Should I Create a Banner Ad?

In today’s world of customized digital media for small businesses, there are several components to a website alone, along with other types of digital advertising that make up a complete online marketing strategy. Your online “real estate” can include your website, a mobile site, social media pages such as Facebook and Google Plus, listing pages on sites such as Yelp and Urban Spoon, landing pages, and banner ads. On the one hand, people may think of banner ads as those pesky boxes with “Click Here” that catch your eye on the sidebar of websites and search results. But they do serve a valuable purpose when created well and used correctly. You may be thinking, should I create a banner ad for my business?

It can only help your company to gain more leads and reach a wider audience.  A well designed banner ad will be simple with a clear message that is easy to read. Animations don’t have to be used, but if they are, they need to be used carefully—you don’t want to irritate the viewer. The size of the file should be small enough to load quickly, or else the user will get bored and click away from the banner ad. Branding is very important in making your advertisement stand out from others, so incorporating the logo in an obvious way is essential.  It’s also very important that the call to action in the ad links directly to the page with the corresponding offer or information—don’t make the user search for it. Most likely they won’t. The appeal of your banner ad depends largely on color and variety, so use bright colors that are easy on the eyes and update your ads every few weeks, even if that means designing a few initially and rotating them. Last but not least, test your ads to make sure they work, both technically and purpose wise.

Successful banner ads will draw in new customers from other sources such as Google, affiliated websites, and directory sites. They offer potential customers specific insights into what you do and are a quick venue for lead conversion. They can tie back to your website and be included directly on your website. An attractive, well designed, and properly developed banner ad significantly contributes to your online presence.

Banner ad creation is just one of the many services Beyond Custom Websites offers their small business customers. We’ll also set you up with a unique, fully customized website, mobile website, email and social media integration, and more. Our web developers, graphic designers, copywriters, and customer service experts will work with you to build credibility online and increase sales. Talk to our team today to get started. 

*Photo from: http://www.gainhigherground.com

Online Pain Points: What to Avoid on your SMB Website

Many websites out there are polished, attractive, and easy to use. Unfortunately, just as many websites out there are annoying, confusing, misleading, or simply an eyesore. Which of these websites do you have? Of course, you want the former type, but if you’re stuck with a painful online experience, what do you do now? The first step is defining what makes a website painful for a visitor.

Let’s start with a fairly obvious thing, pop-ups. While they could get you a few email subscribers, the majority of people will flee your site at the first flash of a pop-up because they are truly annoyed by it. It’s better to convince people to use your services with well-written content and competitive, genuine offers that don’t interrupt their experience.

If you want to use multimedia content such as music or videos, that’s great. But whatever you do, don’t have it play automatically; let the user choose to play the media. If they are on the site while at work or on the phone, they don’t want sudden noises to disturb them. Some may quickly click the mute button, but more often than not, it’s easier for them to close their browser window. When that happens, you’ve lost them—now they’re not coming back to your site, and you certainly don’t want that.

These next few pain points are related to your content. Does your About Us page really explain what you do for your customers, or is it a bunch of business language and babble that no person outside the organization would understand? Use clear cut, simple language that explicitly lays out what you do and how you can solve a problem.  You also don’t want your Contact Us page to contain nothing but a form. While this is the easiest route, people want to know they can reach you through email, phone, or social media. A form alone makes people uneasy—they don’t know if they will ever get a response and it feels very impersonal.  Finally, make sure the copy on your call to action, be they buttons or simple text, match up to the offer. How frustrating would it be to see a 25% off coupon, click on a button to print it, and then find out it’s only good for Christmas items….and it’s now February? Updated and accurate offers are key to your reputation, online and off.

Beyond Custom Websites is aware of all these pain points and more and know how to not only avoid them entirely, but create a custom website that is pop-up free, incorporates multimedia the right way, and has relevant, precise content that viewers will enjoy reading. With free updates and changes, you won’t have to worry about getting nickel and dimed for updating a coupon or adding new product photos.  Our team of web developers, graphic designers, copywriters, and business experts will deliver a one of a kind website that truly represents your business. Beyond Custom Websites builds ongoing relationships with our customers—we don’t just hand off the finished product and drop away. Find out how we can increase yoursales and build your online presence.

Creating a Dynamic Landing Page

Custom websites serve as your home base online, the place where all other online marketing should stem from. Banner ads, mobile sites, social media pages, and blogs expand a small business’ online real estate. Another great tool that is discussed less often is landing pages. Some people new to online marketing may not even know what a landing page is. So what makes the perfect landing page? What types of landing pages are there? What can they do to increase leads for your business?

A great landing page will have a large, colorful headline that grabs the viewers’ attention.  This headline should be a catchphrase or overall statement about the company. The secondary headline should introduce the main focus of the landing page.  This is also a great place to put a brief testimonial, usually in the bottom left or right corner. Relevant images should separate and compliment each section. Finally, probably the most important aspect of a landing page is the main call to action button. This of course, is what will get the viewer to take the next step, whatever that may be.

When it comes to strategy, you want to match the writing style of the headline and the copy text. While links are a part of almost every landing page, go easy on them—you don’t want to overwhelm or distract the potential customer. With a website, quality control is always important, but it is imperative with a landing page. You only get one shot, one click, so it is paramount that the page loads quickly and correctly.

