MARKETING YOUR BUSINESS ONLINE – ECOMMERCE, PASSWORDS & MORE

MARKETING YOUR BUSINESS ONLINE – ECOMMERCE, PASSWORDS & MORE

by | Apr 10, 2021 | Blog, SEO, Social Media, Tech Tips, Website Design

Hey marketers, how’s 2021 going so far? It’s tough out there… people are just trying to get a vaccine at this point. The good news is, they are all online trying to get an appointment, even 80-year-olds, so you’re more than likely to get in front of someone with your marketing! My main focus lately has been installing shopping carts on my client’s websites. Whether you have digital downloads to sell, flower delivery, or an out-of-this-world, delicious crunchy chili oil (so good 🔥) that you’ve been cookin’ up in your Seattle kitchen, now is a great time to get your store up and running and market it to the world.

My recommendations for an ecommerce website are as follows;

If you do decide to sell online you need to learn more about how to help your customers find you. Entrepreneur.com has 4 Things You Need To Know About SEO

How are you managing your passwords? I use LastPass and starting March 16th their free version will restrict how many different types of devices you can save your passwords on. If this is a problem for you, here are some alternatives – 5 Password Managers to Replace LastPass on Mashable (please change your website admin password frequently)

Security is VIP when you have an eCommerce website. The amount of hacking is off the rails these days! I install Wordfence security on all the WordPress websites I maintain and it catches just about every breach. Whether you use Paypal, bank credit card processing, Square or any other payment processor you need to protect your website.

Google Analytics is essential to your new online shopping site… you need to know where customers are finding you, as well as where they are not. If you are constantly posting a link to a product on your LinkedIn business profile but not a single click comes from LinkedIn, focus your marketing efforts elsewhere!

Marketing your online store and products will look a little different than marketing services. Keywords, metadata, and on-page content will need to be updated on your website to reflect the products you are selling. Blogging and email marketing will need to be more sales-focused… not pushy, but “helpful”. Why do they need your product, what are the benefits of using your products, tell them what people are saying about your products. Depending on what your selling and who your target demographic is, you may need to try out a new social platform. TIK-TOK is on fire, and easier to use than you think… and it’s SO fun!

Now get out there and sell something! xo-Katie

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Good Riddance 2020 – New Year, New Attitude

Good Riddance 2020 – New Year, New Attitude

by | Jan 3, 2021 | Blog, SEO, Social Media, Tech Tips, Website Design

Phew… we made it! 2020 just about took us ALL down. Some have suffered more than others… and to those of you that lost a loved one to COVID, suffered job loss, sickness, financial difficulty or any other fallout due to the pandemic, my heart goes out to you. I am truly grateful that I am still working and healthy, and my husband is still employed and healthy, and our children are safe, healthy and thriving.

Life is different now… and anyone that thinks life will just automatically go back to the way it was before December 2019, and after we all get vaccinated, is living in “la la land”. We will never be the same! BLM, COVID, Government antics and all the other craptastic happenings in 2020, changed the way we live, forever. Some of 2020’s craziness will hopefully make change for the good and push us forward to an inclusive society and a kinder better, humane community. I know I will do my part to listen, support and learn how to do and be better.

Moving forward in 2021, it’s important to acknowledge the new norm in your business. Perhaps you have employees working from home, maybe business has decreased, you may have some products stacking up in the warehouse and/or countless other worrisome aspects… this too shall pass, so don’t let your online presence suffer. Here is what you need to be doing to ensure your online business presence stays fresh, gets found and works for you!

“Must-do” list to keep or make your online business presence awesome;
  • Keep your website updated (WP-plugins, add new services and products, add to your portfolio, add a cookie consent banner, OH! and change your footer copyright date to 2021)
  • Write and schedule blog posts (twice a month is optimal)
  • Post on social media (news, team updates, fun stuff, and send followers to your website/blog)
  • Keep your Google Business Listing updated (new hours, post content, post links to your website/blog)
  • Assess your service contracts and business overhead (perhaps it ‘s time to change your website hosting if it’s not serving you. I recently left GoDaddy for a local hosting company and I am encouraging all of my clients to move there too)
  • Clean-up your inbox! Un-subscribe from email lists you no longer need, want or read and subscribe to something new… ones that bring you joy, news, help, etc.
  • Last but not least, start a new business! You wouldn’t think so… but now is a great time! read more here>>>

Now… let’s all grab our laptops and improve our online business presence by updating our websites, doing more marketing, improving our search results… because YOUR business IS essential and the economy needs you to keep going!

xo, Katie

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Marketing Your Business Online – February 2020 Link Roundup

Marketing Your Business Online – February 2020 Link Roundup

by | Feb 13, 2020 | Blog, SEO, Social Media, Tech Tips, Website Design

Welcome to February 2020! What the what? 2020 sounds ludicrous, doesn’t it? But… here it is, so LET’S GO!

