Social Media 4 - Old City Web Services

Hashtags for #Smallbiz

October 30, 2013 by anoadmin Leave a Comment

Hashtags are something you definitely should be using when formulating tweets, assuming you already have a Twitter account dedicated to your small business that is. A hashtag is designated with a number sign (#) paired with a word or phrase (without any spaces or other characters) to perform a variety of functions. In the Twitter world, users attach hashtags to tweets as a search mechanism that categorizes keywords and phrases. For example, two hashtags commonly used by small businesses are #smallbiz or #smb. Attaching one of these to a tweet will help categorize your business, allowes users to find you. Want to begin using Hashtags on your #smallbiz Twitter account? Here are three tips to get you started:

1.) Keep it simple

When crafting hashtags, a good rule of thumb is to keep them simple and consistent. Long, complex tags are neither search-friendly nor commonly used. For example, if you want to tweet about a new app you recently launched, instead of tagging #Smallbusinessappsandtools, you're better off breaking it up and using two shorter tags, such as #smallbiz and #apps. This also increases the readability of your message. Lastly, don't be afraid to use abbreviations for words--there's a character limit for a reason!
2.) Be creative

Twitter allows users to create their own hashtags so don't be discouraged or think that just because you're a small business, your new tag won't be discovered. Both large and small brands create hashtags to generate buzz around a marketing campaign or to entice customers. For example, if you're having a contest for free concert tickets, you may want to create a hashtag that incorporates you and the band name (i.e. #StyxOldCity ). Your tweet could be something like: RT to win FREE TIX to the Styx Concert this WKND #StyxOldCity. Maybe provide a link to for people to get more information or purchase tickets online.

3.) Organization

Stay on top of trending and relevant hashtags by organizing your columns on your social dashboard. You can customize these columns by either your social networks, popular search terms or by specific hashtags. Not sure what a social dashboard is? Check out Hootsuite and TweetDeck--two social media dashboards that allow you to schedule, manage and analyze multiple networks in one centralized location.

Want to learn more about how to implement hashtags into your social media strategy? Contact us today by emailing us: letusmarketyou@oldcity.com or by giving us a call: 904.829.2772.

Storytelling Online

October 16, 2013 by anoadmin Leave a Comment

Since we now know that storytelling is a primal and powerful form of communicating to others, we are going to focus on the parallels of storytelling since much of what needs to be considered when creating a story is the same as what's needed for creating a website or mobile app. Today we will explain three ways to integrate storytelling into your website.

1.) Keep it Visual

Visuals should not only "illuminate" your story, but further tell your story. The Pictorial Superiority Effect (PSE) means that sighted users absorb 75% more information from pictures than any other type of sensory input. In other words, people have a better memory for pictures than words. Using visuals and photos to tell a story online can be done through design choices such as use of white space, typography, proportion and hierarchy.

2.) Less is more

It's important to still include web copy on your website..useful and well-written copy that is. Just keep in mind that sometimes less is more. A story should be relevant, clear and easily understood. Text will add to your story and it's a important factor when having your site optimized for search engines. Text provides users with descriptive details, factual statistics and contact information. Break your text up with different design elements and tools that will engage the user. For example: instead of listing directions with text, an embedded Google map will be more engaging and functional, allowing people to easily get directions to you from anywhere in the world.

3.) Socialize your story

Once your website's story is complete, it's time to expose it to your audience. By inner-linking your story to social media networks, you open it to feedback, reviews and consumer engagement. Online storytelling is the best way to get your message out in the most cost-effective and timely manner.

Want to learn more about the world of digital storytelling ? Are you ready to make your unique story known to locals and visitors? Give us a call: 904.829.2772 or email us: letusmarketyou@oldcity.com today.

Creative use of video online

September 25, 2013 by anoadmin Leave a Comment

Video has maintained a powerful reputation of being one of the most efficient tools of visual communication. A creative and engaging video is a terrific way to present a product, service or brand and transform the user-experience to a much more interactive level. Because of this, professional, eye-catching videos are becoming increasingly popular in Web design today.

Below are three ways to incorporate video into your existing or new company or eCommerce website:

Video as Eye Candy

Using video as a visual enhancement will give your website that wow factor it may be lacking. It will not only attract visitors, but keep them on your site longer. People are much more inclined to watch a virtual tour of your establishment or a content-driven video explanation of your products than read a drawn-out, monotonous page of text. Placing a professional video on your Home page will gain customer's attention and push them to look further into your site.

