June 2010 - Issue 12

We're happy to introduce the new website for Presbytery Point Camp... a place where kids can play games, hike, swim and canoe, sing songs around the campfire, and much more. (Nathan's older three kids have gone for years and loved it.)

Hello!
Welcome to the June edition of The Maestro Monthly, an email newsletter published by Web Maestro, LLC. The intent of this publication is to bring you news and updates on Web Maestro services, local business news, as well as general Web related news.

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7 Ways To Use Your Website

by Nathan Lyle

Assuming you either already have a website, or have decided that your business or organization really does need a website, here are eight ways (in no particular order) that you might use your website to go beyond the common "brochure style" online presence.

Hold a Contest

There are many reasons this can be a good idea. It will help increase traffic to your website, and it will cause other people to promote you and your website. If your contest is interesting, you could even get free coverage from local media. Obviously having a contest usually means giving something away, but you can be creative in what the prize is, and you can very likely get much more exposure per dollar than you would with standard advertising. Save Money on Advertising

Create an easy to find section on your website that lists special offers and coupons. Any kind of promotion you run, put the details on your website. You aren't limited to a newspaper ad page size, or a 30 second radio or tv spot, make it look good and get your point across. Then, when you advertise in other media, buy the shortest spot or smallest ad size possible and push your website. Tell people to visit your website to save money. You can greatly reduce the money you spend on ads, while at the same time generating much more traffic to your website.

Earn Trust by Proving You're The Expert

Because of the Internet, people can buy just about anything from just about anywhere. So why should anyone buy from you? Price isn't always the determining factor. Proximity and support can compete with price. If a product breaks or needs servicing, it's always much easier to deal with someone next door than with having to pay ever increasing shipping costs and talking to support call centers in India. Use your website to emphasize your location and involvement with the community. Post free information, articles, links, and anything else that you can that helps show that you're the expert on your products.

Cut Office Costs

How much money do you spend on printing forms, applications, and other documents? How many of those could better be converted to PDF format and posted on your website? Even if you don't want to purchase the full version of Adobe Acrobat, there are free PDF conversion applications available online that will let you convert directly from Word or other office programs, or scan from printed copies...

[read the full article]

Want to read more articles? Read previously published articles on our website's article archive.

Accept Credit Cards and Watch Your Business Bloom

Guest Article by Marcia Lopez

Caring for your business is a lot like caring for a garden: you plant the seeds, you tend it faithfully, nurturing it lovingly. And like a garden, your business needs to be fed with a constant stream of ideas and techniques that will help it grow and thrive, even during economic droughts. Learning which techniques work and which are no more than showy methods that drain your budget and energy takes some time. But the results are well worth the effort.

For businesses looking to grow and blossom in today's economy, one of the best and most effective steps to take is to begin accepting credit cards for purchases of goods and services. Accepting credit cards is a simple process, thanks to today's merchant account service providers.

With more providers entering the field every day, fees have been reduced and application requirements and procedures have been greatly streamlined, meaning you can open an account with minimal effort and low cost. In fact, with so many account providers looking for your business, the number of account options has made establishing an account easier and more affordable than ever, even for small or new businesses.

With the advent of television shopping channels and web stores catering to customers from across the globe, businesses have had to become savvier in attracting and retaining customers, and in growing their overall profits. Accepting credit cards can help you achieve all of these goals, while still maintaining your budget.

Studies indicate that now more than ever before, consumers are using credit cards for all sorts of purchases, from small, everyday items, to large special purchases for holidays or special occasions. Many consumers appreciate the flexibility afforded by credit cards, allowing them to make purchases of nearly any size while paying back a little each month. And unlike a loan or store purchasing offer, consumers know that once they pay back part of their balance, that part becomes available for them to spend on other items, increasing the flexibility factor.

Credit cards today offer loads of online tools that help consumers manage their monthly budgets and grow their credit score and credit history, which can help them get loans, insurance - even a job. Many cards also offer extended warranties on electronics and other purchases, making them especially valuable to customers who buy those products.

One of the major reason consumers are using credit cards more often today is as a result of the incentive programs they offer. Even just a few years ago, competition among credit card issuers was much more subdued than it is today.

In recent years, though, as consumers have begun using credit cards more frequently, card issuers have begun to actively compete for a greater share of the business. As a result, many card issuers now offer bonus incentives that allow consumers to tote up reward points each time they use the card. Points can be redeemed for airline or hotel vouchers, electronics, jewelry and other merchandise - even cash, making it worthwhile and often profitable for consumers to use their cards.

OK; those are a few of the reasons why consumers love to use credit cards. Here are a few of the reasons how that attitude can help your business bloom:

Customers who use credit cards tend to spend more than those who pay with cash. Credit card users are more likely to buy more expensive items than cash customers, and tend to shop much more frequently. In addition, credit card users make impulse purchases far more often than cash buyers, and those impulse purchases are usually significantly higher than the impulse purchases made by cash buyers.

Customers who use credit cards appreciate convenience, and so tend to be more loyal to the businesses they patronize. Every marketer will tell you, it costs more to attract a new customer than to retain a current one. Offering credit cards is a great way to grow a customer base that is loyal and less likely to shop around.

Companies that accept credit cards are viewed more favorably by customers who feel these companies are striving to meet their needs. In addition, research indicates businesses that accept credit cards are viewed as being safer and more legitimate than cash-only businesses.

Accepting credit cards can improve your cash flow, too. When credit card transactions are processed, those funds are deposited to your business bank account that day. There's no waiting for checks to clear - and more importantly, no bounced checks - and no risk of theft or loss, since the money is directly electronically deposited.

It's true: Your business is like a garden, needing attention and care to make it grow and bear fruit. By spending a little time today, you can sow the seeds for a more fruitful and profitable business tomorrow.

About the author: Marcia Lopez is a freelance writer who writes about a range of topics, including merchant accounts and credit cards.

Miscellaneous Maestro Minutia

We were happy to be able to increase the hosting capacity on the larger hosting plans we provide this last month. Additional space was available on our server, so we spread it out across some of the plans where it has seemed to be needed the most. There was no change to the pricing, just more space.

That's it for now, thanks for reading! Please feel free to let me know what you find useful or what you'd like to see us cover in future issues.

Sincerely,
Nathan Lyle

Website: www.webmaestro.biz
Email: nathan@sylvaniawebmaestro.com
Blog: www.webmaestro.biz/blog

Business Tip

Be a good person.

How is that a business tip? You'd be amazed at what treating people nicely can do to your bottom line. Some people think you have to step on others to get anywhere in life. While you might succeed briefly by being ruthless, I strongly believe that long term success depends on how you treat the people around you. That includes those you work with, and sell to. This isn't a suggestion to be a doormat (you shouldn't let people walk all over you) but you'll find that you have more loyalty from both your employees and your customers if you're the kind of person that is respected. Go out of your way to do something nice today!