Dave’s Mobile Car Wash (Ridgeland, MS) launches it’s new custom website design, www.davesmobilecarwash.com. Dave’s Mobile Car Wash has been providing on site service for over 15 years to Madison, Rankin and Hinds counties. See a list of thinkWEBSTORE.com websites at www.thinkwebstore.com/websites.
by Martin Willoughby
Originally Published August 9,2010 in the Mississippi Business Journal
>>Download PDF Scan of Article with Pics
Marketing is a very common business concept, but one that I find is interpreted and applied very differently by business people. Marketing is often seen as a luxury, and not a necessity, so it is often first on the chopping block during budget cuts. Hundreds, if not thousands, of marketing books are published each year trying to influence the way business leaders plan and execute their marketing strategies. Over the years, Al Ries, Jack Trout, Robert Cialdini and Seth Godin are a few of the authors and consultants that have risen above the pack to make a major impact on the way we think about marketing. For most entrepreneurs who don’t have a direct background in marketing, sorting through the various theories of marketing can be a difficult thing. Part of the confusion lies in how we think about advertising, public relations, sales, and marketing.
I recently spoke with Bryan Carter, founder of thinkWEBSTORE.com, to get his thoughts on how entrepreneurs should approach their marketing strategies. Carter has a very interesting background in design, technology, psychology, and business. His experiences include being a national consultant and speaker, authoring journal and industry articles, working for a large advertising agency, and developing award winning multimedia learning tools. In 2007, he opened thinkWEBSTORE.com with a clear purpose in mind — to offer a “one-stop shop” for businesses and their marketing needs. The services offered include marketing strategy, website design and hosting, search engine optimization and marketing, e-mail marketing and advertising services for small and mid-sized businesses. Part of what makes Carter’s business model different is that he provides these services from a retail location versus a traditional office environment. Carter’s success is no accident. He knew his target market and designed a whole business around meeting the needs of that underserved market. Carter leveraged his experience and expertise in planning out the entire business concept in great detail and now has executed that plan diligently.
Many service professionals suffer from the “cobbler who has no shoes” problem, but Carter has certainly avoided that and done an excellent job of marketing his own business. Even though the economy tanked soon after it opened, thinkWEBSTORE.com is ahead of its goals, and Carter anticipates executing soon on his plans to expand the concept regionally and nationally. According to Carter, “Marketing is how you put all the pieces together of advertising, PR and sales. It is your overall strategy, which should be consistent and well thought out.” Carter described advertising as the tool that gets people to your door and sales as a delivery mechanism. Marketing, he emphasized, is where you “think through the details of your business including such things as pricing, positioning and delivery ability.” He also noted that while marketing is comprehensive, it does not have to be complicated. Carter also believes that a company’s website, regardless of the type of business, is really the core that should be used as a guide for all other aspects of marketing.
Operating a service business, Carter noted that he emphasizes quality as they key. In order to do that, he has a simple credo for his employees: Be aware; Think things through, and Own it! He pointed out that when you are aware and think things through, owning the issue is usually not a problem. I see many businesses where a lack or “ownership” is a major problem. Lack of ownership leads to no accountability, which usually results in disastrous results both for both customers and the company. Ultimately, Carter’s passion and business is about helping entrepreneurs help themselves. Many business owners come to thinkWEBSTORE.com with ideas and dreams, and Carter and his team help them accomplish them.
I am inspired by the detailed thought and planning that Carter puts into his business. For entrepreneurs and business people, I think we can all do better at being more diligent in thinking through the details of our business. This type of planning is a fluid and ongoing process, and one which is important for the long term success of a venture. For me, it involves a bit of a paradigm shift to try and clearly see a business through the eyes of the clients and prospective clients. Truly great businesses see this view. They design not only their products and services, but the entire experience to maximize it for their clientele. I am sure that we will continue to see the impact of Carter’s attention to this detail in the success of his business and his client’s businesses in the years to come.
Martin Willoughby, a business lawyer in Jackson, is a regular contributing columnist for the Mississippi Business Journal. He can be reached at mew@msbusinesslaw.com.
AgVest Land Company (Madison, MS) launches it’s new real estate website design, www.agvestlandco.com, where visitors can view various agricultural land tracks online. All properties are Google mapped by longitude and latitude coordinates since addresses do not apply with farm land. See a list of thinkWEBSTORE.com websites at www.thinkwebstore.com/websites.
Has the Web changed Marketing Strategy? Yes, of course it has. Has it become a tool to help you organize your marketing efforts? You bet.
