The housing market, combined with the recent tax incentive, has created a new target audience for Realtors and Loan Officers. The need for a sales and marketing plan to address education, building relationships, and communication will generate increased business for the Loan Officer and Realtor to provide assistance to first time home buyer.
The housing downturn has created significant demand for homeownership, especially among first-time home buyers (FTHB), according to a survey on Realtor.com. That is great news for the real estate market, but there are some significant challenges that Realtors and Mortgage Professionals will face.
First challenge: Looming Deadline with NO PLAN
November 30th, 2009 is the date the tax credit goes away. That's 5 months from the day this article was written, which seems like a long time but the reality is that it will be here before we know it. Those who plan on taking advantage of this opportunity need to have a well thought out, fool-proof plan to execute. The sad reality is that people have been/were so busy with refinance business that they didn't have time to build a plan. Others are starving for direction and want a plan but don't have the "know-how" to build one. A strategic sales and marketing plan includes tactics that keep your plan within the necessary timeline.
Second challenge: Weak Relationships
FTHBs are tricky and require a strong relationship and good communication between the Realtor and Loan Officer. As a result of the recent low interest rate environment or "mini refi-boom, mortgage companies focused much of their efforts and time on capturing the refinance opportunities, not building relationships with Realtors. The result: many Realtors were left unattended. Relationship marketing tactics are needed to generate a successful partnership to meet this challenge.
Third challenge: Weak Value Propositions
Everyone knows that Loan Officers need to partner with Realtors but the question is , "why would they partner with you?" Good service and low rates are overused clichs and don't differentiate. Relationships are great, but at the end of the day the relationship needs to lead to "value creation" for both parties for it to be sustainable. A sales marketing plan will outline the strategy needed to create value for the Loan Officer and Realtor.
Fourth challenge: Education Gap
The Obama administration is hoping that a recently enacted tax credit can generate housing demand and help mop up the existing unsold inventory. But according to a survey by Move, Inc.--which operates Realtor.com--nearly half (47%) of home buyers don't even know the tax credit exists! A marketing communication plan is needed to target the first time home buyer educating them about this tax incentive.
Fifth challenge: Fear in the Marketplace
-52% of Americans are concerned that they or someone they know will face foreclosure in the next six to 12 months.
-18.9% (one out of five) of homeowners plan to take advantage of the administration's new program to help prevent foreclosures.
-21% of all homeowners with a mortgage contacted a lender to restructure their loan in the last 12 months.
-Half (10.6%) of those homeowners that contacted their lender experienced success while 5% still await an answer.
-27.1% of adults believe that they or someone they know may default on their mortgage because of unemployment or because they owe more on their home than it's worth.
I won't even begin to mention the media's contribution to this fear. The reality is that people are scared and need guidance. The question is , "who will they trust?" They will trust those whom they have a strong relationship with and/or those who have unshakeable credibility. To meet this challenge create a marketing plan that brands you as experienced in your field and a knowledgeable professional that can be trusted.
The good news in all of this is that there is a ton of opportunity out there. Take a look at the statistics of when Americans are planning on buying:
-23% of all adults plan to purchase a home in the next five years
-5.8% within next 12 months,
-12.8% within the next two years
Here is the opportunity -
First-time Home Buyers make up over half (53.5%) of the market, and the government is offering them an ,000 tax credit to purchase a house. But here's the kicker: 47.6% of Americans don't know about the tax credit! That's almost half the American population! What this means to you is that a lot of people want to buy a home in the next 12 months and most of them are FTHBs who aren't even aware of a huge incentive (,000 tax credit).
Okay, so now you see the opportunity, and the question that should be going through your mind is, "how do I maximize this opportunity given the challenges outlined above?" Great question!
This is a great opportunity and the Million Dollar Challenge was created to assist Mortgage Professionals and Realtors to take advantage of it. The Million Dollar Challenge is a call to action and a business plan example to help First Time Home Buyers receive ,000,000 in tax credits.
Monday, June 11, 2012
Sunday, June 10, 2012
2011 Toyota Sienna's Recalled Over Brake Light Problems
Toyota has fought the recall bug quite a bit in the past year, and it appears a new problem has come to light. The high-profile automaker is recalling approximately 94,000 2011 Toyota Sienna's because of a potentially severe issue involving the brake light switch bracket near the parking brake pedal. All of the vehicles incorporated in this Sienna recall were produced before November of this year. Toyota has had enough recalls to require them to take out an enormous payday loan to fix the problems.
Toyota stomps on the Sienna recall
Because of the position of the brake light switch bracket to the parking brake pedal, the Sienna recall had to take place, states Toyota. The brake switch light may malfunction and bend when the parking brake comes into physical contact with it when fully deployed. Toyota described that the brakes could become engaged due to the warped bracket if the damage is sufficient as the brake lights sometimes stay on even if the brakes are not going. Then brake drag can occur, which can eventually impair overall braking performance.
At this time, Toyota has stated that the business isn't aware of any accidents or injuries that have resulted from the brake light switch bracket problem, although the potential for impaired braking could effortlessly cause such trouble, given time.
Getting in contact with 2011 Toyota Sienna users
Any Toyota Sienna drivers will get first class postal mail sent to them as notification. The middle of January, 2011, is when Toyota plans to start sending this mail. Instructions for how Sienna drivers ought to proceed can be included within the letter. The recall section of Toyota's website may also have this information on it.
