anoadmin - Old City Web Services

Send Email to Your Mailing List

December 15, 2015 by anoadmin

There are many services that we offer here at Old City Web Services. One that we'd like to feature for you today is helping you to put together email for a large mailing list. We often get asked what a client's options are for sending to their email lists. For many reasons, using a service like Constant Contact or MailChimp is what we will recommend. Beyond the fact that they are free up to certain numbers of subscribers, and easy to use, here are some other reasons why:

Customized Campaigns: One of the nice things about using a service like Constant Contact or Mail Chimp is that they have templates that you can format your emails in that make them look professional, aesthetically pleasing, and you can style them to match your company branding. In addition, you are able to view reports including how many people (and who) are reading your emails, and if they are clicking on links.

Privacy of Your Email List: When you use one of these services, you can import your subscriber list easily and you don't have to worry about others on the list receiving the email seeing who else is on the list. Replies only go to you and there is no "What if someone hits reply all?" concern. Recipients also have the ability to opt out of receiving your messages (very important to clients), and they can share valuable information right from your customized campaign with friends.

Mobile Friendly: More and more people are looking for the content they receive to be mobile friendly. Many of the templates that you can choose are ones that will help promote your email and look great on mobile devices.

Prevent email blocking: If you are sending emails to a large group, it can trigger warnings on the server and your address can be listed as spam - and then your emails won't get seen at all! Using a service will help prevent this entirely.

Schedule Your Emails: You can easily create emails ahead of time and schedule them to be sent at the times you need them to be.

Join Our Seminar: We would love to help you set up your email lists and get started using one of these programs to help your business grow and to help with your email marketing in the New Year. We will be hosting a seminar to help you with getting set up. Contact us today to sign up: Click to Register for our Email Marketing Seminar Here

Is Anyone Finding Your Website?

December 8, 2015 by anoadmin Leave a Comment

You have a great website, but now what? You now have the challenge of bringing in quality traffic that will result in real conversions for your business.

Marketing your website once it's live is so important, especially today as the internet is continuing to explode with new, relevant competition. You may have been the only small business in your niche in town with a website 5 years ago, but now you have a lot more people to compete for search engine ranking with.

SEO, SEO & MORE SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the primary way people are going to find you online. DO NOT let your competition get ahead. Make it easy for people to find you by having your site fully optimized by a professional. SEO trends are constantly changing based on changes to the algorithm used by search engines, so this is something that should be ongoing and maintained to ensure you are one step ahead of competition.

For example, earlier this year, Google changed that websites that are not mobile friendly will fall in ranking and those that are mobile friendly will move higher because of the trend in internet usage by web traffic.

It's also important to have your Google Place listing current, and to be sure that the content you have on your site and continue to add to your website is relevant and bringing you the traffic you are looking for. It is absolutely imperative today to have a professional do these services for your online business.

Make sure your SEO is done right the first time -- contact Old City Web Services so that people will start finding your website online today!

Email Marketing and Landing Pages

December 1, 2015 by anoadmin

It is December and that means it is time for your small business to get serious about promoting your holiday sales and specials that you have going on. Email makes up over a third of the ways that consumers make holiday buying decisions.

The most important factor in your promotional emails is that they lead somewhere. In your promotional email, you need to send potential customers to a great landing page.

This can mean setting up a new page or editing a current one on your website.

The page should be catered to your sale, prices, promotion, or special that you are trying to convert customers with.

Some tips:

Make it mobile - it is safe to assume that many potential customers are on a mobile device when they are opening their email. The page you send them to telling them about your promotion has to be one they can navigate and read on their mobile device.
Keep it simple - the page you send them to should be dedicated to just the sales goal you have. Don't make it more complicated by giving them other distractions. A single page with a single goal will result in the highest conversion.
The elements - Stick to an attention grabbing headline and one great image.
Clickable call to action - give them one button to click that tells them what to do. That's it.

Follow these tips and your holiday sales are bound to increase. Need help creating a great landing page or formulating the perfect email? Contact us and we can help you today!

More Internet Terminology Explained

November 17, 2015 by anoadmin Leave a Comment

It can be a challenging task to keep up with both your small business and your online presence when often the terminology can leave you confused. Here are some useful definitions to help you as you work on your website so you understand what is important.

Browser – A browser is the software application you use to retrieve information from the internet. It may not seem important what browser you use or your site visitors are using, but often it is. If you use an outdated browser, the webpages viewed may appear broken and all the elements that you worked so hard on for building your website won’t look good. Having an up to date, user friendly browser like Firefox or Chrome is best when using the web.

