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Fancy vs Functional Sites for Business

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A web designer and web marketer are two different jobs.

One job involves creating a unique branded experience that makes the client look great online. While the other is responsible for taking that wonderful looking site and making it work as a marketing tool.

I’ve seen some amazing looking sites that do absolutely nothing for the client.

That’s because the sizzle of a sexy site has an instant appeal to folks who don’t know any better.

An analogy I often make is that if you put a lawnmower engine in a Ferarri, it may look good, but it just won’t cut it – literally and metaphorically.

Let me be clear – a great web designer is an amazing resource, and everyone should be lucky enough to have access to at least one.

But problems arise when a business, assumes that a web designer is also a great marketing resource.

If you are looking to save money on your site by hiring a designer – without a marketing person to assist with the functionality – find out:

  • What they know about search engine optimization
  • Will they do keyword research to help you create quality content Google will love?
  • Do they take care of proper page title tags and descriptions?
  • Will they set up your Google Analytics?
  • Will they create a proper site map and make sure you have an webmasters account with Google and Bing?
  • Are they including privacy statements and copyrights?
  • Are they blocking your content with a flash/splash pages?
  • Will they create a mobile version that works with iOS, Blackberry and Android devices?
  • Will they help you connect your RSS feeds to automatically update your various social media accounts?

All of these are important factors in building a successful online brand. Don’t get suckered into fancy, when functional is what you really need to market yourself more effectively and drive sales.

Some completely attainable goals for 2011

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Whether you do it yourself or hire someone else, here are ten completely attainable marketing goals for 2011 that will help you take your business to the next level.

  • Take a look at your site from the viewpoint of a visitor. What is it you’re offering them? That’s the reason they are there and that’s the only reason they will hire you.
  • Invest in a bit of SEO (Search Engine Optimization). How much is your time worth? Should you really be the one looking for keywords and trying to figure out how to get a better placement on Google?
  • Install Analytics on your site. Find out how many folks are actually coming and set a realistic goal for improvement.
  • If you have videos, create a custom YouTube Channel. How many folks come to your site compared to YouTube? Build the channel bring your content to a whole new audience.
  • Link all your social media together. Whenever you send out a newsletter, publish a blog post or update your status – let it show up everywhere automatically.
  • Create a podcast and update it once a month. You’re a speaker. Speak.
  • Try a webcast.
  • Look into POD (print on demand) services that will get your books onto Amazon sites across the world.
  • Turn your books into ebooks through Smashwords.com. They now provide content for the Amazon Kindle, Sony e-reader and Barnes and Noble Nook.

These are all perfectly reasonable goals to get you charged up for success in the new year.

As I said, you can do all this yourself. But it makes much more sense to have a professional do the job. Click here and see what I can do for you.

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Real Estate Marketing for Agents & Brokers

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real estate website marketingThe condo market in Toronto is highly competitive with realtors and agents tripping over themselves to get clients.

Your clients are young professionals who live their lives on the internet. So that’s where you need to be if you want to grow your business.

A static website that doesn’t display properly on mobile devices, isn’t properly integrated into social media and lacks the basic functionality to engage and grow your list is a complete waste of your time.

The goal for the best condo or real estate websites is to increase targeted traffic, engage existing clients, and propagate content across social networks by making it easy for visitors to share your site within their social networks. The result is a professional sales funnel that drives more business via the internet.

Real Estate Marketing Strategy

At Short Circuit Media we create and execute marketing plans for small business that leverage the latest internet technology with social media integration to increase engagement – while developing an ongoing Search Engine Optimization plan to get your business ranking organically on Google.

Site Functionality

  • Attractive slider function to display new listings
  • Out-of-the-box Search Engine Friendly
  • Connected to your Google Analytics, Webmasters and Local listings.
  • Property Listings page tied to update social media via RSS
  • Responsive template that works with mobile devices
  • Email Alerts for visitors to get notifications whenever a new property is listed
  • Search functions
  • Social Media Share Buttons
  • Videos Page (If YouTube Channel exists)
  • Newsletter Signup (if required)
  • Twitter Feed
  • Deep integration with Linkedin profiles

Search Engine Optimization

  • Keyword research
  • New site copy developed
  • Sitemaps, Privacy statements, RSS feeds
  • Setup Google Webmasters Accounts
  • Search Engine submissions
  • Installation of Google Analytics

Social Media

It’s not enough to post content to your site. You must make it easy for clients to share across their social networks – specifically LinkedIn and Facebook.

As part of the social media optimization process, we’ll make sure that every page on your site has social sharing buttons for Twitter, Linkedin and Facebook.

  • Branded Linkedin Company page
  • Branded Facebook Fan Page
  • Branded Twitter account
  • Branded YouTube Channel
  • Connected RSS feeds from property listings to automatically update social media.

