The Recession and Marketing

Today, I want to challenge some conventional business thinking. During a recession, I agree that you should make a list of all your expenses that could be cut down or eliminated. What definitely should not be on that list, however, is marketing. In fact, I think that you should not only make sure that marketing is not on the list of expenses to cut back on, but you should get aggressive in marketing. This might sound odd, but if your competition is busy nursing their recessionary wounds, then you should become aggressive in marketing yourself and your products. That to me is pure logic. NOW, more than ever, is the time to have faith in your product or service, to reach out to your customers and to secure your success.

So, what can you do to market or promote your products and/or services? I’d like to give you just a few ideas, a few ideas I hope will get you thinking about other things you can do yourself. And please, by all means, if you have a great idea, I’d love for you to share it with me!

1. Update, Revamp Your Website. And, let me say this, if you don’t have a website, get one! Make sure that all of your services are listed, your contact information is clear and easily found. Now, I am not suggesting that you update your website to be flashier and brighter necessarily, I am suggesting that you make sure your site is easily navigated, information is easily found and that your business comes across clearly and thoroughly. Ask friends, relatives and customers to look at your website and give you feedback.

2. Offer Special Discounts and Freebies. Prospective clients, who could also be feeling the heat of the recession, will definitely be on the lookout for special offers and freebies to get some financial relief. Give it to them…for a limited time only.

3. Get feedback. Talk to your customers to find out what new products or services they need and fill up that need fast – before your competitors do.

4. Increase Your Skills. A recession will provide you with some spare time to increase your skill levels. You can use your newfound skills to provide better service to your customers and in solving their problems. This too, will pay off in the long run.

5. Give Your Clients the Red Carpet Treatment. Your clients need to be pampered more during a recession, since your competitors will be desperately trying to attract them by offering lower prices.

6. Get on the Internet. Everyone knows about the internet, but not everyone knows the free ways to get exposure on the internet. You can write an article about your industry, or a product, and submit it to one of the many sites that accept them. At the end of your article, you mention your business and have a link to your website. That link to your website also helps in your search engine optimization. This means your outside link (on the internet somewhere other than your own website) directing to your website will help to promote your website, which will get your company found by the search engines and list you higher/earlier than other websites when someone does a search.

Register Your Company Online. Another slightly time consuming yet important and effective task to do on the internet is to register your company with the search engines. First and foremost, register with Google and Yahoo. It is free to register and creates more outside links to your website which again, increases search engine optimization. It is also another place for customers to find your contact information and location. The more places that information is available the better.

Network on the Internet. Join networking communities on line. You can then create and share coupons, ideas, get some ideas, find new providers for services you need with the possibility of saving money. You connecting to other businesses to network may result in the exchange of leads. And again, there are many FREE ones out there! Do a search, find several and put your business information out there! Just one example of this is MerchantCircle.com.

Start, write and keep up with a Blog. With blogs and social networking sites, there are opportunities to market your business in a different setting. You can find blogs that have an issue that your company can help with. Respond to the blog with your company information. And don’t forget to put your website information there as well…again, for search engine optimization.

7. Have some flyers or postcards made. Use your resources for this, a friend, someone in your network or you can find an affordable place to do it for you. During your slow time, have your employees go to a busy area and hand them out. Now you are putting your message directly into the hands of prospective customers. Make sure you have an attractive offer that will entice people to visit your business. This is not just for storefront businesses, this is for everyone!

8. Meet, Greet, Exchange. If you’re feeling the pinch of the economy, most likely other businesses in your area/industry are feeling it as well. Find other businesses that don’t compete with yours and see about exchanging some flyers or a banner promoting each other’s business. You can also do this online by doing a link exchange with other businesses. Do not over do the link exchange or that may lower your search engine results. Be selective in who you work with both online and in the brick and mortar world.

Good luck to all businesses out there in all of your endeavors and let’s get through this recession with our businesses in tact and ready to flourish!

Kris Hogan
Hodoorgan Design Inc.
www.hodoorgan.com

What Can Small Businesses do in This Economy That Costs Little or Nothing and Helps to Grow Their Business

August 28, 2008

My name is Kris Hogan and I have lived in Tinley Park since I was 5…which now totals 35 years, and all within a 3 block area. I’ve tried to move, many times, but it just wasn’t in the cards. I love my neighborhood, my neighbors and my home. I am a mother, a wife, a friend, a dog lover/owner, a Christian and now a local business owner. In January, I started my dream company, and run it from my home. I named it Hodoorgan Design Inc. The name “Hodoorgan” comes from smooshing together my six children’s last names…Doorn and Hogan. I’d have thrown my maiden name in there if I could have, but it is hard enough for people to know how to pronounce “Hodoorgan”. All though, it really isn’t too hard, HO – DOOR – GAN. At any rate you can check us out on the web, www.hodoorgan.com.

So, enough about me personally, and on with the blog. My reason for doing a blog is everyone’s doin’ it! Well, that’s not really the reason. Supposedly, a blog is a place to share your thoughts and knowledge on subjects related to your business, create links to useful information, and post news and other announcements. So, as a small business owner, I want to succeed and if by chance there’s anything that I know or do that can help others to succeed as well, then life is good.

My topic/idea for today is what can small businesses do in this economy that costs little or nothing and helps to grow their business?

Here are just a few ideas, some of them obvious, some not so much.

1. You NEED a website. If you are in business today, you need to have a website for many, many reasons. A website is the #1 way to advertise/market. For a list of reasons why you need a website, go to: http://www.merchantcircle.com/blogs/Hodoorgan.Design.

2. Put your web address on all of your printed materials, in your window, everywhere. That way, you can tell your clients anything you want just by putting it on your website. Another idea is put your coupons/discounts on your website; advertise that in your window or on your printed materials. That saves you from spending money on additional printing of coupons. Let your clients print them themselves; just tell them where they can get them!

3. Craigslist.com Advertise for FREE!! Stay on top of this, relist every week. I get responses when I first relist, not so much during the rest of the week. When your listing is new, it is seen first. Also, I’ve gotten other ideas of places to advertise from people who look through the listings on Craigslist.com to get people over to their sites. The more your name is out there, the better the chances of being seen. And even better yet when it costs you little or NOTHING! Make sure to include your website in all listings…for many reasons, one of them being SEO. SEO stands for search engine optimization and one of the best ways to accomplish this is by having many links to your website throughout the web.

4. Craigslist.com Barter for things you need done in trade for your services. Saves you money…and you can get some of the things you need as well.

5. Network throughout the internet. Some of the places I network are Linkdin.com, MerchantCircle.com, Facebook.com (no, it’s not just for kids! It’s for business networking as well!), myspace.com (again, not just for kids, network, network, network!) These are great places to network nationally, and network locally. When I need services done, I look within my network online as well as my network of friends that I talk to regularly. I know I’m not the only one; I have many people in my online networks that do the same. If you are a woman, you can join WomanOwned.com, a really nice network of women. One of the services I offer is Online Memorials, both for humans as well as for pets. Because of those services I have joined networks like Grief and Loss Care at http://soulandspirit.ning.com and numerous pet networking sites.

6. A service I offer for clients, but can easily be done on your own is registering with any and all search engines you can find. Do a search for free SEO submission and you will come up with a lot of places to register. Now, this does take a lot of your time, but I feel it is worth it, and it is free, aside from your time.

Well, I don’t guess that these things are supposed to be this long, so I will sign off for now and give you more ideas as they come to me. Thanks for reading and until next time…

Attention Chiropractic Doctors

My name is Kris Hogan and I am a local Web Designer located in Tinley Park, Illinois.  I have worked in Chiropractic in the past and quite frankly, I love the field almost as much as I love the field of Web Design.  I owe my previous employer a debt of thanks for the awesome education I received while working for him.  I wanted to introduce myself for several reasons, one being that I want your business!  Another reason for contacting you is that I want to return the favor I received from my past employer and now educate you on the reasons why your practice NEEDS a website. 

First I’d like to say that going local is best when hiring a web designer.  I have lived in this community for 35 years and I have a good understanding of the area. Going local is nice because you get to meet the person you’re working with. I can come to your office and meet you face to face.  This is something that’s often overlooked but it can be a critical factor for the chiropractic office hoping to capture the local search market. I believe that a local web designer is going to be more familiar with local zip codes, major area landmarks, neighboring cities, realistic driving directions, and will generally have a better feel for the geographic area your chiropractic office serves.

