Business Profile Photo

The first graphic area is the profile, which is where the logo of your company is placed. When uploading this graphic, note that the image is in the shape of a square. Always use the most clean and simple logo design, as the business profile photo will be reduced in size, and you want a clear representation of your brand. Use graphics with a high resolution, if not your most important branding element will look grainy, pixelated, and unprofessional.

• Home page profile image: The home page profile image is your Business profile photo reduced to a 200px by 200px image when displayed on the home page of the Google+ Business page. Note that multiple home page profile images can be uploaded, and as the viewer clicks on the home page profile image, the images will rotate though your uploaded profile images.
• Avatar Image: The profile photo is also your avatar image, which is the graphic displayed on the left side of each post that is made. The avatar graphic is your business profile photo reduced to 48px by 48px image.

Scrapbook Photos

In its current design schema, there are 5 images displayed at the top of the Google+ Business page known as scrapbook photos. When uploading this graphic, note that the images are also in the shape of a square, and will be reduced to 125px by 125px images. Upload large images with high resolution, the scrapbook images are “clickable” and will redirect the visitor to a scrapbook photo page that cycle through the 5 images that you upload. Be sure to write a caption under each scrapbook photo.
Just like any other design, a Google+ Business page design should immediately meet the visitor’s needs and expectations of your goods or services.
There are an infinite number of ways to create a clever design though the 5 scrapbook photos. Currently, one of the more common designs utilized on Google+ business pages is to utilize the five images to create a landscape photo or graphic to illustrate the company brand. It is our recommendation to illustrate areas of service and functionality through each of the 5 scrapbook photos.

Some suggestions on what could be used…

• Service or Goods Photos: Images, and illustrations which sell your goods or services.
• QR Codes: Utilizing a QR code for the image, or embed a QR code into the image for a telephone number, website address, phone numbers, or SMS.
• Coupons: Coupons for your goods or services.

We encourage you to visit Bjorn Productions’ Google+ page and become a follower!

Please contact us if you are interested in Bjorn Productions developing a branded and functional Google+ business page for your business.

Mobile Website Design

Just like a standard website design, mobile website designs must provide a user experience that will convert web browsers into customers.  Due to the limited screen space and code compatibility, careful consideration must be taken into the design of a mobile website.

• Heading:The heading of your mobile web design should contain a logo for branding and a click-to-call phone number, your customer is viewing your mobile website after all….
• Navigation: Navigation is the key to a successful mobile website design.   Mobile website navigation is kept simple by displaying primary links without the need to scroll or look too deep for content.
• Graphics: Good mobile website designs utilize a limited use of graphics to ensure that the site loads quickly without lag.  A minimalist, but effective mobile website design will have a logo in the heading and one image that associates the web viewer to the product or service that you are offering.
• Font size: It is critical that the text of your mobile website is easy to read, small text will drive your viewer away.

Mobile Website Search Engine Optimization

Along with mobile websites, comes mobile website search engine optimization.  Currently Googlebot-Mobile is specifically indexing pages that serve mobile web content.  While mobile search engine optimization is currently in its early stages, it will continue to grow.

Mobile Website Click through Campaigns

Currently, there is a very limited amount of advertisers using mobile pay per click campaigns.  Right now is the right time to begin a mobile pay per click campaign, especially if you have a niche market.    The fact is that mobile devices have a smaller viewing area, and being in the top positions  will have a great pay out.

Please contact us if you are interested in learning more about Mobile Websites, or if you are ready for Bjorn Productions to bring your company’s internet presence to the next level then please consider us to be your Mobile Website Designer!

Direct Traffic

Direct traffic is when a visitor types in your website address to find your website i.e. www.yourwebsite.com.  Direct website traffic is the best indicator of your company’s brick and mortar marketing techniques.  If you are receiving a good amount of direct traffic to your website, you are running an effective marketing campaign.  If you are not receiving a high amount of direct website traffic make sure that your website address is on the following:

• Business cards
• Company vehicles
• Promotional materials
• Yellow Page advertisement
• Radio advertisement
• Television advertisement

Referring Sites

Referring site traffic relates to visitors that are visiting another website and have clicked on a link to your website.  When it comes to search engine optimization, backlinks to your website are the best means of improving your organic search engine ranking.  Take time each week to increase the number of backlinks to your website, it will increase your referring site statistics and improve your organic search position.  If you need to build the number of referring site links consider the following:

• Industry related sites
• Trades that you network with
• Blogs
• Social Media sites

Search Engines

Search engine traffic relates to visitors that have typed in key words within a search engine to find your website.  Visitors will be presented with an organic list of search engine results as well as a listing of paid search engine results.

• Organic Searches:  If you have a high amount of website traffic from organic search results it means that your website has great search engine optimization.
• Cost per click campaigns: If you have a high amount of traffic from a cost per click campaign you have achieved the website traffic that you are looking for, but will need to monitor the effectiveness of your cost per click campaign.  We recommend monitoring bounce rates and setting analytics that measure goal conversions.

If you need help analyzing your website traffic, or are interested in learning more about search engine optimization for your website, please contact us.

You are Reaching a Different Internet Audience:

When it comes to marketing it is always the goal to seek out new niches, website video viewers are a promising target.  Video sharing sites not only deliver content, but also have a social aspect as well.  Social media is much like word of mouth advertising, if the information is useful then your video will be shared throughout your viewers social network.  Submit your site to numerous video sharing sites and create an environment that allows your company to interact with your customer.