The fact is, developing your brand and marketing materials has never been easier. Websites have become the proving ground for all aspects of a company’s marketing presence before it is ever committed to the sunk cost and expense of more traditional materials such as print, video and audio that, once created, cannot be easily changed or changed at all.
Using your website as your marketing hub, you can develop and polish the look, the message and the content of your company and then use that to easily guide the development of everything from business cards to brochures to articles to online ads to billboards. Keeping your message and look consistent and on point has never been easier or more practical.
In addition to developing your guide to marketing materials, the Web is also an excellent marketing research tool. Not only can you see which pages interest your visitors the most, but by promoting your website address in all of your marketing efforts you are inviting your audience to come visit your site. And, a portion of your audience will. By tracking your web traffic you can get a decent idea of the response rate of your advertising and campaign efforts.
* New TV commercial? Track it.
* Just attended a conference in Orlando and handed out over 250 business cards? Track it.
* Just had a write-up in the local business journal? Track it!
Comparing your traffic and the costs of each effort can give you a general idea of your Return On Investment (ROI). The results may surprise you!
The proper and most efficient evolution of your business identity and marketing materials can save you money and make all of your efforts consistent, synergistic and more effective.
(1) Logo – Establish your mark
(2) Website – Establish your look, your message, your extended content
(3) Promote – Business Cards, Letterhead, Envelopes, Brochures, Sales Literature, Catalogs, Video, Radio, Print Ads, Online Ads, Email Marketing, Direct Mail, Billboards, Apparel, Gear
Don’t put the cart before the horse!
(1) The first thing to establish is your logo. (2) From the logo a look can begin to evolve and be developed, along with your messaging and content in the form of a website. (3) It’s time to promote your company. Once finalized, these elements can be used to generate any marketing and support materials you need.
If you are using the Web correctly, it has added a dynamic element to your marketing tool set that you will never give up. It has become the hub of all marketing efforts including conceptualization, message development, content development, public trials, visual treatment, general tracking and the source for nearly all marketing materials.
If you have questions or would like more information on how to maximize the use of your website and online presence in your overall marketing strategy, contact thinkWEBSTORE.com at (601) 856-2000.
The Diabetes and Endocrine Institute (Jackson, MS) launches it’s new website design, www.diabetesandendocrineinstitute.org, providing news on classes, recipes and about the institute. Established by Dr. Wayne Woo in Jackson, Mississippi, the institute and Dr. Woo have become known for a holistic approach to diabetes care and lifestyle. See a list of thinkWEBSTORE.com websites at www.thinkwebstore.com/websites.
Thor Products (Jackson, MS) launches it’s new e-commerce website design, www.thorproducts.com, where visitors can buy various cleaning products online. Thor Products has had a long time relationship with Viking and continues to provide stainless steel and other cleaning products that compliment Viking appliance purchases. See a list of thinkWEBSTORE.com websites at www.thinkwebstore.com/websites.
thinkWEBSTORE.com becomes a Google AppsTM Authorized Reseller. The highly requested Google Apps Premier Edition services for businesses incorporates GoogleTM world class email hosting services, interfaces and spam and anti-virus filtering as a business solution. This eliminates costly equipment, software and maintenance costs for businesses of all sizes. The Google Apps suite includes calendaring, business applications (word processing, spreadsheet, presentation), company website tools, file storage, chat and video, all through Google servers. This “cloud computing” solution is one of the first practical, mainstream solutions of its size with such a comprehensive application package. Calendars, documents and websites can be shared with other users simply, which used to require applications such as Microsoft Exchange. Google Apps can be used along with Microsoft Office products for those who aren’t comfortable leaving their Microsoft tools. Google Apps offers security, utility and flexibility for the business community and eliminates the need to be tied to a single computer to access your data.
MCH Transportation (Jackson, MS) launches it’s new website design, www.mchtrans.com, promoting its national trucking transportation services. Headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi, MCH has several offices in the US and serves many large Southeastern and Midwestern clients with its comprehensive range of transportation service offerings. See a list of thinkWEBSTORE.com websites at www.thinkwebstore.com/websites.
Melissa Honea Realty (Ridgeland, MS) launches it’s new website design, www.melissahonearealty.com or www.madisonmshomes.org, showcasing her private listings and MLS listings of homes in the Madison, Ridgeland, Brandon, Jackson and Flowood areas. See a list of thinkWEBSTORE.com websites at www.thinkwebstore.com/websites.
“I just need a simple website.” Famous first words. While often true, it does not mean that you need a simple “bad” website. You may become one of the many who finds out that they have spent valuable dollars and have nothing to show for it.
