Part 1
Brick & Mortar Stores
 
In a down economy, setting up a website and optimizing it for local search is a great way to not only survive in the poor economy, but to thrive in a great economy. 

One of the mis­takes many businesses make in a down economy is to simply cut their current mar­keting mix.  But, using the same tactics and channels with less investment leads to predictable results - fewer sales leads and lower brand recognition.

Instead of simply spending less money, spend it smarter by ramping up online marketing activities.  It is estimated that 81% of Web users go online to research products or services before they buy. Those are your prospects. Get in front of them with more aggressive search and online advertising cam­paigns. In fact, now is the perfect time to dive into local search to attract online users right in your backyard.

You can replace your Yellow Book ad.  A website is much less expensive and can be updated when needed, while your hard-copy Yellow Pages' ad can be changed only once a year.  Providing an up-to-date, easy to navigate website for your customers is essential to growing your business.  You can provide more info in a one- page website than in an entire Yellow Page ad.  Provide your location, store hours, services, products, contact information, weekly specials, and more.  As an example, if you move just when the book is printed you wouldn't be able to tell prospective customers for a YEAR.  With a website, you can tell them TODAY!

However, as you move more online, don't forget branding initiatives. Many organi­zations, especially small and midsize busi­nesses, do away with brand-building activities such as print advertising, online banner ads, direct marketing, and broadcast media simply because that is what their competitors are doing.  Instead, use that follow the herd mentality to differentiate your business. Step up brand awareness by filling those channels just as your competitors are leaving them. You can often score media buys at a discount, and even modest investment can reap big rewards: Once the economy brightens and competitors rush back, custom­ers will already be familiar with you.

 

Today we are Ad Design Biz.  But that was not always the case.  Before the advent of the Internet, when Ande was creating strictly for print media, the business was named Add-Venture (ADD being her initials).  When she began designing for the Web and understanding the need for a 'searchable' domain name, she believed Add-Venture would be perceived as a travel agency.  Although she loves to travel, that is not the service the company is providing.
 
Instead of just coming up with a new name, she went out to find which domain names were available.  Looking for something that described the business ~ advertising design ~ she found www.Ad-Design.Biz and the company was renamed.  The company name and the domain name became as one.  This proved to be very fortuitous because the website receives many hits from around the world on a daily basis.
 
That is not to say the name is the only reason for high Internet placement.  It also requires the correct use of search engine optimization (SEO) --- meta tags, page titles, keywords, descriptions, text, and alt tags.  And, the site should be manually submitted to all the major search engines.   Also, it is important to have a distinctive logo, consistent colors, design, and tag line.  Even if you already have your company name, Ad Design Biz can help you with the rest of your branding and domain name selection.

 

Create the Best Impression