Blog – a blog is a website or place on your website where you add recurring information. It can be a personal blog, editorial, informational, or sales. A blog is a great way to regularly update your website, which Google loves for search rankings if you are using the right keywords.

Keywords – Speaking of keywords, here’s what that means: keywords are words used in your webpage that both describe the work that you do and make your site relevant for showing up in search engines. You can make your website or webpage show up in popular searches by using keywords, but make sure that the words you are using are relevant to your site. You want people to not only come to your site, but to stay because they’ve found your information useful.

E-Commerce – this is the use of the internet to sell products. You can leverage your website to not just draw people to call you or come into your store, but you can also sell directly to them online. Consider setting up an e-commerce shop online to increase your sales reach.

Plugin – a plugin extends or expands the functionality of your website. Plugins are easy-to- use additions to the backend of your website that make things like building forms, displaying photos, and even adding an online shop much simpler and more streamlined and easy to maintain.

All of these are things that we can help you with to maximize your website, too. Contact us today to learn more!

Why Good Marketing Needs Print Media

November 10, 2015 by anoadmin

We all know that every day, new trends are emerging on the internet and technology is ever-changing. For many, this leads them to believe that print is dead. Maybe surprisingly, though, print is far from dead. For many small businesses, print marketing is part of their overall marketing plan and goes hand in hand with their digital communication.

There are many ways in which print can be a very effective tool in communicating the message of your small business to your target audience. At Old City Web Services, we offer design of rack cards, business cards, folders, brochures, and other print media to meet your business needs.

Here is why you should be using print media in conjunction with your digital marketing:

Personalization:

First and foremost, people know that print media takes more time, more cost, and more effort to put together. If you add personalization to this, it will make the recipient realize that you are willing to go an extra step to share your business with them. This alone can add value and lead to increased sales for your company.

Print and Social Media

Print is a great way to combine the efforts you are putting into your online presence. Having print media like business or rack cards created that draw people to your social media sites is great way to spread the word about your small business.

Uniqueness

It can be really hard to stand out in the crowd these days now that it seems like everyone has a website, everyone has a facebook page, and everyone has a business card. This makes design that much more important. It’s not just having a website or print media that matters. It has to be well designed, eye-catching, and memorable. Print marketing can be successful, but it doesn't guarantee it. Put thought into it, get a firm to help you that knows trends and can help your small business grow in all ways possible.

Why You Need Responsive Design

November 3, 2015 by anoadmin Leave a Comment

What is responsive design? Responsive web design is an approach that addresses a user’s needs based on the environment they are in when viewing your website. Whatever screen size, platform or orientation they are using – as they switch from their phone to their desktop to their ipad, the website adjusts to accommodate for resolution and sizes.

Why do you need responsive design?

Customer Expectation

It is expected in today's internet world that when a visitor arrives, they be able to navigate easily, find a mobile friendly menu, easy to find contact information, and a website that caters to the device they are using. If your website isn't meeting this expectation, it will look out of date and visitors may find it cumbersome and too difficult to make it worth their while to stay on your website.

It Helps Build Your Brand

Appealing design and function for a business website will help it grow. Neglecting proper branding will hurt it. Once a client has a bad website experience, it will affect their opinion of you as a business and it can be difficult to repair that image.

Sheer Numbers

Mobile websites that respond to the user environment isn't a trend. It is the way things are. It isn't something you can ignore until things go back to the way they were. It is vitally important to your small business that you stay up to date in online needs.

5 Things Your Website Needs Today

October 28, 2015 by anoadmin Leave a Comment

October 14, 2015

Just having a website for your small business isn't enough. There are things that your website needs to keep it functioning, current, and able to meet yours and your customer's needs.

Here are 5 Things Your Website Needs Today:

Easy to Find Contact Information

Where you are located, how to email you, and your business phone number should all be prominently displayed on your website's homepage above the fold (where the viewer doesn't need to scroll to find it.

Easy to Understand Site Navigation

Don't make people guess where your information is. Make your page names obvious so site visitors know how to find just what they need.

Customer Testimonials

Share good reviews about your business, why people love your products and services, and encourage new potential customers by showing them you are trusted by others.

A Call to Action

Direct your site visitors. Tell them what you want them to do when they arrive at your site. Whether it is "Click Here" "Book Now" "Shop Now" or any other number of directions, giving site visitors a purpose and helping direct them will keep them there, and grab their business.

SEO

Your website needs SEO. Having your text content, photos, links, and other elements of your site set up so that people can find you on the internet is absolutely necessary. It is a huge part of directing internet traffic to you when they are searching for a business in your niche. You need to be found online.

