New Website – Columbia River Carpet One!
We recently had the pleasure of working with the great folks at Columbia River Carpet One. We built a beautiful custom website for their store in Rainier, Oregon. They’ve been servicing Southwest Washington & Northern Oregon since 1966. They have a great, friendly, and knowledgeable staff to help you with your home designing needs. Columbia River Carpet One provides so much more than carpet. Check out their website to view their vast selection of products, from window coverings to counter tops and so much more. CarpetOneRainier.com
What has your website done for YOU lately?
You probably remember my article “Interview with an iPhone”. Now it is time for you to jump in the interviewing chair. It is time for you to interview your web site! I have 5 questions to help. Don’t be shy. Demand quality answers from one of your best marketing tools for your business!
1) Have you made our business look good?
First impressions are big. If your web site doesn’t look professional and well taken care of, neither does your business. Simple. Take a look to see if your business looks like the type of company you’d want to work with. This is your place to highlight your strengths. This is an especially good place to hear from others in the form of client testimonials – testimonials make you marvelous.
2) Have you helped people find our business?
There are two parts to this:
1) When they are at your site people expect to be able to quickly and easily get a hold of you via phone, visiting your business, connecting on facebook or eMailing you. Can they?
Part 2) Can they find your web site? Today’s phone book is called Google. Trying “googling” your business. You need to be easy to find by typing your business name AND your product/service name and the city, state you are located in. You also want to make sure you can be found at bing.com, yahoo.com and others. Not found? Call us to schedule a free consult on how to GET FOUND.
3) Have you sold people on what our company can do for them?
Your current and potential customers should be able to learn more about what you offer. Make sure it clearly outlines the value you bring to the marketplace, and why.
4) Have you helped our customers?
Our clients web sites are helping their customers in a variety of ways. Your site can be a great place to check out your menu, download a form, pay a bill, order a product, answer a frequently asked question, check hours, call your business, give directions to your place of business or even read a helpful article (like this one).
5) Have you helped us make more money?
You don’t have to sell products online to make money from your website. I hope you are all tracking your sales to see where they are coming from. Consider your website as an essential sales and marketing tool, and don’t let it get rusty.
I hope this article got you started asking your web site some very important questions.
Want another set of eyes to take a look at your site? Ask our geeky team here at omOriginals Marketing to do a similar interview, for free! Ask your customers to share what they think of your site. ~:-) The more you concentrate on what your web site has done for you, the more it will do for you.
Website redesign – Columbia Theatre of the Performing Arts
We’re proud to show the launch for the newly redesigned website for The Columbia Theatre of the Performing Arts in Longview, WA. Check out upcoming shows for the 2012-2013 season that is, “Just Pure Fun, Plain and Simple”! http://columbiatheatre.com
Wholesome Prose – Unique Website
When you visit Wholesome Prose you will get the chance to read and LISTEN to a showcase of short stories written by Christian authors. Christian authors are not that much different than other authors. Their stories may or may not be interlaced with deep spiritual meaning or categorized Christian characters as some people might expect. Nevertheless, Christian authors do have something that other authors don’t have: The Holy Spirit living inside of them, working with their God-given talent, inspiring, guiding, and even restraining them. Wholesome Prose, also gives you the opportunity to submit and share your own story on your life or experiences. It’s wonderful to be able to have your friends and family HEAR your story online. Google Wholesome Prose, read and listen to their inspirational stories and hopefully The Holy Spirit will inspire you to share this unique website.
omOriginals Marketing! of Longview, WA, is proud to help promote great companies and service in and around Cowlitz County with refreshingly different; web design, eMail marketing, Facebook, Google, workshops & good old fashioned graphic design. We invite you to call upon us, we are here to help. :-) 360.575.9839
Dan and David! New Website
Dan and David Productions from Longview, WA has launched their new website and omOriginals Marketing! was lucky enough to build their website for them! Thank you for your business Dan and David!
