Copywriting 2 - Old City Web Services

3 tips on advertising your business online

July 10, 2013 by anoadmin Leave a Comment

Making room in your marketing mix for online advertising does not always have to burn a hole in your wallet. There are numerous inexpensive ways to advertise your business online that can have just as big of a return as some of the more costly ways. Below are 3 cost-effective tips on advertising your business online:

1. Get local

First, make sure your business is claimed on local listings such as Google Places, Yahoo Local and Bing Places for Business. Take advantage of these free tools that will increase your search result rankings for locals or visitors searching online in your area. Also, don't forget to utilize community sites that have a proven track record of high volume visitors. If you are a local shop, restaurant, B&B or other St. Augustine business that is not taking advantage of advertising on OldCity.com, you should seriously consider it! Advertising or having your business listed (and back-linked to your website) is the most cost-effectively way to get the word out about your business to a more targeted group. It's this simple: Our traffic becomes your traffic.

2.Try Facebook Ads

We've said it before and we'll say it again -- but this time with some stats! In 2010, the total Florida population was 18,732,783 and 42% or7,839,520 people were Facebook users!(www.internetworldstats.com). Furthermore, you can expect the number of Facebook users has nearly doubled in the last 3 years. Why choose Facebook? For the simple fact that it allows you to create several ads and target them based on location, demographics and interests. It's directed, effective and most importantly - affordable.

3. Publish Yourself

It's not nearly as difficult to get published these days as we see many more credible online publications forming. How does it work? Submit articles, PSA's, press releases, news releases, etc. to various reputable and local websites. In return for your content, many of these websites will offer back-links to your website providing you with potential traffic and leads for your business. This will also help you become established as an expert in your field or industry.

Want to start advertising your business online today, but would rather let an expert help? Contact Old City Web Services today! We'll take the stress off your shoulders by determining the online advertising outlet(s) that's best suited for your business needs. Give us a call: 904.829.2772 or email us: letusmarketyou@oldcity.com for more information.

Writing Web Content 101

February 20, 2013 by anoadmin Leave a Comment

Whether you're developing your first website or in the process of re-designing a current site, you may find that it's relatively difficult to write professional copy. Many small business owners have no problem marketing and talking to others about their company, however when it comes time to put it into words on paper (or online), writer's block tends to kick in. Here are some questions to ask yourself when beginning to write your website content:

Home Page:

Who are you, where are you located and what makes your business unique--what can you do for this visitor?
What is your mission statement or purpose?
What awards or recognition's have you won? Hint: Testimonials will also work-- this will make people trust and respect your business!

About Us:

What is the history of your business? Hint: Years in business, interesting facts and a brief message from the owner)
What products or services do you offer? Hint: You don't have to go into great detail for each; just list them with bullet points.
Who works for you / who do you work with? Hint: Name and positions of the staff and employees, partners, community involvement and clients

Contact Us:

Which medium(s) do I have set up for customers / potential customers to contact me on? Hint: Don't forget mobile phones, e-mail, live chat or messenger, social media sites, etc.)
What initial information do I need to collect from people when they first e-mail me? Hint: This information will make up the various fields for your contact form.
Do I want people to be able to find my physical location via Google maps?

Another helpful tip is to browse the internet and look for other company's (in your industry or not) that have an established website. Although it's important to be unique and stand apart from your competition, this will provide you with layout suggestions and general information that you may have overlooked.

Here are a few websites we designed and developed that have copy and vital content that's displayed in a clean and professional format:

Old City Web Services
Bayfront Marin House
Analytical Forensic Associates

If you would like more information on how Old City Web Services can help you with writing your websites' professional copy, call us: 904.829.2772 or email us: letusmarketyou@oldcity.com to set up your free consultation.

What is your website lacking?

January 9, 2013 by anoadmin Leave a Comment

Is your company website fully-optimized, user-friendly and easy to update on your own? Many business owners choose to develop a website for one sole purpose--to establish that online presence, however the key to any good website is that it's never a finished product. A successful website requires constant SEO, frequent updates, added features and a fresh new design never hurts!

Keeping up-to-date with your site is essential in attracting new customers and keeping the loyal ones coming back. If you're thinking of transforming your current website into an easy to manage, content management system (CMS), you've found the people who can help!

From content management to hundreds of useful plug-in tools and features, our CMS has become the web's leader in Internet programming. Old City Web Services will use this program to re-structure your entire site, giving you the ability to modify almost all static text and images on your website from your computer, any time you want!

