Door Hanger Marketing

Posted on December 28, 2012 by Rigo Magana

Door Hanger

If done well, door hangers can be a good way to market your company and services. Unlike direct mail, door hangers are very visible and very likely to receive attention. We recently created the door hanger you see in the image above for Allstar Windows & Doors, and based on this experience we recommend you the following:

  • Keep the message short and simple. You only have a few seconds to convince your audience to keep reading it or to dispose it, so your message needs to be to the point and it needs to offer a benefit to the reader.
  • Keep the design simple and clean. Use a few photos, fonts that are easy to ready, and keep the colors coordinated.
  • Use both sides. For the Allstar door hangers we did one side in Spanish and one side in English. You could also use the front to get their attention and the back to give further details.
  • Include a call to action such as a special or some other benefit to the reader.
  • In addition to your website and phone number, include your email and your Facebook/Yelp URLs.
  • Have your door hangers professionally designed and printed. It will make a huge difference and you will drastically minimize the risk or a negative first impression.
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Innovar Marketing Has Moved To a New Office in San Jose

Posted on July 29, 2012 by Rigo Magana

We have moved! We moved our San Jose Office from Willow Glen to downtown San Jose. Our new address is 84 W. Santa Clara Street, Suite 330, San Jose, CA 95113. Our phone number is (408) 315-5218 and our email continues to be contact@innovarmarketing.com. Contact us today and let us know if we can assist you with your web design or graphic design needs.


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Social Media Must Be Part of Something Larger

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Nicholas Adams

Social Media

Clients and organizations often ask me if they should venture into the social media world. My answer is never a simple yes or no. It’s always, “it depends.”

Many reputable companies use LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and other social media, but unless this usage is part of a much larger brand strategy or external communications plan, they are definitely missing a huge opportunity. Social media can be a great marketing avenue to build brand awareness, but if a business is not willing to invest time and resources, it will never fully realize its social media potential.

Social media can’t live on its own. It must be part of something larger that fully encompasses and integrates other shared advertising and public relations efforts. If a conversation starts and is not finished or grown, it’s a dead social media conversation. This is to say, the writer – the company – must explore ways to engage in meaningful dialogue with its audiences. Look for like-minded brands to cross-promote and offer giveaways or contests. Create fresh, relevant content that is memorable after the user turns off their computer. These tactics and more position the company to become a thought leader in its online marketplace.

In the end, there must always be a call to action. Don’t tweet or post unless it’s being done for a reason. What’s the goal of the message that is being exposed for the world to see? Where are you driving the user, and is that place updated and consistent with similar messaging? Asking questions before ever beginning is the only way to be successful in the constantly changing realm of social media. And if help is needed, ask for it.

Nicholas Adams is president of NINICO Communications, specializing in brand strategy, public relations and media affairs. He wrote this entry for the Innovar blog. To contact Nicholas, visit www.facebook.com/ninicocommunications.

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The Process of Designing a Logo

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Rigo Magana

Have you ever wondered how the process of designing a logo works or how a designer comes up with the concept? A logo is certainly one of the most difficult things to design because so much needs to be placed on so little.  To come up with the final logo design we make several steps, which not all designers necessarily need to follow, but I am sure they will give you a good idea of how the logo design process works.

step 1: research and planning
Assuming a person or company already agreed to work with us for the logo design project, the first step we do is to get as much input as possible from the client. The goal is to have a clear understanding of the company, what it offers, who its clients are, and the industry and market in which it operates. We also take a look at the brand identity and take notes on what they like and what they don’t like. Some times a client has requirements such as what they want on the logo or the colors they would like us to use, so we need to work around those requirements.  In many occasions, especially if it is a new company, our clients give us the freedom to explore many options and combinations.

step 2: black and white options
Once we have done all the research and we have a good understanding of the company and where it wants to go, we start thinking on design ideas. These ideas are placed on paper, and about 5-9 of those ideas are recreated in black and white using Adobe Illustrator.

