This is a post from Sara Nash; Sara earned her degree in Public Relations from Penn State University. From there, she worked a PR agency in Boston before joining the PR and Social Media team at Vistaprint.
It is about that time again…spring cleaning! But this year, why not cover all of your bases and do a bit of digital spring cleaning as well? It’s so easy to get in a winter rut, but a little cleaning can help dig yourself out and get ready for the spring! Read more…
Each week, we ask the Vistaprint Internet Marketing Facebook community to submit their websites so we can highlight one here on our blog, and also on our Facebook page. This week, we asked what one thing made their websites stand out from the rest. And the responses we received this week were, as usual, plentiful. With so many great websites, it’s always difficult for us to choose just one to feature for Websites We Love! Last week, a bakery for dogs won, and this week, a bakery for humans, Sweet Etcetera, takes the cake! Read more…
This blog post was written by Dave Yuknat, Senior Lead Designer of Global User Experience at Vistaprint. This is the first in a series of blogs focused on User Experience that Dave is going to write for Micro Business Perspectives.
I have a poster at my desk I picked up while attending last year’s South By Southwest Interactive Conference, titled “The Secret Lives of Links.” The poster shows graphical notes from Jared Spool’s talk of the same name; Jared is a well-known User Experience (UX) expert who gives very entertaining talks. I have this at my desk because it reminds me to think about the basic web fundamentals. In the early days of the Internet, websites were simple and consisted of words, links and images. Today’s websites are a lot more complicated — they look better and do more stuff — but the core of the experience still boils down to words, links and images. Read more…
We’ve already told you how to keep your content fresh, and why that’s important…but what about when you’ve seemingly run out of ideas on where to get that content? Where can you find some simple, possibly unexpected inspiration for website updates? Here are three easy places to look.
Your Calendar
If you’re looking for simple ways to keep your content fresh, one of the best areas to look is your day-to-day life. As a small business owner, it’s safe to assume your personal calendar is going to (very) closely resemble your business calendar, if not mimic it completely. Use this for inspiration. Whether it’s putting together a blog series to write about a new product you’re testing or updating your homepage to remind visitors about an upcoming event, taking a few moments to look at what you’re up to is a great way to remember what your small business is up to, too. Read more…
This story was originally published on Boston.com’s Small Business Blog.
One thing that small businesses always seem to struggle with is writing. In my conversations with them, it’s always a topic that comes up. Owners aren’t sure what to put on their website, emails, blogs, even social media updates. Sometimes even flyers and postcard mailings can become difficult to write for. It’s understandable, writing isn’t easy and there are many forms that small businesses have to know if they are going to succeed. Considering all the marketing materials that have to be produced and social media now working into the mix, being nimble enough to write in many different ways is important. Read more…
After you set up your Facebook page how exactly do you plan on getting people there? Other than spending money on traditional advertising methods, here are three simple (but often forgotten!) options to keep in mind.
Your Website
If you have a website, including a widget/direct link to your Facebook page is very important — and super-easy to implement! Hint: Almost as important as the link is how you introduce it. Use action phrases to motivate clicks, such as asking your visitors to “Like Your Page” or “Join the Conversation.” Read more…
When it comes to your Website, adding simple features that translate to big benefits is always smart…and contact forms are pretty high on the list of valuable add-ons. These handy tools gather pertinent info from your visitors, are super-versatile, and can vary based on your specific needs. Typical fields can include “name,” “address,” “phone number” and “comments,” but again, they can vary depending on the form’s functionality. Although there are a number of reasons these forms are useful, keep reading to see our top three.
This blog post was written by Rob Zodda, who works in creative services at Vistaprint and also has digital marketing experience.
The answer is yes. Definitely! Imagine that you own a landscaping business. A couple moves to a nearby town, and buys a brand-new home that requires some serious outdoor work. After conducting a quick online search for local landscapers, they immediately call three companies — your competitors — for estimates. Meanwhile, you miss out on a great opportunity because your business still doesn’t have an online presence. Today, websites are essential for businesses, both big and small, whatever industry you’re in. Although there are dozens of reasons why, here are a few big ones to consider.
