Website Design, SEO and Social Media Blog from Liqui-Site

The "Red Thread of Fate" - For Business

2012-01-27T14:28:00.000-08:00

by Kelly Campbell
www.liqui-site.com

We're destined to connect. We don't know how, when or why.

I watched the preview premier of a new TV series on Fox, called Touch, this past Tuesday night. I'd been intrigued by the trailers, but the show ended up provoking thought on how the premise of "destined connectedness" was just as applicable in business.

Have you ever considered that "our lives are invisibly tied to those whose destinies touch ours." This belief is an Eastern Asian philosophy called the "red thread of fate" – whereby an invisible red string is tied to each person destined to encounter another sometime throughout their lifetime. This magical cord may stretch or tangle, but it can never break.

Regardless of religious or personal beliefs, I immediately contemplated how this applies to business. We never really know from where the next lead, sale, employee, affiliate or vendor will come, when they will appear, and how we'll come into contact. That's where the strings come into play!

For business, isn't the "red thread of fate" really a combination of (1) maintaining a great brand reputation, (2) client relationship management, and (3) effective social media?

Need a better idea of what I'm seeing? Example time!

- The executive coach I personally worked with years ago became a client, and refers us to her clients, colleagues and friends. She recommended us to her pilates instructor and personal trainer – a husband and wife team. And while I never had the opportunity to meet either of them, I did meet with the personal trainer's new business partners – and we've since launched three new websites for their medical practice and a film production company with offices in NYC and LA. Additionally, one of my executive coach's colleagues, who I last spoke to about a year ago, has recently referred two of her clients, one in NY and one in LA.

- My college professor became a client for a business that she and her husband started. A few years later, she referred a fantastic graphic and website design student to me, who is now one of our lead web designer / production specialists. (Yes, Chris, that's you if you're reading this. LOL)

- I offered value in a discussion on LinkedIn several months ago. From a single comment, a fellow group member contacted me and has since become a new client. (And your CEO says social media has no measurable ROI?!) Anyhow, I recently sent this new client an NDA so that I could discuss an idea with him that another, existing client presented to me days earlier. Who knows where the next idea can lead when put in the right hands!

The "red thread" is real. The "red thread" is real relationships.

Comments, questions, opinions? I'm really intrigued by this concept and would love to hear your thoughts!

Know Thy Social Community Demographic

2011-12-20T07:10:00.000-08:00

by Kelly Campbell
www.liqui-site.com

How to interact with your communities – and track marketing effectiveness

If you’re like most business owners or online marketing managers, you know that you need a presence in the social stratosphere: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn at minimum. But the lesser know specifics about how to determine appropriate interaction with the members of your individual online communities (and track self-promotional results) is rarely written about.

In other words, does the same messaging work for members of each of these social platforms?

The answer is a resounding “no”.

Contrary to popular belief, there are enormous differences between the purpose, functionality and (your company’s own) membership of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn. Even more important is the need for different, relevant messaging to your membership on each of these platforms.

As an analogy, let’s use a couple of well-known retail stores to further explain how crucial it is to know thy social community demographic. Shoppers at Target will generally fall into a different demographic makeup than shoppers of Neiman Marcus, for example. The advertising departments for these stores rely on demographic information (i.e. gender, age range, socio-economic status or HHI, education level, etc.) to ensure that messaging -- in the form of which products they carry, special offers, sales, store-specific credit card offers (the list goes on...) -- is relevant to their particular audience.

It’s no different in social media.

So, the obvious questions become: (1) How do I gain insight into the demographic makeup of each of my social media communities, and (2) How do I not only craft different versions of messaging that will be relevant to them – but track its effectiveness as well?

First, there are a few great social media software tools that allow you to gain an understanding as to who your audience is, from platform to platform. In a recent blog post, Liqui-Site announced its game-changer, called Social ROI.

Second, crafting relevant, targeted messaging is a bit of trial and error. That said, there are basics that great marketing teams follow based on experience, previous results, etc. It’s important to understand that creative copywriting is critical on a platform like Twitter, due to its 140 character limit. On Facebook, you have more freedom with character count, attachments of photos, videos and so on. Regardless of platform though, a link to a landing page on your website (if the post is self-promotional) is the #1 priority. Without that, there’s no way to track the effectiveness of your posts, tweets and messages.

That brings me to the second part of question #2. Web-based software programs like Social ROI allow business owners and online marketing managers to create campaigns, push different messaging to their individual social media presences, and then run a report on the results. Return on investment is then measured by taking your cost per campaign, cost per conversion and value of conversion – calculating it based on actions taken from those posts, tweets and messages by your community members, and reporting on the results.

Pretty sweet, huh? If you’re interested in learning more about Social ROI in 2012, we’d be happy to answer any questions you may have. There’s even a no-obligation 30 day trial of the program. Post questions below or contact Liqui-Site Designs, Inc. at 855-WEB-PLUS.

Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for a Prosperous New Year, from our family to yours.

Kelly Campbell
President & Creative Director
Liqui-Site Designs, Inc.

Facebook Page Reviews and Discussions

2011-11-14T22:51:00.000-08:00

by Kelly Campbell
www.liqui-site.com

An Honest Update on the Newest Facebook Page Changes

On October 31, 2011, Facebook disabled two features on Pages: the Reviews tab and the Discussions tab. Personally, the Discussions tab never did much for me. The action is on the Wall, we all know that. But Reviews? Those are super important, not only for the credibility of the business but also for the prospects who want to know what previous clients or customers of a particular company had to say – in their own words. And as another blogger so aptly put it "I don't think 'Recommend' is the best description for this, because you are basically giving a review, which could even be negative." He's right.

And now we have what Facebook deems a better, more engaging solution called Recommendations. I'm not sure about that, but I do know that (a) it's harder to find on the right hand side of the Page (when all of the other tabs are located on the left), and (b) all of the previous content has vanished into cyberspace.

Facebook issued this notice shortly before making the change:

“We’ve found that the best way to encourage conversation and feedback is through posts and comments on your Wall, so we’re removing the Reviews and Discussions tabs for now. We’re working on tools to help you moderate, filter and manage content in one powerful place. Stay tuned.

You won’t be able to access your reviews and discussions once they’re removed, so please save this content if you’d like to keep it for future reference."

If you didn't get the memo, as was the case with most Facebook Page owners, you'll have to reconnect with as many customers and clients as possible, and ask them to write a Recommendation (again).

Recommendation on facebook.com/Liqui.Site

Now, for the worst part. You can no longer comment on your own Recommendations as your business. If you select the option to "Use Facebook as [Your Business]", the Recommendations are automatically made invisible to you as the administrator. So, if you want to comment at all, you must first personally "Friend" your customer or client. That's right, you're forced to connect and comment as you, under your personal profile! To me, this is the biggest oversight in Facebook history. We're hoping they change this one – and fast! What do you think?

As the Page admin, you still have the ability to either hide Recommendations or report inappropriate or abusive comments. But don't get too excited about either of those because hiding comments only hides them from your front Page; Users can click to see all of the Recommendations you've hidden. Plus, Facebook has been known to ignore reports of inappropriate comments.

Of course, a better way to handle this – on Facebook's part – would have been to simply move Reviews over to the Recommendations section, since they basically work the same way. No harm, no foul.

But these are the changes, for better or worse. Now, it's up to us to garner new Recommendations, think of fun and engaging ways to build our brand awareness, and keep up with every drastic change at Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Google – to name a few.

Let us know if you need any help navigating these social waters. Questions or comments? Please tell us your thoughts!

Kelly Campbell
President & Creative Director
Liqui-Site Designs, Inc.

Website Been Hit By Panda? You Need UGC.

2011-11-05T13:56:00.000-07:00

by Richard Feldman
www.liqui-site.com

Your customers are more important than you. Google says so.

If you’ve noticed a big drop in traffic to your web-based business during 2011, then you may have been hit by the big, bad Panda. The Panda update is Google’s latest series of algorithmic changes. In early 2011, Panda affected what it considered to be "low quality, web-based content farms". The result was lost traffic, millions in lost revenue, and lost jobs for many SEO consultants.

Briefly, the main triggers of the Panda Update included duplicated content, excessive use of manufacturer or non-unique content, RSS feed issues, incorrect canonical tag implementation, excessive on-site ads, poor on-page optimization, and other issues.

Back in February, when Google rolled out the initial Panda update, they provided very little concrete, actionable advice that Webmasters and business owners could use to directly reverse the drops in traffic and rankings they were experiencing. Finally, in May 2011, three months later, Google Fellow, Amit Singhal, published a detailed post on it’s Webmaster Central Blog. In it, Singhal described what constitutes a quality site and then lists twenty-two content-related issues Webmasters should be aware of when reviewing their site content going forward. I won't list all those questions here, but the full list above should be reviewed by ALL site owners (and not just those already affected by Panda).

It’s critical to understand "Google's mindset" about what they may be looking at specifically when reviewing a page in a post-Panda world. It’s called User Generated Content.

What is User Generated Content?

User generated content (UGC) is content that your audience adds to your site or which you add as a result of discussions with your audience.

UGC is all about connecting with a niche community, engaging that community to add content to your site, while promoting and sharing that content with others in and outside that niche. This idea of community content creation is nothing new.