Logo Design Ideas

Here are the first 9 options we showed to NINICO Communications. In some case we only show 3 - 5 options.

step 3: color options
After presenting the options to the client, they usually select 2-4 designs. We then add color to these options and we make changes requested by the client. Sometimes we also combine some of the logos to create a newer version. For example, sometimes a client likes the font of design 1 with the graphics of design 3.

Logo Design Concepts

From the 9 black and white options, our client selected #3, #5, and #7. We also included our favorite, #6.

step 4: logo selection
The fourth step is for the client to select the logo. We always give our suggestions to them, but at the end of the day they have the freedom to select what they like.

Ninico Communications Logo

From the 4 color options, our client selected option 4-a, but suggested changes to the colors of the circles.

step 5: logo variations
Once we have the final logo, it is very common to create variations of it to make sure it works everywhere. Some of these variations include a reverse out version of the logo, a vertical logo, and a horizontal logo. Another variation is to add the slogan or the company’s services. When we design a logo we also give a sheet with all the specs of it, including a list of PMS and web colors and the types of fonts used. We also give our clients copies of the logo in several formats, including ai, eps, pdf, jpg, and gif.

Ninico Communications Logo With Services

One of the variations we gave to the logo is the addition of the list of services.

step 6: brand identity
The development of the logo is the first step that needs to be taken when developing the brand identity of an organization. Once we have a logo we can proceed with the creation of business cards, letterhead, envelopes, website, and any other web or print material. The reason the logo needs to be the first one to be created is because it will be used on all the rest of the materials and because these materials need to be developed with the look and feel of the logo. If we know the font and colors used on the logo, we can apply the same color scheme and font types to the rest of the materials to maintain consistency.

Ninico Communications Brand Identity

Once we had the final logo, we gave a consistent look and feel to the business card, letterhead, and envelope.

We invite you to see our logo and brand identity portfolio. If you need assistance developing a logo or the brand identity of your organization, please contact us today at contact@innovarmarketing.com or at (408) 315-5218.

Posted in Graphic Design | Tagged | 3 Comments

Top Things to Look For When Hiring a Web Designer/Developer

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Rigo Magana

Web Design

Whether you want to create a new website or to update your existing website, you are probably interested in finding the best web designer/web developer to do the job. Finding the best one is not an easy task as you can find several options by searching online. If you have many options, how do you decide which designer is better than the others? The following suggestions can make your selection easier:

portfolio
To me the most important thing you need to look for when hiring a web designer/developer is the portfolio. By looking at the portfolio you will get a good idea of the style and the quality of the work this designer produces. The portfolio can tell you if the designer specializes in an industry or if he/she has the capacity to build a website with the right look and feel for any organization. You can also see if the designer has a good sense of page layout, color scheme, and the ability to create beautiful graphics that enhance the website.

When looking at the portfolio you should not judge it by the amount of work this designer has produced, but by the quality of the work. Also, don’t just look at the images or the designer’s website. I encourage you to visit the websites this designer or company has developed to really get a feeling of how they look and how they work. While visiting these sites, make sure they are easy to navigate and make sure all the links work.

experience & knowledge
Most likely the more years of experience the designer has the higher the quality of the work and the more skills, tools, and tricks the designer has to develop websites. More important than the experience is the knowledge and how up to date the designer/developer is. There is no point on having many years of experience if the designer is producing the same work he/she produced five years ago. The technology and the way people access and use the web change quickly, so the designer must be current with the latest trends to maximize usability and exposure. Five years ago it was very common for designers/developers to create a website in flash, but now many people are browsing the web on iPhones and iPads and flash websites cannot be displayed on these devises. An experienced and knowledgeable designer should create it in a way that is appealing to the eye and developed in a way that maximizes its exposure in the short and long term.