Dan and David Productions offers many services in the audio and video niche. They have created videos for schools, realtors, and families. They are highly experienced in audio and video productions. One of their services is “Chronicles”. They help YOU tell your story on video, giving you a family heirloom to pass down with your recorded history. In the professional community Dan and David Productions has created virtual in-home tours for realtors and educational tools for businesses and schools. In addition to video Dan and David Productions are capable of taking your song idea and creating a CD. Dan and David Productions will handle the creation, arranging, tracking, sequencing, recording, mixing, and mastering of your tracks.
Visit Dan and David Productions website at DanandDavid.net to see examples of their work and to contact them for your next project.
New Website – Freedom Bail Bonds NW
Freedom Bail Bonds NW located in Longview, WA is much more than a bail bonds website. There are many features that you can use when visiting Freedom Bail Bonds NW. Their motto is that “Life Happens”, and if you find yourself needing their bail bond service, you will be happy with the convenience and professionalism of their services to Cowlitz County. You’re able to check-in with your bails bondsman online and even able to check out people that Freedom Bail Bonds NW is looking for. If you’re unsure of the Bail process, there is a great section to get you started and answer your questions. You can fill out Freedom Bail Bonds NW forms right at home and bring them with you to their Longview, WA location. You can even make paypal payments through the website. Now tell me that isn’t convenient.
So if you’re looking for a bail bonds company in Longview, WA or just Cowlitz County, check out FreedomBailBondsNW.com and be comfortable with their level of service and convenience of use.
Testimonials on YOUR website?
Thanks for turning in again to <Geek Speak>. I appreciate all the questions and feedback from my “Interview with an iPhone” from last month. This month we are going to dive into the world of “Website Testimonials”. Word of mouth is one of the oldest and most effective forms of marketing. In the past it was limited to person-to-person communication. Today we live in an exciting and different world. The internet allows conversations to be shared and re-shared though your community and across the globe.
Offline Testimonials
When a client/customer shares with you how happy they are with your product or service and goes as far to write you a letter (or collection of letters and paragraphs) of thanks, it feels great! You might have a special file for those or even share them on a special wall at your business.
Why Should I put Testimonials on my Website?
The biggest reason is that it helps build the confidence of potential clients. Feeling comfortable with your company is a big part of why people will, or will not do business with your organization. A business can say a lot about their experience or qualifications, but a single (powerful) testimonial caries so much more weight. People believe other people more than they do businesses.
How do I get Testimonials from my clients?
Chances are, you already have some laying around the office. If you do, I recommend calling the client and thanking them again for their kind words and then ask them if it would be OK for you to post it on your web site. I strongly recommend that you contact the writer and ask for their permission to post it on your site. This gives you another chance to thank them for their kind words and receive permission to share.
How to get some more testimonials? The answer is easy. You ask.
While some of us feel uncomfortable asking people to endorse us, it is a widely accepted practice in the business world. When I was encouraged to begin doing this years ago by my brilliant wife, I was reluctant. Get over it. I did and I’ve had great results ~:-)
Ask for Testimonials on your site
Another way is to offer a feedback form on your web site. You can ask direct questions on your site and take the pieces for testimonials. For ideas you can go to our web site omOriginals.com and go to the contact section and look for our Feedback Form. And if you feel up to it you can leave us some feedback, we’d really appreciate it. As a bonus, we link to the web sites of clients in their testimonials.
How should I put Testimonials on my site?
After you have 4+ testimonials in hand it is time to get to work. It is good to have a page dedicated to testimonials, but over the years I’ve learned (from viewing lots of web stats) this page is often overlooked.
Tip: Place a single testimonial on your most popular pages. For some extra geek points you can have your web site randomly display different testimonials throughout your site. I’ve found that a single testimonial will more often get read and THEN people will click through to the testimonials page to read more. I’ve had numerous clients say, “I read your testimonials”. When I ask which one, they often say, “all of them! “
Do people trust online Testimonials?
According to the latest Nielsen Global Online Consumer Survey of over 25,000 Internet consumers. Ninety percent or consumers surveyed noted that they trust recommendations from people they know (offline), while 70 percent trusted consumer opinions of strangers posted online.