By late February, Sienna owners facing recall could be contacted again via first-class mail with data concerning replacement parts for the brake light switching bracket. Also, Sienna owners can be expected to go to the nearest Toyota dealer for an installation appointment. Users won't be charged for the service done to their car. Thinking about the parking brake position, a new switching bracket could be installed.
Toyota taking questions
For those who have any kind of questions about the Sienna recall and are a 2011 Toyota Sienna owners, then visit www.Toyota.com/recall or call the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 800-331-4331.
Articles cited
PR Newswire
prnewswire.com/news-releases/toyota-announces-voluntary-recall-of-certain-2011-sienna-vehicles-to-replace-stop-lamp-switch-bracket-111791049.html
Toyota stomps on the Sienna recall
Because of the position of the brake light switch bracket to the parking brake pedal, the Sienna recall had to take place, states Toyota. The brake switch light may malfunction and bend when the parking brake comes into physical contact with it when fully deployed. Toyota described that the brakes could become engaged due to the warped bracket if the damage is sufficient as the brake lights sometimes stay on even if the brakes are not going. Then brake drag can occur, which can eventually impair overall braking performance.
At this time, Toyota has stated that the business isn't aware of any accidents or injuries that have resulted from the brake light switch bracket problem, although the potential for impaired braking could effortlessly cause such trouble, given time.
Getting in contact with 2011 Toyota Sienna users
Any Toyota Sienna drivers will get first class postal mail sent to them as notification. The middle of January, 2011, is when Toyota plans to start sending this mail. Instructions for how Sienna drivers ought to proceed can be included within the letter. The recall section of Toyota's website may also have this information on it.
By late February, Sienna owners facing recall could be contacted again via first-class mail with data concerning replacement parts for the brake light switching bracket. Also, Sienna owners can be expected to go to the nearest Toyota dealer for an installation appointment. Users won't be charged for the service done to their car. Thinking about the parking brake position, a new switching bracket could be installed.
Toyota taking questions
For those who have any kind of questions about the Sienna recall and are a 2011 Toyota Sienna owners, then visit www.Toyota.com/recall or call the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 800-331-4331.
Articles cited
PR Newswire
prnewswire.com/news-releases/toyota-announces-voluntary-recall-of-certain-2011-sienna-vehicles-to-replace-stop-lamp-switch-bracket-111791049.html
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PROVAB is a promising offshore IT service provider based in Bangalore, India. Our strategies help in pursuing emerging opportunities in providing end-to-end IT solutions and services through onsite, offshore and outsourcing methods. PROVAB proficiency guarantees quality, competent and rapid execution of any projects - from small websites to complex ecommerce software and custom solution programming.
PROVAB experts deliver unsurpassed business value to customers through a combination of process excellence, quality frameworks and service delivery innovation with latest version of technologies. Our professional designers, developers and managers are committed to services, and best quality work. Our SERVICES include Web Application Development, Website Designing, E-commerce Solutions, Web Portal Development, Search Engine Optimization, Content management system, website promotion, travel portal development, real estate portal development etc.
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PROVAB is one such organization which offers a comprehensive list of services to meet all the designing factors including custom website designing, bespoke corporate designs, dynamic web designing, content management system, website template design, flash designs.
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With the right Search Engine Optimization and Marketing (SEO/SEM) plan, we reach to the top of each search engine.Our services cover the complete lifecycle of SEO/SEM that includes: site analysis, on-page optimization, off-page optimization, link building, SMO, PPC etc.
We consign to work with clients and determine the most effective means of achieving maximum benefit through the appropriate combination of the technologies. Our expert technical support staff has in-depth knowledge and experience in software products and tools to maximize system efficiency. You can view our Portfolio as we delivers quality web designs to customers across the globe.
PROVAB experts deliver unsurpassed business value to customers through a combination of process excellence, quality frameworks and service delivery innovation with latest version of technologies. Our professional designers, developers and managers are committed to services, and best quality work. Our SERVICES include Web Application Development, Website Designing, E-commerce Solutions, Web Portal Development, Search Engine Optimization, Content management system, website promotion, travel portal development, real estate portal development etc.
We provide the following services to USA, UK, Australia, London, Paris, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, San Diego, Seattle, Washington, Argentina, Austria, Canada, Egypt, France, Great Britain, Greece, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE.
Website Design and CMS
PROVAB is one such organization which offers a comprehensive list of services to meet all the designing factors including custom website designing, bespoke corporate designs, dynamic web designing, content management system, website template design, flash designs.
Application Development
Our organization provides Web application development focusing on quality, application design, development and programming with implementation of latest technology in different industry verticals. PROVAB offer widest range of web application development services like custom application development, product development, E-learning solutions, Intranet development and application maintenance.
Portal Development
PROVAB deliver portal development services for pioneering knowledge & use them effectively to enhance user features. We design and develop multi dimensional web portals including web portals, B2B portals, B2C portals, travel portals, real estate portal development and social networking portals and our services include offshore portal development, portal maintenance and designing.
SEO & SEM Solutions
With the right Search Engine Optimization and Marketing (SEO/SEM) plan, we reach to the top of each search engine.Our services cover the complete lifecycle of SEO/SEM that includes: site analysis, on-page optimization, off-page optimization, link building, SMO, PPC etc.