full range of services
By working with a designer that offers a full range of services you will have more flexibility and you will save time and money. There are many web designers that do not do web development, and there are many developers that do not do design. Some designers/developers are not writers, so they cannot help you to develop the content of your website. I strongly encourage you to work with a designer or an agency that offers all the services you need to make your online and offline presence a success. For example, here at Innovar Marketing we offer all services needed to create and launch your website (web design, web development, web maintenance, content development, social media marketing, and SEO). We also offer graphic design services, which can help you to get better graphics for your website as well as your marketing and sales materials (graphics for your web, logo, business cards, brochures, flyers, etc.). In addition to these services, we also offer printing services, so pretty much we can do everything that you need. By getting everything from the same company or individual, you will get better prices than if you get each of them separately. Additionally, since the same company will do all the work, you will have the same look and feel throughout your web and print materials, and as you probably know, consistency will give you more recognition and better results.

marketing knowledge
Before you pay to have a website designed and developed you should have a marketing strategy in mind. There is no point in having a website if you do not know what you want to accomplish with it. Speaking in car terms, before you buy one you need to know what you need it for. If you need speed, them a sports car will be your best option. If you need comfort, space, and versatility, then a SUV will be your best option. It is the same when getting a website. You need to know what you want to accomplish and what your present and future plans are. If you do not have marketing knowledge and do not know how to accomplish your goals, having a designer with marketing knowledge will be of great benefit to you because he/she can inform and instruct you on how to do what you need. A designer with marketing knowledge will research your industry, clients, and competitors to make sure you website has everything you and your clients need.

seo friendly
Having an SEO friendly website is fundamental because there is no point of getting a good looking website at a low cost if people cannot find it. If the designer/developer has marketing knowledge, your website will be developed in a way that will give you better search engine results. You need to make sure your website is displayed in the top rankings of major search engines such as Google, Yahoo or Bing. There are several things developers and marketers do to make your site SEO friendly. One of them is the way in which the images are named. If you hire an inexperienced designer he/she could name the photos with numbers, whereas and experienced designer will name them with a name that describes the photo. This simple way of naming the photos can make a big difference when search engines crawl your website.

The content and the back end of your website should also be developed thinking in search engines. A good developer will help you to create your content and will create the meta tags for your website. Many people only see the front end of the website, but the back end (the html code) is as important. A clean and well structured website will be downloaded faster by the browsers and it will also be easier to maintain. If the designer develops it in a way that is not efficient, you most likely will have to pay a lot more in the long run for maintenance fees because the developer will need more time to make the updates. If the code is clean and it meets the standards of the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium), it will be displayed correctly on any device/browser and it will be easier for you and/or for anybody else to quickly make changes to it.

availability
Depending on how soon you want your site to be launched, the availability of the designer can or cannot be important to you. In most cases, creating a website should not take more than six weeks. If you need it in a few days or in one or two weeks, then the availability of the designer will be your top priority. If you need it relative quickly, in most cases you will need to pay a premium for the rush.

The importance of the availability and flexibility of the designer becomes more important when he/she maintains the website. When you have updates you want them to be live quickly. Sometimes designers are very busy designing new websites and they put updating existing websites at a lower priority, so when hiring a designer you should ask how long it takes him/her to make updates. You can get an idea of the availability of a designer by paying attention to the response time when you ask for a quote or for more information. If it takes days to get you a quote, it will probably take weeks to make updates to your site. You should work with someone who is available, easy to contact, and who will get back to you promptly.

Ideally the person who creates the website should also make the updates because he/she knows the site in and out and because he/she has the original graphic files. However, if it takes too long to the original designer to maintain your website, you could hire a company like Innovar Marketing to provide you web maintenance services. An experienced and skilled developer should be able to quickly see how your website is structured and should have no problem making updates to it.

