Seven Signs That You Need Help with Your Marketing

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ConfusedWhen new businesses start out, they can benefit from an effective marketing campaign. There’s not one type of business that is guaranteed to pull in the customers, so advertising and marketing gets the message out to your audience. As your business grows, it’s also important to add advertising to your business plan, so you can meet your goals.

If you’ve neglected the marketing area of your business for too long, you may start seeing signs that it’s time to spend some effort on your campaign. Here’s a few signs that indicate it’s time that you need to get some help with your marketing and advertising needs.

1. If you’ve been neglecting your advertising or marketing needs, then likely you either don’t have time to handle it, or you don’t know how what to do. It could be time to call in an expert, who can help you focus on where you need to get started.

2. Are your telephones too quiet? This could be an indication that business is slowing down. Since we’re heading into fall, this could be troublesome, as the fall should be a busy season. It may be time to jumpstart a new marketing campaign, to draw more visitors to your business.

3. If your website is getting few visitors, it may not just be the overall design, but it could be because your potential customers just aren’t on a laptop computer anymore. Many people have made the switch to tablets and smart phones. If your website hasn’t been optimized for mobile usage, you could be turning away customers with your bulky website. It may be time to set up a mobile website to handle your ever-changing market.

4. If you’re starting to scribble your phone number on pieces of paper, it may be time for some brand new business cards. But don’t just reorder cards from ten years ago, order new ones with your business’s social media accounts, as well as website and full contact details. Business cards are changing with the times.

5. A coffee shop or restaurant should never be quiet. People eat at all hours of the day and night, and you can see that at busy franchises. So, if your restaurant is getting quiet, it may be time to start a new social media program to start drawing traffic your way, through a special promotion.

6. Are even your employees heading to the competition? If you own a restaurant or a store, and your employees are heading next door to do business, it may be time to dust off your signage. Perhaps you need some interior signage to spiff up the place?

7. If you’re way too busy to tackle your social media, it may be time to hire someone to do it for you. Just because your business is busy, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be continuing to market your company. Be sure to constantly keep your business in the public eye, so it’s never quiet.

If your business is suffering any of these seven signs that you need help with your advertising or marketing needs, now is the best time to give Direct West Media Group Inc. a call so they can help your business to thrive and grow with the times.

A Mobile Website that Goes with You

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?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Most businesses today have a significant online presence, from a website, to a high Google ranking, and great reviews on Yelp and other review sites. What you may be missing out on is optimizing your website for mobile usage, as this can play a huge role in attracting more customers to your business.

Many businesses may be wondering if now is the right time to create a mobile website. You only have to ask your friends how many use mobile phones, and most likely it is most of them. You could be losing out, if your website hasn’t been optimized for mobile usage, leaving your customers frustrated, as a regular website can load slowly on a mobile phone.

Do you want to be losing out on valuable customers by scaring them away with a bulky website? Whether you run an online business or a brick and mortar shop, your customers want to find your website to quickly find the information they need. If your website won’t load on their phone, they’re going to head to the next Google listing and check them out. The business that has their website optimized for mobile usage, with a prominent phone number at the top of the screen, is going to be the one to get their business. What a shame that you decided to wait.

A mobile website is set up differently than a desktop website. Graphics will be smaller, so they are easily viewable on a small mobile screen. Most graphics and videos should be turned off, as they’ll slow down the user’s browsing ability, as well as using up their valuable data. Contact information needs to be right at the top of the screen, inviting a potential customer to give you a call for more information.

Mobile phone users enjoy using their smart phones. That’s why they carry them around. They need services or goods, and they want to call businesses for directions, deals, and orders. Make it easy for them by setting up a mobile website for your business.

There could potentially be a higher conversion rate on a mobile website, than with a desktop website. For example, if you own a pizza place, and someone is browsing online for the best pizza place in town, when they find your business on their mobile phone, they’ll be more inclined to give you a call. A mobile phone user generally needs a product or service quickly, and the sooner you can provide it to them via your mobile website, the happier your customer will be.

Knowing your audience is the best way to decide whether to get your website converted to a mobile website as well. If you’re looking to attract a younger crowd with your services or products, than a mobile website is the way to go, as well as for any adult who may be searching for exactly what your company is offering.

Also keep in mind that many people today are dumping their PC computers for a tablet. Mobile websites are also a great way to reach the ever expanding tablet market as well.

Don’t wait any longer, now is the best time to optimize your website for mobile phone usage. A mobile website will go with you, and help your business to succeed online, by drawing in all those customers who are also on the go. Please contact Direct West Media Group Inc. for assistance in setting up your very own mobile website.

What You Need to Know About Mobile Marketing

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cellMobile marketing is one of the most cost-effective methods of advertising today. Traditional advertising used to be so expensive. You’d spend a few thousand dollars on a back page ad in the newspaper and hope for the best. Unfortunately, the paper would be tossed in the trash the next day. The best you could hope for was exposure, rather than increased profits.

Today, everyone has a cell phone, and the smart business owner will focus their marketing efforts on mobile phone users. Even children and seniors own a cell phone to keep in touch with family. It pays to focus on these markets, rather than outdated traditional advertising methods.

Mobile marketing isn’t just about making an app. There’s many software companies that offer to make an app for your business, for a reasonable price. However, there’s very little programming involved, and they’ll just plonk your business details into a template. This will end up being a boring app that no one will use, as mobile phone users tire of similar apps. The mobile app market is flooded. Before you go spending a lot of money, carefully consider how much return it will deliver. So, either develop a fabulous app from scratch, or skip it completely. There are better ways to do mobile marketing.

When you create your mobile website, consider your target market. If you own a plumbing repair company, your website better have the phone number right at the top. Consider why someone will contact you. Most likely they’ll have a broken pipe, a sewer backup or a broken toilet. When they’re on their cell phone, they want a plumber, and they want him now. Don’t make your customer wade through endless photographs and text. Tailor your mobile web page to your target customer.

You should leave mobile advertising to the experts, rather than trying to figure it out yourself. By doing so, you can avoid several costly mistakes. Let someone else handle all the work for you. An expert knows exactly which steps to take, and has their own team of experts available. Don’t waste your time hiring a programmer, when you may not even need one. Hire a professional marketing firm to help you out.

Mobile websites are also set up differently than websites made for computer use. Smart phone screens are small, though some cell phone providers are starting to make larger ones, such as the Samsung Galaxy. Also consider that many people have limited data plans, as they’re on a budget. Wifi access isn’t always available. Don’t turn away customers because you have endless photos on your website. You can always have a link to more photos, if you really need them.

Don’t place videos on your website that automatically start playing, This will alienate your customers. Give them an option to press the “play” button. Automatically playing videos have to be one of the most frustrating aspects of websites nowadays. They’re even annoying when viewing from the computer.

If you require any assistance in setting up your mobile marketing plan, please contact Direct West Media Group Inc. They have the experience in handling all your mobile marketing needs, so you can free up time to take care of the more important aspects of your business.