We consign to work with clients and determine the most effective means of achieving maximum benefit through the appropriate combination of the technologies. Our expert technical support staff has in-depth knowledge and experience in software products and tools to maximize system efficiency. You can view our Portfolio as we delivers quality web designs to customers across the globe.
Friday, June 8, 2012
The Top 10 Small Business Web Design Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
You're probably aware that Google gets over 600,000 daily searches for local services and that's likely leaving you wondering, "Where the heck are yours?" And if you're like most small business owners, you probably currently have a website but aren't satisfied with those traffic and leads generated. You might know you need to do something to increase you internet presence and reach more clients online and you're just trying to get from point A where you have little traffic and even less leads and create a simple-to-use site that Google and people love.
But it's not that simple, is it? Well today, we're going to make it a little bit easier and show you the top 10 small business web design mistakes and again how to avoid them.
The first one is hiring a web designer. The art and science of online marketing are very different when we look at aesthetics versus functionality and when you hire a web designer, search and usability are often lacking.
That just means that you can end up with a nice-looking hotel in the middle of the desert. By that, I mean most designers that go to design school and have that type of background are very good at aesthetics and looks and creativity but not so much in the science of finding the right keywords and doing the right things to make your sites search engine-friendly and ultimately a valuable tool for lead generation.
The second mistake is not implementing SEO basics and by that, we mean page titles which is using the most popular keywords on the title of every page on your site, ensuring that you incorporate those keywords and important places on your site meaning your articles, blogs, your service pages and everywhere in your site where you want to attract people. You need to use those keywords. And the last thing is just backlinks. Even though that's not a design element per se, I would like to sneak that in there because it's so important to list your business in the right places to get found by your clients.
The third mistake is not using a CMS or content management system and they're very - a handful of very effective ones being WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, are the most popular and they allow you to easily manage content yourself with little or no technical knowledge.
We only use and recommend WordPress and it's important to have a CMS there folks because lack of ability to access or log into your site is a reason why most small business owners don't have a successful site because they're disconnected from the site.
The fourth mistake that we see a lot is just failing to add content. Again, this ties into not having a friendly site or not seeing that it's important enough or making a priority out of adding content on a regular basis; and the result of this is that most websites are online brochures, just static, boring text information about you instead of about the needs of your clients. And we believe you should blog at lease once a week and you should address the needs of your audience, not yourself. Contrary to popular belief, outsourcing is better than not publishing at all because if the result is that you have four new blog posts a month that aren't ideal, at least if they're high quality, you're adding content that's going to attract search engines and people to your site which is the whole point. So doing this bears huge traffic and reputation benefits and it's important to add content frequently.
The fifth mistake we see is omitting local address information and what we mean by that is Google Places and other directories validate this. They look at your website and they try to match your online listings with your site itself to see if you're legitimate and you have to have your physical location and address entered the right way in your site and it should match those other searches, other sites where people are doing searches rather.
A lot of people don't know this but mobile search use is growing over 400 percent each year. So if you can imagine how important it is considering that you're a local business to show up when people are doing local mobile searches, you have to have that local information on your site. Doing this also builds trust and confidence with clients. They feel more comfortable if you're seen as a person of authority and you have local information everywhere on your site. The last thing you need to do is just make sure you list your address on the header or footer of every page; not just on your Contact Us page but list out local information on every page.
The sixth mistake we see is forgetting a strong call to action. So, this tells visitors what the next step is and how. So in a lot of sites, you will see a lot of great information but then a visitor just leaves and they go to another site when they finally make a purchase or engage a doctor or lawyer or dentist like yourself because you were not providing a clear path in telling them what to do next. You need to make it easy for clients to contact you.
So by using lead forms in multiple places on every page and even a traffic magnet like an ebook, a video or tip sheet, you're really making it easy to contact you. A lot of clients don't feel comfortable using contact forms or large phone numbers but you have to do that because if you think about your website as a filter and you're getting probably several thousand - for the average small business owner, 12,000, 15,000, 20,000 visitors a year coming to your site and it's all about how many of those are sticking and actually contacting you and becoming leads.
So if you do something like write an ebook or a quick video or even a tip sheet that they have to enter their name, phone number or email address to download, you're going to have a lot better results by using a traffic magnet.
Number seven is failing to engage clients. So really what this boils down to is that text is dead. Online attention span of people is about 15 seconds and we like to say at AttentionVideo.com that a picture is worth a thousand words but a video is worth a thousand clients. So you can imagine that a video would probably increase a time on website. It usually does but more importantly, it allows clients to get to know you right away.
So instead of looking at some boring text that they're going to glance at and they go to the next provider online, they're going to get to know you and get a feel for your style and see you as a provider of good services and authority in your area. You can almost use the internet as a virtual sales force, qualifying people instead of just have them come to a boring site and leave.
The eighth mistake we see is not tracking the results. Most business owners say they're just too busy to do this, which goes back to the e-myth and the popular (business management) books out there. They will tell you that you're in the business of marketing and selling products and services, not just providing them so you must track your search rankings, how many people are coming to your site, those of your visits and then the leads and clients in order to improve results. And considering that Google Analytics is free and easy to use, there's really not an excuse to not do this because you're probably wasting money each and every week or month by not tracking which of your expenditures are not producing a positive return on investment and cutting those out and it's important to test various methods and eliminate the lame ducks out there. That's the best way to get traction to your marketing is to test everything and throw out the underperformers. OK?
