We know it’s been quiet around the Thinkhouse blog lately... but that’s because we’ve been concentrating on everyone else’s websites and blogs! So I will take a short break to let you know what’s been going on in the house!

Websites and more websites! Why is everybody doing websites? Well, only because they are the single most important marketing tool known to man, and most small to mid-sized businesses are too busy to keep theirs up to date! At some point, they do finally come around and look for a creative firm that can rock a new website for them - and that would be Thinkhouse!

Not only are we incredibly fun to work with :), but we truly work hard for you and think about your site in a big picture scope to help current and future business from a branding and marketing perspective. We ask lots of questions and listen to the facts and goals you have for your business. Our team understands more than just great design, but marketing, SEO, and usability. We’ll help you develop your unique value proposition and brand promise while building a customized, user-friendly, search engine friendly, content happy site that will make it easier for people and search engines to keep coming back.

Case and point... we are working on a site now for a company made up of 4 related but different businesses. They currently have 4 separate websites with 4 different names - very confusing, indeed! Thinkhouse recommended and is working on combining all of their sites and businesses into a one-stop shop and re-branding it all which will help foster a single customer base while creating overlap to inform each market segment about each of their other services and in essence build the community and increase business! Coming soon! Some other sites we're proud of... eyeking.com, glasstilestore.com, richandfamouseyewear.com, bloomsburgcarpet.com, betterhouseware.com

Remember, designing and building the website is only the first step! Marketing the site is crucial if you want to maintain and increase website traffic! There are many ways to do this - and we cover them all from online marketing and social media to ppc campaigns and content management! If you’d like to chat about your project, be it a website, branding, advertising or other design project... give us a call for a free chat! 917-805-0480 www.thinkhouse.com

Many business owners talk a good game about trying to satisfy customers and knowing what they want, but few actually talk directly to them to ask questions and gauge whether they’re hitting the mark. There’s a simple solution to that… start asking.

Customer surveys are one of the most effective tools for improving customer experience and in turn, growing sales and holding on to loyal customers.

Although surveys can be conducted by phone, direct mail, at point of purchase, and on social networks; these days, surveys are a no-brainer with online services, many of them free ones, such as surveymonkey, constant contact, and zoomerang. You simply input questions and create answers easily with multiple question types available and then instantly monitor the responses in real time. The survey can also be easily customized to match your company image. Email surveys enable you to segment lists and send out as many or as few as you wish.

What are the benefits?

Most of the time when a customer is dissatisfied, they make like a tree and leave and you never hear from them again. Surveys are a way to learn what may be wrong and they enable you to correct the problem and improve overall customer satisfaction. You can make sure that mistake isn’t repeated or improve what might be lacking or unsatisfactory.

Studies show that just a 5% increase in customer retention rate results in 25-95% increase in profits – depending on the business.

When customers are happy, they return, nuff’ said, but here’s more:

- Your customers get a chance to think and talk about what you do for them, which underscores and articulates your value.

- Small annoyances are aired and don’t snowball into the kind of problems that erode relationships.

- You get a chance to identify your strengths and weaknesses based on their feedback.

- Surveys are cost effective and efficient.

Do it right:

- Brand it – Include your logo and colors or look so it reflects your company image. Include a short cover letter explaining what the purpose of the survey is, why they have been chosen, and how much you appreciate their input. It is not necessary, but always nice to reward the survey answerer with a coupon or incentive of some sort and it improves response rates.

- Targeting – What are your objectives? To find out what your current customers likes and dislikes are, to survey former customers to find out why they didn’t return, or to survey the non-customer to try and win new business? Make sure you match up the right prospect list with the right questions to ensure the highest response rate and most useful feedback.

- Ask the right Questions – When crafting your survey, make sure your questions require answers that will give you tangible ammunition to make changes. For ex: Ask what brands they would like to see carried in your store. If enough people are asking for the same brand, you can decide to start carrying it!

- Follow up with a thank you note acknowledging your appreciation for their efforts and time and assurance, “we hear your concerns and are making changes.

Keep in mind, there is a good side to bad news. Don’t be afraid of negative feedback as it will give you an opportunity to improve your business and keep customers coming back!

For more info. call us at (917) 805-0480
or visit our website at: www.thinkhouse.com

So you’ve built it and you want them to come? Now the work begins!

If you’re like most of our clients, you’ve just spent a lot of resources, money, time and energy on the business strategy, design and development of your new website and are just starting to have brain space for what comes next. Your online marketing strategy.

Hopefully, you considered SEO during the building phase and the site is SEO-ready. By that, I mean, you’ve implemented the fundamental tactics that help make your site search engine friendly such as: keyword driven live content, title tags, description tags, keyword integration, xml sitemap, and share buttons, for starters.

So now you’re ready to go live, how will we increase traffic to our new website?

This is where your online strategy kicks into high gear. Your online strategy is a marketing plan for your website which includes many levels of tasks and tactics that require ongoing attention. So where do you begin? I’m going to divide the tasks into 3 parts: Absolutely Necessary, FREE Web Strategies, and Web Strategies that require a budget.

Absolutely Necessary

1- Go back to make sure you’ve integrated the basic SEO functions I’ve mentioned above. This will be your foundation on which to build and help in your organic search rankings.

2- Make sure you have an email signup module built into your website to continually gather names and build a database of customers and prospects otherwise know as lead generation.

FREE Web Strategies – (My top 14 Free Web Strategies)

1- Submit your website URL to as many search engines as possible.

2- Google Analytics – Take advantage of this Free Analytics Tool! Simply input a line of code into your site which enables Google to monitor and send you reports about your site traffic data and other very useful information.