The biggest take away here is that publishing new content isn’t enough anymore. You’ve got to create it for relevance and to provide something of value: create it for humans (not spiders). That’s the only way to truly engage your audience and incentivize your community to share, comment and engage over and over again.

Follow @Liqui_Site

Introducing "Social ROI": Part III

2011-10-21T07:59:00.000-07:00

by Richard Feldman
www.liqui-site.com

Experience how social media efforts truly impact your business.

In Part II, Social Media Measurability, I talked about the missing link in social media – the almighty measurable ROI.

For the last few years clients have known they needed to be involved in key social media channels, though they haven't been sure why or how to truly leverage it. Many still aren't. And with no way to track each aspect of their collective efforts across all channels, the challenge was in proving that social media was a sound investment of resources.

Enter Social ROI

Now, those days of quasi-accountability are gone. Enter Social ROI – a social media analytics solution that allows businesses to monitor individual social channels and the demographics of their entire network, track promotional efforts, discover conversations by keyword – and measure the conversion results in actual dollars.

Just as Google Analytics measures and reports website statistics, Social ROI provides granular demographic information on your membership (community fan base, followers, subscribers), including gender, age, interests, geography, education, employment, referring links and more. More importantly, Social ROI enables businesses to create goals and campaigns, promote their offerings through their social channels – and measure the conversion results in real dollars.

Discovering conversations by keyword across all channels saves time and can lead to providing value, cherry-picking prospects or see who's talking about your brand to better manage "online PR".

Get a 30-Day FREE Trial of Social ROI

Liqui-Site announces a 30-Day FREE Trial of Social ROI (no credit card required), for either our "Lake" or "River" plans. As an exclusive offer, now through November 23, 2011: Sign up for the "Lake" plan and Liqui-Site will set up all of your social media accounts within the Social ROI solution for you at no additional cost! No risk. All reward.
Learn more about Social ROI and View Plans & Pricing >

Richard A Feldman
Senior Account Director
Liqui-Site Designs, Inc.
[T] 845 353 7771
[C] 845 548 9679
[E] rfeldman@liqui-site.com
www.liqui-site.com

Follow @Liqui_Site

Social Media Measurability: Part II

2011-10-13T14:18:00.000-07:00

by Richard Feldman
www.liqui-site.com

What's the point of social media if you can't measure the effort?

In Part I, Social Media Monetization, I shared a few examples of how to directly increase a brand's revenue using social media. It was a direct answer to a direct question a client had asked me.

But, there's a bigger, more important, long-term piece to the social media puzzle. And it’s called measurable ROI.

Driving prospects to a website (or landing page) and seeing an immediate revenue increase is the easiest and fastest way to understanding the power of social media. But a well-crafted strategy could take that one-time revenue increase and allow you to take what you learn and apply it to similar or brand new campaigns across other channels (new channels mean new prospects). While at the same time, the relationships you build with customers or clients allow you to sell them on other products or services once you’ve established that your brand is trustworthy, provides quality and value, and is committed to its customers needs and overall satisfaction.

Now, increasing exposure through social media leads me to think about how to measure and track results. Seems to me you'd need an analytics solution that allows you to track your social network channels just the same way you would track the performance of your website -- you know, something like a Google Analytics clone, but designed to analyze and report on your social media efforts. I mean, just like GA tracks visitors, time on site, keywords, geography and many other aspects of web performance, an integrated social media measurement system would allow you to track all aspects of your brand’s social media presence.

Hmmm... Imagine being able to get real-time reporting on your social network accounts to overlay with your other (i.e. traditional) marketing initiatives – to zero in on membership trends, activity and engagement, thoughts and feelings of your customers and members, their interests, their geographical distribution, education levels, gender, employment, and countless other metrics. If you were able to compare your social media channels and understand the difference among them and their impact on your business, you might even improve your ROI by being able to adjust spends.

Imagine learning the real-time answers to questions like these:

1 - Which social channels are most effective for us?
2 - What are the accurate traffic patterns/trends?
3 - Which customers and segments are most valuable?
4 - Where are my customers and members located?
5 - What is my demographic (age, gender, education, HHI)?
6 - What's our level of activity, engagement, membership?
7 - What are they talking about; what motivates them?
8 - Who's talking about products / services we can offer?
9 - Which networks produce more response and better ROI?
10 - What kind of ROI are we getting, in real numbers?

Now, imagine having these answers presented to you as intuitive, thorough, visual reports. As I wrote in one of my last blog posts, Brand Monologue? Try Brand Dialogue Instead!, social media is about an exchange with customers and prospects, not a one-way street of self promo. A dialogue makes communication more satisfying, fulfilling and much more profitable. Successful brands have given creative thought to the process of communicating with customers – and to their social media strategy, making it a viral engagement.

Interestingly, just like traditional media, social media requires testing to learn what works and how to improve results to build a genuine community around YOUR brand.

Richard A Feldman
Senior Account Director
Liqui-Site Designs, Inc.
[T] 845 353 7771
[C] 845 548 9679
[E] rfeldman@liqui-site.com
www.liqui-site.com

Follow @Liqui_Site

Social Media Monetization: Part I

2011-10-04T08:08:00.000-07:00

by Richard Feldman
www.liqui-site.com

What's the point of social media if you can't monetize the effort?

More and more, each day, I hear from business owners, executives, and online marketing professionals “If social media doesn’t influence the sales process and the effort can't be monetized immediately, then what’s the point?” I understand their frustration and how overwhelming both social media strategy and questionable ROI can be. Looking for ideas on how to test social media as a revenue generator? Here are a few real-world examples:

Burt's Bees is perhaps a little more well-known for its lip balm than its Facebook Page, but Facebookers can buy products directly from Burt's Bees Facebook Page’s Shop & Share feature. The company has become one of the leading manufacturers of natural personal care products. With more than 150 products to sell, Facebook is the perfect space for the company to connect with its fans and customers. “Through Facebook, we can introduce new products more interactively than in print or banner ads…and provide a space where [our consumers] can connect with one another,” says Melissa Sowry, the company's social media and content manager. Burt's Bees, nearing 700,000 fans, prides itself on its ability to engage with its customers on Facebook by responding to comments – and allowing customers to lead the conversation. In 2010, the company reported that its Page has doubled the traffic from Facebook to its e-commerce site, and the increase in sales and overall brand awareness from their online marketing test was enough to make it a must-have for future fiscal budgets.

The NY JETS launched their Ultimate Fan social game in September 2010, which was the first revenue-generating Facebook app to be backed by a pro sports team. The application lets football fans do online what they would normally do at home and in stadiums — root for their favorite teams and players, predict game scores, hold a virtual tailgate party and purchase promotional wear. Ultimate Fan sells banner advertising to other firms like Ticketmaster, and has since lured four major sponsors integrating their brands: MetLife, Motorola, SportsNet NY and HotelPlanner.com. Monetize much? Let’s just call this game-changer a blowout.

Whitecaps Foul Weather Gear is a great example of engaging a smaller, niche audience in order to monetize social media. Testing effective email marketing, coupled with social media engagement, Whitecaps saw an increase of $5,000 in less than 30 days, using Facebook to drive sales via a promo code. Now, that really gave folks in the global sailing and boating community something to "Like". The offer was hugely successful using a single platform as the test. (See my blog post "Viral Messaging Spreads Like Wildfire".) Recently, we learned that Constant Contact will promote Liqui-Site's email marketing and social media customization work for Whitecaps Foul Weather Gear, nationally. According to company president, Mark Kamen, “We were thrilled with the test success and we plan to greatly increase our exposure through social media in 2012 and beyond.”

The next question is “Now that we’re increasing revenue through social media, how do we ensure that increase for the long-term – and improve upon it?”

I’ll answer that very question in my next blog post, Social Media Measurability: Part II. To make sure you’re the first to know, you can either bookmark us in your browser, subscribe to our blog via RSS feed or follow us with Google Friend Connect at right. Since this IS all about social media, we’ll also post a link in our social channels on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Any way you see fit, connect with us. We’ll provide tremendous value, just keep the comments and questions coming!

Richard A Feldman
Senior Account Director
Liqui-Site Designs, Inc.
[T] 845 353 7771
[C] 845 548 9679
[E] rfeldman@liqui-site.com
www.liqui-site.com

Follow @Liqui_Site

Brand Monologue? Try Brand Dialogue Instead!

2011-09-20T10:03:00.000-07:00

by Richard Feldman

www.liqui-site.com

Communication via a massive amount of one-way media is called “brand monologue”. Even though we just made that up here at Liqui-Site, the point is that any brand that only talks at consumers probably won’t be heard. Real interactive communication takes place when both sides pay attention to the other, react to one another, and abra-cadabra: a brand dialogue is born.

Yes, technology has changed how brands and their audiences communicate – across all channels. The explosion has occurred and reoccurred especially in the social media sector. (And your CEO said it was all just a phase!) Going forward, the mega social marketshare of blogging, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn will continue to expand the interactive brand dialogue, and that needs to be at the heart of the marketing communication strategy for every successful brand, large or small. But more than that, it needs to be measurable. OBTW, we can calculate ROI for social media... In real dollars AND sense!