The ninth mistake is missing trust and social icons. So people place great value on reviews and peer validation meaning if you are going to order a pizza or get LASIK surgery or going on vacation at a lodge in Costa Rica, you're probably going to use Yelp!, Facebook and other review sites to evaluate your decisions, so everything from Amazon.com to restaurants to senior care and Caring.com. You're going to use reviews to place - as a form of wading out your potential options. It's really important to use social icons. They also build trust out there and finally with other elements like Better Business Bureau or trade association logos. These things all build trust with your market and show them that you're a trusted authority out there.
And the tenth and final mistake is using vanity domains. So when I say vanity domains, I mean just your name dot com and the truth is that Google and people value keyword-rich domains. So as I said, having a website like ClevelandBankruptcy.com would be much more effective than SteveJankinsLaw.com especially if you want a bankruptcy lawyer. So many names are still available. Use dot com and dot net only and it's important to do this because you're going to, again, show people that your website has the content they're looking for. They will get to know your name later. Branding is for large organizations but if your name is not Coca-Cola, you're better off going with a keyword-rich domain.
OK. The last thing I want to cover is questions to ask an online marketing firm. This is really important because now we've established that you have to have a CMS like WordPress. You have to deal with a firm that can help you market your site and design it with an eye for conversion and performance. We need to ask a couple of questions of these firms, prospective firms to see if they're a good fit for you.
The first thing is samples of work in your industry. Ask for references. If I'm a dentist in Chicago, I want to say, "Show me other dentist sites you've done and how they're ranking on Google." So example of client search results, "Dallas Mexican restaurant". As long as I'm not a chiropractor, that should be pretty impressive if a firm can produce those results and show them and demonstrate them to me.
And finally - not finally, but again is the site built on WordPress or some other CMS? It's so important to use a CMS because the next question is, "Can you log in and manage content?" and yourself updating and adding photos or blogs, et cetera.
If you think that someone is just going to design you a site that's going to work magic for you, you're mistaken. You have to have a vested interest and ownership of your marketing and quite frankly, be passionate about it because you're not going to invest the time required to master marketing and part of that is whoever you work with to help design and market your site, "Is there training and support provided?" Is it a one-time deliverable or are you going to establish a relationship with these folks? And if you know how to measure and evaluate return on investment, you should be willing to do that because a website is a living organism that needs to constantly be tweaked and improved and nurtured in order to produce the results that you want. Like anything good in life, it takes work, right?
And finally, are there any ongoing hosting or maintenance fees? That's really something that a lot of - especially dealing with a lot of attorneys, I see a lot of attorneys get burned with really high maintenance fees, 0, 0 or 00 or more dollars just for maintenance which there's no active marketing or advertising going on.
So really ask those questions. Take time to read the agreements and one more thing I wanted to bring up is just that to ask, "Do you own the domain and website properties?" because a lot of website companies have a leasing model because they're just trying to get more residual money out of companies. So they will not only charge you to customize or design a site but they actually own the IP that's associated in the creative assets and actually own your website. So you want to ask those questions.
Hopefully, you found this was helpful and I provided some good information to steer you on the right track on your marketing and hopefully you feel a little bit of relief knowing that if you avoid these top 10 mistakes, you will probably be better off when it comes to designing and maintaining your website. But if you need more info, we can direct you to a couple of resources that basically what we do at Geek-Free Marketing and Ninja Web Designs is we make websites that are friendly for you, obviously for your customers and for search engines. OK?
So search engines, you and your customers all love our sites because we always think about the three legs of the table, three legs that it takes to hold up the table and that is the foundation of a strong marketing platform. So you have to think about all three entities in everything that you do.
If your website isn't friendly for you, you're not going to invest time and use it. Obviously if it's not friendly for your clients, they're going to come there and bounce which means they leave without contacting you, if they ever find you at all; and in order for that to happen, you need to be friendly for search engines. So remember, those are the three legs of the online marketing table that you need to have when it comes to web design.
Feel free to contact us now if you want to learn more about our services. Thank you very much and I appreciate your time and if you want to get pointed in the right direction, Geek-Free Marketing, Attention Video and Ninja Web Designs are our brands.
Geek-Free Marketing provides online marketing, coaching and consulting for small business owners. Attention Video provides killer online videos that engage your audience so we can put those on your website and everywhere else in the web people are looking and help you actually rank those videos in search results. And finally, NinjaWebDesigns.com makes WordPress websites that rock.
Thank you and have a good day.
But it's not that simple, is it? Well today, we're going to make it a little bit easier and show you the top 10 small business web design mistakes and again how to avoid them.
The first one is hiring a web designer. The art and science of online marketing are very different when we look at aesthetics versus functionality and when you hire a web designer, search and usability are often lacking.
That just means that you can end up with a nice-looking hotel in the middle of the desert. By that, I mean most designers that go to design school and have that type of background are very good at aesthetics and looks and creativity but not so much in the science of finding the right keywords and doing the right things to make your sites search engine-friendly and ultimately a valuable tool for lead generation.
The second mistake is not implementing SEO basics and by that, we mean page titles which is using the most popular keywords on the title of every page on your site, ensuring that you incorporate those keywords and important places on your site meaning your articles, blogs, your service pages and everywhere in your site where you want to attract people. You need to use those keywords. And the last thing is just backlinks. Even though that's not a design element per se, I would like to sneak that in there because it's so important to list your business in the right places to get found by your clients.