People turn to the internet for information.
The Internet allows shoppers to be extra savvy and really connect with a business before they make a purchase. Think about it: “Google” has become part of our everyday vocabulary, and people are choosing the Internet over the phonebook more and more each day. Consumers are much more likely to buy from a business they know something about. An online presence often increases your business’s visibility and allows customers to feel more connected to you.
You’ll (hopefully) bring in more money.
Oftentimes, a website is an inexpensive solution that yields great returns on your investment. For starters, having a website greatly improves your search engine optimization (SEO). This means that your business will be much easier to find in search results from Google and other engines, leading more customers to you.
A website will save you time.
Save time — and your voice. A website allows you to share what your business is all about, without repeating yourself over and over. It should be a place where customers, both new and old, can go to learn about your business, at their convenience. A professional website that includes your location, directions and hours of operation means less time spent on the phone.
An online presence will build your credibility.
Simply having a an online presence often positions your company as being more established. It lets potential customers know that you’re a current, dedicated, professional company to work with. Creating a website that explains your business and includes key info, such as your contact information, is a simple step that will make you more visible, trustworthy and (hopefully!) profitable.
Whether at work, a restaurant or the gym, it seems as though iPhones, Androids and iPads are everywhere. According to Digital Buzz, that’s not very far from the truth; in fact, mobile devices are fast becoming the most popular way to access the Web, and Mashable reports Morgan Stanley analysts think mobile will be bigger than desktop Web use by 2015. But what is the difference between a standard website and a mobile site, and why is a mobile site a good idea for your small business? The short answer to both of those questions is accessibility. Imagine trying to fit everything on your home page onto your phone’s screen. It would be crowded, difficult to read, and even harder to navigate. Mobile sites can alleviate those usability issues, reduce load time and, perhaps most importantly, make it super-simple for users to contact you while they’re on the go.
Setting up a mobile website isn’t as difficult as you might imagine, and following a few of the tactics below can help you — and your customers — get the most out of your mobile site.
1. Stick with easy navigation. Large font, big buttons and short sentences can make your mobile site easier to navigate. Forcing visitors to work hard to view info will likely cause them to give up, and move on. A major advantage of mobile sites is that they’re formatted to mobile devices, so everything is larger, but limited to a specific width so users won’t have to scroll to find their way through your site.
Hint: Check out your mobile site on an actual mobile device…if you find it difficult to navigate, imagine how visitors will feel!
2. Make it useful. A customer is probably accessing your business’s site from a mobile device because he or she wants to get in touch with you…what he or she doesn’t want to do is scroll through a number of pages before finding out how to reach you.
Hint: Keep the info your visitors are looking for on the home page, and make sure it’s easy to read and click; try adding a prominent “Contact Us” button.
3. Keep it simple. Remember, on a mobile device, viewers are likely interested in quickly learning about your products, finding directions and/or getting in touch with you. While you want your site to be informative, too much info will give your visitors more pages to sift through before they get to their desired destination.
Hint: If you think you’ve added too much content, chances are you have. Think about consolidating it through the use of bullet points.
4. Speed it up. Tons of images, videos and unnecessary content can make your mobile site’s load time far too long.
Hint: Save the flashy stuff for your main website! You don’t need to trash all the bells and whistles you love, just think mobile = minimal.
5. Get social! Adding social media buttons to your site so you can communicate with users in the social space is key.
Hint: No need to add every social site on the Internet — Facebook and Twitter is a good place to start.
Did this post inspire you to go mobile? Tell us why or why not in the comments section!
Image: lululemon athletica
As I mentioned in my last post, the design of your Website is vital. Whether the site’s intent is to sell or simply showcase your company’s services, visitors need to be able to navigate the site and find information they seek with ease. Read more…
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