act together and is serious about its service. By its very function the website interacts with visitors. Visitors select a category, submit a request form and then either receive an email recommendation or a phone call from an Everything Home Solutions staffer. In addition there is a free monthly newsletter that the visitor can subscribe to.

To effect this interaction and to manage the data received required that WebFrootz integrate a Salesforce.com CMS and an email marketing system. Requests are tracked, transactions can be recorded in the CMS and targeted email campaigns can be initiated. It doesn’t get anymore interactive.

Services Provided

To achieve its goals Everything Home Solutions called upon the WebFrootz pros to come up with an effective website design, seamless functionality, local SEO strategies, branding and corporate ID efforts to include logo design and of course the integration of CMS and email marketing systems. WebFrootz also provided print marketing materials including business cards and brochures.

I’Sole is a Russian travel service that has a laser focus on high-end exotic travel. Their specialty is finding the most incredible exotic travel destinations in the world and arranging travel for a very discriminating clientele. I’Sole’s clients are in search of intelligent luxury and they usually find it on tiny islands in exotic countries like Mauritius and Maldives where they and a select few others are pampered and indulged on a grand scale.

I’Sole knew that its target market was limited in number and they also knew that they were missing an enormous opportunity by not having a presence on the internet, a presence that could significantly increase the number of qualified travelers and potential clients that their brand message could reach. But given the discriminating tastes of their clients, I’Sole couldn’t risk having anything less than the “perfect” website representing their brand. I’Sole selected WebFrootz for the task.

WebFrootz creates a brand to meet client expectations

This was more than a simple design and development project. This was a “soup to nuts” project that started with creating a corporate identity that positions I’Sole as an industry leader in luxury travel services. The website itself, from logo to design is a masterful combination of colors that exudes the understated elegance that resonates so well with I’Sole’s clientele. The graphics used are compelling and convey a real sense of sun soaked beaches and spectacular sunsets.

LOGO EXPLORATIONS

The design is incredible and so are the development features incorporated such as a dynamic CMS, optimized SEO and information architecture.

WEBSITE HOME PAGE

WEBSITE INTERIOR PAGE

Looking for intelligent luxury? Look no further than the I’Sole website crested and developed by WebFrootz.

CUSTOM NEWSLETTER DESIGN

Services provided

I’Sole relied entirely on WebFrootz to create their digital presence. This involved tasking WebFrootz to provide graphic design, branding, logo design, corporate identity, information architecture, website design, web development, newsletter design, and CMS.