The third mistake is not using a CMS or content management system and they're very - a handful of very effective ones being WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, are the most popular and they allow you to easily manage content yourself with little or no technical knowledge.
We only use and recommend WordPress and it's important to have a CMS there folks because lack of ability to access or log into your site is a reason why most small business owners don't have a successful site because they're disconnected from the site.
The fourth mistake that we see a lot is just failing to add content. Again, this ties into not having a friendly site or not seeing that it's important enough or making a priority out of adding content on a regular basis; and the result of this is that most websites are online brochures, just static, boring text information about you instead of about the needs of your clients. And we believe you should blog at lease once a week and you should address the needs of your audience, not yourself. Contrary to popular belief, outsourcing is better than not publishing at all because if the result is that you have four new blog posts a month that aren't ideal, at least if they're high quality, you're adding content that's going to attract search engines and people to your site which is the whole point. So doing this bears huge traffic and reputation benefits and it's important to add content frequently.
The fifth mistake we see is omitting local address information and what we mean by that is Google Places and other directories validate this. They look at your website and they try to match your online listings with your site itself to see if you're legitimate and you have to have your physical location and address entered the right way in your site and it should match those other searches, other sites where people are doing searches rather.
A lot of people don't know this but mobile search use is growing over 400 percent each year. So if you can imagine how important it is considering that you're a local business to show up when people are doing local mobile searches, you have to have that local information on your site. Doing this also builds trust and confidence with clients. They feel more comfortable if you're seen as a person of authority and you have local information everywhere on your site. The last thing you need to do is just make sure you list your address on the header or footer of every page; not just on your Contact Us page but list out local information on every page.
The sixth mistake we see is forgetting a strong call to action. So, this tells visitors what the next step is and how. So in a lot of sites, you will see a lot of great information but then a visitor just leaves and they go to another site when they finally make a purchase or engage a doctor or lawyer or dentist like yourself because you were not providing a clear path in telling them what to do next. You need to make it easy for clients to contact you.
So by using lead forms in multiple places on every page and even a traffic magnet like an ebook, a video or tip sheet, you're really making it easy to contact you. A lot of clients don't feel comfortable using contact forms or large phone numbers but you have to do that because if you think about your website as a filter and you're getting probably several thousand - for the average small business owner, 12,000, 15,000, 20,000 visitors a year coming to your site and it's all about how many of those are sticking and actually contacting you and becoming leads.
So if you do something like write an ebook or a quick video or even a tip sheet that they have to enter their name, phone number or email address to download, you're going to have a lot better results by using a traffic magnet.
Number seven is failing to engage clients. So really what this boils down to is that text is dead. Online attention span of people is about 15 seconds and we like to say at AttentionVideo.com that a picture is worth a thousand words but a video is worth a thousand clients. So you can imagine that a video would probably increase a time on website. It usually does but more importantly, it allows clients to get to know you right away.
So instead of looking at some boring text that they're going to glance at and they go to the next provider online, they're going to get to know you and get a feel for your style and see you as a provider of good services and authority in your area. You can almost use the internet as a virtual sales force, qualifying people instead of just have them come to a boring site and leave.
The eighth mistake we see is not tracking the results. Most business owners say they're just too busy to do this, which goes back to the e-myth and the popular (business management) books out there. They will tell you that you're in the business of marketing and selling products and services, not just providing them so you must track your search rankings, how many people are coming to your site, those of your visits and then the leads and clients in order to improve results. And considering that Google Analytics is free and easy to use, there's really not an excuse to not do this because you're probably wasting money each and every week or month by not tracking which of your expenditures are not producing a positive return on investment and cutting those out and it's important to test various methods and eliminate the lame ducks out there. That's the best way to get traction to your marketing is to test everything and throw out the underperformers. OK?
The ninth mistake is missing trust and social icons. So people place great value on reviews and peer validation meaning if you are going to order a pizza or get LASIK surgery or going on vacation at a lodge in Costa Rica, you're probably going to use Yelp!, Facebook and other review sites to evaluate your decisions, so everything from Amazon.com to restaurants to senior care and Caring.com. You're going to use reviews to place - as a form of wading out your potential options. It's really important to use social icons. They also build trust out there and finally with other elements like Better Business Bureau or trade association logos. These things all build trust with your market and show them that you're a trusted authority out there.
And the tenth and final mistake is using vanity domains. So when I say vanity domains, I mean just your name dot com and the truth is that Google and people value keyword-rich domains. So as I said, having a website like ClevelandBankruptcy.com would be much more effective than SteveJankinsLaw.com especially if you want a bankruptcy lawyer. So many names are still available. Use dot com and dot net only and it's important to do this because you're going to, again, show people that your website has the content they're looking for. They will get to know your name later. Branding is for large organizations but if your name is not Coca-Cola, you're better off going with a keyword-rich domain.
OK. The last thing I want to cover is questions to ask an online marketing firm. This is really important because now we've established that you have to have a CMS like WordPress. You have to deal with a firm that can help you market your site and design it with an eye for conversion and performance. We need to ask a couple of questions of these firms, prospective firms to see if they're a good fit for you.
The first thing is samples of work in your industry. Ask for references. If I'm a dentist in Chicago, I want to say, "Show me other dentist sites you've done and how they're ranking on Google." So example of client search results, "Dallas Mexican restaurant". As long as I'm not a chiropractor, that should be pretty impressive if a firm can produce those results and show them and demonstrate them to me.
