Creating Your Online Presence - Bitly

www.hotspotpromotion.com

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Creating Your Online Presence The Art and Science of Creating a Simple Website

The time has finally arrived. You've done your research, got your product together, found your target market, and now it's time to get out there with your business website. Where to start? Let's start with your domain name. Here are some things you need to keep in mind when choosing a domain name: 1. Use Your Keywords: You may already have a great name for your business, but before you get really attached to that, think about whether there's a way to get some of your best keywords involved, and/or make your domain name describe what you do. For example, if you're a deli called "Spumoni's", don't get "Spumonis.com", get "SpumonisDeli.com" - describe your business in your name where possible. In our case, instead of getting the domain name "HotSpot.com", we got "HotSpotPromotion.com" so that you not only know who we are, but what we do. Try and work at getting your top keyword in that title without it getting cumbersome

2. Keep it Simple: Make sure your name is easy to say, spell, and remember. If you've met someone on a crowded bus or in a busy airport, make sure you can give them the name and have them remember it easily without having to write it down. If your business is named after you, and you've called it "Jahmonayshia's Polygraph Manufacturing", you might want to choose something more along the lines of "LieDetectors.com" as your domain name, and incorporate that into your branding


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along with your official name (though, even then, I'd choose a simpler name...just sayin'). Keep the domain name as short as possible while keeping a good hold on the clarity. If your business name contains a word that is often misspelled, you might want to register the misspelled version as well. 3. Make it Unique: If someone has already purchased the name you wanted, don't just grab a different version, especially if the first site is a popular, well-established place. If you want to call your business JohnsFlowers.com and the name is taken by a very popular flower business, don't just go for Johns-Flowers.com or JohnsFlowers.net to compensate. You're likely to give the other guy the business you want simply because your clients can't remember the definition. Change the name completely if you have to. If you're an established business with a physical location that already has decent clientele, this will take some real creative thought. You might go for a larger change like "JohnsFlowerStore.com" or "JohnsFlorist.com" to compensate to make the difference a little more obvious, but you will have to work hard to educate your clients to use the right domain name. 4. Get a .com Extension: There are dozens and dozens of different kinds of domain name extensions these days, and more appear every day. However, the one most people still expect is .com. By all means, register as many of the other extensions as you can afford, but wherever possible, make sure you've got the .com one even if you have to pay a little extra for it. If there's no way around it (your business name is well-established and the .com version is gone) get the next best one (.net, or your country extension - like .ca, for instance). Then make sure in all your documentation that extension is emphasized (CarSales.ca) 5. Check for Copyright: It's quite possible that the name you want is already copyrighted or a registered trademark. Do your homework before you purchase the domain name to spare yourself untold hassles.


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Ok, so before you actually sit down and check the availability, make sure you have 4 or 5 different options for a domain name to start with. When you have your domain name, it's time to make the purchase. Because GoDaddy is one of the most popular domain sellers, we've chosen to use them as our example. Other domain sellers probably have a similar system. Here are the steps: 1. Purchase the domain name.

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Go to GoDaddy.com and create an account

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Log in to your new account, and on the home page in the search box, put the name you're hoping to purchase. Keep playing with this until you find the best name possible that's available at a price you can afford. When you find it, click "Add"

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Then click 'Continue to Registration"


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Click "no thanks" on the prompt that appears next


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On the first page of "Ads Only" select a Hosting plan that works for you

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Continue to click through the pages until you get to the Checkout screen, enter credit card information and finish paying.


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Ok, now you have a domain name. How do you build a website with it? Go to http://wordpress.org/extend/themes/ and choose a theme for your site. Wordpress is an incredibly easy website tool that even the inexperienced can use effectively. There are many really great templates for free that you can use to build your site, and there are usually ways to customize them so they are unique to you. Once you have your template chosen, I would suggest you hire someone to upload it to your domain name (you'll have to provide your GoDaddy log in information to them for this) and have them do it for you. You can have this done for a very reasonable price at a place called http://www.fiverr.com/ If you need it customized with a logo and colours, etc., it's best to hire someone to do this for you so it's done professionally. We can do it for you at HotSpot Promotion, or you can check out elance.com to see if you can find someone to create the site for you there. Once the site is up and running to your satisfaction, it's time to put in your content. Wordpress has dozens of videos to walk you through this process. It will be overwhelming at first, but, bit by bit, you'll find it becomes second nature. Again, if it's too stressful for you, create your content on a Word document (or equivalent) and hire someone to do it for you. The links above can help you out here as well. Some things to keep in mind: 1. Choose the best colours for your message. Colours can make or break your site, and many colours have subtle psychological effects on our brains. For more help in choosing the best colours, see websitetips.com 2. Keep it simple. Your page should be easy to navigate, not crowded with "bells and whistles", flashing graphics, and blinding colours. Most websites do best with lots of space, clean lines, precise text, and clear organization. There should also be good contrast - don't make everything dark or everything light, or everything busy.