Behavioral marketing, search engine marketing, and performance-based marketing are concepts too big and amorphous for most corporate laypeople. Email marketing is the only vehicle of the bunch that means something to people, yet many suits think their nephew’s college roommate can do that for their business AND have it be successful. (If you haven't yet, read my blog post, "Does Your Webmaster Wear Tightey-Whities?")

On a broad scale, blogging, social networking and viral media are the foundations that stir people to take action. This is where your call-to-action truly takes shape. Messages need to be communicated and, when appropriate, sold.

Did you happen to see the huge email / blog blunder of Netflix CEO, Reed Hastings? He really pissed off his devout users – and thousands of them (including me) really let him have it. Check out Reed's post. (Though, my favorite lines from the post were “Companies rarely die from moving too fast, and they frequently die from moving too slowly.” AND “Actions speak louder than words. But words help people to understand actions.”)

So, social, viral or any form of online marketing can’t be "sold" or measured unless you embrace and understand the basic tenets. Yes, companies want an ongoing, interactive brand dialogue with consumers. In fact, they hunger for it... But they must do it right (not like Netflix).

Contact me to learn more OR comment below to get the conversation started.

Richard A Feldman
Senior Account Director
Liqui-Site Designs, Inc.
[T] 845 353 7771
[C] 845 548 9679
[E] rfeldman@liqui-site.com
www.liqui-site.com

Follow @Liqui_Site

QR Codes are Out... Near Field Communication (NFC) is In!

2011-08-30T12:05:00.000-07:00

by Chris Mullin
www.liqui-site.com

QR codes are hard to miss. They're on the business cards we exchange, in the magazines we read and more commonly embedded in the emails we receive. But as convenient as we may (or may not) find them, QR codes might soon fall to the wayside. It's hotter, younger replacement: Near Field Communication, or NFC. Even faster and less reliant on our mobile devices' capabilities, NFC is THE technology that will eventually allow us to use our mobile devices in ways we never imagined possible!

Whether we realize or not, Near Field Communication technology is all around us. In fact, some of us utilize it on a regular basis without knowing we do. If you have a credit account with a fuel company or supermarket, chances are, NFC is in your back pocket – that "Pass and Go" wand dangling from your keychain. When arriving at work or returning from your lunch break, do you have to "touch" your employee ID to an automated turnstile for entry into your building or office? If so, you use NFC every day. And to our friends in the UK, NFC resides in your Oyster Card, ready to act as soon as you enter The Tube!

NFC effectively contributes to making our daily chores and tasks a little faster, more convenient, and even fun! NFC's next destination? Our mobile devices: smartphones and tablets. Though mass market offerings of NFC-ready mobile devices and corresponding applications – not necessarily "apps" – is still in its infancy, we can look forward to seeing the first wave of devices and usages much sooner than later. (At the moment, Google Android is at the NFC helm.)

So aside from paying for goods, services and gaining access to otherwise restricted areas, how will NFC change the way we interface with other smartphone and tablet owners – and our environments? This question had an early answer months ago at Google's 4th Annual I/O Summit. Check out the video below. If Google is this enthused about utilizing NFC, so should we all be!

Part of Liqui-Site's success stems from having its finger on the pulse of the latest and greatest in industry-relevant technology. Whether these advances lie in the immediate or far-off future, Liqui-Site is poised to analyze and utilize only the very best technology, so long as it ensures measurable results for clients.

We're currently working on two apps – one of which will utilize NFC technology – so that when NFC-enabled phones are available to the masses, we'll be ready and waiting.

Does Google+ follow Facebook on Twitter?

2011-07-29T13:08:00.000-07:00

by Matthew Ell

www.liqui-site.com

I recently watched an old interview with Mark Zukerberg on 60 Minutes from around the time when Facebook was launching a redesign in 2010. A few minutes into the interview, Zukerburg provided information about what he thought the future of the internet would be. While 60 Minutes’ reporter Lesley Stahl described it as “The internet will soon be Facebook...”, Zukerburg explained that he felt friends and online social circles will play a large role in how we all surf the web as individuals. Though “Sharing”, “Liking”, and “Recommending”, web users could find more relevant or curated content from all over the internet, via a friend, family member, colleague, etc.

Zukerburg felt that this is what would make products – and the Internet itself – more engaging.

About a month ago, Google+ was released. In just one month, twenty million users signed up to the invite-only social network created by Google.

In many ways, Google+ is exactly what Zukerburg envisioned in his interview. With Google already owning so much real estate on the Internet, there’s a tremendous potential for their homegrown social platform to be successful.

Upon first glance of the Google+ dashboard, you will notice some basic similarities to Facebook. There are some user interactions that play out nicely with the interface, especially the ability to drag and drop your friends in to what Google+ calls “Circles”. Circles shows promise in the area of privacy in that you have more control in who you share your information with. However, it is much too earlier to tell how Google+ will do in comparison to Facebook, especially when it comes to user base.

While many people are signed up with Google+, the usage is not nearly as high as Facebook. According to BusinessInsider.com, a person’s average time on Google+ recently suffered a 10% drop from when the product launched.

If this continues, Google+ will join the many other social networking sites that stand behind Facebook.

Oh and to answer the question originally posed: Google+ doesn’t have it’s own Twitter account, per se, but the official @Google doesn’t actually follow Facebook on Twitter! (The 402 they do follow, as of this post, include nearly every division, product or acquisition of Google though!... A little narcissistic, wouldn’t you say?)

Have you been invited to join Google+? If so, what do you think?

-----------------------

Visit us online at www.liqui-site.com or call 845-353-7771 to experience our commitment to you, from our very first conversation.

Matthew Ell
Web Design & Production Specialist
Liqui-Site Designs, Inc.

Does Your Webmaster Wear Tightey-Whities?

2011-07-14T13:33:00.000-07:00

by Richard Feldman

www.liqui-site.com

So, as many of you may know by now, I am in sales. Specifically, I sell web-based business development that drives relevant traffic, converting high visitor percentages into active leads and sales. This is accomplished through a variety of "white hat" search engine optimization methods and other proven vehicles that build community (and sales) for a brand.

Every day, I call on ad agencies and creative groups, public relations and corporate communications firms who engage us for client projects for big commissions. Naturally, a big part of my job is being on the phone and writing blog posts like this. Yesterday, I happened to call on a Madison Avenue, NYC-based marketing group. Never got past the front desk to speak with or leave a voice message for the EVP (who I have specifically asked for by name). Here's what I got from the front desk instead:

"You do what? Oh, we don't do that web stuff for clients. And if we did, my boyfriend would do it for us." OK. Now, I'm creative... I've got an image in my mind and it isn't pretty. I simply replied, "Thank you, have a nice day." That was after she hung up – and after the image was seared in my mind of her boyfriend in his tightey-whities, laptop propped up while eating a bowl of Fruity Pebbles, working on one of their client's websites.

Is this the level of quality, service, performance and professionalism you would offer to a friend, let alone a business contact, or worse - a client? I hate to be considered self-serving. I'm really not. I'm serving you, my readers.

I'm guessing her boyfriend doesn't really know organic SEO.
I'm guessing her boyfriend doesn't really know social media integration.
I'm guessing her boyfriend doesn't really know inbound or outbound marketing. Or how to tie everything together for a 360-degree approach to building business online.

Web design is one thing. A web-based business that generates leads and sales is another. Here at Liqui-Site Designs, we make the Internet work for you 24/7, driving highly qualified,measurable web traffic via organic “Page 1” search results in Google, resulting in active online lead generation and sales conversion – all of which increase your ROI, as well as your ability to drive ROI for your clients.

Thanks for reading. I needed a reality check, and this was cathartic. Call or email me and I'll tell you more stories (sorry, no names - NDA in place). Oh, and no tightey-whities here either.

Richard A Feldman
Senior Account Director
Liqui-Site Designs, Inc.
[T] 845 353 7771
[C] 845 548 9679
[E] rfeldman@liqui-site.com
www.liqui-site.com

Congratulations, New York!

2011-06-25T05:23:00.000-07:00

by Kelly Campbell
www.liqui-site.com

As an agency headquartered in the state of New York, we have clients, colleagues and friends within our blossoming Liqui-Site family who may now legally marry their significant other. We, at Liqui-Site Designs, Inc., congratulate the people of New York and share in this victory for equality!

Now, I know that businesses need not take a political stance on civil issues, but the core of our business is cultivating real relationships with the clients we serve. That means being human, being transparent, supporting what we believe to be fair and better for this world.

We officially support the It Gets Better Project. We officially support this new legislation in the state in which our business is located. This issue is personal to me, as the president of Liqui-Site.

As I was walking out of my house this morning, I noticed that I felt differently after last night's vote. Today, I walk a little taller, smile a little bigger. No longer do my partner and I feel like second class citizens.

I opened the New York Times that lay on my driveway, pulled the translucent blue bag off, and was moved by the capitalized front-page headline: New York Allows Same-Sex Marriage, Becoming Largest State to Pass Law.

It's a great day to be a New Yorker and to be a business owner in this great state. Congratulations, New York!

-----------------------

Visit us online at www.liqui-site.com or call 845-353-7771 to experience our commitment to you, from our very first conversation.

Kelly Campbell
President & Creative Director
Liqui-Site Designs, Inc.