customer service
Providing great customer services generates positive results to every person doing business, and web designers are not the exception. You will deal with the designer for a considerable amount of time, so when hiring one you must be sure you like him/her. If you feel comfortable with the designer the process of developing the website will not only be more pleasant but more effective and productive. A good designer should understand that his/her business is linked to the success of your business, and for that reason giving exceptional customer service should be a priority. If possible, I encourage you to meet with the designer in person to discuss your ideas and plans. By meeting with the designer you will not be obligated to work with him/her. It will simple be a meeting to make sure both parties are right for each other. Also, when communication with the designer, make sure he speaks to you in non-technical terms, or ask for clarifications if you don’t understand something the mention.

contract
A good designer will ask you to sign a contract. If you find a designer that does not ask you for one you should think twice before hiring him/her. A contract is a protection for both parties. It protects you because it guarantees that you will get what you requested, and it protects the designer because it guarantees that he/she will get paid. The designer should also be flexible and willing to make adjustments to the contract. The contract should specify as many details as possible; including dates, times, deadlines, cost, payment due dates, copyright, requirements, and expectations.

If you do not purchase it yourself, make sure the domain and web-hosting plan is under your name. A good designer should put everything under your name and should give you all the details of your plan and the access information to your server.

references
Positive testimonials and recommendations are a good way to get a feeling of the quality of work the designer delivers. If he/she has testimonials in her website, or if he/she has recommendations on Yelp, LinkedIn, or Google Places you should read them carefully. You can also ask the designer for referrals. If the designer is good and provides great customer services, I am sure he/she will have no problem giving you a list of references, and I am also sure some of his/her clients will be happy and willing to answer your questions.

pricing
The price is not always a reflection of the quality of the work, but nonetheless it is safe to think that you get what you pay for. Creating a website requires a lot of work, so don’t expect to get a great website if you are willing to pay only a couple of hundreds. Keep in mind that you can get a website done by a student for a very low price, but most likely the work of this student will not be as good as the work done by a professional team. If you go with the cheapest option, you will indeed save money at the beginning, but this decision could cost you a lot more in the long run if for example your website is not SEO friendly and people cannot find you when they search for your service or product. Most people search online before purchasing, so if they don’t find you or if they don’t get a good feeling from your website, most likely your potential client will go with you competitor.

If you don’t have the amount the best designer is asking, you should ask if he/she offers payment options. Some design firms, including Innovar Marketing, offer their clients the option to give monthly payments.

My advice is to get a written quote/proposal from 3 to 5 designers detailing everything that you will get. The designer does not have to be local as most of the time the communication is done by phone or email. When you get a quote, make sure you know exactly what you are getting. For example, some designers can design you a website for a fee, but they charge you separately for other services, such as SEO, business directory listings, Google analytics set up, additional pages, and for submitting your site map to the search engines, so what could be seemed like the best deal could result in the most expensive if you have to pay for each of the additional services. I recommend you looking for a firm or designer that gives you all the cost upfront. Here at Innovar Marketing we only charge for the design and development of the website and we offer all the other services for free. Again, when you get a quote you must ask the designer/developer to specify exactly what you are getting, and don’t forget to get a quote for maintenance services.

conclusion
If you are interested in getting a new website or redesigning your existing website, I encourage you to follow the above suggestions. It will take some time from your part to do the research, but it will certainly save you a lot of time, energy, and money in the long run. Once you do your homework, I suggest you go with the one you liked the most, not only because you like the designs and prices, but also because of the overall experience you had when you contact them. I also suggest you don’t hire someone just because of the price. As I mentioned to you earlier, the cheapest option could result in the most expensive and inefficient option in the long run.

I also invite you to consider us (Innovar Marketing) for your marketing needs. I am positive we are a great option for any organization because we have a strong portfolio, our staff has several years of experience, our customer services is outstanding, we have several client testimonials, we provide a wide range of marketing services, we offer basic SEO and other services at no additional cost, our prices are very competitive, and we also provide flexible payment options. If you need additional information about our services, want a quote, or if you want to get a list of references please contact us at (408) 315-5218 or at contact@innovarmarketing.com.