So… what changes and new ideas can you expect for online marketing and improving your website traffic in 2020? Here are a few tips and article links to help you make 2020 your best year ever!

Blogging and Website Traffic:

“What’s the point of blogging, nobody ever reads it!”… sound familiar? I’ve said it! Breath life back into your blog and increase traffic to your website… read “How Social Media Can Be Magic For Your Blog” – https://pegfitzpatrick.com/how-social-media-can-be-magic-for-your-blog/ by Peg Fitzpatrick

Are you reading this on your phone? Looks good, right?! Responsive website design is THE most important thing you can do for your website… right now! Check out this easy-to-read article, The Importance of Responsive Design and help the 2 billion smartphone users view your website with ease and interest.

Education and Growth:

January/February are typically bleak months for me… I suffer from holiday burnout, the weather in Seattle is dark & dreary (a maj issue for this sun worshiper) yearly goals are looming and I just want to crawl under a blanket and binge Netflix. To help me get new biz ideas and get motivated to set goals, I choose a new book to read or a podcast to listen to.

I freaking LOVE Mel Robbins... her advice, her no-nonsense attitude, her voice, AND… 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, f’ing works, man! Check out KICK ASS, TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE, and Mel’s Daytime TV Show and more. Listen to Mel’s books on Audible and watch her on Video, she’s got an awesome delivery and voice… I’m obsessed!

My other business guru is Marie Forleo. If you haven’t heard of Marie… get ready to enjoy the hell outta yoself! She’s a hip-hop dancer, an entrepreneur, a teacher, a mentor and the real-deal!  I am reading her new book Everything is Figureoutable, I get her weekly emails that include a new MarieTV interview with a great guest, she has B-School for entrepreneurs, a Podcast and so much more! Check out all of Marie’s great content here: Queen Marie.

Social Media Marketing:

What will the trend be in 2020? While TikTok is cool and showed a huge surge when it first started… it is showing a slight decline in brand marketing. What should you concentrate on? Take a look at Social Media Today’s article “20 Predictions for Social Media Marketing in 2020”.

Video… Video… Video… Did you know that YouTube is the second largest search engine behind Google. With 3 billion searches per month, YouTube’s search volume is larger than that of Bing, Yahoo, AOL and Ask.com combined. Do you have a YouTube channel? Launch your channel today and start creating and uploading videos for your business, NOW!

Obtaining New Clients and Networking:

It’s hard out there for an entrepreneur! Finding and retaining clients is NOT easy… I have relied on referrals for new business most of the 10 years I’ve been in business, however… I recently transitioned away from social media marketing services and I am now only offering website design, re-design, updates and maintenance and I need to add clients. I’m going to visit my local Chamber of Commerce this month and see of it’s a good fit. In the past I have joined different groups and stayed with them for 2-5 years, but I think it’s good to mix it up and try new sources of business building. What networking group or system works best for you? Leave a comment below.

Happy marketing!

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Google Search Results and Website Ranking

Google Search Results and Website Ranking

by | Jun 25, 2019 | Blog, SEO, Tech Tips

Good search results… everybody wants them, every business and website needs them. You ask your web developer “why isn’t my website at the top of Google?” and “how do I get there?”.  Some know, some don’t! Here’s what I have learned on the subject.

– Begin by evaluating your SEO efforts.

– Are you consistently adding new content to your website?

– Does your website reflect the topics you are known for?

– How effectively are you marketing your content and website and getting quality backlinks?

– Are reputable sites mentioning and linking to your website?

Sounds simple enough, huh? Not really, Katie! Ok… so here’s my pep-talk on getting going.