Content Marketing Part IV

October 9, 2015 by anoadmin

October 7, 2015

Today, we are looking at the fourth and final part in our series on Content Marketing. In Part I, we looked at Analytics, in Part II, we looked at Building Your Strategy, in Part III, we addressed Why It's Important. Today, we are going to bring it all together and talk about Implementing Your Content Marketing Plan.

Have a Calendar

Having a content marketing calendar to guide you in what you are going to post on what platform and when is key. You can see what you need more of, and as always it can be altered based on results that you find through Analyzing your Google Analytics

Diversify

A content marketing plan is much more than a blog or website homepage, and you want to think of the big picture. In addition to blogging, your website and content should include calls-to-action, social media posts, email, and website changes.

Enlist Help

HELP FEED HUNGRY KIDS

October 1, 2015 by anoadmin Leave a Comment

Old City is dedicating the month of October to"Help Feed Hungry Kids" and is collecting food items for the Weekend Hunger Backpack Program distributed by Catholic Charities. Each week 200, yes 200, packs are assembled and delivered to Sebastian Middle School for children that are considered food insecure. This has increased by 125 from last year since 4th and 5th grades from Crookshank have been moved to Sebastian while construction is finished at their school.This may be the only food that a child eats all weekend. Other organizations help other schools in St. Johns County by doing the same as Catholic Charities does weekly.

You may be asking what food insecurity means - Food insecurity refers to the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) measure of lack of access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members. It also measures limited availability of nutritionally adequate food. Numerous studies conducted report food insecurity is associated with:

more stomachaches, headaches, colds, and hospitalizations
higher absenteeism
childhood obesity
poor school performance in older children
high rates of in-school behavioral problems
high levels of anxiety and depression
hyperactivity

According to recent 2015 Feeding America population data, an alarming 26,290 St. Johns County residents are identified as food insecure.

St. Johns - 26,290 residents, 9,400 are children identified as food insecure.

9,400 children in St. Johns County need our help, Now!

How: Pick up kid friendly snacks like juice boxes, pack of crackers, individual size breakfast cereal, fruit cups and granola bars, instant oatmeal packets, Vienna sausage, peanut butter to-go dippers and individually wrapped snacks.

We Can Shop For You: Simply make checks payable to Catholic Charities. In the memo section mark for Weekend Hunger Backpack Program.

Drop Off Locations:
Old City Web Services, Inc                                            Catholic Charities
2155 Old Moultrie Rd, Suite 109                                  3940 Lewis Speedway, Suite 2103
St. Augustine, FL 32086                                                St. Augustine, FL 32084

Call for Pick up: We will come and pick up food items and or checks, call us - 904-867-4112.
More Information: Call us - 904-867-4112

Our Goal: To deliver 5000 lbs of items to fill Catholic Charities shelves for the Weekend Hunger Backpack Program.

We challenge you to do your part by joining us in helping to fill a child's stomach and help fight absenteeism, behavioral problems, poor school performance, and health issues. Won't you help?

Old City Web Services Staff

Content Marketing Part III: Why It’s Important

September 30, 2015 by anoadmin Leave a Comment

September 30, 2015

Today, we are looking at the third part in our series on Content Marketing. In Part I, we looked at Analytics and in Part II, we looked at Building Your Strategy .

Today, we are looking at why Content Marketing is Important.

In today's digital age, it seems like everyone is online - either on their smartphone, tablet, or home or work computer. Through those channels, people are inundated with information. This makes it more important than ever to 1. Use these channels to market your business and 2. Make your content stand out so it doesn't get lost in the crowd of information sharing.

Content Marketing is effective and efficient

Just having a website for your small business will not cut it anymore. Social Media gives you as an outlet to connect with customers on a brand new level. Your company can directly inform and engage with your audience by using content like photos, videos, graphics, and links. These are ways to add a personality to your business - it gives customers a way to see you as more than just your products or services. In the speed of clicking "Enter" on your keyboard, you can connect with your customers in a whole new way through content sharing that gives them a completely different glimpse of your business.

Content Marketing Builds Trust

The bottom line is, content marketing establishes and helps build relationships. And relationships are built on trust. And the more a person trusts your business, the more they use it, the more they tell their friends about it, and the more your business grows. Also, through making yourself available in these ways, you can respond to clients faster after monitoring reviews and feedback from customers. When they see your engaged presence, they will know that even in times of dissatisfaction, you are right there to fix the problem and you'll be trusted the next time to do the same.

We at Old City Web Services are experts at getting your website content where it needs to be for optimal marketing of the website you have invested so much time and energy into. We can help you build your blog, your social media pages and your content strategy today!

Next week, we'll be looking at Content Marketing Part IV: Implementing Your Plan