Complete Internet Marketing Strategy and Implementation Summary

This program is a turnkey solution that will completely rebrand and streamline your online presence, while also giving you the scalability of a WordPress site. The advantage to this is that you will have a site that is completely integrated into social media and optimized for search engines.

What are you waiting for?

Book a one hour marketing consulting session

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What you get

  • Full analysis of your current internet marketing and social media prior to our discussion
  • One hour chat about how to market yourself more effectively using proven strategies, web design tips, search engine optimization and social media.
  • A summary document with links to the tools and resources we discuss during our conversation
  • An MP3 recording of the call for you to refer back to at any point
  • 25% off the DIY Marketing Course for Speakers, Trainers and Consultants

If you decide to use Short Circuit Media to implement anything we talk about, or want to proceed with the one on one coaching program, I’ll subtract this consulting fee from the cost of any work we do. Why? Because it’s fair.

Book your one hour marketing consultation online

This one hour consultation will change the way you market your business by showing you how to get your message and services in front of the people most likely to hire you! The cost for a single session is $250USD. If you need more than one session, each additional session is only $149USD.

BOOK YOUR SESSION ONLINE NOW

Social media and internet marketing services

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With over 12 years experience in social media and internet marketing, Short Circuit Media will help you grow your business with integrated marketing strategies to bring more qualified leads to your site, and help you move those visitors into the sales funnel.

We have options to fit into virtually any budget. Here are the big six. And if there is something else you’re looking for…just ask.

Marketing and Coaching Services for Consultants, Speakers and Trainers

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BOOK A 30 MINUTE EXPLORATORY CALL

Why wouldn’t you work with a marketing firm with over 10 years experience helping Consultants, Speakers and Trainers succeed?

Prospecting clients is hard enough without having to take care of your own marketing.

If you are a professional speaker, trainer or consultant struggling to master marketing, you are probably wasting time that could be better used prospecting and qualifying clients.

Short Circuit Media works with speakers, trainers and consultants who are too busy to do their own marketing, need more strategy than a VA brings to the table, and don’t want to add a full time marketing person to the team.


There are a million different companies swimming in the same pool offering virtually identical services.  So the key is not look for the best – most are pretty good – but rather the agency that works best for you. If you are a speaker, trainer or consultant we may just be the agency you’re looking for!

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Here‘s how we’ll work to grow your business

UNDERSTAND


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STRATEGIZE


marketing-strategy

EXECUTE


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SUPPORT


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We take the time to fully understand  your business model. What is it you do? Who are your clients? Why are they going to give you a big fat check for speaking at their event or training their people?

These are important questions that you need to know. And if you don’t know them, that’s where we’re going to start. By helping you define your message and align it to an audience, we will make you successful.

From there we’ll present you with a number of strategies that will help get you in front of the decision-makers. This may include a:

  • Website makeover
  • Social Media Integration
  • blog writing, newsletters, podcasting
  • Targeted advertising on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook
  • Content development

You get the point…

Here’s where the fun begins. After we tell you what needs to be done, we’ll do the hard work for you!

We implement the strategies we’ve come up for you; taking care of the technology and arranging the resources to make what we’ve discussed happen.

Simple as that.

For many clients, this is when the relationship takes off.

Once we have a marketing plan implemented, you can choose to take on the challenge of keeping it going yourself, use your existing staff or you can retain us as your very own marketing department; composing and deploying eblasts, writing blogs, sending out newsletters, producing podcasts and assisting in product development, while helping you create and implement new strategies to make your speaking, consulting or training business grow.

Speak to us today

Partial client list

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Speak to us today

Social Media Strategy & Internet Marketing for Business

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Short Circuit Media helps small business, consultants and professional speakers make more money by using social media (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter) to create brand awareness, while streamlining online marketing efforts to attract more visitors and convert more sales.

We don’t just tell you what needs to be done. We do it.

dreamstime_xxl_34981713When was the last time you looked in a phone book, checked out the classifieds in the local newspaper, or actioned a piece of junk mail?

Whether you are B2B or B2C, your clients go to the internet first. And that’s why social media strategy and a proper internet marketing plan are the keys to growing your business.

The internet is competitive. And if you’re not keeping up with social media strategies, you can be sure your competitors are.

If you’re a professional speaker, author or consultant, click here for specific information related to your business, and find out how I’ve used social media and internet marketing to help speakers like Kurt Shaver, John Von Achen, Jim Clemmer and Rhonda Scharf.

We can help you if you are looking for information and services related to:

  • Social media strategy (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter)
  • Developing and implementing an internet marketing plan
  • Creative way to market your business online
  • Website development and email newsletter management
  • Search Engine Optimization and marketing