Adding content by writing about what you know and what you do, should not be that hard. You talk about it all the time; like when you propose your services to a client, or when you tell someone how you can help them, how about when you explain what you do at a dinner party. Now you just need to write it out in a blog post!  Not a confidant writer? Ask a friend or reliable source to edit it or at least give it a once over and provide feed back. It doesn’t have to be a novel, at least 300 words or three paragraphs should do it, and always add an appropriate photo (visual is important).

Now you need to market that content. Post it on all your social media platforms (more than once) add it as an article on your LinkedIn profile, and above all, market your content to any relevant sites that have visitors that could benefit from your content. That’s called building backlinks.

Start by creating a list of sites that would be a good fit for your content. Reach out; ask if they would consider a guest blog post, or consider linking to your website, maybe posting an excerpt of your blog post with “read more” with a backlink to your site. Don’t just reach out once… consistently contact these relevant sites and offer your posts or website as content for their website. Don’t just trade links to get your website link on another site, if each sites visitors will benefit from the other link/content, that’s a good fit. Resource pages or “my favorite sites” pages are good way to go, but above all, a link to a blog post or relevant content page, is the best.

Now go, get out there and get your website to the top of your relevant search results… you can do it!

 

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Marketing Your Business Online – Annual Link Roundup

Marketing Your Business Online – Annual Link Roundup

by | Oct 2, 2018 | Blog, SEO, Social Media, Tech Tips, Website Design

It’s been a minute. I really wish I would take my own advice and blog more often, but it just doesn’t happen. AND… confession time, when I logged into my website admin, I had 11 plugins that needed updating including WordPress ? Soooo, I put my own website on my back-up/plugin update schedule along with my clients that auto-pay for that monthly service. Question; can I write off my own expense to my own company for that? ? Anyway, enough about me… I’m here now to give y’all the newest, latest, greatest tips on marketing your business online… and most importantly, making your online business presence, AWESOME!

Social Media Content Calendar Template: This video from Click Minded guides you through creating the perfect content calendar for your biz – https://www.clickminded.com/social-media-calendar/

YouTube Marketing: Did you know that YouTube is the 2nd most popular website in the WORLD?! Second to Google, and Google owns it! So yea, you should be using it. Here’s your guide to get going – https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2018/09/20/youtube-marketing

Google Ads vs Facebook Ads:  THIS IS A GOOD ONE! (sorry for shouting, passionate about this one)
Facebook is tough… and if you know me, you know my nick-name for it Fu-kbook, not my fave platform. However, my clients want results there, so that makes Facebook Ads necessary. And BTW, I love me some Google ?  for website traffic, sooooo no brainer to do ads there, right? Hmmm maybe, maybe not… read this, and decide for yourself – https://agencyanalytics.com/blog/google-ads-vs-facebook-ads

4 Proven Tasks for Successful Instagram Marketing: Instagram marketing? Oh hell yes! Even if you just do it for personal, like me, your profile should at least have your biz info in it! Read this and pump up the volume – https://catalystforbusiness.com/proven-tips-investing-instagram-marketing/

Working in the Cloud: OK my people… if you are not working, sharing and taking advantage of cloud computing, well, I’m sorry you are just not working smart. I am a Google Apps girl, duh, I love Google! However, much respect to Microsoft 365… it’s cool, but it’ll cost ya!

Here is a great introduction to Google Apps:


Here is a great introduction to Office 365: 

Now get out there and make your online presence awesome!
xo – Katie

 

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Marketing Your Small Biz – August Link Roundup

Marketing Your Small Biz – August Link Roundup

by | Aug 18, 2017 | Blog, SEO, Social Media, Website Design

Here’s my favorite August marketing posts to help make your online presence awesome:

Three ways to help you choose the right social networks for your business – http://blog.marketo.com/2017/08/50-stats-help-choose-right-social-networks-brand.html

You know you need a website… here’s some great advice on making sure your website is awesome – http://www.fusioncreative.org/small-business-websites/

SEO Tips for 2017: Experts Share their insights on SEO – https://mytasker.com/blog/seo-tips/

Instagram Hacks: 44 Tricks and Features You Probably Didn’t Know About – (My fave: #26 Save drafts for later) – https://blog.hootsuite.com/instagram-hacks/#hacksH

Understand and learn to read your websites Google Analytics – http://nancybadillo.com/understanding-google-analytics/

Happy marketing friends!

xo – Katie

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