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3. Make sure all links work. Have two or three people go through your website and click everything. Make sure they can find whatever they need, without your help. 4. Make your contact information clear, and easy to find. 5. Design your website for your customer, not for yourself. You may love everything about your site, but if it turns off your target market, it's a waste of time and money. | Remember, the only reason your website exists is to solve your customer's problem. Make sure it's benefit focused and customer friendly. 6. Check your spelling. Again, I say, check your spelling. Have your site proofread by several people to make sure the grammar is correct and the spelling is correct. Make sure your content is easily understandable, and that it appears to have been created by someone with the necessary skills to do the job your advertising. There are also many other "fun things' like a privacy policy, a disclaimer, and search engine optimization that you need to make your site work, and abide by local laws. These are a bit too technical to put into this kind of document, and ideally, this is something set up and put in place by professionals. Before you get too far, make sure you've consulted with someone who knows what they're talking about before you go too far in your website launch. It might be helpful for you to work through our website design checklist before you get too far. It will make sure you've got the information at hand that you need either for doing the site yourself, or for getting expert help when you get stuck. You can download that questionnaire here: Website Design Checklist If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us. We'd be happy to answer any questions within our realm of competence, or find someone else who can help you if it's beyond our expertise. Sign up for our "Marketing Minute" newsletter on our site for more ideas and tips.


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How Might We Help You? HotSpot Promotion is a marketing company that believes that even the small and home based businesses deserve quality marketing! HotSpot works hard for the “little guy” and we do everything possible to work within your limited budget and overcrowded calendar. Of course, we're also happy to handle larger companies as well! Whatever your goals, we'd love to come alongside and help you achieve them!

HotSpot Promotion is a full-service marketing company, specializing in the solopreneur, the small “mom and pop” shop, MLM and home-business market. We provide coaching, step-by-step instruction and practical, real-world guidance to help you get your business off the ground. We can help you in three different ways: 1. we can walk you through it yourself, showing you exactly what to do and

how to do it 2. we can let you do some and take the more complicated/time-consuming

things off your hands, or 3. we can set it up, and manage it so that it’s pretty much “hands off” (though

there are always some things you need to do yourself, but we’ll show you how to do it in the least-complicated, most time/effort efficient way).


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Get A FREE Individualized Success Strategy Blueprint •

Fill in our 80+ point questionnaire and we'll take a look and see what's going on in your business.

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We'll make note of what's working, what needs improvement, and share our results with you.

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We'll give you a suggested list of things to do in order of importance complete with links and resources to help you do that on your own.

Website Design All our websites are based on WordPress templates so your site is: •

affordable

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easy for you to manage yourself if you wish to

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easy to find someone to manage your site for you if you wish to go with someone other than HotSpot Promotion once it’s set up

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easily expanded to grow with your business

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easily transported to different hosting plans if necessary

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entirely yours when it’s done. You aren’t locked into anything or forced to work within parameters that make you uncomfortable or that limit your business growth and expansion

Phenomenal Follow Up If you have a drawer full of business cards, or contact information that you know you should do SOMETHING with, but you’re just not sure WHAT, this service is for you.

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Here are some amazing statistics from The National Sales Executive Association: •

48% of sales people never follow up with a prospect

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25% of sales people make a second contact and stop

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12% of sales people make more than three contacts

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2% of sales are made on the 1st contact

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3% of sales are made on the 2nd contact

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5% of sales are made on the 3rd contact

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10% of sales are made on the 4th contact

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80% of sales are made on the 5th-12th contact

This is why you need follow up! We will work with you to set up a system that’s 80% automated, very affordable, multi-touch, multi-tool, and fully personalized. It will turn your clients and prospects into raving fans and enthusiastic evangelists for your business. It will make you look pretty good, too!

Social Media Set-up and Maintenance

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We’ll see what it is you do, and help you choose the best social media platforms to use to get your message out

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We’ll help you design a business strategy to get the best bang for your social media efforts

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We’ll get you set up in such a way that looking after your social media is simple, and easy to maintain

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We’ll take on as much or as little as you need to keep everything ticking along nicely


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We will create a unified, branded graphic presentation across all your social media sites so your clients instantly recognize you and know what it is you do.

Local and Mobile Marketing

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We’ll claim your Google/Yahoo/Bing local business listing and optimize it for the best possible ranking

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We’ll help you create coupons to offer your clients

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We’ll gather and post reviews

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We’ll gather and post citations

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We create a mobile landing page for your business with “click to call” or a coupon

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We’ll help you set up and track mobile advertising

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We’ll help you set up and use Facebook Places and Foursquare to bring clients into your business “on demand”

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We’ll set up and track SMS service/campaigns

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We’ll provide ongoing reviews so you can see how you’re doing

Graphic Design No online presence yet (or just need to “freshen up” what you have)? Need graphics to get that done?

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We’ll design a professional logo and integrate it into your WordPress


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website and your social media backgrounds •

We’ll design business cards to match

Coaching Need help figuring it all out? •

We’ll come alongside and coach you in the best way to get started with your marketing efforts.

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We create different discount packages for “one-off’s”, short-term, and longterm, coaching, depending on the amount of coaching you need.

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We also create simple DIY resources that can help you get the job done in your own time, with a very small price-tag

For these services and for any questions you might have please don't hesitate to contact us: Phone: 403-374-0167 email: [email protected]


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