Building Your Company Brand

When producing your video always build your company brand.  As with all advertising, website videos are a means of building the perception of your company.  Carefully think about your customer and how you want to be perceived by them.  Make a list of what you want your customer to experience from the video;  incorporate a wardrobe, environment and personality that will represent what you are trying to achieve.  Be sure to place your company logo and telephone number in all of your video productions.

Become an Expert in your Field

Educate your audience on your product or service and it will keep them coming back.  Website videos are an excellent way to provide how-to’s and useful tips to your audience.  Think of common questions or problems your customers have and turn it into an informational website video.  Give your web viewer information to make informed decisions when buying your service or product.  Be sure to use video titles that will entice viewership.

Incorporate your Website Design to Enhance Embedded Web Video

When embedding video on your own website, incorporate information to enhance your video.  A good video will entice the web viewer to learn more about your product or service.  Add information and graphics into the web page that explains the content of the video in greater detail.  Provide a list of links to guide the web viewer to search additional areas of your site.

If you would like to learn more about how to market your business through the use of video, please contact us.

It is important while building your website’s search engine marketing that you integrate online social media networks as they provide a niche market of website customers.  In this article, I will demonstrate different ways you can achieve the best results for your MerchantCircle account.

Blogging on Merchant Circle

If you do not currently blog, are not familiar with blogging software or do not have the technical expertise to set up a blog, MerchantCircle offers an easy to use blogging software for your business.  Make sure that when you write your blog that you are writing unique, useful and original content.

If you currently have a blog, we recommend that you also integrate the blog into your MerchantCircle blog.  MerchantCircle is an excellent online social media tool that you can utilize to drive traffic to your website.  When you have posted a blog on your website, also post an excerpt of your blog article on your MerchantCircle blog account.  This excerpt should not include the entire content of your blog article, but gives your reader a teaser of the article while also giving value to the MerchantCircle visitor.  At the bottom of your MerchantCircle blog article post make sure you create a ‘Learn More’ link which links your website blog post to the blog article on your website.  This will help to increase traffic to your site and will increase the number of backlinks to your website thereby improving your website’s search engine rankings.

Newsletter

As you begin to gain popularity within MerchantCircle through your blog articles, you will also begin to gain a following of MerchantCircle members.  Members will ask for you to connect with them on MerchantCircle.  As your base of customers grows, you can start to begin your second tier of marketing campaign, which is through another one of MerchantCircle’s free service. . . . newsletters.  Newsletters allow you to send out an email blast to your followers letting them know of new company information such as a blog article that you have recently written, company events, or possibly new coupon or product/service you are offering.

Online coupons

Looking for a way to entice customers to utilize your products or services?  Why not offer potential customers an incentive?  MerchantCircle also offers (for free) a coupon service whereby you can create coupons to include a special offer, use enticing graphics, include expiration dates, and much more!

MerchantCircle also offers a local city coupon feed via Twitter. Coupons that you feed will now automatically be fed to a city-specific Twitter page – making it easy for customers in your area to track real-time deals. It takes a couple of minutes to build a coupon and will be well worth your time.

Customer testimonials

Customer testimonials can be accomplished a couple of different ways within MerchantCircle.  A quick and simple star rating which is anonymous, or they also offer an area where a customer can type in a personal testimonial.

One down side to many online social media sites is that customers can be abusive in their posting, and to remove a negative posting can be quite a timely process. MerchantCircle is very business friendly when it comes to receiving an abusive post as you have the ability to remove this immediately.

Search Engine Ranking

Having your business listed on MerchantCircle increases your search engine ranking and visibility on the internet.

For further information on how to set up your MerchantCircle account, or to learn more about how you can further utilize the benefits within MerchantCircle, please contact us.

Become Familiar with Posting Online Customer Testimonials

The easiest way to learn about online customer testimonials is to post a customer testimonial yourself.  Think of companies that you have recently used that deserve a thumbs-up.  Go to several websites to become familiar with the steps it takes to make an online customer testimonial post.  Write down the steps you took to post the customer testimonial, these can be very useful to send your customer when asking them to post a testimonial for your company.

Give Your Customer Testimonials Direction

While it is easy to ask your client for a testimonial, an effective customer testimonial has to relate to your clients needs.  Think about your target market, and what your clients needs are, write down some bullet points.  Send your customer an email with directions on how to post an online testimonial and ask your customer to provide a targeted review in their experience of your product or service.

Build Online Testimonials on Numerous Sites

Build a broad base of customer testimonials on numerous websites such as Google, Yahoo, MSN, and Online Yellow Pages.  Diversity is the key, as it will gain your website greater marketing exposure.  An added benefit is that numerous online rating sites will draw reviews from each other.

Keep Online Testimonials Current

While it is important that you have numerous testimonials, it is very important that the testimonials are current.  Make a company goal to achieve a minimum of one customer testimonial each month.  Testimonials that are built up overtime demonstrate a longstanding commitment to customer service or product quality.

Be Responsive if You Receive a Poor Online Customer Testimonial

Nobody likes to hear that one of their customers is unhappy with their product or service.  View a complaint as another opportunity to demonstrate exemplary customer service and make your customer happy.  If you find that a customer has written a complaint on your company react to the complaint promptly in a non-confrontational manner. If you receive an unwarranted complaint, most online customer testimonial sites have a process to flag the complaint as inappropriate, and have a process for its removal.

To learn more about how you can incorporate online testimonials, please contact us.