All Successful Web-Based Businesses Have 1 Thing In Common – Great UX

2011-06-24T13:06:00.000-07:00

by Richard Feldman

www.liqui-site.com

It really isn't about you. It's about your prospects, customers and clients.
The UXD, or “User Experience Design”, in web terminology, is less a matter of aesthetic preference, and more so the intuitiveness of an overall interface. In sales terms, it is the process of developing online relationships.

The user experience (UX) begins with how a person feels about using a product, a service, a system, your website, Aha! User experience is, well, experiential. It includes a person’s perceptions of practicality, ease of use, efficiency, intuitiveness. Yet, user experience is dynamic because its common practices change as does technology (web browsers, devices, etc.).

Most of all, your user experience began even before the user knew who you were – well before he or she reached your organization’s website.

Why? Because the user experience began with a search – user-initiated search behavior.

Therefore, it's only natural that development of your site begin with:

A thorough understanding of user-initiated search behavior and keyword research to reach "Page 1" of the search result (above your online competitors)
Driving relevant, qualified click-through traffic to your site
Keeping your treasured, qualified visitors engaged long enough to begin the conversion process
And finally, converting a remaining percentage to take an action: place an order, request info, sign up for a newsletter, download a white paper

OK. That’s huge. Let’s bring it back down for a moment and focus on just one small area – navigation.

Studies on user behavior have shown that the right side of a website is the least effective placement for navigation, so we suggest keeping all “navigation titles” in the left column or all across the top. For ecommerce sites, horizontal navigation at the top of a site is typically used for broad product categories, company info and contact, while vertical navigation on the left is commonly used to categorize products in a line or product lines themselves – with drop-across menus, or “fly-outs”, that list sub-categories. On the homepage, all of this is in an effort to get your prospect to the exact product they’re looking for in as few clicks as humanly possible.

Navigation Titles
As it applies to search engine optimization (SEO), our primary concern is that actual navigation titles be "search relevant." That is to say are based on user behavior and experience. Users don’t search for singular words. Three is the average number of words used in Google searches. Therefore, using singular words like “print”, “web”, “horse”, “car” as your navigation titles, doesn’t give the search engines much to work with to help you make a connection. Think about it for a moment. That’s a big disconnect.

Singular terms are vague, severely impact your ability to increase PR (page rank) and, above all, fail to connect you with relevant site traffic. Using longer tail keywords in your navigation is a best practice for both SEO and UX. That’s about it for today’s lesson. Here’s your take away – If you want terrific traffic, you’ve got to provide a great experience.

Richard A Feldman
Senior Account Director
Liqui-Site Designs, Inc.
[T] 845 353 7771
[C] 845 548 9679
[E] rfeldman@liqui-site.com
www.liqui-site.com

Social Media Engagement is Everywhere: Twitter Introduces the Follow Button

2011-06-01T14:05:00.000-07:00

by Matthew Ell

www.liqui-site.com

No longer do you need to direct visitors to your profile page on Twitter in order for them to follow you. In one click, a visitor can instantly subscribe to your Tweets without leaving your website. Twitter announced the “Follow” button yesterday, May 31, 2011 as “a way to increase engagement with your audience”.

While this sort of functionality from Twitter has been available to developers through their @Anywhere API, the new Follow button offers an easy way to get set up. For individuals, small businesses and companies utilizing Twitter as a social media channel, this button be implemented into a web site and makes it simple for visitors to subscribe to a Twitter user's stream.

It seems to be a growing trend with social media that a conversation can start on a web page and continue on to something like a person's FaceBook profile. This is a powerful concept that has driven ideas such as FaceBook’s Like Button, where a visitor can “like” something on a web page which notifies all of their FaceBook friends. This leads to more conversation and carries the message even further. Similarly, Twitter’s Tweet button allows a person to instantly create a Tweet directly from a web page as one seamless experience. Ultimately, all these tools including Twitters new Follow button make it easier to expand and involve your online audience.

So, how are you using Social Media to carry your message and better engage visitors on your web site?

-----------------------

Visit us online at www.liqui-site.com or call 845-353-7771 to experience our commitment to you, from our very first conversation.

Matthew Ell
Web Design & Production Specialist
Liqui-Site Designs, Inc.

Demand Professionalism, Send the Right Message

2011-04-25T15:01:00.000-07:00

by Kelly Campbell
www.liqui-site.com

When we begin working with a client here at Liqui-Site, there's a certain decorum and level of professionalism that sets the tone for the long-term relationship. Clients have a sense, from the onset, that they are working with a dedicated group of web and online marketing experts that have the experience and innovation to take their business to the next level.

After working with a client for years, we see different sides of their personalities (and vice versa) as the relationship deepens – and it's fun! After all, the website design process and a flourishing business enables us to get really creative, so the projects become engaging for all involved.

Generally speaking, communications can become lighter or more casual – so long as the client continues to respect boundaries and remain professional...

Recently, I had an experience where a client crossed the line of professionalism into the realm of profanity on a phone call. The moment I hung up, I knew I was faced with a decision that I had never had to make in eight years of owning a business. After reflecting on the person's behavior, I decided that continuing to do business with this client would send the message that we would tolerate it. And that's not the right message to send to the client, my employees, or prospective clients for that matter.

It could give the impression that (a) verbal abuse is okay, (b) that we're desperate for work, or (c) that we have little self-worth – when none of those things are true.

What IS true is that we work very hard for our clients. They know it, appreciate it, and we are very passionate about the measurable results we're able to help them achieve online!

In the end, we communicated to the client that the behavior was not acceptable, and that they'd be better suited for another firm. We assisted in helping them transition to another agency (because it's just as important to remain professional at the end of a relationship as it is in the beginning, no matter the circumstances). Regardless of the fact that we received apologetic emails, it was time to say goodbye. And in cases such as this, it's perfectly okay.

I've personally never read an article or blog post on this subject, and I know that situations like these are all too common. So, I thought it might inspire other business professionals to "stand in their own power". I truly believe that demanding professionalism sends the right message.

I'd love to hear your comments! Did reading about this experience trigger an action or thought about a similar situation with a client / customer? Share your thoughts or suggestions for others.

-----------------------

Visit us online at www.liqui-site.com or call 845-353-7771 to experience our commitment to you, from our very first conversation.

Kelly Campbell
President & Creative Director
Liqui-Site Designs, Inc.

It's All About Perspective... Listen To Your Clients!

2011-04-05T15:05:00.000-07:00

by Kelly Campbell
www.liqui-site.com

A new client phoned last week to inquire about something on his demo site – with his brandy new website slated to "go live" by month's end. I was in the middle of fifteen things and the day was more than half over, so I was feeling pressed for time but took the call anyway... because, well... that's what we do here!

In retrospect, it wasn't fair to the client because I was not able to listen – I mean, really listen – and understand the issue from his perspective. I stress the latter part of that statement because that's what business is all about: listening to comments and concerns, understanding needs and objectives, and providing solutions.

Though the client's question wasn't technical in nature, my answer was not what he wanted to hear. (When it comes to web platforms, browsers and the myriad of preferences and options possible for each site visitor, the answer is never what clients want to hear.) But I wasn't listening. I was spouting geek-speak and not allowing myself to see the situation from the client's perspective.

It was a mistake that I recognized and will try hard not to make again.

Lesson Learned: Clients aren't always looking for the optimum answer because they know, deep down, that it's not always possible... but clients will want you to really listen – and walk a few feet in their shoes.

-----------------------

Visit us online at www.liqui-site.com or call 845-353-7771 to experience our commitment to you, from our very first conversation.

Kelly Campbell
President & Creative Director
Liqui-Site Designs, Inc.

Social Media, The Better Mouse Trap…

2011-03-02T12:44:00.000-08:00

by Richard Feldman
Senior Account Director
www.liqui-site.com

Social media has grown significantly in recent years and covers a broad range of online sites used by business people and consumers in all walks of life, each with a specific set of interests. From LinkedIn to Facebook to Twitter, YouTube and other online sites that connect with others in their business fields and networks, social media has opened doors that would have otherwise never been ajar. Today, social media exploits the ability to be found and has exploded as a new world of communication exchange.

In the Madmen days of advertising, we talked about reach, frequency and repetition. All that is what social media does today. Social media is changing the business landscape as quickly as a hot YouTube video makes its way around the Internet. To give you an idea of how a coordinated social media network works, as one Cairo activist succinctly put it, “We used Facebook to schedule the protests, Twitter to coordinate, and YouTube to tell the world." Think about that for a moment and ask yourself; Have I got a product, service or event to share with an interested market? Is that a vertical market? Is the market local, regional or national? Is the market age-related, sports-related? How far down do you want to drill? Social media will take you there.

And these are not new questions! Yet the process of implementing their answers for the purpose of generating leads, conversions, sales and profits has changed. Until recently, that process only included print marketing, telemarketing, event marketing and display marketing, to name a few – all of which are time and labor intensive – and, oh, the expense.

On the flip side, today, social media marketing has blown the doors off these conventional marketing methods - in terms of reduced time (immediacy) and investment - to create and multiply reach, and generate staggering ROI.

