5 Reasons to Use Video
As an austin video production company in Austin, TX, I have the pleasure of working with clients from a wide variety of businesses and industries. Video is one of the most effective tools for promoting ideas and products.
Concordia University Partners with Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Concordia University Texas Helps Extreme Makeover Home Edition from Empty Net Media on Vimeo.
This is a project we show for Concordia University Texas. In December, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition came to Bastrop, TX to build a home for one of the 1,600 families that lost their homes in the Labor Day wildfires. We followed students and faculty on the build site as they helped build the new home.
Concordia University Texas sent over 120 students to help out with the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition build in Bastrop, Texas to help a family rebuild after the tragic wildfires over Labor Day weekend 2011.
5 steps to make your website sell
Every company has its own methods to attract new customers and improve sales. Some choose cold calling, others advertisements, and even word of mouth. Another effective tactic is to allow your website to be your sales rep. Some companies go as far as not doing any cold-calling or other advertising While it doesn’t work for everyone, it can be extremely effective and create great cost-savings.
When people and businesses seek services and products, they turn to search engines and ultimately websites for information. Having a strong web-presence is vital to converting visitors to leads.
1. Search Engine Optimization
One of the most important steps to take is optimizing the site for search engines to index and catalog. Search engines like Google automatically analyze websites and rank them in searches based on keywords and content. Content needs to be focused on what services and products you offer.
2. The Ten Second Rule
Visitors decide whether they will stay on a site within the first ten seconds. The design of a site and content on the homepage are the most important in creating a site that retains visitors long enough to evaluate your product. Feature large images and headlines to grab visitors attention and drive them deeper in the site.
3. Update, Update, Update!
Search engines look for websites with content that is relevant to the search terms offered by the visitor. Google recently announced that they have updated their algorithms to give new content higher priority. Affecting 35% of searches, stale content could quickly lose position in searches on popular terms. To improve and maintain rankings, you must continuously update and add content to your site. One of the most effective methods of keeping your site up-to-date and driving more traffic is writing a weekly blog. Read an in-depth post we’ve written on blogging.
4. Make a case
Use a mixture of relevant and exciting graphics with convincing and effective text. Visitors need to know what you offer and why they need it. Use plenty of pictures, video and content that will convince your visitors they need to contact you and find out more.
5. Action & Capture
Slick content can only grab the attention of visitors . Make a convincing case for why the visitor needs your services. The next step is the “action request” – tell your visitors what they should do with the information they’ve read. Ultimately, they need to provide their contact information in the form of a phone call, email or web form. Prompt followup with the provided information is key to make this an effective method.
Share what other steps have you used to make your site sell for you in the comments below!
Empty Net Media is a Austin, Texas Production Company, producing commercials, web videos, and offering website services.
Should you maintain a blog?
Taken by francescopozzi (Flickr)
Blogging falls within the “optional” category of a business’ online presence. Maintaining a blog is often very time-consuming in planning and writing posts and content, but is it worth the effort? Statistics on business blogging can make a convincing case.
78% of Internet users conduct product research online.
57% of businesses have acquired a customer through their company blog
Companies that blog get 55% more web traffic
Businesses that have a blog get 97% more inbound links than those who do not
(Source: HubSpot)
Beyond the statistics, there are other benefits that can help make your blogging worth it:
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – Websites that rank well in search engines are designed with keywords and data that search engines find relevant. Blogs need to be informational and interesting, but should also be strategically planned. For example, a company that focuses on wedding planning, posts about venues using keywords such as the name of the venue and region (ex. Texas Hill Country). When someone searches “Hill Country Wedding Venue,” your page could show up and pull people into your website. Now instead of just looking at a venue, now they are looking at information about the wedding planner.
- Social Media Content – Creating social media channels which has engaged followers must have regular, interesting, and informative postings. By creating your own blog writings, you are able to expand your pool of content to share with your followers, and gain more credibility.
- Guest Posts – Another great way to get your name out and network is to write content for other blogs. Find a couple popular blogs in your industry and look for contact information. For larger blogs, you’ll find information on guest posting. If they accept your content, then your message and brand are exposed to an even larger audience.
- [UPDATE 11/8/11] New Google Algorithms - Search engine optimization is just as important as a good design. Google recently announced that they’re updating their algorithms to give new content higher priority. ”This freshness change will impact 35% of searches.” Stale content could quickly lose position in searches on popular terms. By writing a blog with proper SEO and keywords, you’ll be more likely to stay on top. (Read Google’s announcement)
What other reasons do you maintain a blog? Share your thoughts below in the comments!
Business Profile: The Cigar Room – Lakeway, TX
The Cigar Room, in Lakeway, Tx has a great upscale atmosphere and knowledgeable staff. They feature a large variety of cigars, beers, wines, and hookahs for customers to enjoy. Offering daily themed events from poker to belly dance lessons, you’ll find a great variety of entertainment. Cigar enthusiasts will enjoy a Spanish Cedar walk-in humidor, and the expert suggestions of Alex, the owner, who can help you find a great cigar for yourself or as a gift. The shop also offers a great selection of vintage wines. Alex also features his own in-house Torres cigar brand. Whether you’re visiting for relaxation, business, or the big game, The Cigar Room is a great venue located in the heart of Lakeway, TX.
They’ve been a great client and we’ve done some website work and created a few “tips & tricks” videos for cigars: