Site Redesign
(Tip #3 FROM Tips Email sent 4/17/14)
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One of the best things about the digital world is that it's not static.  All too often sites are designed and abandoned for years at a time.  Your site may have been the latest and greatest technology and design style of the time but because the internet is a fluid marketing environment changes are rapid.  You wouldn't live with home decor from the 70's or 80's so why would you settle with outdated designs on a site meant to produce trust in your brand and ultimately revenue for your company?  You shouldn't.

Here are a few tips that it's time to update or even dump your old site in favor of a new one.

1. The design doesn't compare well to your competitors or other trendy sites
2. Slow load times
3. Lack luster engagement
4. Outdated code - ask a web designer to evaluate
5. Visitor complaints
6. Poor navigation
7. Broken links and outdated information

This doesn't mean you have to lose everything that your old site worked for it just means that it's probably time for an update.

The upside is the reveal.  Revealing your brand's new website to your target market is most often a positive and will generate activity.  It's an opportunity to announce your new look and bring attention to your products and services.  If you time new campaigns or discount incentives to coincide with your site launch the result will likely bring new business and revive old business.  Good things happen when you are actively promoting your marketing message.

In the end, the optimization and design of your site as well as your marketing strategy is a continuous process.  By testing new features and monitoring customer feedback, your new site will be able to evolve with consumer preferences and remain an integrated part of your marketing plan.

Crigital.com Website Solutions

 Lead Generation Form - Collecting Data

You’ve spent time and invested money to have a great looking website.  Now what?  It’s sitting there and you hope it’s doing something positive for your business.  It probably is but how would you know?  What if it could generate leads?

It all starts with a simple and well-designed lead generation form.  Forms are often overlooked when creating and publishing your website. You might be astonished to find out how many hot leads are wasted because the form on the site isn’t user-friendly or trust building.

You’ve heard it said that the first impression is the most important.  Well, that’s certainly true perhaps now more than ever.  Most users are wary of complex forms requesting more than one or two pieces of personal information.  What you really hope to gain from your web form is a lead to nurture into a contact and later convert to a purchase.  So, keep it simple!

In an age of native advertising where advertiser seek to make advertising seem less intrusive and thereby increasing the likelihood of users interact with it, it’s a great idea to follow the same practice with your online forms.  Think about giving the user something in return for their information.  White papers, digital assets and other valuable give-a-ways increase form activity.

Always follow up quickly with those who take the time to complete your form.  Your form should display a “Your message has been sent” response and an auto-response email should also be sent letting the user know your intended action.  The most important activity is always the lead nurturing.  Don’t waste your efforts and data.  Put in place a procedure to follow up on every lead.

If you would like to create a web form for your website just give us a call.  615.225.8509


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Email Marketing continues to be a viable marketing tactic

Sure, there are more fashionable venues like social media and mobile marketing that garner a lot of attention these days. Some people will claim that such channels are all you really need but that’s rarely the case.  Let’s not forget about the 1 on 1 interaction that is developed through a targeted email campaign.

Outside of a face to face meeting, email still provides you the most direct line of communication for conversation of conversion to sales which is why good marketing strategists most always include email marketing as a channel component of their campaigns.

With an ROI of around 4,300% (according to the Direct Marketing Association), email practically pays for itself and it’s a green marketing tactic which is very popular and responsible.
Bottom line, it’s what you use when you want to move from “conversation to commerce.”

You’ll need to answer a few questions about your email tactics before you get started.
How do I plan to collect email addresses?
How will I organize my data?
What is good email marketing etiquette?
What happens if I send too many emails at once?
Can I use my Outlook to send emails or would I benefit by using a professional service and marketing professional?

Crigital.com provides a very inexpensive and professional method of email delivery that evaluates your email as a marketing tactic, answers all your questions and provides functionality with brand consistency.

• Response tracking to include: opens, clicks, shares, new sign-ups and opt-outs
• mobile-optimized templates
• image & document storage
• surveys, sign up screens & forms
• social sharing & posting
• phone & email support
• sends to your contact list

Call 615.225.8509 to learn more about how Crigital.com can help maximize your email marketing!


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How and Why Do You Use A Hashtag?

Are you still confused on how to use a hashtag?  Let's break it down.  A hashtag is simply the string that ties like topics together on twitter.  Place the (#) sign in front of key phrases spelled out without spaces.  For example, #FreeMarketingTips or #Oscars2014.  By doing this, tweets will appear in the same stream for twitter users who are not otherwise connected and who talk about the same topic using specific hashtags. Are you familiar with the expression "trending"?  This means that popular hashtagged words become trending topics that people are talking about.  This makes it easy to join a live online conversation during conferences, events, or marketing campaigns. Fans of TV shows can tweet about an episode or event such as the Oscars  in real time. The entertainment industry has used this as a marketing tool and regularly encourage fans to tweet using a specific hashtag. They promote the hashtag prior to the event or use the same one on a continual basis so that the audience knows what to search for and to include in their tweets so that tweets  fall under the same keyword or phrase. The hit show The Walking Dead has capitalized on the use of hashtags by actively encouraging fans to tweet. A specific hashtag is advertised during the airing of the episode then on  the "after show" called Talking Dead which airs immediately following The Walking Dead,   the tweets and trending phrases of fans are incorporated into the show's discussion platform. Trending phrases are discussed in detail by the host which allows for real time interaction between fans and the show. 