Its user interface tool is password protected and can be accessed through any browser with internet access. It's as easy to use as any word processing tool. It also includes a number of plug-ins that can be installed including a Twitter widget, photo gallery, contact forms, a calendar function and our favorite--a mobile plug-in! The image to the right is an example of a custom mobile site we designed for our friends at American Personal Storage.

Old City Web Services will give you a brief tutorial before the site goes live and provide you with a user manual for future development. Additionally, we are always available for questions after your site goes live.

If your company website is in dire need of revamping, Old City Web Services can help!

If you are interested in re-designing your website, call us: 904.829.2772 or e-mail us: letusmarketyou@oldcity.com and we can schedule a free initial consultation meeting.

5 Tips for Do-It-Yourself Copywriting

October 18, 2010 by anoadmin Leave a Comment

Old City Web Services is going back to school.

Earlier this summer, Old City Web Services partnered up with a new local program to match private businesses with public schools so that we can share career perspectives, advice and tips with students. Last month, Cecile Nusbaum (OCWS General Manager) and Bobby Jones (OCWS Art Director) were invited to Pedro Menendez High School to critique projects from a design class and offer some professional advice.

Last Friday, Shannon O’Neil (OCWS Marketing Consultant) went over to Menendez to speak with the yearbook students about the power of great copy. Though yearbook copy is different in many ways from website copy, we still felt like there were some common points we could share with the students and with our wonderful clients.

Tips for Do-It-Yourself Copywriting

1) Be consistent. From capitalization and punctuation to titles and abbreviations, being consistent is a crucial step to successful copywriting. It avoids confusion, maintains the flow and prevents the reader from being distracted.

Decide how you will handle certain common grammatical problems from the beginning. Will you use a comma before “and” in a series? Will you sabbreviate dates (Oct. 13) or use numbers instead (10/13)? Will you write your copy in first person (I/we started this business…) or third person (Joe started this business…)?

There’s not a right or wrong answer to any of the above questions, it’s just a matter of choosing one style and sticking to it.

2) Be conversational. For most businesses, a conversational tone is appropriate for your copy. Write as though you were describing your business to a potential customer sitting in your office. There is a delicate balance to being conversational. You don’t have to sound like a Harvard Professor, but at the same time you want to avoid using any slang or improper grammar that may turn some of your clients off.

3) Be creative. Avoid redundancy in your copy by using synonyms and transitions where possible. No one wants to read boring, repetitive copy.

For example, if you’re writing copy for Mike’s Mechanic Shop, instead of starting every sentence with the name of the business, mix things up a little. Write something like, “Mike’s Mechanic Shop has been locally owned and operated for ten years. Winner of the 2010 Best of St. Augustine Award for car repairs, Mike’s Mechanic Shop has an excellent reputation for service and professionalism.”

Use the Thesaurus tool in your word processing software (highlight the word, right click on it and click on “Synonyms”) to find alternatives to using the same words over and over again. Mike’s Mechanic Shop might use words like fix, repair, mend, correct and adjust interchangeably to describe exactly what it is that they do.

4) Be attractive. Catch your customer’s eye with headlines throughout your text. Break up big blocks of copy with headlines that will get your customers’ attention. Most people skim over copy on a website and often miss what they were looking for because no one drew their attention to it. Take care to create headlines that will spark someone’s interest and make them look closer at what else you’ve written.

5) Be succinct. Though some potential customers may be interested in the entire history of your business, most people will not. Customers generally arrive at your website because they are looking for something they need, whether it’s a service or a product. Use your copy to steer them in the right direction to find what they want on your website. The faster they find what they’re looking for, the faster you convert a potential customer into a paying customer.

Once they’ve found what they’re looking for, tell your customers what they need to do next. They need to call you for an appointment, come by your store, send you an e-mail or fill out a form for information, or simply buy your product online. Whatever that last step is to converting your customers, make sure you have that call to action on every page of your website. Make it easy and obvious for them to take the next step.

Need more help? Give us a call!

If you feel overwhelmed at the notion of writing your own copy or simply think that your time would be better spent on other projects, we’re always here to help. Our team includes professional copywriters with experience in writing great text. Check out a few examples of our work on these sites: Sunshine Shop, Beamish Custom Tackle and NE Environmental Landfill.

Call us today at 904-867-4112 or send an e-mail to letusmarketyou@oldcitywebservices.com. We’re always here to help.

Want more tips, tricks and information?

Sign up for our weekly newsletter (look for the first aid kit in the upper right hand corner of our website) and receive our free tips and information a week before everyone else!