It doesn’t matter what you sell, where you sell it, when you sell or to whom. Social media is about zeroing in on your decision-makers and opening the doors to let all of them find you, your products and your services. Social media IS “the better mouse trap.” Let us show you how a coordinated social media strategy can work for you and the world [of qualified prospects] will beat a path to your door. Make sure it’s open when they get there.

Richard A Feldman
Senior Account Director
Liqui-Site Designs, Inc.
[T] 845 353 7771
[C] 845 548 9679
[F] 845 353 7772
[E] rfeldman@liqui-site.com

Checking In or Out? – Facebook Places for Business

2011-01-03T06:52:00.000-08:00

by Chris Vaccaro
Web Design & Production Specialist
www.liqui-site.com

By now we all know that social media is much more than a fad, it's proven to be one of the greatest ROI generators of our time. There are multiple social services that clearly have staying power, and new niche networks are sprouting up each week. Everything we do seems to have a social aspect baked in, and these features are great when connecting with friends and family, or trying to reach an untapped demographic for your business.

One social feature that has caught on quickly is location based check-in. This was the inevitable next step in mobile networking since our smartphones – built with GPS tools – are never out of reach. Services like Foursquare and Gowalla have been the pioneers of this functionality, and now other networks like Google and Facebook have stepped into the mobile check-in arena.

If you're not familiar with the term 'checking in', it's the way to tell your Facebook friends, Tweeple, etc. where you are actually located at any given moment, right from your phone.

With multiple competitors in the location-based race, I feel Facebook, with Facebook Places, may have an advantage over the others due to the amount of users already on the network. If you're on Facebook, you may have already noticed your friends checking into specific locations. Now, you don't have to wonder, "Hey, how'd they do that?"

The whole concept of "checking in" is interesting because you are essentially disclosing your physical location to your virtual social community. This sounds like it could be a recipe for disaster (and it could be), but luckily, Facebook Places gives you the ability to restrict which friends will get the notification of your check-ins. So, you won't have to worry so much about being stalked or meeting unwanted acquaintances at the same place you are currently.

And location based check-in isn't just for your friends. Businesses and brands have noticed the trend in the mobile social scene and have implemented some really creative strategies for building community and sales. Certain places in which you can check-in will offer discounts on their products or services – as long as you show the cashier/staff member that you've actually checked into their location on your smartphone.

In my own recent experiments, I found that certain retail stores will offer 10-20% off of your purchase when checked-in, and restaurants and bars will offer free shots, discounts on meals, or no-cover at the door. Think about the real-time aspect of inviting other friends to a business location to take advantage of an exclusive offer like that. Now, imagine you're the business owner.

As we can clearly see, Facebook Places is still on the rise and certain locations are implementing new and out-of-the-box incentives for users to check into their location. The trend will only continue and get better as businesses find new ways to give perks to those who use the service (and promote their brand to hundreds of friends at the same time since the check-in appears on their walls as well). That's just another example of viral media and the future of how we'll do business in 2011 and beyond.

So the question is, are you 'checking-in' or checking out? Feel free to post comments or questions below.

Contact Liqui-Site Designs at 845-353-7771 to learn how strategic social media can take your business business to the next level. Experience our commitment to you, from our very first conversation.

Marketing on 34th Street - Business in 2011

2010-12-20T11:44:00.000-08:00

by Kelly Campbell
www.liqui-site.com

It's ironic how the rush of the holiday season can sometimes bring profound, yet simple, ideas to light. This past weekend, I happened upon something that blended both business and the seemingly lost sense of holiday spirit. Let me know what you think in the comments section at the end...

In the 1947 film, Miracle on 34th Street, Macy's department store in New York City offers children the traditional in-store visit with Santa Claus – which also helps to drive more foot traffic right at decision time.

Unbeknownst to the management, their new employee, Kris Kringle, is the real deal.

And since everyone knows that Santa needs a little help from parents each year, he provides helpful information as to where they can find the particular toy little Johnny or Sally wants for Christmas – even if Macy's is sold out or doesn't carry it.

Imagine... sending customers to your competitors during the holiday buying season! Well, in the film, Macy's customers saw such tremendous value in knowing which nearby competitors carried the exact item their kid would be looking for under the tree, that it transformed the reputation of the store. In no time, the Macy's brand became synonymous with friendly, helpful customer service – as opposed to a profit-driven corporation focused solely on exploiting the holiday season.

While some customers did buy a gift or two elsewhere, the value of the authentic, customer-first service turned many into life-long shoppers, and began to build a deeper, more meaningful community around the Macy's brand. So wildly successful was this "campaign of caring" that Macy's implemented it in every department of every store across the country.

Fast forward nearly 60 years to 2010, and it seems that many companies are just now realizing the positive impact of meeting needs over selling.

Probably most profound about Kris Kringle is that he wasn't running a marketing campaign or thinking about impact on annual revenue, he was simply being helpful by providing busy people with time-saving value.

Turns out that being "real" is all that's needed for long-term success.

-----------------------

Wondering how to transform the strategy and reputation of your business in 2011? Liqui-Site has helped hundreds of companies do just that, and we've been practicing what we preach ever since inception eight years ago.

Visit us online at www.liqui-site.com or call 845-353-7771 to experience our commitment to you, from our very first conversation.

Kelly Campbell
President & Creative Director
Liqui-Site Designs, Inc.

Flash For Your Website? Think Again.

2010-12-01T06:21:00.000-08:00

by Chris Vaccaro
Web Design & Production Specialist
www.liqui-site.com

I recently had a conversation with friend about building a website for his artwork portfolio. I explained the process to him, offered some tips, and recommended a couple of sites as examples of what I considered to be great websites in his field. Then, he mentioned wanting to have the site built entirely in Flash. Since he wanted to optimize his site for the search engines in order to "get found", I told him it was a bad idea to use Flash. Plain and simple. I went on to explain why I didn't believe Flash to be the best option for any website, for that matter.

Flash 101
Flash is an "object oriented language" that enables the creation of animation, videos, audio, and rich internet application (RIA's). Originally released in 1996, Flash became the 'cool kid on the block' when it came to pushing the limits of web design and user interaction. Flash seemed like a great solution for every new website that wanted to stand apart. With the direction in which the web is moving today – best practices in coding methods, search engine optimization, user accessibility and experience – Flash fails at all of the above. When a Flash-based page loads, it's not loading HTML code, but rather an application. To take this one step further, when an HTML website loads, the browser is reading the code from the HTML documents stored on the server. This code includes native tags, such as headings, paragraphs, images, etc. These tags are essential to search engines (i.e. Google, Bing, and Yahoo), as their 'spiders' crawl through HTML documents, analyzing tags and appropriately indexing what your website is all about. This is how relevant and appropriate results re returned when you type in a specific phrase into the search engine of your choice.

When 'spiders' crawl through a Flash-based website, they're unable to read much relevant information about the site. This is because Flash applications are 'compressed' and do not take advantage of native HTML. While Google is working on trying to allow its spiders to crawl through Flash applications more effectively, the jury's still out as to whether or not it will ever work as well as native HTML.

So you've probably figured out by now that this is very bad for your online presence. If your site can't be found, how will customers buy your products or enlist your services?

The solution is jQuery + HTML5.

In short, jQuery (Javascript) and HTML5 are two of the best languages being used in current web design because of their search-friendly code, the ability to standardize the way websites are built, as well as their cross-browser and cross-platform compatibility for end users.

jQuery is a branch of Javascript which among other uses, has the ability to mimic many of the effects previously achieved with Flash. Effects such as fade, slide, and flip transitions, some animation functionalities, and user control, to name a few.

And then there's HTML5, the newest iteration to HTML language. A popular feature of HTML5 is the "video" tag, which allows browsers to play video and/or audio on a website, without the need for Flash Player to be installed. This also means that HTML5 video can be viewed by any smartphone browser – whether it supports Flash or not.

By using these two languages together, websites are easily found on the search engines, engaging to site visitors, and accessible to all – regardless of the device or browser being used.

Feel free to post comments or questions below. I'm happy to help guide you with any animation or web production inquiries you have for your own site.

Contact Liqui-Site Designs at 845-353-7771 to learn how today's standards in website development and SEO can help your business reach prospects on Page 1 and harvest qualified leads. Experience our commitment to you, from our very first conversation.

How to Convert Online Leads - FREE eBook

2010-11-22T08:29:00.000-08:00

by Kelly Campbell
www.liqui-site.com

With Thanksgiving in a few days to kick off the 2010 Holiday Season, we're pleased to offer a new eBook to existing and prospective clients, as well as anyone interested in learning how to convert more online leads into new business in the New Year.

Back in September, we polled a community of business owners to find out what business topic they would like to learn more about if they had just 30 minutes. The overwhelming response? Convert more leads into sales.

So, we wrote the book, literally. Now, it's yours to download, compliments of Liqui-Site Designs Inc.

Whether you have an e-commerce business or provide professional services, the funnel is virtually the same: (1) Drive more traffic to the site, (2) capture qualified leads, and (3) convert more prospects into sales by creating real relationships.

Download the FREE eBook Now!
From Prospect to Profit: How to Convert Online Leads and Create Engaging Relationships

Then, share the download link with others, ask questions, and join the discussion on our blog at www.FromProspectToProfit.com.

