Marketing Essentials: Websites and Internet Marketing

Websites & Internet Marketing

Derek Strangle, Manager Web ProductsErik Norwood, Creative Director

Company Confidential Vistaprint © 2011

Erik NorwoodCreative Director

Derek StangleProduct Marketing Manager


So, why do we need internet marketing?


Because Your Customers Are Looking For You!97% of consumers search online for local goods and services

Creating a consistent brand image that matches your storefront to your website

Professional looking website and mobile site help create a positive first impression

Bridge the gap between online and offline, and drive local customers directly to your storefront

Storefront

Mobile Site

Website

Establish an authentic, professional & consistent brand both Online and In-Store


Digital Marketing’s Shift Towards Local20% of all Google searches are related to local

Today’s Growing Trend• Local search, or geographically

constrained searches, are becoming more popular

Establish An Online Presence• Populate company profile and utilize

local directories• Get help along the way from free

tools like Vistaprint’s Online Guide

Start By Getting Listed In Major Online Directories• Linking back to your website helps

increase SEO• Create a company profile on popular

directories to link back

Local

Paid


After Getting Online, How Will Customers Find Your Business?!All businesses are striving for that #1 search position

Search Engine Optimized• Content: Generate relevant content (i.e.

blogging)• Links: Link back to your site from other

locations (YouTube, Yelp, Yahoo, etc)• Key Words: Incorporate key words

associated with your product and company

Social Media• Engage your customers with social media

tools• Maintain an active presence across multiple

social platforms

Word of Mouth• Let your customers rant and rave about your

service via online directories like Yelp• Make your content sharable across various

channels

Blogs Key Words

Social Media


Growing Your Business OnlineThere are multiple ways to increase business with online promotional tactics

Daily Deals Social Media CampaignsEmail Marketing


So, you want a website…..


Where should you start?

• Design it

• Create your content


Design it

• The First Impression

Is this site credible?

Is it trustworthy?

Is it professional?

Is this company stable?

Is it welcoming?

Am I in the right place?


Design it

• The Proper use of colors

• “Own” a color or color combination.

• Look to your logo, if you have one, first, for inspiration.

• Stick to a simple, complementary color pallete.

• Make sure to use different colors for very distinct things.

• Use the right colors for your audience

• Pick a color to draw attention to select elements.

• Don’t try to make everything jump out.


Design it

• Create Logical & Clear Navigation

• Make it easy to navigate pages and get back home.

• Don’t make viewers search too hard for the information they need

• Also consider how and where you’ll add to the site in the future.


Design it

• Make your site legible

• Choose a font and a font size that is easy to read

• Choose a font and a font size easily scalable


Design it

• Make an impression with your header or logo

• make sure it’s captivating for your viewer.

• the header and your logo are typically the first part of the site that your viewers see

• make them stick around to see more by creating a good first impression.


Design it

• Use High Quality Graphics & Photos

• High quality graphics and images can only improve the trust factor

• No overused graphics / stock photography

• Use custom graphics and photography

• Use real photos of your staff, products, and services

• An image tells a thousand words


Design it

• Layout

• Make your site pleasant to look at, but also informative

• Not too much copy

• Not too heavy on graphics

• Minimalist approach

• Create a clear navigation

• organize page elements in a grid fashion

• Don’t be afraid of white space and avoid clutter


Design it

• Animations and Gadgets

Avoid anything unnecessary.

• Using Flash animations because they look cool is the wrong strategy.

• In most cases it’s best not to use animated background or background music.

• Only use media and animations to help support content and information.


Home page

Product or Service pages

About Us page

Contact Us page

Create your content

• Offering great content is what your visitors are ultimately after

• Make it useful and useable

• Who you are and what you’re about

Downloadable

Video

Blog


Vistaprint: We are not exempt!


Vistaprint: We are not exempt!


Some Helpful Web Links

Web Color Palette Generatorhttp://www.degraeve.com/color-palette/

Talking To A Designerhttp://www.snibbles.com/what-pages/how-to-talk-to-your-web-designer/

Online Sitemap Creatorhttp://www.makeuseof.com/dir/slickplan-create-visual-sitemap/ Online Wireframe Toolhttp://mockflow.com/desktop/

http://www.degraeve.com/color-palette/

http://www.snibbles.com/what-pages/how-to-talk-to-your-web-designer/

http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/slickplan-create-visual-sitemap/

http://mockflow.com/desktop/