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10 Common Questions About Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Mike Gurung

Search Engine Optimization

I have noticed that many small business owners and managers at medium size companies have heard the term SEO, but many of them don’t really know how it works or what it takes to get better search engine results. Below are the answers to the 10 most common questions I get about SEO. Hopefully by answering these questions you will have a better understanding of SEO and what it can do to your business.

what is SEO and why do you recommend it?
SEO stands for (Search Engine Optimization) and it is a solution by which any business can leverage the use of internet technology to effectively market its business online and to get the best possible exposure. By maximizing its exposure a business increases its chances of getting more clients.

I recommend SEO to any business. If you are already doing some sort of marketing, like print, radio, or television, marketing online will certainly benefit you. In the US, almost everybody has access to the internet, and a big percentage of shoppers go online to research companies or to purchase their products. If you are not doing SEO there is a big chance that you will not be found, and if people are not finding you, you are missing the possibility of selling your product or service.

why my site does not appear on page 1 of Google?
Everybody wants to be on the front page of a newspaper, and when we talk about internet marketing, everybody wants to be on the first page of a search engine result (preferably on the top part). There are many reasons why you do not appear on page one. You need to keep in mind that there are hundreds of companies trying to be on the first 10-15 spots, so to beat them you must do better than them. Some of the reasons are:

  • You don’t have a website
  • Your website is not designed well for best conversion
  • Your website is not SEO friendly
  • You website if fairly new – no aging
  • Your competitors are doing on page and off page SEO

what steps need to be taken to get SEO results?
Each business is unique, so the same steps will not work for everyone. I like to discuss with the business owner its plan and goals to be able to determine what the best steps are and what the strategy will be to get those results. A general rule of thumb is that you have to have a fully functional website with meta tags, titles, keywords, and a description of each page. You also need a good amount of relevant and authentic content to support your niche. For example, if you are a dentist that specializes in orthodontics, you have to make sure your website has a good amount of content talking about orthodontics. If you do this, when the search engine crawls your website it will quickly determine that your site is relevant to orthodontics. You also need offsite optimization and links to your website from other relevant and related websites. When you built your links, make sure you get them from multiple methods and multiple channels and build them up in a natural way.

in average, how long does it take to see results?
It depends because each market is different. If you are in a niche that is very competitive and you are in a big city (e.g. a dentists in San Francisco), it will take longer to see results than if you are in a niche that is not too competitive (e.g. a plastic surgeon in a small town in Wyoming). Also, if you are competing at a national level, it will take longer than if you are competing locally. The time cannot be determined with certainty but it can be estimated by analyzing your market, location, industry, and competition. It will not be an overnight solution. If somebody promises you that you will see results immediately, I advice you not to do business with this company or be careful. In most cases you can start seeing results after 90 days. Most of my clients run campaigns for 6 to 8 months. In very competitive markets we often run campaigns for 12 months.

does SEO guarantee results?
SEO works and it delivers measurable business results unlike other traditional marketing channels, and I definitely recommend you having an SEO friendly website and running SEO marketing campaigns. SEO will give you more exposure, and the more people know about your business the better because the greater the chances they will purchase your product or service. There are many other factors that need to be taken into account to deliver a value add result. For example, we know SEO will give you more exposure, but if your website is not user friendly or if it has technical problems, people will click back and they will go to your competitor. SEO does guarantee more exposure. To transform that exposure into business, everything else needs to function as well, including your website, sales conversion, customer service, prices, and your product/service.