We are all in this game together. I’d love for you to share your thoughts and experiences with testimonials on our web site.
omOriginals Marketing in Longview, WA. handles hundreds of local and national accounts, we are ready to help with any questions relating to anything marketing: web, design and planning. We are available at (360)575-9839 or online www.omOriginals.com
Cowltiz Car Service – New Website!
Cowlitz Car Service provides Luxury Rides for competitive prices! The 2012 Audi ASL is so comfortable with its smooth ride, leather seats, and reclining back seats. Arrive to your next business, sporting, or social event in style. Take your spouse on date night to dinner and a movie and don’t worry about parking. The second luxury vehicle is the 2012 Cadillac Escalade ESV is roomy, comfortable, and grandiose. Take a long or short trip, the Cadillac Escalade ESV sits 6 people comfortably, has huge cargo space, and video entertainment for those long trips. Visiting the city, going out with friends, or going to the airport; this luxury SUV will have you at the utmost comfort the whole way. Call them and choose which Luxury ride you would like 360.747.2200 or visit their Facebook or Website to check out pictures and learn about their promotions.
Visit them on Facebook!
omOriginals Marketing! of Longview, WA, is proud to help promote great companies and services with refreshingly different; web design, eMail marketing, Facebook, Google, workshops & good old fashioned graphic design. We invite you to call upon us, we are here to help. :-)
Google +1 and why you need it
Thanks for tuning into another edition of Geek Speak. This summer I shared with you about Google’s answer to Facebook. Google Plus One (+1).
There has been a fair amount of hype with Google’s new social efforts. Fast forward to today “Is Facebook dead, yet?”
No, not at all. My Facebook connections and interactions continue to grow like crazy. ~:-) But today I want to discuss my favorite feature of Google Plus One. To save ink I’m going to refer to it as simple +1 button.
Here it is. The +1 button.
You might say, “So what? It looks like a Facebook “like” button to me.” My first reaction was, “I wonder if the +1 affect search results. That would be awesome!”
<<Remember I’m a marketing geek…
Fortunately, I was correct. Search results are now personalized based on the likes of those in your Circles. Circles are similar to friends on Facebook. As a marketer, this really changes the game.
In the past, there was one Google and one set of search results (at least for this article). Now the social aspect is shaking it all up. Rest assured search results are still based on Google’s proprietary algorithms, they aren’t thrown out the window(or chrome), they now just have a social component. Sites with more +1s will appear to be more relevant and thus ranked higher.
Google appears to be personalizing the search results on the micro and macro level. Meaning if you are logged into your +1 and you do a search, Google will give sites higher rankings if people in your circles (your connections) have +1’ed those sites. Additional on the macro level, the +1s of people outside of your circle are changing your search results as well. I suspect that when I search, my results are personalized by my connections AND by others on Google(outside of my circles).
Is this making your brain hurt yet?
The bottom line is this. Google has a new Plus One button and you want it on your website so you will have better search rankings. Savvy professionals can get the code for their websites @
www.google.com/intl/en/webmasters/+1/button/
Need help with integration? omOriginals Marketing! can help with any site regardless of who developed it. Isn’t it nice to know a geek?! Call us local geeks at 575-9839
Want to try a button? You should first get an account with Google. If you don’t have one you can get signed up (it is free). http://www.google.com/+
I invite you to read the intro article that I wrote in my August 2011 BLOG post.
Time to start clicking.
You can see examples of +1 on omOrginals.com and on ValleyBugler.com.
You’ll see that we’ve placed the button on each individual page. This allows visitors to “vote” for individual pages. If you appreciate this article, I’d appreciate your +1.
Beautiful Skin Website
We are proud to launch the Beautiful Skin Website for Oscar & Michelle of omOriginals Marketing!
This site was created to share Nerium AD, with its amazing age-defying ingredients derived from the oleander plant. Clinical results have shown dramatic reduction in appearance of wrinkles.
Nerium International offers an exciting Home based small business opportunity. To learn more please visit BeautifulSkinWebsite.com
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