Second, I want to create a website for you that you can be proud of.  Not one that is a template sold to you and many other Chiropractors.  A unique website design is important in search engine optimization.   I have yet to find a mass-produced chiropractic website that does not suffer from a duplicate content penalty. This is one of the things that affect a web site’s ability to rank high in search engines.   Along these lines I’d like to point out that when you don’t have a website and are only on the web via websites like locateadoc.com, localchiros.com, chirodirectory.com and many others like those, you are advertising alongside your competition!  You want to stand out, not just be listed among all of the other local Chiropractors!

Next I’d like to point out that I will want to show off what a great job we did on your chiropractic website. You’ll potentially be the small-business owner that people will desire to visit when the topic of referrals comes up. In my experience it never hurts to get face-to-face with more local business people, even if it is to discuss websites and marketing. Think outside the box for a moment here and imagine the possibilities if you and some of your local business buddies (real estate agents, attorneys, local bakery, favorite locally owned small business restaurants) linked to each other’s websites.  This is one of the most pertinent ways to move up in search engine listings.  The more links you have to your website, the higher you will rank in the search engines.

I have my own website (and I have inbound links like I will to your website) and I’ll want to display a screenshot of your web site along with a link to show examples for future clients. This is where your chiropractor website will receive some “link juice”, and that’s a good thing.  This also aids in search engine optimization which is higher ranking in the search engines.

I’d also like to challenge you not to waste money monthly on companies providing cookie-cutter chiropractic template type sites but to support a local, talented, artistic and independent web designer. I can tell you right now the outsourced project is not likely to provide you with any links and worse, the company giving you a template will likely suck your link juice right out of search engine rankings by keyword linking back to their main web site (without telling you they’re doing so).

And lastly, I’d like to remind you that the money you save by not making the mistake of paying monthly fees for a template driven website, can be invested in proper search engine optimization practices. I can provide basic Search Engine Optimization services for your chiropractor website. This is where your monthly ongoing expenses should be invested.

The last bit of information I want to leave you with is not specialized to you the Chiropractor, but to all businesses in general.

·        

It’s so cheap to have a website now, why wouldn’t you? Once your website is built, you can get a domain name for around $10 per year, with monthly fees for as little as $19.95 a month. Compare that to the outrageous prices charged for yellow page ads, which can range in price from $1,000 to over $100,000 per year.

 

·         A website can be a worthwhile investment even if it’s just an electronic version of the Yellow Pages: street address, phone number, business hours, forms of payment accepted, contact information.

Except…what happens if you move, or your area code changes, or your hours, or anything else that’s printed in the Yellow Pages? You know the answer to that one.

But a website is dynamic — information can be updated at any time, plus you’re not limited to 2 or 3 lines worth of information. Plus there are so many ways to interact with your customer, which is a lot more interesting for them and potentially very valuable to you.

·         Discount Coupons – What better incentive for someone to visit your website than to save money? Customers love getting a bargain, and the great thing about coupons is the customer usually has to buy something to get whatever goodies the coupon offers.

 

·         Did you know that 40-48 million adults went online last year looking for local content? The average local user is college educated, makes good money, and likes shopping online. They are more likely to make purchases than non-users of local content, either online or offline.

 

This demographic market is every business owner’s dream. As more local information becomes available online, people are starting to look at the Internet as something useful instead of a passing fad. Consumers are getting online in record numbers, resulting in a critical mass of local users in top markets, and spreading across communities of all sizes. Chances are a number of your local prospects and customers are part of this desirable demographic – and that number will only increase.

·         Maybe you think nobody in your industry is using the Internet. But I guarantee, whatever your business, one of your competitors is successfully using the Internet to promote their business.  If your competitors have web sites, people will be visiting them!  These people are your potential customers!

·         It’s the best  advertising medium available today.  A professional website provides exposure of your business for a small initial investment, when compared to other forms of advertising.

 

·        

When you have a website, you make business information available to customers and clients 24/7.

 

·         When you have a website, you can reduce costs and show your services/products over the web instead of printing brochures.

