The inherent problem with banging your head against a wall week after week for fresh, innovative blog post topics is that it’s all in your head. Get outside it for a minute. The brilliant idea isn’t hiding from you in … Read More
Sales and Marketing
Stay Classy, Web Marketers: How to Get More Conversions with Classic Web Conventions
On the quest for higher site conversions, have you considered website usability? You know, the ease at which users navigate your site. When it’s difficult to find information or complete tasks on a website, conversions go down. Way down. You … Read More
9 Powerful Conversion Optimization Tips for Startups
Startups, take it from Ferris Bueller*: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Your company was designed for rapid growth. Every step you’ve taken in developing, championing, and … Read More
What’s the best strategy for pricing products and services online?
It’s all about context Bargain-bin pricing is old school. These days, entrepreneurs boost their bottom line by providing customers with context. Consider the price of a unicorn That’s hard to do because you’ve never seen a unicorn at the shop. … Read More
Get the Good Press: 5 Easy PR Tips for Startups
In the final weeks leading up to your startup launch, glorious visions of Mashable.com celebrity cloud your brain. You see a snappy headline announcing your concept to the world, and thousands of retweets and “Likes” on the post. Your logo … Read More
Trust Me, I’m An Entrepreneur: Tips For Building Trust Online
We are in the midst of an entrepreneurial boom. Start-ups have never been faster, easier, and cheaper to develop than right now, as social media platforms and free or low-cost online tools connect business owners with massive audiences instantly. Entrepreneurial … Read More
What Would Don Draper Say (About Web Usability)?
Don Draper, the whiskey-swigging, womanizing warlord of the advertising world on AMC’s hit drama Mad Men could have taught us a thing or two about web usability. In today’s article, we’ll dig through some memorable quotes from the master of … Read More
Your Customers Are Scanning: Research-Based Tips For Better Web Usability
The hard facts are in: web users aren’t always reading your thoughtful homepage text. They’re often scanning it, and moving on. Time to consider your website’s usability. Smashing Magazine editor Vitaly Friedman says, “Usability and the utility, not the visual … Read More
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Startups
In 1989, professional achievement was as attainable as following seven personality principles as outlined by self-help author Stephen R. Covey. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People has sold over 25 million copies since then, and continues to influence how … Read More
Convenience: The Crux of Customer Service Online
Meet me in my office for a discussion about web marketing. You can find me at the Starbucks two blocks from my home, where the WiFi connection is fast, the refills are free, and the background noise is inoffensive. I … Read More
9 Free and Indispensable Online Tools for Startups
Starting a business requires a lot of investment — of time, effort, and money. However, a fledgling enterprise can get a lot of mileage out of online tools with little or no up-front cost. There are a plethora of online … Read More
Keep This, Save That For Later: Online Marketing on a Tight Budget (Part 2)
Our last post outlined several budget-minded marketing tactics for entrepreneurs looking to make a strong impression online. We rummaged around in SEO, design, e-commerce, content, and web development to find the best practices for each and the solutions to scrap … Read More