We offer a soft guarantee whereby if we don’t put you on 1st page of Google for one your target market within 90-120 days, we refund 100% money back. There are a lot of variables that we do not control (e.g. Google algorithm changes or competitors’ marketing campaigns). When you work with a company like ours, we study the trends and readjust and recalibrate the campaign, as needed to deliver the desired outcomes.

how do you measure success?
There are two easy ways to measure success; one is from a technical perspective and the other one from a business perspective. In the technical perspective you can check the analytics of your website to see the number of visitors, where they are coming from, and the time they stay on your website. You can compare the analytics of your website before doing SEO and after running the SEO campaign. In the business perspective you can measure the success by comparing the number of calls you receive, the number of people coming to your store, the volume of sales, and/or the number of inquiries.

how important is the content? should I write it thinking in humans or search engines?
Content is very important. Think of it from a search engine perspective. Google wants to make sure the user experience is good and they want people to quickly find the information they are looking for. They do this because they want you to continue using them as your main search engine. In October 2010, Google announced changes to their algorithm, and since that time they are paying even more attention to the content for search engine results and rankings. With this in mind you need to write the content for both, the human eye and the search engine eye. You need to make sure you write it with keywords, titles, headings, and subheading. You also need to make sure the keyword density is correct and that you are not stuffing your content with too many keywords. Make sure your content reads natural to the human eye. If you put too many keywords it will not be pleasant to read it and search engines are smart enough to see that you are overusing keywords. If the search engine suspects you are stuffing your content with keywords they could not display your site in their results.

what are some of the most impressive results you have seen?
One case comes to my mind. We did SEO for a client who sells high-end European suits for 4 months, and after three months we were able to get them on five different spots on the first page. They also showed on the first page of map results. The exposure translated into more phone calls, more visits to their website, and more people going to their store.

are there any other things you recommend to have better search engine results, such as having a blog, doing social media marketing, or adding videos to YouTube?
There are many tools that can help you to get better results. The number one is your website. It is pointless to have the exposure if people are clicking back after visiting your website because it is not user friendly or because it is not properly working, so make sure your website is well designed, attractive, easy to navigate, and informative.

A blog will help you because search engines love fresh content, plus it shows that your site is growing. The information you provide could bring new visitors to your site and could also help you to get more links to your site. Social media marketing is another effective tool to build your credibility and presence online, but before you jump into it, you need to think how this will impact your business. If you create a Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, or Google+ page, you need to maintain and respond to the comments made by your customers. Think of it as a customer service platform, so you need to have the time and manpower to manage it. If you don’t pay attention to your social media pages it could backfire and damage your reputation. Putting video online is also a plus. We live in a visual society, and many people prefer to watch a video versus reading. Another option you must do is to list your organization in business directories like Google Places and Yahoo Local.

is SEO expensive?
In my view SEO is an investment. If somebody gives me a dollar, the SEO campaign will be designed to get many inquiries and to duplicate that dollar in the future. It takes a lot of time and monitoring to implement an effective SEO campaign, and for that reason it requires an investment from your part. The cost is different for each company because each campaign is different as it is based on the industry, market, and competitors. If many of your competitors are investing heavily on SEO, it will require more work to beat them from our end, and more investment from your part. The better question to ask is: how would a steady increase in clients/sales from SEO campaign impact your business in 2012 and beyond? Our company, iSolve Marketing is offering a FREE 1 hour strategic marketing assessment for the readers of this blog. Please call 408-499-2337 TODAY (mention this post) to reserve your spot.

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Reasons Why All Organizations Should Have A Website

Posted on December 13, 2011 by Rigo Magana

Website Design

In this competitive market having a website is not a luxury but a necessity. In fact, having a website is no longer enough. Yet, I have met several small business owners who have been in business for many years or who are starting their business and do not see having a website as a top priority. Their argument is that they do not sell products online or that they get their business through referrals or some other type of advertising. The truth is that even if they are successful without a website, having one is not going to negatively affect them. The only way a website could affect a business is if it is created by a non-professional and it misses to properly represent the company or its services/products.

The following are some of the many reasons why all organizations should have a website:

a website gives you more exposure
Did you know that at least 65% of the people in the U.S. look online first when buying a product or hiring a company’s service? This means that if you don’t have a website you are missing the opportunity to attract many more clients. The number of people using the internet will certainly continue to increase as more people are replacing their regular phones with smart phones. Plus these days most people expect that any professionally run business will have a website.