Paying it forward in the spirit of giving,
Kelly

Kelly Campbell
President & Creative Director
Liqui-Site Designs, Inc.

Experience our commitment to you, from our very first conversation.

Visit us at www.liqui-site.com or call 845-353-7771. Effective brand marketing starts here.™

Building Community Around Your Brand

2010-11-18T10:05:00.000-08:00

by Kelly Campbell
www.liqui-site.com

If you missed the live broadcast of Coach World TV on November 8th, where I discuss building community around your brand with Terry Yoffe, check out the two-part video below. Feel free to comment or ask questions about your own business. I'm happy to help!

Experience our commitment to you, from our very first conversation.

Visit us at www.liqui-site.com or call 845-353-7771. Effective brand marketing starts here.™

Viral Messaging Spreads Like Wildfire

2010-10-27T09:52:00.000-07:00

by Richard Feldman
Senior Account Director
www.liqui-site.com

So a few of us were talking about what could potentially become the next "big idea" in coordinated print and web-based promotions when the phone rang. It was a client of ours who actually does a lot of direct mail advertising. We got to talking about the ROI of their last campaign, and then the brainstorm hit...

How to multiply the measurable results of print, packaging and display. It's what we call Viral Media.

Let's say you do great work in direct mail, print ads, product packaging or point-of-purchase displays. You’re looking to reach the next level and blow the doors off your ROI – but something’s missing. It's time to sync print with Smartphone and web technology.

Here's how it works: Your packaging, print, display or direct mailer entices the consumer or prospect to whip out their Smartphone to scan a special image-based code we create for you. That code provides a valuable offer, immediate discount at checkout, important product information, website address for other products or services, (or any number of additional benefits and features) in real-time! For customers without Smartphones, there’s an integrated website or landing page, specially designed to match the print or in-store offer.

And now... from their SmartPhones, customers begin to spread your message to friends via cell or email, as well as through their online social networking / bookmarking communities – Twitter, Facebook, Google Buzz, StumbleUpon and more. This produces a viral effect that begins to spread – like wildfire.

Want to see an example of how this all works? Check out Lexus' most recent e-campaign with QR code and text offer > click here.

Remember the movie Andromeda Strain? Now the promotional reach is expanding, becoming extremely infectious, driving sensational "buzz", greater awareness and sales - creating a powerful community around the brand! Take a breath here, you’ll need it – because it’s not yet out of control...

Now, multiply all these effects by the number of impressions in your campaign (display locations, direct mailers, ads, even product packages), and you’re talking about some very contagious viral marketing... and as you arrive at the scene, there are millions of bodies – only this time, they’re standing in line at checkout.

We call it Viral Media – and we can take your brand to this extremely infectious level. Contact me to learn more and scan my vCard below with your Smartphone:

Richard A Feldman
Senior Account Director
Liqui-Site Designs, Inc.
[T] 845 353 7771
[C] 845 548 9679
[F] 845 353 7772
[E] rfeldman@liqui-site.com

Google's Got Glasses, Magnifying Search Results

2010-10-07T14:40:00.000-07:00

by Kelly Campbell
www.liqui-site.com

Seems like Google's testing and launching something new every day. Do these people ever sleep? As of today, the newest feature is called Google Magnifying Glass Page Previews. And just like everything that's released by this online giant, there are obvious pro's and con's to their latest and greatest.

What and Where Are Google Magnifying Glass Page Previews?
You'll begin to see small magnifying glass icons next to each item that appears within your Google search results page. It appears that you must be logged into your Google account in order to see the magnifying glasses, and that will likely be visible soon to searchers who are not logged in as well. But, that's never a guarantee with Google.

What Does This Mean For Your Next Search?
If you're logged into Google, you'll see these icons and have the ability to hover over them in order to see a snapshot of the website you're thinking about visiting. Pretty cool, huh? Well, Google has taken this one step further to highlight the text in the original search query. From a design perspective, it's not exactly pretty.

www.liqui-site.com on Page 1 for "brand marketing NY"

You're not getting a "real screenshot" of what the prospective click-thru may look like when you arrive there, but you get the overall sense of what the homepage looks like.

CNET's Tom Krazit adds that "Google searchers can already refine their searches to generate results with page previews through the "search options" panel on the left-hand side of the search results page, but those previews are much smaller and aren't automatically generated by a hover, like the ones spotted first by Patrick Altoft today. Search Engine Land notes that Ask.com and Microsoft's Bing have offered similar preview options in the past."

What This Means For Your Website
If your homepage doesn't make a good first impression now, prospects can now make the decision to click or not to click – without actually clicking anything. That means that your overall site traffic may change for better or for worse, but your bounce rate (the percentage of people who decide your site wasn't relevant to their search and leave immediately) may decrease because the prospect has already decided that your site now "looks" like something relevant to their search. And that's a good thing! We'll keep an eye on statistics to see if this theory plays out.

Experience our commitment to you, from our very first conversation.

Visit us at www.liqui-site.com or call 845-353-7771. Effective brand marketing starts here.™

Customer Loyalty, Not Customer Satisfaction

2010-10-04T08:15:00.000-07:00

by Kelly Campbell
www.liqui-site.com

Last week, at a women's business forum in NY, Cindy Solomon presented one of the most engaging talks I've ever attended, "The Customer of the Future: The Art of Creating Customer Loyalty". Solomon is an author and well-known keynote speaker who has a gift for helping great leaders create great results. If you ever have a chance to see her in person, definitely take the opportunity!

Rather than focus on customer satisfaction, says Solomon, customer loyalty is where it's at. The two are VERY different, evidenced by the fact that 80% of customers who leave your company were "satisfied". If that's true (and it is), the question is how to keep your existing customers coming back for more. After all, you've established trust and credibility, now it's time to continue building that relationship by adding value.

And the best way to do that? Save your customers time.

That's it. Save your customers time and whatever you provide – be it product, service or both – becomes exponentially more valuable to them. Time, as we all know, is the only truly non-renewable resource.

What's more, Solomon says you don't need to exceed client expectations, but rather set the bar (high, middle or low) and hit that mark every time, at every single interaction. Customers' expectations are determined by what you promise, so if you set the bar high and don't deliver every single time, they're ultimately let down. If customers know what to expect AND those expectations are met 100% of the time, their level of loyalty to your business increases as time goes on.

Why not just "satisfied"? Here's the equation as I see it: Expectations plus consistency equals loyalty.

Don't seek to impress the hell out of your customers one day, and then provide mediocre service along the way after they've signed a contract. Those are the important 96% of your client base whom you can turn from satisfied customers into loyal customers.

At Liqui-Site, we have set the bar high, and we deliver on that promise 100% of the time. That's why we invite potential clients with this message at every interaction: Experience our commitment to you, from our very first conversation.

Visit us at www.liqui-site.com or call 845-353-7771. Effective brand marketing starts here.™

Web Content: Reuse, Recycle... and Increase!

2010-09-14T13:19:00.000-07:00

by Kelly Campbell
www.liqui-site.com

One of the most daunting challenges we've seen clients face is drafting content when overhauling an existing website. Many believe that because it's a "new" site, the content must be completely rewritten from scratch. Not true.

What can be done instead is a combination of re-purposing content from the existing website, as well as from other marketing collateral (brochures, sell sheets, annual reports, and so forth). Then – and this is the most important aspect of content development – the recycled content must be properly optimized for the search engines, based on the top 10 key terms that have been identified for best organic position on the search engines. And when we talk about the engines, we mean the four major players that account for 99% of Internet searches: Google, Yahoo, MSN and Bing.

Now, this may surprise you, but you'll most likely need many more content pages than the existing site contained. (Read: 5 pages just won't cut it if you're looking for Page 1 position.) Why? Because when it comes to indexing, content is king!

And the more well-written, SEO-friendly pages your site houses, the better your chances for being found on Page 1, organically.

Do you know how your website measures up? Know where you rank for specific key search terms? Find out, with a complimentary website evaluation from Liqui-Site. Experience our commitment to you, from our very first conversation.

Visit us at www.liqui-site.com or call 845-353-7771. Effective brand marketing starts here.™

A Lesson in "Sales Pitch"... and Tone

2010-08-30T14:43:00.000-07:00

by Kelly Campbell
www.liqui-site.com

I was getting my hair cut at a hip, local salon last week. The atmosphere was lively and fun, and the service was impeccable. As my shorter new style was really starting to take shape, a tall young guy walked in with a cardboard box and approached the receptionist's desk.

"Hey, how you guy's doin'? I'm from a company working around the corner and we had all this stuff left over. Since my boss can't return it and has no use for it, he said I should go to the local shops and see if I could sell it for, like, 80% off. You guys wanna look through this and see if there's anything you wanna buy?"

Somewhat confused, the women politely said no and the guy replied "A'ight. Have a good one." What interested me most was the conversation that occurred after he left.

The stylists and reception started talking about how the guy's sales approach was what turned them off, otherwise they might have been interested in the mystery box. They commented to each other that he was too casual in his approach, and didn't attempt anything creative with his "sales pitch". One suggested he should have offered the 80% discount "simply because there were so many gorgeous women in the salon!"

The lesson? Customers want professionalism, but everyone likes to smile or laugh. Customers always want straight-talk, but they also want to feel like they're special, like the company (or person) they purchase from is catering to their unique needs.