There are several types of landing pages, but each serves the purpose of convincing the visitor to become a customer through taking action. There are landing pages that stand on their own, micro-sites (where the viewer clicks on the landing page from the website and is taken to another small site), and internal website landing pages.  While any of these can work well for you, the key to a successful landing page is focus. The more direct and to-the-point the landing page is, the more effective it will prove to be. Landing pages are proven to increase leads because they draw customers in from several online sources. They also make people feel comfortable “taking a chance” on your services—committing to a new car insurance plan may seem scary, but requesting information about all your options is something they can try.

Beyond Custom Websites offers small business owners the full online marketing package. We create unique, customized websites for every customer along with mobile sites, social media integration, branded emails, and landing pages. Our web development team is creative, knowledgeable, and available for technical support at any time. Find out how we can get you a dynamicwebsite with a stellar landing page and grow your online presence.

Using Yelp Effectively for your Business

In the web design field, we see this all too often: small businesses link their website to social media pages including Yelp, but their page is virtually empty. A customer may check back at that link once or twice, but beyond that, no one will visit a page that isn’t updated. Customers may even forget about your Yelp page after awhile if you don’t use it. The thing about using social media in connection with a custom website is these pages are only helpful for a business if they use them. If you really aren’t reaping the benefits of a particular social media page, you might consider removing it, but if you want to know how to use Yelp to improve your business, read on.

First, it’s important to know why you would want to focus your efforts on this particular site. Yelp is a review site with over 60 million users and it’s where most potential customers are directed when they want to find out the opinions of other consumers like themselves.  Reading a positive review on Yelp may sway a skeptical viewer’s decision to give your company a try for what they need.

Once you know the potential benefits of using Yelp, you’ll want to make sure you claim ownership of your page. Many businesses, even new ones, are already listed on Yelp by someone who wanted to post a review about you. Search for your company name, then click on “Work here? Unlock this business page” If you find it.  Doing so will ensure only accurate information is recorded on your page. When you first start working with your profile, look at competitors pages with high ratings to see the techniques they are using that make them a Yelp success. Also check out a few low rated companies in your industry and compare the difference between the two—photos, interesting (or drab) links, and patterns in reviews. Then fill out as much information as possible to complete your profile—the more information a customer can get before coming to your location, the better the chance are that they will do business with you. Once your profile is accurate and complete, begin to build a photo gallery. Make the photos look professional and capture your location and main products. Finally, it’s important to read each review and respond to them appropriately. You can use positive reviews to add quotes to your site and negative ones to realize which areas of service might be getting overlooked. By keeping a close eye on your Yelp profile, (including the dashboard metrics), you will be fostering a helpful online marketing strategy.

Beyond Custom Websites includes social media integration as one of our many custom website design services. In addition to the unique layouts, easy to use navigation, relevant, search engine optimized content, and technical support; we include links to all the social media pages you use. Beyond Custom Websites has experience working with small businesses in several industries. If you want an ongoing, personalized experience with your web designer, contact us today. Visit our website to learn more about what we do.

Click Here! Learn More! Get Started!:Call to Actions

A call to action: this is probably one of the most used and yet, poorly defined phrase in web design and marketing. A call to action is a short phrase, usually placed inside a button that urges the viewer (aka, the potential customer) to take action of any kind. These serve as a jumping off point to using a company’s products and services. A well-crafted call to action can generate a lot of new business and spark continued interest where it may otherwise stop short. What are some examples of calls to action? How many do you need? Is a button enough or do you need to surround it with relevant graphics and marketing text?

A call to action can be as simple as header text, such as “Call today!”, or an email address that is a live link to Microsoft Outlook or another email service.  It can be within a banner ad on your website, where the function of the call to action is explained in the ad with the button underneath it: “The easiest e-card creation you’ll ever find! Design, Publish, and Send Out.”. The call to action then reads, “Get Started Free”. Another technique is a call to action button paired with an animation or slideshow graphic. This draws attention to what you want the viewer to do and creates a dynamic feel to the page, increasing the credibility of the button and the company.  A call to action can also be a “Buy Now” button next to a product, or a short form followed by a button, where a user selects options from a dropdown which than calculates results.

The number of call to actions you need throughout your site depends on a few factors: what type of business you are, what you want to accomplish through your calls to action, and the layout and functionality of your website. If you are a large, product-based business, you’re probably going to have more calls to action than if you are a small business who provides a few services. If you want your customers to do a lot of interacting with you online (such as filling out forms, using tools, and ordering from your website), you will want multiple calls to action with graphics and text that draw attention to it. Finally, if you do most of your business through your brick and mortar location but would like customers to give you call or email you questions through your site, your call to actions can stay on the more simple side.

Beyond Custom Websites incorporates relevant and customized calls to action on all of our websites, designed to increase interest in your business and generate more sales. Our web developers, graphic designers, content writers, and small business experts design custom websites for companies from every industry. We combine unique designs, search engine optimization, expert programming, and personalized customer service to create digital products you can be proud of. Find out more about how we can get you the results you want.