Measuring PR Through Your Website

By Montrie Rucker AdamsNovember 20, 2014 Blog businesses, campaign, content, infographics, information, public relations, SEO, website

When it comes to measuring your public relations impact, there’s a new kid on the block.

Now, a business’s website analytics and search engine optimization is at the center of public relations measurement. You can find out if your visitors are buying your product or service, ask for more information and if your public relations efforts are shaping the correct perceptions. A system for measuring your impact through your website includes:

Defining business goals
Marketing and communications aim to get customers to a company’s website and take action, be it downloading information or making a purchase. After defining your goals and implementing your public relations campaign, determine where the most traffic came from and evaluate the quality of your website’s users.

Determine Your Customers’ Search Terms
Using search terms in your content is essential to driving traffic and those terms must be a part of the public relations campaign. Understanding how search engines work is vital for effective SEO, and should dovetail with a business’s goals.

Use Google Analytics
Learn how to analyze the data: How many visitors, what pages they visit and what is their behavior when they arrive at a page? It’s time to fine tune your campaign if visitors aren’t going to the pages you want them to visit or aren’t taking any action when on your site.

Create good content
Shareable content such as photos, video and infographics extends your reach. Make coming to your website a great experience that benefits the user. In this way, they will visit often and tell others about the great information they received.

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Is Your Website Accessible to Everyone in Your Audience?

By Montrie Rucker AdamsNovember 7, 2013 Blog accessible websites, website

Don’t forget to include everyone when building your website.

When building and maintaining your website it’s important to note that not everyone who visits your website can see it or use it unless you take steps to ensure that it’s accessible to everyone.

Vision Problems
Blind or partial sight viewers use a screen reader to browse the Internet. Such programs read the text out load. Certain products will have have a market where written descriptions for product images will get the idea across even if the product can’t be seen. Continue reading Is Your Website Accessible to Everyone in Your Audience?

Give yourself a branding overhaul

By Montrie Rucker AdamsMarch 11, 2013 Blog branding, email, slogan, social media, tagline, website

Do you need a branding overhaul? Does your branding really showcase who you are and what you offer? Now is the time to sit back and see how “visible” you are to yourself – you are the customer.

A lot of people think branding is just creating a logo, having business cards and a website. But what do these things really say about you.

Branding is a big package and in it should be all the things representative of you, your style, your products and services. So… if you are the customer, how do you feel about these things?

Business documents

How do you look on paper? If you are the customer, can you appreciate the materials you hand out? Is your logo and artwork aesthetically pleasing and visible on your business cards, stationery, envelopes, brochures, and other business documents? Are they well written and clearly defines who you are and the services you provide.

Will you communicate electronically? Do you have electronic versions of your paper products?

Your Email

Do you have an electronic business card you can place in your footer? If not, have you set up your Automatic Signature that appears after your email (i.e., your name, company name, address, telephone numbers, website and email address)?

Your Website

Review your website. Is your logo and artwork appropriately placed and visually pleasing? Other things to look for:

Do you have a tagline, slogan or catch-phrase that helps to reinforce your message?
Does it say who you are, what you do, what products and services you provide?
What about client testimonials…ones that can provide credibility to you and your business.
Do you have a way to share news, tips and other relevant information such as a blog?
Do you have a way for your visitors to share your information such as Share Buttons?
Do you have photos of past events, workshops, client projects?

Your Social Media Accounts

All of your social media accounts should have your logo, tagline and other relevant artwork, and color scheme. Different accounts give you different ways to customize your information.

Facebook Business Page – allows you to add a Logo and Cover Image.
Google+ – allows you to add a Logo and Cover Image
Twitter Business Account – allows you to add your logo, a header image, a custom background and use custom colors.
LinkedIn – allows you to add your company profile and use your logo.

Be consistent. Use the same images cross all social media accounts.

You should also be sure to create an account with a similar name as your business or tagline.

These are just a few of the important things to review during your branding overhaul. Make a weekend of it. Who knows… you may look one way on Friday and look a better way on Monday!

Seven Ways You Can Stand Out from Your Competition

By Montrie Rucker AdamsFebruary 20, 2013 Blog branding, competition, competitors, marketing, niche, target audience, website

Hopefully, you have figured out your business niche. If you haven’t, please take some time to do so. You may sell widgets, but do you sell educational widgets, children’s widgets or healthcare widgets?

Now is the time to find your competitors with the same or similar niche so you can determine how “you” will stand out and apart from them. What will you bring to the table that they don’t? What can you do better?

I’ve chosen seven ways you can stand out from your competition:

Identify your competitors. Do they provide the same services/products?
Identify what makes you unique…then identify what your competitors say makes them unique.
Compare strengths and weaknesses. What do you do better? What do you think they do better? Be honest in your observations, then make any necessary adjustments that will set you apart and make you stand out.
Who is your intended buyer…your target audience? Do you target a specific age, gender, business type or geographic location? Are your competitors targeting the same audiences? Also, look for reviews. Are their reviews backing up there “greatness?”
How do your competitors use social media? Are they actively and consistently engaged on social media? Are their followers interactive and responsive to them and… if so, is that activity “real” activity. Do they receive a lot of complaints, praise or compliments?
Do your competitors advertise online? Have you seen advertising for your competitors on other websites? Do you see others advertising your competitor?
Have you visited your competitors’ website? Do you think it’s better than yours? Are there positive things about their site that you should incorporate into your website? Does your website have positive things missing from their website? Is their website easy to use and navigate? Does it have all the informational elements about your business you think your “niche” market should know?