Some small business owners think that having a page in Facebook or Yelp gives them the online exposure they need, but these pages should be seen as a complement rather than a substitute of a website. In a few words, a website will give you more exposure, and the more people know about your company and services/products, the greater the chances you have to attract new customers.

a website allows you to fully describe your business and educate your clients
Two or three paragraphs describing your business in your Facebook or Yelp page do not give your potential clients a full understanding of what you do and what you offer. Having a website will allow you to inform your customers what you do and how your service or product can benefit them. You can also include your company’s location, history, mission, videos, photos, testimonials, and many other details that cannot easily be placed on a social media page or a collateral piece.

By educating your customers they will feel more informed and secured to do business with you. By adding your web address to your business cards or flyer your customers will know exactly where to go for more information or questions.

Also, with a website, you update your information as frequently or infrequently as you choose. If you have flyers or brochures, you will have to create and print new one to reflect the new changes.

a website is your 24/7 salesperson
Most people have access to the web these days, and most of them use it to get information. A website is working for you even when you are not because it is active 24/7 and can be accessed from any part of the world. By having a presence 24/7, you are giving more options to people to conduct business with you.

a well designed website will make you more competitive
Many customers make their purchasing decision based on the feeling and trust they get from your website. If you have an attractive, informative, and easy to navigate website, people will think more highly of your business over others.

a website saves you time and money
In average, a basic website designed by a professional will cost you well over $1,000. The cost will go up depending on your requirements, so at the beginning, if you are starting your business with a very small budget, spending $1,000 or $2,000 could seem like a major investment, but I assure you that it will pay off by itself with time. If your website is well designed and maintained, you will not need to invest in a new website for at least 5 years. When you think about this, it will cost you a lot more to advertise on local magazines or to produce business cards, postcards, flyers, and other marketing materials for the next five years.

I know a small business owner who does not have a website and spends $100 a week for a small ad in a weekly magazine. This magazine’s audience is limited and is also full of ads, which means that for people to see it they first need to get the magazine and then notice it in the middle of hundreds of other ads. This business owner pays for two ads per month, or $2,400 a year. A simple website could cost him less, last longer, and create a lot more exposure to his business than advertising for a year in this magazine. With the ad he cannot know who looks at it. On the other hand, if he had a website, he could see who is visiting it, where the visitors come from, and where they click while in it. Also, since he does not have a website, people have to call him or go to his store to learn more about his services. If you don’t have a website and are advertising, a better return on your advertising dollar is a good reason to invest in a website.

A website will also save you time. For example, having a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page can help to answer customer’s questions without the hassle of a phone call or email.

a website allows you to get even more referrals
I recently met with a new business owner who did not see the importance of a website because most of his business came from referrals. I find this hard to understand because when you refer someone they usually want to learn a bit more, so it would be easier for those who refer you to give your contact information and website address. Or even better, on your website you could add a “refer a friend” link where your clients or visitors can share it to their friends who may be interested in your services.

you can have unique email accounts
If you have a website, you can also get email addresses with your domain for everyone in your business. Using your own company domain for your email accounts rather than your yahoo or Gmail reinforces your legitimacy as a serious business. You could also generate more business by attracting new visitors to your website when they see your domain in your email address.

easily collect contact information
Many times is hard to get all the contact information of a prospective customer over the phone. Having a contact form or an email address in your website that people can use to contact you will save you the time spent on the phone and it will also avoid misspellings or misunderstandings. Besides collecting data, with a website you can also distribute newsletters, take surveys, and update your customers.

your competitor probably has a website
You should have a website because it is very likely that your competitor has one and it is taking customers away from you. If your competitors don’t have a website (which is very unlikely), then having one will give you a competitive advantage over them.

conclusion
In conclusion, having a website is a must. If after reading these reasons you are still unconvinced or if you are now ready to discuss the development of your website, please contact us today and we will be pleased to discuss with you how a website created by us can help you to grow your business. We can be contacted at (408) 315-5218 or contact@innovarmarketing.com .

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