3- Take advantage of other incredible and free SEO Tools such as Yahoo Site Explorer, Keyword Spy, Google Website Optimizer, Google Keyword Tool, Rank Checker, SEO Centro, Google Alerts.

4- Blogging – Have your own blog as well as identify and comment on other blogs in your category. Also provide information or products to them. It’s better to have a separate URL for your blog and link your site to and from it.

5- Social Bookmarking- A method for internet users to share, organize, search, and manage bookmarks of web resources.

6- Social Networking – Build following and interact with customers through social media, Twitter, Facebook etc.

7- Word of Mouth – Join and participate in groups, forums and blogs related to your business and engage with your audience.

8- Word of Email – Everyone on staff should include the website link in their email signature,

9- Display URL on everything possible from stationery to your car to giveaways

10- Post Free Classified Ads

11- Respond to Craigslist Postings that relate to your business.

12- Article Marketing – Submit related “expert” articles to free article sites like Ezines, Suite101, GoArticles, ArticleBase and there are hundreds of others.

13- Press Releases – Craft an interesting press release, include link to your website and distribute the release through an online distribution service such as PRWeb.com

14- Study the Competition – understand trends in your industry, join their email lists, gain insights into competitors promotional strategies and integrate them into yours.

Web Strategies that require a budget

1- Launch Party! Get the Buzz going.

2- Pay Per Click Advertising like Google Adwords, Facebook Ads.

3- Email Marketing – send newsletters, promotions, useful information that keeps redirecting people back to your site.

4- Banner Advertising on targeted sites.

5- Retargeting – Finding new customers by targeting the recent search history/actions of hundreds of millions of users.

5- Conduct Surveys – Get feedback from your customers or focus group through brief automated surveys through survey service like survey monkey. (low cost)

6- Promote at industry events and shows through speaking, giveaways, having a booth, etc.

7- Print Advertising and outdoor are also great options.

The first step to online marketing and strategy is commitment and the second is goal setting. Web strategy is part common sense, part technical know how; part trial and error, part rigorous planning; and a good dose of experience. Start with what you know, learn more about what makes sense for your business and set realistic goals. Each one of these items has miles of information on the web. A successful online strategy requires consistent and continuous maintenance so decide which tasks are DIY and which might require a pro. Good Luck!!

To implement these and other great marketing strategies, contact Thinkhouse or visit us at www.thinkhouse.com for more information.

Thinkhouse has been designing quite a few logos lately, so we thought we’d
do a quick refresher.

1 – Keep it simple. A minimalist, simple, and uncluttered design will ensure
readability and recognizability.

2 – The font you choose could mean the difference between old fashioned and
modern, youthful and old school, very eighties, or very right now. Keep in
mind who your audience and prospects are. If it’s teens, than what you like
(if you’re older that is, and I’m guessing, you are) may not be the best
barometer. Poll people in all age groups and see how they respond and react.
If your target is all age groups, make sure your logo has universal appeal
while still being distinctive.

3 – Colors evoke emotions and moods in people and it’s important to get this
right. For example, blue is a cool color that might be considered welcoming
and red is regarded as more feisty and energetic. Green or khaki might come
across as earthy, crunchy. Experiment with different colors because each
will evoke a completely different vibe. Remember to keep your audience in
mind when choosing colors as well.

4 – Keep your logo relevant and be certain it makes sense. The early
Amazon.com logo contained a river running through the ‘A’ eluding to the
Amazon River, which had no relevance to the business. The new Amazon logo is
a clever one, which has an arrow connecting the ‘A’ to the ‘Z’, which infers
that they carry everything from A to Z. The smile shaped yellow arrow has an
upbeat, happy feel to it. Illustrations and visuals along with your type
treatment can be cool, but also overpowering, so make sure you find the
right balance and visual interest.

5 – Like it. Make sure you like it because it will always bug you if you
don’t… which will lead you right back to a redesign sooner than later.

Click here to see some of the logos we’ve created at Thinkhouse!

http://www.thinkhouse.com/portfolio.php

What really is a brand?

1- A brand, plainly stated, is an impression. It’s the impression in the consumer’s mind of a company’s total personality,including its real and imaginary qualities as well as its shortcomings.

2- Brand image is developed over time through advertising campaigns with a consistent theme, and is authenticated through the consumers’ experience.

3- A Brand is the mental snapshot and emotional response that springs up at the mention of a company’s name. A psychological judgment that continually changes with the firms messages, circumstances, images and performance.

4- Perception is not always reality, but it is the perception that counts. Whatever signals a company sends out translates to how it is perceived.

5- Brand image is fluid and can change overnight from positive to negative to neutral. Large firms use various advertising or public relations tactics to enhance their image in order to improve their desirability in the marketplace.

6- Brand positioning is the core message that differentiates your product from everything else.

7- A unique product identity strengthens the market’s perception of your product and in turn, reinforces your company’s overall positioning.

8- In today’s marketplace, word of mouth means, word of blog, word of facebook, word of forums, word of twitter, word of text, etc. etc. Good news travels fast, but bad news travels faster. Your success lies strongly in the hands of the consumer, and your consistent brand message is is the key to winning and holding on to them.

Check out the Thinkhouse Facebook page …

There is a lot to be learned from 2009, for small and large businesses alike. No industry was left unscathed in some way by our climbing-out-from-under economy.  2009 forced us to calibrate our marketing strategies and conform to new terrain. What is the biggest change? The consumer is now in the drivers seat. So how will marketing evolve in this year? What will be the the top marketing strategies and tactics for 2010?

Click here to read the full story on the Thinkhouse Facebook page …