Interactive Marketing… Getting started
I’ve met with many small businesses, and not surprisingly, one of their greatest challenges is trying to keep up with the technology advances that are happening at light speed. The transition away from yellow pages has already happened for “readers”, but advertisers are still spending thousands of dollars chasing eyeballs that don’t exist. The fear of having to learn a new technology is very real to someone who’s area of expertise is killing rodents, removing mold, fixing wells or hooking up light bulbs.
I recognized a while ago, that businesses don’t sit still. They are either growing or shrinking, and the difference between success and failure is unbelievably slight. So, as business owners, we have to constantly be aware of changing dynamics of our industries, new competitors and in this case, changing marketing methods.
So, back to the point- interactive marketing. Get a professionally designed website. Avoid the “do it yourself” websites- they are challenging to work with and they look like they’ve been designed by a novice. You can expect to pay anywhere from $1000 to $10,000 for customized website. Prices will depend on:
- Number of pages
- Is the design custom, or from a template or “do it yourself”
- What type of functionality is required (database? calendar function?)
- Does the site require flash? (some flash elements are good- but don’t purchase a flash website, it’s terrible for SEO)
- Is the site going to be e-commerce?
Now, determine how many pages you require (ie, what will be in your navigation). Typical navigation “pages” are:
- Home
- Services
- About Us
- Contact Us
- Testimonials, etc, etc
Once you’ve identified your pages, prepare to write content for them. More on this next post! I have to get back to Flight of the Conchords.
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I’m not sure where you are getting your facts from but 85+% of adults referenced the print Yellow Pages last year generating some 13+ billion look-ups.