Any website should accomplish specific business needs. Commonly, those needs can include communicating the image of your company, providing tools for your customers that help them and reduce your staff time, support sales with work and portfolio samples to build credibility, establish reputation, and other business and customer communication goals. All too often people fall into the trap of trying to define their needs as “simple” and falling prey to a translation of cheap and an ultimately poorly performing website.
There are different levels of website designs. The most basic of website design services normally involves using pre-fabricated templates and fitting pictures and content into them, often without proper consultation. The better design services will provide in-depth consultation regarding your clients and business needs and then build a website from scratch to to suite your specific needs.
If you have questions regarding the quality of service you are getting, ask to see examples and request an explanation of the client process used by the company from consulting to delivery. It is also worthwhile to consider other complimentary services such as visual design, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and hosting services. If you can find all of the services with one provider it can greatly simplify your vendor relationship by giving you a single point of contact.
Contact thinkWEBSTORE.com for more information on professional website design services in Mississippi.
thinkWEBSTORE.com is a Mississippi based company that specializes in website design, web technologies, logo design, business identity and marketing strategy. thinkWEBSTORE.com is co-located with Advanced Microsystems (www.advmicrosystems.com), a company specializing in computer repair, networking and network administration.
www.thinkwebstore.com
info@thinkwebstore.com
601-856-2000
655 Lake Harbour Drive
Ridgeland, MS 39157
If you like the majority of established businesses out there, after many visits and phone calls you have at least considered advertising in the Yellow Pages. If you are like many businesses, you have budgeted hundreds or thousands of dollars every year to advertise in the Yellow Pages with bold type listings, ad space and maybe even two colors.
So what is the hype with Google and other search engine searches. Well, the truth of the matter is that it is anything but hype. More and more people choose to search for business listings on their computers and phones using Google and other search engines rather than dragging out the phone book. In fact, more and more, you find people who haven’t even cracked open their phone books for the first time.
What is the interest in Google? Google makes it easy to look up just about any business by category or by name. It is so much easier that people are putting their phone books to rest.
The bad news for businesses is not that people are migrating to searches rather than using the Yellow Pages, it is that people use them differently and that the way people use search engine results id much more competitive than the way they use the Yellow Pages.
When someone is looking for a listing in the Yellow Pages, say they are looking for pizza, they will look up the category and usually scan the entire column, maybe look for another category and maybe look at the ads on the pages before committing to a phone call. That means that just being in the category may give you a fighting chance to attract some business. When people search on the internet, on the other hand, they usually have thousands of results in their list. Ironically, even with more results they tend to look at fewer. Many people don’t even look past the first page of results if there is a listing there that satisfies their need.
What does this mean for businesses? If people are choosing to use Google searches rather than the Yellow Pages and they are usually only at the first page of results, then you MUST be on the first page, which may only be 10 listings and perhaps a map with 10 listings (known as a ten pack). And the only way to get listed in the top ten is usually, you guessed it, through Search Engine Optimization (SEO) or if you are willing to pay more, through payed placement using Search Engine Marketing (SEM).
The good news is many businesses have already budgeted hundreds or thousands of dollars for this exact type of advertising through the Yellow Pages. If you have been spending big money on the Yellow Pages, then you might want to consider redirecting some of those valuable marketing and advertising dollars.
Contact thinkWEBSTORE.com for more information on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM).
thinkWEBSTORE.com is a Mississippi based company that specializes in website design and web technology, logo and business identity design, marketing and business strategy. thinkWEBSTORE.com is co-located with Advanced Microsystems (www.advmicrosystems.com), who specializes in computer repair, networking and network administration.
www.thinkwebstore.com
info@thinkwebstore.com
601-856-2000
655 Lake Harbour Drive
Ridgeland, MS 39157
Read more about SEO and SEM at thinkWEBSTORE.com
>>SEO. What is it and do I need it?
>>Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing. Are they the same?
>>Search Engine Optimization vs. The Yellow Pages
Remote Data Security (Ridgeland, MS) launches it’s new website design, www.remotedatasecurity.net, promoting its secure remote data backup services. Headquartered in Ridgeland, Mississippi, Remote Data Security (RDS) serves clients internationally. See a list of thinkWEBSTORE.com websites at www.thinkwebstore.com/websites.
Primos Cafe
Primos Cafe (Jackson, MS and Ridgeland, MS) has a new face! We have updated our already hosted site, www.primoscafe.com, with a content management system, promotions, thinkMAIL email marketing and a new website design. Be sure to check out their blue plate specials and don’t forget about Fried Chicken Thursday or the best eggs and pancakes in town! See a list of thinkWEBSTORE.com websites at www.thinkwebstore.com/websites.