And finally - not finally, but again is the site built on WordPress or some other CMS? It's so important to use a CMS because the next question is, "Can you log in and manage content?" and yourself updating and adding photos or blogs, et cetera.
If you think that someone is just going to design you a site that's going to work magic for you, you're mistaken. You have to have a vested interest and ownership of your marketing and quite frankly, be passionate about it because you're not going to invest the time required to master marketing and part of that is whoever you work with to help design and market your site, "Is there training and support provided?" Is it a one-time deliverable or are you going to establish a relationship with these folks? And if you know how to measure and evaluate return on investment, you should be willing to do that because a website is a living organism that needs to constantly be tweaked and improved and nurtured in order to produce the results that you want. Like anything good in life, it takes work, right?
And finally, are there any ongoing hosting or maintenance fees? That's really something that a lot of - especially dealing with a lot of attorneys, I see a lot of attorneys get burned with really high maintenance fees, 0, 0 or 00 or more dollars just for maintenance which there's no active marketing or advertising going on.
So really ask those questions. Take time to read the agreements and one more thing I wanted to bring up is just that to ask, "Do you own the domain and website properties?" because a lot of website companies have a leasing model because they're just trying to get more residual money out of companies. So they will not only charge you to customize or design a site but they actually own the IP that's associated in the creative assets and actually own your website. So you want to ask those questions.
Hopefully, you found this was helpful and I provided some good information to steer you on the right track on your marketing and hopefully you feel a little bit of relief knowing that if you avoid these top 10 mistakes, you will probably be better off when it comes to designing and maintaining your website. But if you need more info, we can direct you to a couple of resources that basically what we do at Geek-Free Marketing and Ninja Web Designs is we make websites that are friendly for you, obviously for your customers and for search engines. OK?
So search engines, you and your customers all love our sites because we always think about the three legs of the table, three legs that it takes to hold up the table and that is the foundation of a strong marketing platform. So you have to think about all three entities in everything that you do.
If your website isn't friendly for you, you're not going to invest time and use it. Obviously if it's not friendly for your clients, they're going to come there and bounce which means they leave without contacting you, if they ever find you at all; and in order for that to happen, you need to be friendly for search engines. So remember, those are the three legs of the online marketing table that you need to have when it comes to web design.
Feel free to contact us now if you want to learn more about our services. Thank you very much and I appreciate your time and if you want to get pointed in the right direction, Geek-Free Marketing, Attention Video and Ninja Web Designs are our brands.
Geek-Free Marketing provides online marketing, coaching and consulting for small business owners. Attention Video provides killer online videos that engage your audience so we can put those on your website and everywhere else in the web people are looking and help you actually rank those videos in search results. And finally, NinjaWebDesigns.com makes WordPress websites that rock.
Thank you and have a good day.
Highlighting Winter 2013 Atlanta Symphony Concerts
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, under the musical direction of Robert Spano, has a full winter season of concerts planned. The symphony is one of the leading orchestras in the South. They perform in the Woodruff Arts Center in midtown Atlanta. Single ticket prices range from -, depending on seating level. Here are some of the highlights of the 2013 winter season.
The symphony will start the New Year with a world premier work commissioned by the Atlanta Symphony. On January 10-12 Laura Ardan, principal clarinetist for the Atlanta Symphony, will perform composer Michael Gandolfi's The Nature of Light, a work for clarinet and string orchestra. Gandolfi's previous works have been performed by leading orchestras including the Boston Symphony, the San Francisco Symphony, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra. The program will also feature Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade and Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 5, with guest pianist Juho Pohjonen. A sought after performer all over the world, Pohjonen is one of the brightest young talents from Finland.
On January 24 and 26, the symphony will present Gluzman's Bruch and the Scottish. The evening will begin with the Overture from Euryanthe, a German romantic opera by Weber. Israeli violinist Vadim Gluzman will be the featured soloist for Violin Concerto in G minor by Max Bruch. Gluzman regularly appears as a soloist with symphonies around the world, including the Chicago Symphony, the London Philharmonic, and the Munich Philharmonic. He plays a Stradivari violin on extended loan to him through the Stradivari Society of Chicago. The program will conclude with Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 3, Scottish. Guest conductor will be Kazushi Ono, Music Director of La Monnaie, the Royal Opera House of Belgium.
Xian Zhang, Music Director of Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, will be the guest conductor on February 7, 8, and 10. The program will feature two works by Tchaikovsky, Romeo and Juliet Overture Fantasy and Symphony No. 2. The symphony, known as Little Russian was inspired by three Ukrainian folk songs. Guest artist Milos Karadoglic, classical guitarist from Montenegro, will be featured in Rodrigo's Concerto de Aranjuez.
On February 21-23 the Atlanta Symphony will perform Overture to La Forza del Destino, Verdi's opera. Guest pianist Olli Mustonen will be featured in Respighi's Piano Concerto. The program will also include Symphony No. 2 by Brahms. Alexandra Arrieche will be the guest conductor.
The Woodruff Arts Center is located at 1280 Peachtree Street NE. Parking is available in the Woodruff Arts Center garage. The Arts Center MARTA Station is located adjacent to the Woodruff Arts Center.
