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| Greetings! |
Puzzled by how to make websites and Internet marketing work for your business? There are so many choices and strategies available today - where do they fit in?
I'm reading a book called, "Fierce Conversations - Achieving Success at Work & in Life, One Conversation at a Time" by, Susan Scott. It's not a book about Internet Marketing. It's more about building effective communication relationships - and getting stuff done. And I guess that, in a nutshell is my goal. To get stuff done, and help my customers achieve greater success on the Internet.
So, this eNewsletter, and the editions that follow, will be about giving you ideas and single pieces of information that will hopefully be of value to you in figuring out what pieces fit - helping you to achieve success online - one step, one solution at a time.
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| A New Name... |
 ...A new WSI website and email! I've just completed work on launching a new WSI site with updated information. I picked the name, "WSI Wiki Works" because WSI stands for Simplifying Internet marketing, and Wiki is all about Collaborating - which I find essential in delivering complete solutions. With WSI Wiki Works you get a total solution collaboratively delivered at a great value! I hope you'll visit WSIWikiWorks.com and see the wide range of solutions and partners I collaborate with.
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| How to Pick a Domain Name |
 Are you thinking about building a new website - or launching a new company, service or product line but don't know how to go about it? We typically start by brainstorming a list of names. We hope to stumble upon something as clever, catchy and successful as "Google", or "Coca-Cola." We gravitate to names that are intensely personal or meaningful - to us. But, will it have meaning to the niche market we hope to attract?
Harry Beckwith wrote a book called, "The Invisible Touch." In it he outlines what he calls, "The Four Keys to Modern Marketing." Key #2: Brand. Here's a list of some concepts we can think about when it comes time to picking a name, a brand:
- A brand does not merely attract clients, it convinces clients that they got just what the brand promised.
- What attractive and desirable qualities should my brand embody?
- Choose a name that is unique, sensory, creative and outstanding (e.g. Red Pepper).
- Look for a name that makes the prospect, not you, sound important.
- The more commonplace you sound, the less interest you will attract.
- Say your name out loud, and listen very carefully.
- Keep your name short - eleven letters or four syllables max.
One more thing to add to Mr. Beckwith's discussion: Look for a name you'd like to see at the top of the search engine results. Learn to think like your ideal customer thinks. What's important to them? What are their needs? What are they looking for? Have keyword research done that will show you how effective your name can potentially be in being visible in the Search Engine results, AND your target market. Now, your domain name alone won't bring you to the top, but it's a great starting point from which to build everything else upon: Title and Description Tags, Web Content, File Names, etc.
I recently completed some Search Engine Optimization (SEO) training. One short statement in the course stood out with respect to the site URL: "Include the keywords (that your target market is searching for) in the URL, short and meaningful." Think about making your URL part of, or the same as your company name, your brand. And, as we learn from Mr. Beckwith: Make it your domain. Own it. Be it.
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| Partner Spotlight |
 Each month I plan to spotlight a key partner or client Internet solution. This month I'm pleased to spotlight a design firm I've partnered with on numerous projects. Tom Beauchamp runs Monster Design Co. and is a top-notch graphic designer for print and web media. He also creates brand identity systems, and in fact created the Zephyr Marketing logo for my business entity (under which I operate my WSI franchise). You can see examples of our collaboration on my WSIWikiWorks website. And you may also visit the Monster Design Company website for more on Tom's fine work. Here's Tom's business description:
Monster Design Company is a full-service creative studio focused on building smart brands. We Provide award-winning graphic design, web design, advertising, and marketing communications to entrepreneurial, corporate, and non-profit clients looking for a partner equally dedicated to their success.
Feel free to contact Tom directly at 707-208-5481
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| Featured Solution: Email Campaign Archive by Constant Contact |
 Are you curious about how stuff works? Interested in how best to leverage and get the most out of the tools, applications and solutions that are out there? If so, you may find this feature useful.
This month, I want to tell you about a very cool and cost effective feature Constant Contact has recently added to their email marketing service called, Email Campaign Archive. For just $5 more a month you can add this service to your email marketing program. Email Campaign Archive allows you to essentially save a copy of your published eNewsletters, Announcements, Press Releases - or whatever you send out from Constant Contact, and archive them on a page you can integrate in with your website!
With a little effort in customizing the look and feel of your archive menu page, you can have it look like it's part of your website's design. To see an example of this, click on the link below which will take you to a page on a website I created for a community service organization:
Email Campaign Archive is a great way to give your communications a longer life and make them available long after their initial release.
Next Month:
Ever wonder how certain websites have a little logo or icon image that proceeds their URL (http://......) in the address bar of the browser when you go to their web page? It looks like this:
It's called a Favicon, and next month I'll outline how to create it and get it added to your web page so you can promote your brand in the browser window!
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| Workshops & Seminars |
| Here's a schedule of upcoming workshops & seminars:
The Internet and the 3 R's of Marketing
Presented by Lynne Ashcraft & Greg Elwell
Feb. 14, 2008, 10am - Noon
The Learning Cafe, Pleasant Hill
Summary: Learn about the key principles for optimizing and implementing effective marketing programs in todays culture and competitive marketplace.
Internet Marketing Workshop
Presented by Lynne Ashcraft & Greg Elwell
Feb. 28, 2008, 9am - Noon
The Learning Cafe, Pleasant Hill
Summary: Practical overview of strategies involving Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Paid Search Advertising (aka: PPC), Email Marketing, Blog Marketing and Social Media Marketing that can attract targeted traffic to your website.
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