Is your website one of your most successful sales team members? If you're interested in seeing how your current site measures up, click here to start your complimentary website evaluation.

Visit us at www.liqui-site.com or call 845-353-7771. Effective brand marketing starts here.™

The Empty Restaurant

2010-08-06T11:43:00.000-07:00

by Richard Feldman
www.liqui-site.com

My friend, a restaurateur, read a journal essay on "The Empty Restaurant" a few weeks ago. It inspired him to share the marketing lesson below. I think you'll find it useful – no matter what business you're in.

"Some time ago, our cafe participated in a rib contest. Our ribs are great. Well, many people were going to the other 20 rib stands. But not so many were coming to ours. It took me a while to figure out why. The other booths had lines, and ours didn't. We didn't have lines because my staff was so fast. Lines were forming at the other rib places because they were slow at plating the food and slow in making change. I had my crew slow down, and a line formed. The rest of the weekend we worked just slow enough to have a line and just fast enough so customers didn't have to wait too long. We did very well. Folks say that they don't want to wait, but I guess they do."

Moral: Your website is essentially a line to your rib stand, filled with real people who may become your customers or clients. Use it to learn all you can about the behavior of those who buy your products or services. Then, make your changes, accordingly.

If you're interested in seeing how your current website measures up, click here to start your complimentary website evaluation.

Liqui-Site Designs, Inc. | Experience our commitment to you, from our very first conversation.

Richard Feldman Named Senior Account Director as Brand Marketing Firm Expands in NY

2010-06-08T10:25:00.000-07:00

by Kelly Campbell
www.liqui-site.com

June 8, 2010 – Liqui-Site Designs, Inc. announced today that it has acquired new central offices on Burd Street in downtown Nyack, NY. With the firm presently in growth mode, Richard A. Feldman has also been named Senior Account Director, and will be responsible for new business development in a variety of targeted vertical markets.

Feldman has worked for firms such as ProImage America, U.S. Health Club, Carleton-Barnett and Marketing Dynamics, as well as his own packaging design company, Special Graphics. He brings over 25 years of experience to Liqui-Site Designs, Inc. with knowledge and practical experience in publishing, food and beverage, beauty, wellness and health care.

According to Kelly Campbell, President and Creative Director of Liqui-Site, “Rick has collaborated with us on various projects over the last seven years. His proven management, brand marketing and sales experience will both strengthen the underpinnings of the firm and deliver greater benefit to new clients across the country. I’m excited to welcome him to the management team at our new location as we expand our capabilities to meet the changing needs of today’s businesses.”

Upon joining the firm, Feldman said, “With our expanded headquarters, I’ll be able to guide new clients with the services needed for long-term brand success, including graphic design, website development, search engine optimization, inbound marketing, social media management and website maintenance. For businesses and organizations looking to hire the ‘right’ brand marketing firm, Liqui-Site is it.”

Liqui-Site’s new offices are located at 62 Burd Street, Nyack, NY 10960. The corporate mailing address remains at P.O. Box 777, Nyack, NY 10960.

Don't Overlook The Importance of a Tagline

2010-04-11T04:44:00.001-07:00

by Kelly Campbell
www.liqui-site.com

There seems to be a lot of misconception surrounding what a tagline is, what it isn't, and how it can used to strengthen a brand.

In this past week alone, we identified a similar problem in the branding of two of our newest clients. One had a tagline that was comprised of a string of adjectives, and the other didn't have a tagline at all.

It's a difficult conversation to have with any business owner – that there would be a flaw in the brand that they've built from the ground up. However, when we explain the three types of taglines (Promise, Call to Action, and Memory), and how to craft a tagline that will help to increase sales, a raise of the eyebrows usually ensues.

We helped both of these new clients to identify their core tagline issues, and then worked to correct them.

Admittedly, we had to learn this over the years as well. In taking the time to educate each client, we help them understand how and why a great tagline works with other elements to create a successful brand – helping to ensure long-term success.

What we learned in the process of overhauling our own website was that our brand identity was strong, clients were loyal, but we uncovered a brand problem: our tagline needed to be redefined. For years, our tagline was Design. Develop. Constantly evolve.™. When we really took the time to look at each element of our overall brand, the tagline just didn't measure up. It was no longer relevant because our capabilities encompassed so much more than design and development. After identifying the very reason why our clients chose us over the competition, we strategically crafted a new tagline, Effective brand marketing starts here.™ It offers the prospective client a Promise – that by working with Liqui-Site, your brand will be crafted by experts who understand how to communicate the clear messaging needed for success.

For more information on creating a successful tagline, visit us at www.liqui-site.com or call 845-353-7771. Effective brand marketing starts here.™

VISA Wins Gold With Olympic Ad Campaign

2010-02-23T09:02:00.000-08:00

by Kelly Campbell
www.liqui-site.com

If you've been watching the 2010 Winter Olympics, you've seen some incredible competition, brand new sports, and both tragedies and victories daily. You may have also noticed something pretty inspiring about one advertising campaign in particular – VISA. Now, I have no vested interest in the corporation, so hear me out.

Anyone who's ever watched TV has seen their fair share of credit card commercials. American Express has had some memorable contests for small businesses, and MasterCard's Priceless campaign was (and still is) genius – a perfect example of the Word Hook approach to a successful advertising campaign. We all recognize that VISA used to be "everywhere you want to be," but I can't recall a single one of their TV spots that stopped me in my tracks the way MasterCard's Priceless ads did. Well, I can't say that anymore.

While watching the Winter Games, I've seen three different ads that are part of VISA's new Go World campaign. If you haven't seen them yet, or to view them all in one place, check out VISA's Go World channel on You Tube at: www.youtube.com/visagoworld. My favorites are the Julia Mancuso and Dan Jansen spots. It's the human story – the dreams, the successes, the failures and determination of the featured Olympic athletes that capture your attention. You, as the consumer, identify with these champions on some level, and you either feel like you know them, want to cheer them on and cry with them when they win.

Advertising is an incredibly powerful tool when an emotional connection is made between consumer and brand. Remember that above all else.

What's so incredible about this campaign is that it's a perfect fit for Olympics. The campaign title, the new VISA tagline ("more people go with VISA") which uses both a Call To Action and Memory approach, the familiar voice of James Earl Jones, and...

If this wasn't enough, VISA has also invested in the power of social media. Every commercial that's aired is available on their YouTube channel and invites people to "get close to the Winter Games at facebook.com/VisaGoWorld." The Fan Page itself makes phenomenal use of FMBL tabs. See: www.facebook.com/VisaGoWorld?v=app_263088584164.

Let me know what you think about this campaign. Do some of the spots get you teary-eyed or send chills up your spine with inspiration? Which are your favorites? Could these ads ever convince you to apply for a VISA card – or if you already have one, do they increase your loyalty to the brand?

For more information on social media integration and how viral marketing can help grow your own business, check out Liqui-Site Designs, Inc. at www.liqui-site.com.

How To Get 15 Quality Leads in 15 Days

2010-01-20T14:05:00.001-08:00

by Kelly Campbell
www.liqui-site.com

Since the day we launched our new website – literally – we began generating interest from past, current and prospective clients. That interest turned into 15 quality leads within the first 15 days of 2010. While the website had much to do with the resulting success, it certainly wasn't the only factor.

First, we planted the seed about the anticipated website to everyone we knew. Many new colleagues, associates, prospects, friends and family wanted to be notified about the site launch, so we added them to our e-newsletter list (with their permission, of course). When the site went live, the email went out and included links to our portfolios, blog, new client sites, Facebook Fan Page and Twitter profile.

Past and present clients perused the portfolios to see their own company collateral. Prospects had the chance to see our work, our awards, and get a feel for who they may be hiring.

Our depth of knowledge for advanced search engine optimization (SEO) and social media brought in leads from across the country, through Google, Yahoo!, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. And the multiple submission forms housed on the site enabled us to capture leads and qualify them in a variety of ways. This was very important! Think about it: If you're trying to drive traffic to your website, you must have a way to capture data – and a simple form on your Contact page simply won't cut it. People want an incentive – an email newsletter, a white paper, an exclusive discount, a website evaluation – or something valuable in exchange for their information.

The launch of our 2010 Pro Bono Promo offered some insight into the integrity and nature of our firm for those who were unfamiliar with us. Giving back to a community or non-profit organization in some way, whether financially or with pro bono services, demonstrates thought, care and gratefulness for your success. It also makes prospects feel good about working with you. And how many companies can you really say that about?

The point is, with all the right elements in place: website construction, advanced search engine optimization, good content, inbound marketing, incentives and lead capture forms, it's not difficult to garner leads through your website. The more strategic and streamlined the process, the better the quality of leads as well. So, how did our 15 leads measure up, you ask? Well, 12 out of 15 signed proposals for complete website development.

If you're interested in seeing how your current website measures up, click here to start your complimentary website evaluation.

There's Always Something To Learn About SEO

2010-01-07T08:44:00.000-08:00

by Kelly Campbell
www.liqui-site.com

Just before the new year, we launched a brand new website at www.liqui-site.com that showcases our web design portfolio, print design work, case studies and new web services. Our capabilities have expanded in the last year or so, and now include a greater focus on advanced Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Inbound Marketing, using social media, social bookmarking, blogs, RSS feeds and more. I'll get back to SEO in a moment though...