Demonstrative Video

How-to videos are one of the most popular types for online usage. What better way to showcase your products or services than to educate your customers in a fun, creative manner. If you sell computer software, demonstrate how-to install the program, what special features it has and why it's beneficial to the potential buyer. If you sell produce or homemade preservatives, you may want to include videos on how-to cook different recipes using your products. This way, people will be more likely to come back to your site and tell their peers to check out your videos.

Use Video to Drive Traffic

Search engines love video. With proper video SEO, you have the potential to drive lots and lots of traffic to your site. By creating a YouTube or Vimeo Channel, you can organize your videos in one virtual location. Users can provide helpful feedback, connect with you and share your videos across multiple social media platforms. Once you embed one YouTube video on your website, your other videos from that Channel will be advertised as thumbnail links after the video has finished. Who knows...your videos may even become viral across the world-wide web, making you the next big YouTube sensation!

Want more advice on how to integrate video into your site or how to optimize your videos for search engines? Contact Us today by giving us a call: 904.829.2772 or emailing us: letusmarketyou@oldcity.com for more information.

Expand your reach via email marketing

August 7, 2013 by anoadmin Leave a Comment

Want to know one of the best ways to stay in touch with your customers? Email marketing is an easy way to produce a message and get it to your audience within seconds. It's cost effective and, if done properly, can help build brand awareness and loyalty. This form of marketing can cost as little as a few cents per message and generally speaking, the response rates remain strong when it comes to opens and clicks. Because email is alive and kicking, email marketing is still a central channel for most businesses. With this being said, it has become increasingly important for small businesses to utilize email marketing properly. Below are 3 tactics to increasing your email marketing reach.

1. List Management

Collect, manage and send messages to segmented groups of customers by creating customized contact lists. Let a professional help you organize and manage your contacts in one place. Old City Web Services helps clients by quickly exporting contacts into an email marketing system, then grouping them accordingly (i.e. general interest, repeat guests, brides, etc). We will keep your lists current and manage both new subscribers and those who wish to unsubscribe.

2. Social Share

Not only are you reaching hundreds or thousands of customers via email, but you can increase the volume of people exposed to your messages by sharing your email campaigns with the company's social media followers. This creates potential to spread your message through the viral channels of social media.

3. Tracking

How many people opened your email? Of those people, how many forwarded your message to others? Did you gain or lose subscribers? All of these questions should be asked and analyzed to determine what's working and what's not in order to maximize the Return on Investment (ROI).

Let the professionals help! Old City Web Services offers email marketing campaigns catered to small businesses. Expand your reach today and start targeting your customers by giving us a call: 904.829.2772 or emailing us: letusmarketyou@oldcity.com.

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.

What is RSS and is it still important?

June 26, 2013 by anoadmin Leave a Comment

What does RSS stand for? It stands for Really Simple Syndication. Now you're probably saying to yourself, "Okay, but what is it?" Here's our simple answer: RSS feeds gives readers a method to keep up with their favorite blogs, online news and any other favorite websites. Anyone can choose the sites they wish to subscribe to and then receive updates in one centralized location. In essence, RSS allows content to come to you. Pretty neat idea huh?

How can RSS feeds help your business? Simple-- If you're a website owner or blogger, RSS is a means to gain a loyal following of internet users. It helps grow your website by keeping you in the forefront of readers mind while they're browsing their feed. As a small business, you may not update your web content as often as you should or you may choose not maintain a blog, however RSS just gives you more of a reason to do just that. You can track how many users subscribe to your feeds and focus your messages on what they want to hear.

If you sell products online, RSS will allow consumers to stay up-to-date on your newest items and specials. Who knows--these subscribers may likely be your next in-store customer! If you are a travel blogger, RSS will allow people to subscribe to your posts and increase your number of readers. If you post upcoming events, news or press releases on your site, RSS feeds will allow subscribers to view this content every time you update it.

Users can sign-up for your feeds using multiple platforms such as Google Reader, My Yahoo and various mobile apps.

Need help setting up RSS feeds on your website or blog? Old City Web Services offers training services that will teach you how to set up your very own RSS feed system to best suit your business. Contact us today to help you get started! Give us a call: 904.829.2772 or email us: letusmarketyou@oldcity.com for more information.

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3 ways to enhance customer engagement

June 12, 2013 by anoadmin Leave a Comment

Want to improve your level of customer engagement? Customer engagement is the emotional connection between a customer and a company or brand. Engaged customers are loyal to your brand, passionate about your brand and advocates for your brand. Below are 3 helpful tips you may want to consider:
1.) Video
If you spend any time on the internet, you'll find that it's almost impossible to avoid videos-videos of celebrity interviews, dogs doing tricks, commercials-- you name it, it's there! People like to put a face to a brand and with video, you can do just that. Here are two ways video will enhance your customer experience:

Videos convert people into paying customers- in the article, Astounding Online Video Statistics That Brands Can't Afford To Ignore , written by the Social Times, "customers that watch videos of products or services are 85% more likely to make a purchase."
Videos come up in search results-Google announced earlier this year that more than 1 billion unique visitors are on YouTube each month.