The symphony will start the New Year with a world premier work commissioned by the Atlanta Symphony. On January 10-12 Laura Ardan, principal clarinetist for the Atlanta Symphony, will perform composer Michael Gandolfi's The Nature of Light, a work for clarinet and string orchestra. Gandolfi's previous works have been performed by leading orchestras including the Boston Symphony, the San Francisco Symphony, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra. The program will also feature Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade and Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 5, with guest pianist Juho Pohjonen. A sought after performer all over the world, Pohjonen is one of the brightest young talents from Finland.
On January 24 and 26, the symphony will present Gluzman's Bruch and the Scottish. The evening will begin with the Overture from Euryanthe, a German romantic opera by Weber. Israeli violinist Vadim Gluzman will be the featured soloist for Violin Concerto in G minor by Max Bruch. Gluzman regularly appears as a soloist with symphonies around the world, including the Chicago Symphony, the London Philharmonic, and the Munich Philharmonic. He plays a Stradivari violin on extended loan to him through the Stradivari Society of Chicago. The program will conclude with Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 3, Scottish. Guest conductor will be Kazushi Ono, Music Director of La Monnaie, the Royal Opera House of Belgium.
Xian Zhang, Music Director of Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, will be the guest conductor on February 7, 8, and 10. The program will feature two works by Tchaikovsky, Romeo and Juliet Overture Fantasy and Symphony No. 2. The symphony, known as Little Russian was inspired by three Ukrainian folk songs. Guest artist Milos Karadoglic, classical guitarist from Montenegro, will be featured in Rodrigo's Concerto de Aranjuez.
On February 21-23 the Atlanta Symphony will perform Overture to La Forza del Destino, Verdi's opera. Guest pianist Olli Mustonen will be featured in Respighi's Piano Concerto. The program will also include Symphony No. 2 by Brahms. Alexandra Arrieche will be the guest conductor.
The Woodruff Arts Center is located at 1280 Peachtree Street NE. Parking is available in the Woodruff Arts Center garage. The Arts Center MARTA Station is located adjacent to the Woodruff Arts Center.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Career Goals For Teachers
Teachers are vital for igniting young minds and shaping the future of a nation. Career goals for teachers are a must to make them more efficient and productive. Know more about them in this article.
It seems quite a simple and formal task but writing career goals increases focus and concentration. This goes true only if you're making efforts to achieve your goals. If your actions are propelling you in the right direction, writing your goals frequently and then meditating on it, even for couple of minutes daily, helps you to remain focused. Goal setting has several other professional advantages. It is always required in your resumes and profiles. You're expected to sum up your career goals within few sentences and lines. This demands clarity of thoughts regarding your aims and objectives. Career goals for teachers, just like for any other professionals is essential to break free from the monotonicity of doing same tasks every day. No matter you're a kindergarten teacher or university level professor, writing career goals for yourself, will help you to achieve holistic personal and professional growth.
How to Write Career Goals and Objectives for Teachers
Writing career goals for teachers must not be a difficult task. Teachers can try to foray in other fields or develop new hobby and skills. Numerous examples of career goals will reveal to teachers that they can include anything in their career goals, right from teaching a subject in a new way to their personal life goals, like achieving work life balance. Some essential points that teachers must give a thought to while writing career goals for themselves are:
1. Think of the area you feel you need to improve yourself. Write your professional goals and personal life goals, in two separate columns, in a notebook.
2. It is better to write your goals and objectives in points, in short sentences. Try to put your goals in words but not more than one sentence.
3. Make a record of your actions for achieving your goals on a daily or weekly basis.
4. Career goals for teachers in their profession may include organization goals, enhancing teaching skills, improving student participation in class, adopting effective teaching strategies, better teacher parent communication etc.
Sample Career Goals for Teachers
There are various areas in which teachers can improve their professional work. Even the veteran teachers can try to sharpen their organizational and teaching skills. The more efficiently a teacher will plan his or her strategy for working, better will be the teaching experience as well as the career development path. Good teachers, mind you, are always assets for an educational institute. Similarly, when it comes to teaching, incorporating interesting ideas and methods to teach students is one of the most ideal career goals for teachers. Here is the list of some career goals examples that teachers can include in their goals and objectives list.
1. Incorporate the use of technology in classrooms to enhance understanding of students.
2. Spend some time on alternate days in a week to improve vocabulary and general awareness of students.
3. Motivate students to read books by conducting 'reading sessions' in classroom, at least once or twice a week.
4. Build stronger professional relationships with other teaching staff.
5. Plan teaching work based on every week basis.
6. Continue learning by keeping oneself updated about latest developments in the interest area.
7. Help first year teachers in work and solve students queries regarding suitable career path.
8. Instill confidence in special children by giving them focused and goal - directed instruction.
9. Read some popular books about teaching and try to bridge the parent teacher student communication gap.
10. Manage time effectively to balance work and personal life. Plan ahead of the day regarding tasks and duties to be carried out that specific day.
11. Organize desk and children files for recording information properly.
These are just some of the short and long term career goals for teachers. Besides, career goals statement examples and teachers can write their own goals. Making goals can surely help you improve your teaching career. So teachers if you have no written goals, it is the time to write some and enhance your work.
It seems quite a simple and formal task but writing career goals increases focus and concentration. This goes true only if you're making efforts to achieve your goals. If your actions are propelling you in the right direction, writing your goals frequently and then meditating on it, even for couple of minutes daily, helps you to remain focused. Goal setting has several other professional advantages. It is always required in your resumes and profiles. You're expected to sum up your career goals within few sentences and lines. This demands clarity of thoughts regarding your aims and objectives. Career goals for teachers, just like for any other professionals is essential to break free from the monotonicity of doing same tasks every day. No matter you're a kindergarten teacher or university level professor, writing career goals for yourself, will help you to achieve holistic personal and professional growth.