As the host of a popular podcast show called Holistic Health & Wellness, I am privileged to interview many well known gurus on natural health, wellness and spirituality. Tonight I have the pleasure of interviewing a cross-over guest, James Connor. He's a cross-over for me because we, at Liqui-Site, have worked with his branding agency in NYC, The James Group, and now he's appearing on Holistic Health & Wellness to talk about his book and his upcoming Buddhist retreat. In order to journey into the Arizona desert for 3 years, 3 months and 3 days of silence, James had to give up all his worldly possessions – including The James Group. It makes for a great conversation! So, if you're interested in listening to the show, it begins airing on January 28, 2010. Click here to subscribe to Holistic Health & Wellness for free in iTunes, or simply visit this page on or after the air date.

The SEO tie-in is that in James Connor's book, The Perfection of Marketing, there's a chapter that everyone needs to read - if not the entire book. Chapter 12 is called Building Websites For Search Engine Placement. Connor himself admits that The James Group didn't focus on best practices in SEO until 2006. Since then, they've identified fact from fiction and kept up-to-date with Google's algorithm changes. At Liqui-Site, we've become experts in this area as well over the last few years, but I personally took two bits of information from Connor's book that will help in Liqui-Site's SEO tactics for future client sites as well.

(1) In Yahoo, you can view how many inbound links your competitor's site has (which is an insight into popularity of course) by typing the following into the engine: link:http://www.thecompetitorsite.com. We use Alexa.com to determine this information, but with so many people using Yahoo! as a search engine, it's nice to know that this kind of information can easily be ascertained by clients themselves.

(2) About 40% of your ranking comes from what you do on your website, and about 60% comes from what you do off your website. I was actually under the impression that it was closer to 50/50, but this is a great rule of thumb to abide by when developing inbound marketing strategies for/with our website design clients.

I strongly believe that one person (or one company, in this case) can never know every single thing about their area of expertise. The most innovative, cutting-edge web development firm in the world knows there's always something more to learn about SEO. As Connor puts it, "it's an arms race, and it's important to pick which search term battles you want to fight."

If you're interested in seeing how your current website measures up, click here to start your complimentary website evaluation.

Connecting For The Holidays

2009-12-15T19:12:00.000-08:00

by Kelly Campbell
www.liqui-site.com

Over the years, I've learned the importance of connecting with those who have chosen to do business with my firm, as well as those considering our proposals. For example, each year, we send out custom holiday cards to past, present and potential clients, thanking them for their business and looking forward to a continued relationship. This year in particular, we wanted to show clients that they had become a part of our family, and how vested in their success we are, long-term.

In early and mid-2009, budgets were tight, stress was at an all-time high, and Liqui-Site was entrusted with helping clients succeed despite that pesky little thing called "a recession". (I'm not suggesting it's over by any means, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.) To help our clients weather the storm and emerge with an even stronger brand, we utilized affordable inbound marketing strategies, overhauled websites and re-branded entire organizations. Our clients entrusted us with their hard-earned money, and we implemented effective, budget-friendly solutions. A win-win in an otherwise losing economy.

So, this Holiday Season, we designed cards and t-shirts for our clients that spoke to both their agility and our expertise: "Design. Develop. Constantly evolve." It's been our tagline since 2003, but was poignant this year more than ever before. The holiday gifts were a hit, as we started getting emails and phone calls upon delivery. Simply put, it made us all feel good to give and reconnect. (That's also why we decided to launch our 2010 Pro Bono Promo for a non-profit organization in need of a new website to help advance its mission.)

It's certainly not a very 'corporate' ideal, but then again, we've never been a stereotypical corporation. Admittedly, at one point early on, I believed that the traditional corporate persona was the route to success, but I was wrong! People are people, and whether a creative firm is hired to develop a brand identity or a website, that firm is responsible for developing an intimate relationship with the brand – and the people behind it. Our new website focuses on helping our clients build trust with their customers, but we need our clients to first trust us. We appreciate their business, and they appreciate the stability they've achieved during a difficult year. It just goes to show you that a little investment in people goes a long way.

Connecting with clients all year round is vitally important. We're just reminded of its importance during the holidays because we're also connecting with family, celebrating with friends and looking forward to the possibilities that the New Year brings. So, if you change one thing about your business in 2010, be sure to connect with your clients and customers more often – especially in ways that demonstrate your commitment to their success. The fact is, it's not about getting paid for every minute you clock. It all comes down to measurable results and the simple human nature of connection.

From our family to yours, Happy Holidays.

Inbound Marketing 101

2009-11-21T14:14:00.000-08:00

by Kelly Campbell
www.liqui-site.com

On Friday I attended a webinar on Inbound Marketing Strategies, and how to help clients determine if they have the resources (time, staff and money) to make the investment in inbound marketing. What exactly is "inbound marketing" you ask? Great question! Actually, it's one of the few questions never answered during the webinar, and therein lays the problem.

As providers of these services, it's our job to educate clients and prospects on the most up-to-date marketing strategies geared specifically for their web presence.

Many of our clients don't know what inbound marketing encompasses, so I thought it was a great topic with which to start our new blog. Inbound Marketing is the use of new media – such as blogs, videos (i.e. YouTube), social bookmarking sites (i.e. StumbleUpon, Del.icio.us, Digg, Reddit, Technorati) and social networks (i.e. on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) – AND best practices in website maintenance, such as search engine optimization (SEO) and content development, to drive more traffic to your website. Essentially, the objective is to get your business in front of thousands of potential leads who may need your services or know someone who might. To do so, you'll need to utilize social networking sites because of (1) the shear number of people using them, and (2) the ability of users to find and connect with local resources/people, as well as organic ranking on the most popular search engines, which constantly change their algorithms in order to provide more intuitively ranked search results to users. Sounds a little overwhelming, doesn't it?

Well, the good news is that it doesn't have to be. It certainly becomes a burden when you either try to figure it all out yourself OR rely on several different companies to handle these things for you. Small businesses rarely have the time to sift through the geek speak to learn how to maintain their inbound marketing plan properly, let alone actually allocate enough time to each piece of the inbound marketing puzzle. On the other end of the spectrum are those businesses that hire multiple companies claiming to 'specialize' in individual inbound marketing strategies – each at a premium price, of course. The ideal choice for any sized business would be to find a firm that handles all of these inbound entities in-house, at an affordable rate, and get the results that help them reach their goals. Imagine!

Actually, Liqui-Site has been helping clients reach their online marketing goals for years by handling all of these inbound marketing strategies. In fact, with our best practices in SEO and search-friendly content development, we drove $85,000 worth of business to www.Outdoor-Magic.com in the last 4 months alone! With additional SEO and a Facebook Fan page, www.TheCustomCloset.net had a phenomenal start to the 4th quarter this year. And AmeriList, Inc. started receiving an increase in qualified leads immediately after we launched an overhalued version of www.AmeriList.com, with a focus on content development, SEO, social media and incentivized lead capture forms.

If you're wondering how inbound marketing can drive more customers to your website and increase ROI, contact Liqui-Site today at 845-353-7771 or click here to start your complimentary website evaluation, which focuses on user-friendliness, site construction, organic search engine rankings, SEO, content and inbound marketing. You've got nothing to lose and everything to gain – especially more customers and a better bottom line.

Website Design, SEO and Social Media Blog from Liqui-Site

The "Red Thread of Fate" - For Business

Know Thy Social Community Demographic

Facebook Page Reviews and Discussions

Website Been Hit By Panda? You Need UGC.

What is User Generated Content?

Introducing "Social ROI": Part III

Enter Social ROI

Get a 30-Day FREE Trial of Social ROI

Social Media Measurability: Part II

Social Media Monetization: Part I

Brand Monologue? Try Brand Dialogue Instead!

QR Codes are Out... Near Field Communication (NFC) is In!

Top 4 Questions to Ask When Hiring for SEO Work

Does Google+ follow Facebook on Twitter?

Does Your Webmaster Wear Tightey-Whities?

Congratulations, New York!

All Successful Web-Based Businesses Have 1 Thing In Common – Great UX

Social Media Engagement is Everywhere: Twitter Introduces the Follow Button

Demand Professionalism, Send the Right Message

It's All About Perspective... Listen To Your Clients!

Social Media, The Better Mouse Trap…

Checking In or Out? – Facebook Places for Business

Marketing on 34th Street - Business in 2011

Flash For Your Website? Think Again.

How to Convert Online Leads - FREE eBook

Building Community Around Your Brand

Viral Messaging Spreads Like Wildfire

Google's Got Glasses, Magnifying Search Results

Customer Loyalty, Not Customer Satisfaction

Web Content: Reuse, Recycle... and Increase!

A Lesson in "Sales Pitch"... and Tone

The Empty Restaurant

Richard Feldman Named Senior Account Director as Brand Marketing Firm Expands in NY

Don't Overlook The Importance of a Tagline

VISA Wins Gold With Olympic Ad Campaign

How To Get 15 Quality Leads in 15 Days

There's Always Something To Learn About SEO

Connecting For The Holidays

Inbound Marketing 101