2.) Responsiveness

I'm sure you've found that there are multiple online forums and blogs that allow customers to express their opinion or write reviews about their experience with local businesses. For example: Trip Advisor, Urban Spoon and Open Table are a few for the food and beverage industry. According to TripAdvisor's 2013 Fact Sheet, more than 60 new contributions are posted every minute! Of course nobody likes to receive a negative review and it's nearly impossible to prevent them, but there are ways to maintain your valuable reputation by your level of responsiveness. It's important to respond to both the good and the not-so-good reviews. Just make sure you are open, honest and apologetic to the bad. This will reflect positively to other commentators and especially to the one that wrote the review. Maybe your responsiveness even convinced them to come back and give you another shot. If you aren't actively responding to these reviews, you can bet your competition is and their gaining brownie points for doing so.

3.) Social Interaction
I'm not talking about going to mixers or having dinner parties with your clients--I'm taking about social media responsiveness. Not only should you be posting, tweeting and pinning, but you should be commenting and re-tweeting also. Try to set aside a little time each day to engage with your customers and respond to what they're saying to you. If you're only putting content out there, customers may feel you're not listening to them. When you do this, you're adding a personalized touch that your customers appreciate and remember.

Want to learn more ways to enhance your level of customer engagement? Old City Web Services will help you become more responsive and increase your online presence. Contact us today by giving us a call: 904.829.2772 or emailing us: letusmarketyou@oldcity.com.

Out with the old…in with the New

June 6, 2013 by anoadmin Leave a Comment

How can you really tell if your marketing efforts are outdated? We've developed a simple check list to help you determine if how you're running your small (or big) business is in-line with the newest technology and innovative marketing trends. Note: If you answer "Yes" to any of these categories below, pick up the phone and contact us today--we're here to help!

You don't remember what your website looks like....if you can no longer remember the details of what your site looks like, then it is safe to say that you haven't visited your own website in a while--quite possibly a long while and I bet it could use some major updating! Ask yourself: What images are on my homepage? What pages are included in my navigation? Here are a few more key signs your site is outdated:

You have a starburst on your site
Your color palette includes fluorescents
There is not a functioning navigation
You have broken links
You cannot view your site from an iPhone or iPad

You lost rankings when Google Places was launched...Google launched a game-changing search process in 2011 called Google Places. In order to capture more of the lucrative local search audience, Google started to integrate places results with organic rankings (rather than simply showing a map with markers). What does this mean for your SEO? Google Places listings can dominate the entire first page of search results pushing the link to your company's website further down the list.

The administrator of your company Facebook page is no longer with the company...if you no longer remember the logins to your company's social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter or otherwise), you're officially outdated. Even if your Facebook page looks nice and people continue to interact with it, you're still missing the ball by not engaging with your consumers. Social media might not generate the same ROI as traditional direct response channels, but that doesn't mean there is no value.

Your search traffic directs to your homepage...if you are not using landing pages to create cohesive campaigns, you can guarantee users are bouncing off your site as fast as they arrive. You can do all the keyword research you want, but if you aren't using landing pages that are aligned with your keyword approach, you're not running an effective end-to-end paid search campaign. When paying for online ads or promotions, it's important to consider the path your users are taking to convert.

You're not taking advantage of online advertising...small businesses have a tremendous resource at their disposal: the internet. Without a doubt, the internet provides the best forum for small business advertising. Here are a few reasons why entrepreneurs should look toward the internet to advertise their business:

More and more consumers look to the internet for their purchasing-it's convenient, fast and online sales are generating billions of dollars each year.
The Internets scope is world-wide--businesses can expand their customer base across the globe and customers can make purchases anytime, anywhere 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
There is a wide variety of internet ad options-banner ads, promotional, newsletter, social media, audio/video...just to name a few!

Keeping a marketing plan fresh by adding or adjusting key ingredients is a constant and timely job and unfortunately it is not always made a top priority for many small businesses. Why not make the step in the right direction today by letting Old City Web Services and OldCity.com help turn your marketing efforts around? After all, we're a local, small business too! The difference is we specialize in web development, internet advertising and integrated marketing...and we love what we do! Contact us today by giving us a call: 904.829.2772 or emailing us: letusmarketyou@oldcity.com.