In closing, I’d like to say thank you for your time in reading this and if you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to call or email me!  I wish you a very profitable year helping people heal.

 

www.hodoorgan.com

Online Pet Memorials « Hodoorgan’s Weblog

Online Pet Memorials « Hodoorgan’s Weblog

Online Pet Memorials

 Has your pet passed away? Would you like your pet to be remembered for the joy and companionship that they brought to you and to your family & friends? You may be surprised and even overwhelmed at the depth of your grief at the loss of your pet.   Pet owners around the world know that a pet is truly a part of your family and the loss of one is a loss of a family member.An online memorial is a wonderful way to create a lasting tribute to your pet’s life.The deep and special bond we share with our pets makes the pain of death just as deep.  We have found many people experience healing during their grief by remembering the special times in a virtual memorial.Remembering beloved pets after their death by honoring their lives  is one of the best ways to begin or deepen the healing process of grief and loss recovery…    An online pet memorial is a web page, designed for you, as a tribute to the life and memory of a cherished pet that has passed away.  We have discovered that an online memorial is a wonderful way to help the grieving process and to create a lasting remembrance.An Online Pet Memorial is a unique and special way of remembering the life of a beloved pet.  An Online Pet Memorial is an incredible way to create a lasting memorial and tribute to your pet’s life.   An opportunity for friends and relatives to read, see, hear and learn about how your pet lived and how important they were to you and your family. We can include photos, thoughts, memories, or anything else you’d like your pet to be remembered by. We can add text, graphics, and even audio and video. Once an Online Pet Memorial has been created for an your pet a ”Guest Book” can be created.  This is space where visitors, friends and family members can contribute their own words, pictures, notes, comments and other parting sentiments about your pet’s life.  Why not have a Pet Memorial that is a dedication and memorial to those precious animals who have touched our lives, and taught us the true meaning of unconditional love. We can create a priceless Online Memorial for you when you are grieving or you can give one as a gift to a grieving friend.  Online Memorials make sensitive, thoughtful sympathy and condolences gifts for anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved pet.

 Contact us and continue in your healing journey.

Online Memorials

 Memories…  They can bring smiles to our faces, tears to our eyes, and can even bring both at the same time. Losing a loved one is devastating, but we have all been left with a special gift – our memories. They are often the only things we have left after that special person is gone. Through memories, our loved ones remain a part of us forever.Remembering loved ones after their death by honoring their lives  is one of the best ways to begin or deepen the healing process of grief and loss recovery…  Online Memorials can help you discover the healing power of your memories. You can pay tribute to your loved one with a Online Memorial your family will treasure. An Online Memorial is a unique and special way of remembering the life of a loved one. It’s a way of capturing key aspects about that person’s life – something which a gravestone is unable to do. It also allows people wherever they live, and whatever time it is, to access the information. This is often a helpful part of the grieving process for individuals, particularly at times after the memorial service has occurred – these individuals can view the memorial when they may be feeling low, and be uplifted by the memories shared at this site. Memories are one of the most important treasures we share with family and friends. Online Memorials help to celebrate life and life events by preserving life stories to share with friends and family around the world for current and future generations. Online Memorials publish written biographies, images, memories and well wishes shared by loved ones around the world, that capture the essence of one’s life.  Once an Online Memorial has been created for an individual a ”Guest Book” can be created.  This is space where other relatives and friends can add their own personal tributes.  Adding a guest book  to your website allows those who regrettably couldn’t be physically present at the funeral to be able to also pay tribute by adding their own thoughts and memories to the departed at the site. We can create a priceless Online Memorial for you when you are grieving or you can give one as a gift to a grieving friend.  Online Memorials make sensitive, thoughtful sympathy and condolences gifts for anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one. Gift options for those who are grieving can sometimes be limited. While floral arrangements, plants and charitable contributions are all received with great appreciation, memories hold the most value. Online Memorials allow you to give a unique sympathy gift – one that will be cherished forever.

Contact us and continue in your healing journey.

