Collecting information about online visitors is nothing new - businesses have been doing this for many years as a way to learn more about what their customers want, and how best to serve them. What is evolving with new tech, however, are the ways in which that data can be interpreted and channeled in a useful manner. With the big data technologies that are emerging in 2018, small businesses have more power than ever to adopt an online marketing strategy that not only brings in the right customers, but gives those customers an unparalleled personal experience. If you're new to the idea of big data, find it intimidating, or simply don't see how it can help your strategy, here are a couple of key points that will point you in the right direction.
When it comes to generating leads for your website, high traffic is the main goal, right? Not necessarily. Imagine that you run a site aimed toward retirees, and you see that a lot of people are visiting the site, but when you look at your analytics, you discover that most of your visitors are teenagers. That's not going to lead to many sales! While having a high volume of traffic is certainly a good sign, big numbers are not enough to push your conversion rates higher - you want the right people coming to your site, the ones who are in the target market for your product or service. This is where keywords come into play.
LinkedIn's new interface and upcoming changes may not surprise you, but you will notice them. It will happen sometime in 2017. The redesigned website is meant to bring LinkedIn's desktop experience more in line with its mobile app.
The main changes are to the look and feel. It will cleaner and has more responsive and easier to navigate features, including better search features. There are also some features that they are retiring:
According to Google, there are 4 criteria that you need to meet to increase your SEO, searchability, and how your potential customer can find you online.
1. Informative and useful content: what other webpages/profiles are ranking in Google for the keywords you want to rank for? How does the design, look and feel, and SEO of your website compare? What information do those sites have that you may be missing?
2. Credible: ways to build your credibility online are to build relationships and share comments and articles on other credible websites/profiles and display your awards and logos (i.e. BBB or Angie’s List Accredited badges).
3. Write well: do you have typos or incorrect facts and stats? Google does not rank websites that are poorly written.
4. Engaging content: would your target audience want to bookmark your webpage, share it, recommend it, or submit a comment? Think about this or discuss your ideas with a friend, industry expert, and/or business partner for added insight, perspective, and feedback.
Web design is more about how you attract the right visitors than it is about how your website looks and feels. Don’t get me wrong however, the usability and flow of your website IS important. Though, marketing is where you need to focus your efforts, consistently review upcoming trends, and re-invent.
Web marketing is about developing powerful communication strategies using all of the popular social/niche media channels to drive traffic and generate qualified leads. It can include a social media marketing program, search engine optimization, research, integration … even how your business seems to appear and be marketed on LinkedIn.
Who strong is your website marketing? Find out what your score is here: https://website.grader.com/ and let us know.

The word "dynamic" describes today's online experience! The early days of the web featured mostly static pages with lots of text and not much else. Though, the websites you see now are bursting with information of all kinds, with a lot of two-way interaction and audience engagement. The advent of multimedia, of course, has played a huge role in this evolution. As media quality has improved, things like images, video, and even live streaming have become not only possible, but commonplace.
Multimedia is everywhere nowadays. Intelligent marketers understand the need for incorporating a fair amount of multimedia into online marketing strategies. Even the smallest businesses with the simplest goals can still benefit from including multimedia as part of their campaigns.
Tip for small businesses: doing this can also open you up to a whole new level of engaging with potential customers.

These days, consumers rely more and more on the social aspects of research when they're considering where to spend their money. In other words, recommendations from real people can mean as much or more to them than advertisements or other marketing campaigns. Testimonials are a great way to show that people find your product or service valuable, but how do you get strong, believable testimonials to use on your site?
Your social media and website presence should be integrated with one another in order to continuously drive traffic to your website. The next step would then be to measure your efforts so you can improve. Here is a helpful guide. Google Analytics provides you with data to see where your website visitors come from and understand how they maneuver through your site.
The turkey has long been a symbol of thanksgiving and abundance and the cornucopia is a symbol of productivity. These symbols of abundance encourage us to honor our sources of nourishment, whether they are physical, emotional or spiritual. So this season, honor yourself as an entrepreneur and a spirited individual who has overcome much and nourished many.
There are many things to be grateful for in business and here are our top 7:
A Great Team: not all businesses have huge staffs, but each and every employee always has the chance to make a huge impact on your business. A Growing List of Tech Tools to Make Your Life Easier: there are so many options! So many tasks that can be completely automated! Your Online Connections: you have access to so many people, influencers and followers in different parts of the world. These people can have a huge impact on your business.
What does losing weight or healthy eating have to do with marketing your business online?
I just read this article about “9 Ways to Replace Your Bad Habits With Good Ones” and point 6 caught my eye! It is about being aware of your vulnerable times. Is it early in the morning or after a long day at work (when you’re emotionally, physically, or cognitively exhausted) that you feel like your decision-making isn’t the sharpest?
The article reads: “research shows that your willpower reserves are depleted—you just don’t have enough to refrain from snappy statements. When you know you’ll be tired or when you find you’re worn out, put in a structure to support yourself.” This same principle can be applied to your business.