How to Write Career Goals and Objectives for Teachers
Writing career goals for teachers must not be a difficult task. Teachers can try to foray in other fields or develop new hobby and skills. Numerous examples of career goals will reveal to teachers that they can include anything in their career goals, right from teaching a subject in a new way to their personal life goals, like achieving work life balance. Some essential points that teachers must give a thought to while writing career goals for themselves are:
1. Think of the area you feel you need to improve yourself. Write your professional goals and personal life goals, in two separate columns, in a notebook.
2. It is better to write your goals and objectives in points, in short sentences. Try to put your goals in words but not more than one sentence.
3. Make a record of your actions for achieving your goals on a daily or weekly basis.
4. Career goals for teachers in their profession may include organization goals, enhancing teaching skills, improving student participation in class, adopting effective teaching strategies, better teacher parent communication etc.
Sample Career Goals for Teachers
There are various areas in which teachers can improve their professional work. Even the veteran teachers can try to sharpen their organizational and teaching skills. The more efficiently a teacher will plan his or her strategy for working, better will be the teaching experience as well as the career development path. Good teachers, mind you, are always assets for an educational institute. Similarly, when it comes to teaching, incorporating interesting ideas and methods to teach students is one of the most ideal career goals for teachers. Here is the list of some career goals examples that teachers can include in their goals and objectives list.
1. Incorporate the use of technology in classrooms to enhance understanding of students.
2. Spend some time on alternate days in a week to improve vocabulary and general awareness of students.
3. Motivate students to read books by conducting 'reading sessions' in classroom, at least once or twice a week.
4. Build stronger professional relationships with other teaching staff.
5. Plan teaching work based on every week basis.
6. Continue learning by keeping oneself updated about latest developments in the interest area.
7. Help first year teachers in work and solve students queries regarding suitable career path.
8. Instill confidence in special children by giving them focused and goal - directed instruction.
9. Read some popular books about teaching and try to bridge the parent teacher student communication gap.
10. Manage time effectively to balance work and personal life. Plan ahead of the day regarding tasks and duties to be carried out that specific day.
11. Organize desk and children files for recording information properly.
These are just some of the short and long term career goals for teachers. Besides, career goals statement examples and teachers can write their own goals. Making goals can surely help you improve your teaching career. So teachers if you have no written goals, it is the time to write some and enhance your work.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Credit History - A Report Card Determining A Person's Financial Standing
Credit history is thought to be a credit report-card when it comes to an individual's past borrowing history. It has all the information about late bankruptcy and payments. It has such importance that t it is considered to be a person's credit reputation, the main point to consider while applying for any kinds of credit.
US nationals are entitled to get a free copy of their credit history reports from any US consumer credit reporting agency and even national specialty consumer reporting agency. The credit history report is available once a year upon request. Nonetheless, these free credit history reports don't include a consumer's Credit Score. They provide only a list of accounts so the users can corroborate the financial details.
You may get lucky enough to discover free government publications which may help you understand your credit report and scores. The best way to go about it is to search for sources online. You are bound to find codes and notations along with various explanations and tips to better your Credit History. What you could also do is sign up for a free online credit services which could keep you posted on various matters concerning your individual credit history.
IF what you are looking for is a complete free service then you may have to go a long way to compare online offers. With every Credit Score hosting virtually the same subscription charges and content, what you really need to look for is which one will successfully demystify the credit landscapes.
Check if the site has preference settings so you can customize the format in which you want to receive your credit report. Credit score and credit simulators comparisons are essential tools you will need to search for in a credit score site.
What you will also need to make sure is if the Free Credit report and scores are collected securely and directly from the best credit bureaus. Look for security settings and understand what all account information is taken while signing up.
Concealed fees can be a bad experience and the best way check this is to know how soon and how much of the service subscription be cancelled. Some websites will continue billing your account well after the said trial period if you do not discontinue your service.
US nationals are entitled to get a free copy of their credit history reports from any US consumer credit reporting agency and even national specialty consumer reporting agency. The credit history report is available once a year upon request. Nonetheless, these free credit history reports don't include a consumer's Credit Score. They provide only a list of accounts so the users can corroborate the financial details.
You may get lucky enough to discover free government publications which may help you understand your credit report and scores. The best way to go about it is to search for sources online. You are bound to find codes and notations along with various explanations and tips to better your Credit History. What you could also do is sign up for a free online credit services which could keep you posted on various matters concerning your individual credit history.
IF what you are looking for is a complete free service then you may have to go a long way to compare online offers. With every Credit Score hosting virtually the same subscription charges and content, what you really need to look for is which one will successfully demystify the credit landscapes.
Check if the site has preference settings so you can customize the format in which you want to receive your credit report. Credit score and credit simulators comparisons are essential tools you will need to search for in a credit score site.
What you will also need to make sure is if the Free Credit report and scores are collected securely and directly from the best credit bureaus. Look for security settings and understand what all account information is taken while signing up.
Concealed fees can be a bad experience and the best way check this is to know how soon and how much of the service subscription be cancelled. Some websites will continue billing your account well after the said trial period if you do not discontinue your service.
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