Why YOUR Business Should Have a Profiessional Website

 Þ These days, an on-line presence—with your own domain name provides basic information that establishes credibility—just as a listing in the Yellow Pages shows you are serious about your business. Þ It’s the best  advertising medium available today.  A professional website provides exposure of your business for a small initial investment, when compared to other forms of advertising.Þ Even if your business is local, you can be sure that more of your customers will use the Internet  to search for products and services in their local area.Þ To provide unlimited information about your company:  your hours of operation, locations, contact information, and your services/products.  Information can be tailored to your target audience and changed as regularly as your business grows.  Þ If your competitors have web sites, people will be visiting them!  These people are your potential customers!  Þ People can look at your online information right away when it suits them.  People are impatient and impulsive and may not be prepared to wait for your other advertising efforts to reach them.  Þ To provide a map to your business location.  Sometimes finding you is the hard part.Þ To sell your services and/or products.  Customers explore alternatives over the web before buying.Þ To make business information available to customers and clients 24/7.Þ To reduce costs, show your services/products over the web instead of printing brochures.Þ To easily publicize specials you are offering.  Couple this with e-mail promotion to your existing clients.

 MY BUSINESS IS SMALL, COULD A WEBSITE REALLY BE OF ANY BENEFIT?

 The smaller the business, the more cost effective and useful  a website can become.  This is because smaller businesses are nearly always at a sever disadvantage when it comes to the budget available for advertising and promotional materials.  However, an effective website really can help level the field.

 To run a successful business you constantly have to think of ways to keep up with the pack or even better, think of a way that you can get the competitive edge on your rivals.

 The most important aspect of your business is customer satisfaction.  A few years ago a website was a luxury but now people expect that you should have one.  The mere fact that you have a website puts you in a different league.  It enables you to compete with your competition on a playing field of your choice. 

 FACT: Local people use the Internet and often go online to get phone numbers, directions and general information.

 Americans are spending more time than ever online.  80% of us now spend as much time online as we do watching television.

 These same people seem to think that if they can’t find something on the internet, that it doesn’t exist.  When looking for a service or a product, they search the internet.  They search for reviews, opinions and other sites relating to the provider, so they know if they are going to get good value for their money. 

 HAVING A WEBSITE TODAY IS AS ESSENTIAL TO A BUSINESS AS BUSINESS CARDS OR A TELEPHONE NUMBER!

An online presence is a necessity these days.  If you don’t have a website and your customers can’t get information about your services or products then you’re likely missing out on a substantial amount of potential business. 

 Your company’s doors will now effectively be open to a global audience:  365 days a year, 7 days a week and 24 hours a day.

 Your business is accessible to anyone, anytime and anywhere.  A website works for you even when you’re not there.  People can go to your website and learn about your business, your services or products, how to get in touch with you and even purchase your services or products.

 Should you build and maintain your business Website yourself or pay someone to do it for you?

 Is building and maintaining websites the key focus of your business?  Could your time be better spent doing more important things like running your business?  Every minute you spend  on tasks that are not related to the key focus of your business is time spent to the detriment of your business. 

New Small Business for Small Businesses

 Hodoorgan Design’s  philosophy is simplicity itself: listen to our clients, understand their customers, and create solutions that meet their needs as  logically as possible. Statistics show that you have about five seconds to capture someone’s attention when they visit your web site. Does your site convince them to stay, or do they leave your site looking for another vendor?Having a professionally designed web site is essential to business success. Your web site is a literal gateway for your business and needs to be beautiful as well as functional. Simple, beautiful, well-organized, elegant. Sites that attract visitors, compliments, and leads. Sites that sell. Sites that other site owners envy. How do we do it?We interview you. We study your corporate identity. We will put your business out there for clients to find you.Hodoorgan Design plans your website development and web design using proven methods to:
· Engage your audience
· Communicate your message
· Encourage a response
· Add value for your customers
· Grow your business

Why is your logo important? Your home page? They’re the first things potential customers see when they search out your business. That’s why you want a design that captures your message and captivates your audience, one that speaks for your business and to your client base.

While it is important for a site to be visually attractive and have ‘WOW’ factor, we never lose sight of things such as ease of use and intuitive content. Your presence on the World Wide Web is a direct reflection of your company, so you have to put your  best foot forward.  We incorporate sound design principles that focus on ease of navigation, web site usability guidelines and smart, clean content layout.

Contact us today and let’s get started!

Hodoorgan Web Design