The above are questions you should ask yourself. There are certainly more ways to differentiate yourself when building and branding your business.

Now that you’ve gotten started, can you think of others?

The Four Great Words to Hear

By Montrie Rucker AdamsFebruary 8, 2013 Blog case studies, clients, diana ransom, entrepreneur, Entrepreneur Magazine, maria forleo, prospects, savings, testimonials, value, website

For a small business owner, there’s nothing like stating the price of your services and hearing the words, “OK, let’s get started.” For so many of us, we sometimes get other words such as, “That’s not in my budget,” “Can you come lower?” or “Why are your prices so high?”

You want to attract clients that will say, “OK, let’s get started,” over and over again. They value your product or service, and they are willing to pay your asking price.

Back in October, I remember watching this video on Entrepreneur.com called “How to Attract the Clients You Want.” Every new business owner asks these same questions, “How can I get prospects to contract with me at my rate?” Or, “Why do people want me to lower my prices?” Maria Forleo, a small business expert, discusses this with Diana Ransom of Entrepreneur.com.

Here are a few of the points Maria talks about:

Position yourself as the best in your market by having a clean and professional website.
Translate your value by explaining how much time and money you will be saving your clients.
Prove your business success through case studies and testimonials from past clients.

Watch the discussion in its entirety here. Let me know what you think. If you incorporate some of the suggestions, maybe you will often hear those four great words, “OK, let’s get started.”

http://youtu.be/rWLj0ZOOtko

Ways to Nurture and Grow Your Audience

By Montrie Rucker AdamsJanuary 28, 2013 Blog audience, content, website

Sonia Simone, co-founder and CMO (Chief Media Officer) of Copyblogger Media, wrote a blog back in July 2012 entitled, “How to Protect Your Business’s Most Important Asset (No, It’s Not Your Website). In it she shares her thoughts on how to nurture a healthy and robust relationship with your audience.

Some of the key points she touched on were:

The audience comes first … always
Use content to provide value that scales
Know your audience
Think carefully about how you want to be known
Tell the truth
Listen more than you talk
Remember that you are in business

“When you recognize that your audience is your one irreplaceable asset, you’ll start to make better decisions,” said Sonia. She goes on to say, “you won’t be tempted to promote a bad product or slap ugly, irrelevant ads on your site, because you’ll know those things aren’t worth turning off your audience.”

“Figure out exactly who you want to talk with — which normally will be the people who can become your absolute best customers. Find out what they worry about, what they need, what they want, what makes them angry.” I agree whole-heartedly with this statement. Too many businesses, especially new businesses, want to target anyone… anywhere, whether they fit the audience or not – just to sell their product or service. This only wastes valuable time.

Read more of Sonia’s informative blog here.

Brand Your Company/Yourself

By Montrie Rucker AdamsNovember 5, 2012 Blog be more visible, branding, facebook, logo, tagline, twitter, website

A brand is who you are. It’s your statement. When you have a specific brand, it tells how you are different from your competitors. You could distinguish yourself by your low (or high) prices, impeccable service or the specialized products you offer. Your brand is your business at its core.

There are companies that specialize in helping other companies with branding. Following are a few ways you can begin to brand your company, however, do keep in mind that your brand is much more than a logo or tagline.

Design a creative logo. If you’re having a problem designing your own, consult a graphic designer. Short on cash? Try your local college or university’s art department. There are also websites that offer logos.
Create a memorable tagline. We created two – “making you more visible” and “never let them forget you.” Try to convey what your business does in seven or fewer words. Taglines create a simple and easy way to remember you. They also help to further explain what your company does – which you may not be able to do with just the name of your business.
Create your colors. Stick with them for a least a few years. Pepsi will always be red, white and blue. You know UPS because of their brown truck. They even have a commercial: “What can brown do for you?” It’s their brand. You know it when you see it. It’s universal around the world. Create your memorable brand so that you can be more visible.
Create a catchy outgoing phone message. Let them know all about you when they call. Instead of, “I’m away from my desk, please leave a message,” why not, “We’re the number one company in America that does what we do, and the winner of the 2010 We’re the Best Award.”
Create a website. You can create many sites without professional help. There are free templates and programs out there, so do your research. Ask other business associates how they developed their websites. If professional help is needed, seek a web designer. Every business needs a website. Start one now.
Design a business Facebook page and set up a Twitter account. Even if you have a website, a business Facebook page and Twitter can help keep your clients informed in real time. Many receive more views and can be more interactive and readily updateble than traditional websites. It’s OK to have all three.

If you need assistance in branding your business, call Visibility Marketing Inc. – we can certainly assist you on how to “be more visible.”