Because a hashtag is text, you don't need any special tools to create one.  Just decide on the keyword you are targeting, place the pound sign in front of it and you are ready to go.

5 Things To Consider

1.  Don't steal hashtags on sensitive subject matter.  Promoting your brand using trending hashtags of disasters, war, tragedies, or deaths will be met with disapproval and lead to bad consequences. Don't insert yourself into these trending conversations.  It's just bad business and will make you very unpopular.

2. Incorporate hashtags into other marketing channels.  A hashtag is only useful if people know about it.  Add the hashtag to marketing collateral for a special event, share on a website landing page and on social media.  Get the word out so that your marketing campaign will be more successful. For example, if you are holding a webinar, promote the hashtag during sign up, email reminders and again at the start of the webinar.

3. Consider other ways people could interact with your hashtag.  Choose words wisely and anticipate negative responses. If you ask for people to share stories of their experiences be prepared for negative tweets in addition to positive ones.  Don't open a can of worms that can't be shut.  Think before you tweet.

4. Visit Search.Twitter.com and enter your chosen keyword or phrase into the search box.  If someone else is already using that particular hashtag then you might want to reconsider your decision.  This could cause confusion and water down the topic you are trying to share. Mixed tweets about two different things will yield bad results.

5. Remember "Short and Sweet" is always better and easier to remember. Keep tweets including hashtags brief because Twitter only allows up to 140 characters per tweet.

What Is Retargeting and How Does It Work?

Retargeting, or remarketing as it is sometimes referred to is a trend that may become more mainstream in 2014.  You won't find the term in the dictionary but if you have been online or on a social network lately you can bet that you have experienced it. Retargeting is a form of online advertising that can help keep your brand in front of bounced traffic even after they have left your website.  That's right, you get a second chance to convert to a sell. 

Typically there is only a 2% conversion rate for first time viewers of your website so 98% of users who leave your site are lost.  So how does retargeting work?  Retargeting utilizes browser cookies to track websites that users visit.  Once they leave a site, the products or services they viewed will be shown to them again in advertisements across different websites. 

Eureka!  So that is how after you view a particular product or service you start seeing it again and again on social media sites and other websites that you view. Even if there is no immediate purchase this type of advertising can really pay off. Familiarity to a brand builds trust and psychological studies have shown that multiple exposure to a logo or brand name motivates the action to make a purchase. However, the best chance for success is using one or more tools in conjunction with inbound and outbound marketing strategies.

Visualization is key so it is recommended using a professionally designed ad for all of your online advertisements.  Having a well designed website is also key to promoting trust and brand consistency. So this year think about adding retargeting to your marketing plan because everyone deserves a second chance.

Marketing Solution - A game of connect the dots!

The marketing technology and vendor landscape is colossal. Because there are so many options from which to choose, it’s truly impossible for a would be marketer, like yourself, to decide what combination choices are the best to accomplish your intended results. And what’s more, new alternatives continue to dot the landscape at such a phenomenal rate that the thought of making marketing decisions leaves you feeling lost and confused in an overcrowded game of connect the dots.

Wheather you choose to use Crigital.com as you marketing partner or another quality marketing vendor, we hope that the information in this publication will help you realize a more successful marketing future. Read more>>>

Choosing A Website Developer

The following tutorial is an easy to follow guideline to ensure you find the web design company that is right for you.

Take a moment to consider what purpose your website will serve.  In other words, what marketing objective or set of objectives does the website address that are specific to your marketing plan?  Do you want to sell your products and services online?  Do you want to collect data?  Or perhaps you want to generate donations, interest in a cause, promote upcoming events and so on.  These factors will be important in determining the best solution.

Questions you should ask yourself

These critical questions are important to consider prior to the creation of your new website.

How often will the content on the site be updated?

Beyond the static company information that needs to be added initially, how often will you be adding fresh content? This can include blog posts, articles, videos, product pages, etc.

Who owns the website and domain name upon completion?

This is a very important question because a lot of popular website companies will provide an inexpensive monthly cost but they own the code and the domain.  This is important because if you should decide to move your site or make certain changes you are at their mercy and could even lose your website.

Do you build the site or do I?

Some companies advertise a low rate and then hit you with additional cost to provide the design and publish your site. Unless you are a professional designer and familiar with html, css, java, php and other languages you SHOULD NOT build your own site.  Simply put, it is a waste of time and money.

Do you intend to generate leads from the site?

Do you intend to sell products/services and collect payments directly from your website?

Do you want to maintain the site internally, or work with a vendor who provides monthly maintenance?

Just remember one thing.  There are plenty of companies that will take your money without concern for the success of your company.  At Crigital.com we want you to succeed and everything we do, including website development, adheres to that mantra.